Orange Snot?!
Phnom Penh (Cambodia), 5th
June 2002 (Part 1)
Our boat skidded comfortably around in a small circle and then
pulled up to a small jetty. As we approached I noticed an innocent
looking crowd of Khmer men standing, looking out at us & jostling
each other. I wondered why they were standing there, when it
suddenly became very obvious. Just before we touched the jetty, they
all pulled out an assortment of signs & posters. They all pushed
forward waving adverts for countless different guest houses. `This
is going to be fun', I muttered under my breath, the others nodded
in agreement.
We all took deep breaths, then climbed out of the boat onto the
jetty. Literally, just as I had tentatively placed one half foot
onto the small jetty, I was engulfed. If it wasn't for the fact I
wasn't feeling any pain, I would have thought I was being mugged by
a huge gang. After an assortment of signs had been pushed into my
face with the accompanying shout of `Very Good hotel! You come with
me!'', I noticed a sign for the `OK Guesthouse', the same one we'd
got adverts for at the border point. Deciding I liked the sound of
their place, I made my choice, and pushed my way towards them. Amy,
the girl I was talking to on the boat, asked if she could join me, I
nodded, and she pushed through the throng to join me. The two touts
from the `OK Guesthouse' led us triumphantly to their waiting
motorbikes. After I balanced myself precariously behind my driver,
carrying my assortment of souvenirs, we sped off from the small
crowd on the jetty. As we wound our way through the busy streets,
slightly more organised than Vietnam, I noticed that the Dutch
couple were alongside us, coming to the same guesthouse.
After a short ride, We turned down a side street and stopped outside
the OK Guesthouse, which looked...well...ok! They advertised that
they had single rooms for $3 and $4, so I decided to check out the
cheaper room first. However, it turned out to be a dingy looking box
of a room. I didn't like it at all, so I asked to see the $4 room.
This one turned out to be miles apart from the other one (in
standard, not distance). $1 brought a much nicer, bigger, bright,
airy and all round much better room. So I took it.
I headed back down to the lobby/ restaurant and grabbed myself a
drink. Soon after Amy joined me. She'd been shown the same nasty
room, before requesting, and getting one of the nicer rooms next to
mine.
After we'd had a bite to eat, we met up again after a quick shower
and change of clothes. Our first task for the day was to find a bank
so we could get hold of some riel, Cambodian money. Our `friendly'
moto driver insisted that the banks were too far away to walk to.
After a little discussion, we decided we didn't believe him and
managed to sneak off to try to walk there.
On our walk to the banks, we get a chance to have a good look at
central Phnom Penh. It's a very peaceful city, and quite small for a
capital city. There are many amazing buildings with stunning
architecture. After we'd walked past some government buildings, a
few wats, the Palace and the National Museum, I quickly decided I
really liked the Khmer building style. (Photos to follow). The
flowing curves, intricate decor, and towering, imposing rooves all
add up to make a very impressive style.
The roads, however, were a different kettle of fish. Although the
main ones were fine, if VERY dusty (London=Black snot, Phnom
Penh=Orange snot), the side roads were in varying states of
disrepair. They ranged from the decrepit, crumbling tarmac ones with
large potholes, to the un-tarmaced, very bumpy dirt tracks. Cambodia
has a reputation for terrible roads, and I think this may be a
taster for what's to come...
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