Wednesday, February 08, 2006

Phnom Pehn


Phnom Penh is the capital of the Kingdom of Cambodia. It’s my second visit to Cambodia, and like the first I can still say I don’t like it. It is by far the poorest country I’ve visited.

Obviously in the very near past it as had a lot of problems. Starting with the overspill from the Vietnam War, the Khmer Rouge and Pol Pot and through the year zero and the killing fields. To use a soccer analogy, Thailand is sitting comfortable mid table in the Championship of world countries; Cambodia is finding its feet in League Division Three. Some of the kids definitely look malnourished and the smell of shit is everywhere.

Including the back streets of Havana and even the Parks Estate in Belper after nightfall, Phnom Penh is by far the most unsafe city I’ve been in, it would not be fair to call it the wild west, but there cant be many worse places for crime, certainly not in Asia. The Hotel told me to be careful walking round during daylight, and to travel by Taxi at night. Not that you’d want to walk around, the traffic is shocking. They drive on the right, mostly! Other than a few traffic lights, there seem to be no rules on the road whatsoever.

I found a really good Mexican restaurant on the riverside, I had to share it with beggars, hawkers and glue sniffers, but the food was good and I got talking to guy who now lives here after serving with U.S. Special Forces during the war, he likes the frontier way of life, he also liked to drink incredible amounts of beer.

The picture of the Oxon pulling the cart was taken across from a car showroom selling brand new Mercedes, BMW and Lexus Motors. Sort of said it all really. The rich are stupid rich and the poor are destitute. The whole country relies still on charity handouts. Anywhere outside of the City Centre, you’re pretty much on dirt roads.

I went there to renew my visa, it’s a shit hole! I’ll try not to bother again.














The latest model ready for a test drive.

















Fancy a whole pig instead of McDonalds?
















My Taxi, A Rickshaw tied to a motorbike!

















Whole duck, incuding head and feet. Yummy!

2 comments:

LUU Dude said...

Worse than the parks after dark. Is there such a place?

BangkokRam said...

I'm exaggerating, sorry!

Up the rams

Sven for the job!