CAMBODIA :A Brief Guide
Created | Updated Jun 21, 2003
The City of Phnom Penh
The city of Phnom Penh lies at the confluence of the Mekong, Bassac and Tonl Sap Rivers
It is possible to sit eating on the banks of the river and watch people fishing below you.
The city was known as the loveliest of the French-influenced cities in Indochina. For the story of its founding read the article on Wat Phnom.( to follow! Ed. ) While recent history hasn't been kind to Phnom Penh (the city was emptied during the Khmer Rouge days) most buildings remained intact and some of the old colonial charm can still be found.
Phnom Penh has now returned to being a bustling city but, to be fair, in many places it can only be described as dingy. The majority of buildings are run down, and almost all of the roads are badly potholed. But, as an old friend of mine would say, they are trying. There is running water, electricity, and an air of optimism. Capitalism is once more the driving force; even the police cars are sponsored by Mobitel.
While Phnom Penh is nothing like as sleazy as Bangkok; it seems to be trying hard to catch up. There are countless Kareoke Bars (the eastern equivalent of the western 'Massage Parlour') although the girls and touts outside are not as pushy as in Bangkok. A sad fact of life, which I saw on CNN, is that Cambodia has the highest incidence of HIV and AIDS in South East Asia.
One other thing that I noticed, in comparison with Bangkok or Manila for example, was the scarcity of older people. This was the first sign that Cambodia's recent past has been anything but happy. In fact more than 50% of the population is under the age of 17. The first census for thirty years was conducted in 1998, putting the population at just under eleven and a half million with a 2.3% growth rate.
I spent my first evening and the next day just wandering around and getting a feel for the place. I like to experience a city on foot, up close; sights, smells and all the noise of people living their daily lives.
The main area that provides facilities for tourists runs alongside the Tonl Sap River just above the point where it joins with the Mekong River. There is the Royal Palace and the Silver Pagoda, Wat Ounalom and many hotels, bars, and restaurants. While it is interesting to just sit outside a bar and watch life pass by, it is also noisy. One morning, at eleven o'clock, I counted over one hundred mopeds and motos, eight cyclo's, two bicycles, two buses and five cars all in one minute. Early in the day and in the cool of the evening it is even busier.
Many times, when arriving in a new city, I have been told about how bad the drivers are. I was even told it about Port Moresby, where I found the drivers to be pussy cats compared to many other places. In my own humble opinion, the drivers in Phnom Penh are the most erratic I have ever met. Driving on the wrong side of the road, edging across oncoming traffic, stopping in the middle of the road, you name it. Only the fact that everyone is as reckless as each other seems to deliver everyone from multiple pile ups. As I have mentioned the traffic; if you are brave enough to rent a moped or a bicycle, here is a tip; when an oncoming car flashes its lights the driver is not saying:
'I'm being thoughtful and letting you turn into this intersection in front of me.'
(As the signal means in the UK). What the driver is saying is:
'I'm coming through. Try cutting in front of me and you're toast!'
So be careful!
My first trip out of Phnom Penh was to the infamous Killing Fields at Choeung Ek. A depressing day but something I feel every visitor should do to bring home the reality of what happened under Pol Pot.
Back in the city life goes on; and where there is life there is food. Phnom Penh has a wide variety of restaurants to choose from and I tried a few, finding something to enjoy in all of them. Being a 21st Century sort of guy, I have to get my fix of the internet. I was pleased to see that cyber cafes have arrived in Phnom Penh with a vengeance. I chose the time of my trip to coincide with Chaul Chnam... the three day celebration of the Khmer New Year. Unfortunately, that also meant that I was there during the hottest part of the year, but, what the heck, what's a few days in the mid-thirties when you're enjoying yourself.
Once the Chaul Chnam celebrations were over, I got up and had an early breakfast so that I could visit the peaceful sanctuary of the Royal Palace while it was still relatively cool. The next day I spent the morning wandering around the National Museum getting a taste of some of the amazingly beautiful carvings I hoped to see at Angkor Wat. Having read the story of how Phnom Penh was founded, I visited Wat Phnom to see where it all started and get a view from the only hill around.
After a few days of just relaxing I steeled myself, remembering the Killing Fields, and took a moto to go and see the other part of the story; the Tuol Sleng Museum, site of the largest of the Khmer Rouge's detention and torture centres. The next day, wanting to return to something more spiritual, I visited Wat Ounalom the headquarters of Buddhism in Cambodia. In the afternoon I took a cyclo and visited the New Market.
This massive Art Deco building (also known as the Central Market) dominates the scene as you approach it along 130 Street. Each of the four wings is filled with, and surrouded by, small stalls selling everything from pots and pans, fruit and vegetables, through to noodles and other fast foods. In the cavernous hall at the centre, the stalls are more up-market, but no less packed together. These stalls seem to specialise in more expensive items such as watches, jewellery, silverware, ready to wear clothes, and silk scarfs. Even if you are not planning on buying anything, it is worth a visit if only to see how serious the French are when they construct a market. For more specifically tourist oriented shopping, try the Tuol Tom Pong market. Anything and everything is on sale there, both genuine and fake!
So, in summary, Phnom Penh is a varied city with plenty to do and see. Many people pass through quickly on the way to Angkor, but I would recommend you give the place the time it deserves.
