Phnom Penh (Cambodia)

Once again, I opted for the shared taxi system to Phnom Penh. It is a horrible system. The Cambodians need old school buses to use as public transportation. Locals get around on flat trailers pulled by small motorcycles, by shoving themselves into the back of pickup trucks, and by cramming into mini-vans. All of these forms of transport involve waiting in the vehicle until it fills up. This could take hours. Also, people travel with so much cargo that the vans are usually fully loaded down on the roof and out the back. It is common to see motor bikes and bicycles sticking out of the back of vans.

I took my first tuk-tuk ride in Cambodia because we got dropped off 5km from the city. That is usually our cut-off for walking. Plus, we have screwed ourselves over too many times by refusing transportation so this time, we went for it. Phnom Penh traffic is pretty crazy. Cars, bikes, motorbikes, tractors, etc come from every direction. Most intersections don't have stop signs or lights so everyone just weaves in and out until they get across. The stoplights at the few intersections where they exist are mere suggestions.

The backpacker section by the lake is definitely cheap, grotty, and slightly sketchy. Everyone wants to sell you something- lodging, transportation, drugs, tours, etc. The brown lake is pretty disgusting but the sunsets are pretty. The best deal in the district is the $2 all you can eat Indian lunch special. Indian is quickly becoming my favorite. It is always so tasty and provides what I can only describe as comfort as the flavors dance around.


On to serious matters: the next day, we rented bicycles and headed to the killing fields. Yes, despite being terrified of the traffic, I let my partner convince me that cycling would not be a problem. The 7 or 8 kilometers through the city were adrenaline filled and went by quickly. The intersections were the worst part. Since the traffic moves fairly slowly (20-30 km/hr) it was ok.

I admit- I was pretty ignorant as to the Khmer Rouge and its regime in Cambodia. After spending time at S-21 and the Killing fields, I feel like an expert on the subject. Visiting those two sites in one day was absolutely depressing. There is absolutely no reason that genocidal measures should take place anywhere ever again.

After not being able to stomach anymore information about the Khmer Rouge, we made plans to move on. Phnom Penh is an ok little city, but with less than 2 months to go, I am starting to feel the time crunch. Time to move on.