21 August 2008
I arrived in Phnom Penh last night during a thunder and lightning storm. In the airport I had to fill out an application form for a visa. After this I collected my luggage and headed for the exit. I was stopped and asked for my arrival card. I said I had no arrival card. This guy in a bad mood gave me a card to fill out; it was looking for the exact same information I filled out on the visa form. I had to find my plane ticket to again write down my flight number on the form, I had to again find the address of the hotel I was staying in and again write down my passport number. As I searched through my pockets for the required information the same guy muttered something in Khymer and took the half filled form back from me and waved me on. As I passed through customs I was asked for my completed customs form. I shrugged my shoulders to indicate that I didn’t have one. I was given a form to fill out that, guess what, asked me for all the same information again.
When I got to arrivals, thankfully, my arranged pick up was there. The taxi driver’s name is Sarat and he offered to show me around the city. I thanked him and said I would keep his kind offer in mind. When we arrived at the hotel Sarat helped me to carry my bags into the lobby. The usual formality of signature, sight of credit card and photocopying of passport was observed and then I was shown to my room.
The hotel advertised that there is free internet access in the room. I couldn’t get it working, nor could I get the safety deposit box working either. I rang room service and a guy called Hen arrived. He managed to get the deposit box working for me but not the internet. Hen offered to show me around the city over the next few days if I liked.
After a quick shower I decided to have a beer or two in the bar in anticipation of a good night’s sleep. One of the bar men, his name is Rey, basically stood at the bar with me for the evening. He asked about Ireland and then spent most of his time explaining that he was in University and had to support his grandparents, his parents and his sister. He only worked in the bar once maybe twice a week, he asked me for my phone number because he wanted to be my friend and show me around the city.
As I sat at the bar and looked around me I noticed that I was the only customer and there were six members of staff floating around. All male, all waiting to change my ashtray or pour me another drink should I want one. Rey had the monopoly because, as I said, he stood across the bar from me for the whole time I was there. I hope they have women in Cambodia! The bar closed at 11.00pm sharp. Rey finished at 10.50, disappeared for a few minutes to change out of his uniform and reappeared to sit at the bar with me. He politely refused the offer of a drink but gave me his phone number should I need any assistance. When it was obvious that I wasn’t going anywhere that night he said goodbye and went home.
It was time for me to hit the sack. After another quick shower, were I tried to remove as much of the skin peeling off me as I could, I retired to bed with my iPod. I chose to listen to a few songs by a band called Menah. They aren’t together anymore and you won’t find any of their work in the record shops but what they produced was incredible. Frankly I believe that the minimalist soundscapes produced by the keyboard player were nothing short of genius and complimented the heart wrenching lyrics of the lead singer who was also the main songwriter.
The next day after a good night’s sleep I arranged with Hen to take me to get a sim-card for my mobile phone. When we got to the shop Hen asked me for my identity card. I explained that I didn’t have one, would my passport do? No, this wasn’t good enough; in Cambodia I needed an identity card before I could buy a sim-card. I asked how I could get an identity card and was told it was impossible for me to get an identity card. I could buy a new phone no problem, but to get a sim-card I needed an identity card. Hen suggested I hold off from buying a phone until tomorrow. In the meantime he will try to get me a sim-card some other way.
I got a good look at Phnom Penh from the back of Hen’s scooter. I said the traffic in Bangkok was bad; I take it back. The traffic here is absolutely crazy. There are not many lines on the road and people drive pretty much where and how they feel like it. Twice my knee was nearly clipped by passing vehicles; one going the same way, the other, in the opposite direction.
I asked Hen to take me to the Royal Palace to have a look and do my tourist duty. Outside I was approached by a girl of about 7 years of age. She was trying to sell me water. ‘No thanks’, I said. ‘Maybe later’, she said, ‘Call me’, and she raised her extended thumb and little finger to her head imitating using a phone. Her smile would melt the iciest of hearts. We had a look around the palace and I took a few photos, the usual tourist stuff. I asked Hen about the killing fields and he suggested that we do that tomorrow as it is bit outside the city and we could spend a few hours there. In the meantime he had to get to work. We left the palace and headed back towards his scooter. As soon as I was outside on the pavement again the little girl appeared and said, ‘Now it is later’. I gave her a thousand riels for the bottle of water, she said that the water in fact cost two thousand riels. I gave her another thousand riels and said goodbye. I immediately asked Hen if the water was safe to drink. He said it was so I got stuck in as the heat and pollution from the traffic had given me a fierce thirst.
Back in my bedroom and looking out over the city from my balcony it is very obvious that this country is a lot poorer than Thailand. I think that after two or three days here there will be nothing left to see. I am looking forward to the work I have signed up for in Siem Reap as it will give me some sort of structure to work with on a day to day basis. As it stands at the moment it is 6.00pm and I am wondering what to do for the evening. Of course I could go walk about and find a bar. The hotel asks that anyone staying out after nine o’clock in the evening signs out, this is for safety reasons. While travelling alone has its benefits sometimes it would be nice to have a companion or indeed a few companions to travel with; safety in numbers and all that.
I will sign off for now and see if I can get the internet sorted out in my room.
As I sat at the bar and looked around me I noticed that I was the only customer and there were six members of staff floating around. All male, all waiting to change my ashtray or pour me another drink should I want one. Rey had the monopoly because, as I said, he stood across the bar from me for the whole time I was there. I hope they have women in Cambodia! The bar closed at 11.00pm sharp. Rey finished at 10.50, disappeared for a few minutes to change out of his uniform and reappeared to sit at the bar with me. He politely refused the offer of a drink but gave me his phone number should I need any assistance. When it was obvious that I wasn’t going anywhere that night he said goodbye and went home.
It was time for me to hit the sack. After another quick shower, were I tried to remove as much of the skin peeling off me as I could, I retired to bed with my iPod. I chose to listen to a few songs by a band called Menah. They aren’t together anymore and you won’t find any of their work in the record shops but what they produced was incredible. Frankly I believe that the minimalist soundscapes produced by the keyboard player were nothing short of genius and complimented the heart wrenching lyrics of the lead singer who was also the main songwriter.
The next day after a good night’s sleep I arranged with Hen to take me to get a sim-card for my mobile phone. When we got to the shop Hen asked me for my identity card. I explained that I didn’t have one, would my passport do? No, this wasn’t good enough; in Cambodia I needed an identity card before I could buy a sim-card. I asked how I could get an identity card and was told it was impossible for me to get an identity card. I could buy a new phone no problem, but to get a sim-card I needed an identity card. Hen suggested I hold off from buying a phone until tomorrow. In the meantime he will try to get me a sim-card some other way.
I got a good look at Phnom Penh from the back of Hen’s scooter. I said the traffic in Bangkok was bad; I take it back. The traffic here is absolutely crazy. There are not many lines on the road and people drive pretty much where and how they feel like it. Twice my knee was nearly clipped by passing vehicles; one going the same way, the other, in the opposite direction.
I asked Hen to take me to the Royal Palace to have a look and do my tourist duty. Outside I was approached by a girl of about 7 years of age. She was trying to sell me water. ‘No thanks’, I said. ‘Maybe later’, she said, ‘Call me’, and she raised her extended thumb and little finger to her head imitating using a phone. Her smile would melt the iciest of hearts. We had a look around the palace and I took a few photos, the usual tourist stuff. I asked Hen about the killing fields and he suggested that we do that tomorrow as it is bit outside the city and we could spend a few hours there. In the meantime he had to get to work. We left the palace and headed back towards his scooter. As soon as I was outside on the pavement again the little girl appeared and said, ‘Now it is later’. I gave her a thousand riels for the bottle of water, she said that the water in fact cost two thousand riels. I gave her another thousand riels and said goodbye. I immediately asked Hen if the water was safe to drink. He said it was so I got stuck in as the heat and pollution from the traffic had given me a fierce thirst.
Back in my bedroom and looking out over the city from my balcony it is very obvious that this country is a lot poorer than Thailand. I think that after two or three days here there will be nothing left to see. I am looking forward to the work I have signed up for in Siem Reap as it will give me some sort of structure to work with on a day to day basis. As it stands at the moment it is 6.00pm and I am wondering what to do for the evening. Of course I could go walk about and find a bar. The hotel asks that anyone staying out after nine o’clock in the evening signs out, this is for safety reasons. While travelling alone has its benefits sometimes it would be nice to have a companion or indeed a few companions to travel with; safety in numbers and all that.
I will sign off for now and see if I can get the internet sorted out in my room.
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