"Phnom Penh is like a mangy dog you somehow grow to love."

I heard this quote from a professor who's been teaching in P.P. for a few years and i found it pretty apt. I was expecting the worst from Phnom Penh. People talk about how dangerous and dirty it is and rightfully so. The traffic was the most insane i've ever seen in my life...absolutely no traffic lights and everyone just goes into the middle of the intersection at once. There were a few times i feared for my life in the tuk-tuk (and you thought Bangkok was bad!) We breezed through the airport, had no problems getting a cab and managed to find a nice, cheap guesthouse in the center of the city. I am happy with the choice we made because it was NOT in the backpacker ghetto which was pretty scary when we visited. The first day was spent at the Killing Fields and Tol Sleng Prison. We desperately tried to wrap our heads around what actually happened during the time of the Khmer Rouge. It was quite heartbreaking and there were a couple times i really lost it, unable to comprehend the extent of trauma that humans can cause each other. We went to the palace in the afternoon which looks similar to the Thai palace only smaller and less golden. I kept thinking we were still in Thailand and kept speaking Thai. I had worried that Cambodians would not like Otto because he's Thai and there has been a history of violence between the two countries, but i was pleasantly surprised by how kind people were. They would call Otto "my brother" and even attempt to speak Thai.

The most striking thing about Cambodia for me was the blend of French, Vietnamese, and Chinese cultures with the traditional Khmer culture. The french colonial architecture, the wide strolling boulevards, the amazing bread and pastries were such a contrast to the traditional buildings and food. You will see a colonial mansion next to a huge garbage dump. And people speak English so well mostly because tourism is their main form of income. Most people were eager to share their personal experiences. Where i thought they would be upset or afraid to talk about the atrocities in their country's history, people seemed eager to discuss it. It was almost a cathartic experience for them to acknowledge and witness what had actually happened. If you are not familiar with Cambodian history, please refer to the following websites:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambodia
http://www.edwebproject.org/sideshow/index.html

We ate at this restaurant called Boddhi Tree which was in this beautiful, lush garden and we were eating gourmet french cuisine (for cheap). Next door, is a hovel made out of scrap metal where a little boy is playing with a stick as a hobby horse. People on the corner are gambling with dice and eating cheap food from the local market around the corner. You feel like, "How did these two worlds collide?" And i also felt a bit ashamed for dining at this chic restaurant. What makes me so priveleged? Do I deserve this more than others?

For me, traveling is not always "fun." It's not about getting the most pictures or visiting the most places. I value the connections i can make with people in different cultures and am so thankful for the opportunity to learn from their culture (however superificial my experience may be). I think that traveling forces us to encounter things we are uncomfortable thinking about, things that challenge us but that ultimately make us better global citizens.

But, of course, you do get some great pictures sometimes :)



Rain in the courtyard of the National Museum



Oh and the rest of my pics are up on my photobucket site: http://s171.photobucket.com/albums/u316/jenspearie/