Okay. I’m going to be honest. I have no idea how to tell you about the seven months I spent in Cambodia. I could do it by places I visited. I could do it through time order. Both of these are quite sensible I think….but I was there for 7 months and I took no notes…crap.
Okay here goes.
I arrived in Cambodia on the night of the 10th December 2009, after flying from London town to Bangkok on the 8th, having a night in Bangkok (I never enjoy those) and then catching various buses and bikes to the border town of…where the Cambodian dust roads, stray dogs and general craziness were a welcome relief to clean, fresh cold air of home.
Partying on the streets of Bangkok
Christmas tree in the hotel in Bangkok
The strangest motorway toilet I've ever been to...
The next day was another bus journey to Sihanoukville which was done on a surprisingly good road (see previous Cambodian blogs). Here I met my friend Grant who I’d met in Beijing in 2008 but who was now called Harry and who was living and teaching in Phnom Penh. I then spent the next week chilling out on a beach, watching the sun set while swimming in the sea, eating my fill in freshly caught sea food and indulging in the odd beachside massage.
And so, the standard was set for a very hard life in the next 7 months.
A quick aside on Sihanoukville before moving North. I have already said in Cambodia Part Mui that I visited Sihanoukville for the first time in 2006. I stayed on what was then known as Weathertop Hill but is now known as Victory Hill. Back in 2006 there were very few people staying there and the beach that was almost private compared to the bigger beaches in the main part of town. The main street in Weathertop Hill was little more than a few bars, guesthouses and restaurants with the hill walk down to the beach completely empty.
Arriving there in 2009 for a few night time drinks and some games of pool it had completely changed. Building work has changed one street into many and bungalows and high rise hotels follow the track down to the beach. The main drag itself is now somewhat…girlyfied.
Travelling from Sihanouville to Phnom Penh was like being in a different country to the one I had seen in 2006. The land grabs that were beginning to take place then were everywhere with massive Korean and Chinese clothes factories being very prevalent on the road into Phnom Penh. Massive sections of roadside land had had walls built around them but no building work had yet taken place. What has happened to the farmers that once cultivated this land I can only guess at and I would hazard a guess that there payment for the land would not have been substantial.
There is probably a better place for a rant at Cambodian political ways and this perhaps not it.
I only went back to Sihanoukville once during my stay in Cambodia and that was for International New Year’s Eve.
There were three of us who went to Sihanoukville on New Year’s Eve; Harry and I had bought bus tickets previously having presumed that it would be busy. Our friend Barry had not. Getting to the bus “station” (little more than a side street next to the Post Office with a few private bus operators on it) Barry asked for a ticket. No, the bus was full. Okay, can I sit in aisle. No, today this would not be possible.
With 5minutes to go until the bus left Barry talked to the bus driver and said he would give him $7 if he could please get on the bus.
You pay the bus driver, but that corruption, and this Cambodia. Hahaha. Eight dollar okay?
And with that Barry got on the bus quick sharp before the people whose seat he had taken turned up, and with that, we were off.
Five hours later we arrived in Sihanoukville to meet Harry’s girlfriend and to attempt to find some accommodation. Everywhere was full. Shit. Having searched the main drags we made our way up the hill, to find a bungalow place with female Cambodian manager fuming that her clients were already late in turning up and she was delighted to check us in, take our money and head off to the beach to join the party. Leaving the bungalows our selves after showers and what have you we saw a taxi turn up with four rather annoyed people in it.
After a few beers in a few bars we made our way down to the beach for the New Year countdown and this is what we experienced.
And so, life stayed like this for three days before we made our way back to Phnom Penh to start work, and life, proper.
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