The streets are festooned with rubbish, piled in uneven reeking heaps along the dilapidated roadsides, as much of it sits there decomposing for days. Someone could make a fortune offering the city a proper sanitation service.
All that said I found Phnom Penh incredibly liberating.
The tourist sites, such as the royal palace and national museum, are well put together and interesting. While the markets are vibrant and, if you can laugh off the beggars, an enjoyable place to wile away a few hours picking up cheap art and silk.
Bartering is a must. I’m ok at it but still suffer pangs of guilt as I try to drive a stall holder down another dollar! But don’t be fooled, they also know how to play the game, and are incredibly skilled at it.
You can, of course, just walk away and this, sometimes, will push the price down further, alternatively you can hear the stallholder mumbling under their breath, I’m guessing that they are saying what a cheap skate you are!
It’s also hot, damn hot. While I’ve lived in my fair share of Asian countries, and survived quite comfortably, PP’s April heat, in the run up to rainy season, saps your strength and drains much of the will to see the city’s sites.
Saying that, a throng of Cyclo, Moto Taxi and TukTuk drivers incessantly tout for your business, ensuring that you never have to wander too far on foot, unless you want to. The drivers also seem to have a fairly healthy sideline in the hawking of narcotics. A number of times, after declining a ride, we were offered their alternative goods.
Just remember to smile when you are saying no, it lessens the blow. Smiling generally works as a sure fire way of getting people onside for most things in PP.
In our hotel, the Foreign Correspondents Club (FCC), walls were quickly broken down with a cheery hello and a smiling thank you. Simple equation, smile and people do things for you, with pleasure; scowl and you could be waiting an eternity for your drinks to turn up.
This is no different from much of South East Asia although considering the genocide that occurred barely 30 odd years ago, it is almost inconceivable as to how the country has recovered from such a disaster so quickly.
A cynic of course would say it is purely a case of chasing the almighty American dollar, the country’s main currency, and of course I’m sure that is part of it but don’t let that lessen your enjoyment.
To wind down we wiled away early evenings at the FCC’s happy hour - 5pm to 7pm - most drinks half price and draught beers US$1.
The bar is a fabulous place filled with old leather chairs, seats at the open veranda that overlook the Mekong and staff that smile and can’t get you a drink quick enough.
This makes for comfortable afternoons sitting on the balcony, drink in hand, cooled by ceiling fans, whose steady drone can put you into an almost trance like state, or that might be the drink.
Cheers,
Blocka
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