Why Does Everyone Keep Staring?!
Pursat, 11th to 13th
June 2002 (Part 1)
An early start this morning as I hoped to catch an early truck to
Pursat, a small town half way between Phnom Pen and Battambang. As
not many tourists go there, no tourist buses go to Pursat, so I've
got to travel in the way as the locals!
I got dropped off at the 'bus station' (actually a big dusty square
by the market packed with cars, trucks and vans) at 7am. My moto-driver
managed to work out which vehicles were going to Pursat, and left me
near them. I then had to make a choice about which vehicle to take.
None of them leave until full, and my 2 choices, a truck or a van,
were both quite empty. I eventually decided on the truck, and threw
my bags in the front cab. The trucks in Cambodia are quite different
to the ones on Lao. In Lao, the backs of the trucks are converted so
that they have benches & chairs. Here, however, they just have
normal pickup trucks, and if you ride in the back, you have to perch
on the edge, or sit on the goods in the back. Not a very comfortable
way to travel. However, if you are willing to pay a little more, you
can sit in the cab with the driver, a much more comfortable and sane
option. Of course, I paid the little bit extra for the cab.
As it turned out, sod's law dictated that the other van would leave
first. My truck didn't actually leave until 9am, when it was
completely packed with passengers. There were over 20 in the back,
all balancing on the goods, and the cab, which I was in, was packed
solid. The cab has 5 actual seats in it including the driver's. We
fitted 6 in comfortably then somehow put another 2 in, which meant
not even the driver had a full seat to himself! Hmmmm. Anyhow, once
we were all in, and the doors were forced shut, we started the drive
to Pursat.
The drive took about 5 hours, with a short stop on the way for
lunch. At first it wasn't too bad, then I had my first encounter
with the "roads from hell". The Cambodian roads are infamous world
over for being terrible. At one point, they were nicely tarmaced,
but they've since fallen into major disrepair. They're now bumpier
than a room of pregnant women doing prenatal floor exercises; and
they have more holes than a US President's sex scandal cover story.
I don't think most of the road could have ever been flat, with hills
as big as Everest to navigate around, and the bits of the road which
are still tarmaced, well they're just a joke. Most vehicles have to
drive on the dirt alongside the road, because the huge potholes in
the tarmac can eat a car whole, or at least do substantial part of
it!.
Eventually, though, we got their safely. Pursat is a small dusty
town with loads of what I guess are Cambodian features. Dusty track
for roads, big (smelly) markets and loads of friendly people. Much
more 'Cambodian' than Phnom Penh, which is just a big city.
However, when I first arrived in Pursat, I didn't feel that
comfortable...Everywhere I went, the local people stared openly at
me. Not the coy western style, where you look away as soon as the
person under scrutiny looks back at you, they would stare blatantly,
meeting my gaze with an emotionless (yet often quite scary) face.
But I guess it's because I was the only foreigner there, so I should
have expected it. In contrast with Phnom Penh (packed with
Westerners), Pursat doesn't seem many European tourists, so I can
understand why I became the main attraction. Anyhow, after a while,
you do get used to the stares, and as most people will smile if you
smile an say 'Sua s'dei' (hello) to them, it's not too bad.
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