Thursday, December 14, 2006

Impressions of Cambodia and Beyond

This post is just a collection of thoughts and observations from the last week or so.

Cambodians and their Plight:

It is really tough to know how to feel about the situation here. On one hand, you have to be sympathetic to the people and their situation. So many people are still so incredibly damaged by the effects of the war that your heart just breaks for them. On the other hand, virtually all good works in the country are being carried out by foreign interests. So many countries have come to the aid of Cambodia, but Cambodia itself doesn't seem to be making much of an effort. It just sits there with it's hand out. Having said that, so much of the "intelligent" people of Cambodia were wiped out by the Khmer Rouge that there's not a lot left to build with. The simple country people are certainly not equipped to make the required changes. There's also just so much corruption here. I really don't know what to feel, other than distressed.

Sex Trade:

As a woman, I have been blissfully excluded from the whole sex trade issue here. The sad fact is that male travelers are approached with offers of sex as often as I have been for everything else people are selling. Every time they get into a tuk-tuk or pass a vendor in the street, women are on sale as well as whatever other good or service is being publicly touted. There are a great many western males who are here for this reason alone. Women can be purchased for single encounters (for as little as $1) or for entire vacations. There are also bars where men can go and just have conversation (no sex) with women as long as they buy them drinks and food. As sad as it is for the women, you also have to feel sorry for the men who feel they have to come all this way just to find female company.

Safety:

Although I haven't really felt it too much, Cambodia (and specifically PP) are not as safe as the other places I've visited. I go out with very little money and no other valuables with me. People have been known to ride up beside tuk-tuks on their motorcycles and snatch bags off people's laps in the tuk-tuk. So far, I have not seen evidence of this, and even have been swimming while leaving my stuff unattended on the beach with no problems so far. Touch wood.

Restaurant Etiquette:
Service is great here. You never have to wait to get a menu or place your order. However, once your food is served, you'll never see a waiter again. You have to chase them down to order anything extra or to get a bill. While we consider this to be poor service, they believe it would be rude to come and bother you to see if you want something else. Likewise, they don't want to chase you away by presenting your bill.

Public Grooming:

People groom everywhere. You can get a hair cut or shave on the street. They will give you a wax in your lounge chair on the beach. I have seen women having their armpit hair plucked at a table in a restaurant. People regularly sit on the sidewalk and pick lice out of each other's hair.

Traffic:
These people are maniacs behind the wheel/handlebars (about 75% of the vehicles are motorcycles). The lines on the street are apparently just for show, as are the few traffic lights. Even though they are supposed to drive on the right side of the road, they drive pretty much everywhere. They do not use turn indicators, nor do they necessarily turn their lights on at night. You will be ready to step into the street, look left and see that there's nothing coming and step down only to have a near-miss with someone coming from the right. There is an almost imperceptible slowing at intersections but everyone just keeps going and somehow they all manage to make it to the other side unscathed. It's kind of like watching the ballet. Horns are never used in anger and there appears to be no road rage here. Horns are, however, used frequently just to make other drivers aware of your presence and there is a general yielding to the larger vehicle. The incessant horns make quite a racket, which Jens has dubbed the Phnom Penh motorcycle orchestra. I have to say that I'm getting pretty comfortable riding around on the back of a motorcycle (they also serve as taxis) but I'm still not ready to give it a try with my backpack on.

Food:

Phnom Penh has some really great restaurants and you can get whatever kind of cuisine you desire. The night markets are a different story. The going fare in the streets include cooked grasshoppers, beetles, roasted snails (in their shells) and all kinds of other insects. The food markets are pretty gross with all kinds of indescribable delicacies. I have to walk through holding my breath to avoid the smell.

Electricity:

Power is sporadic and in the case of Cambodia, entirely bought from other countries. Each hotel room is equipped with a bracket inside the door which holds either your room key (in the case of a card key) or a gadget on the keyring (in the case of a regular key). Once the key has been placed in the bracket, it turns on the power in the room. This way, there's no way to waste energy while you're out of your room - everything automatically turns off. Unfortunately this includes the A/C so you always come back to a warm room. It's really ingenious - we should be doing this at home.

Size does Matter:

What is it with men and the size thing? Angkor had me thinking about all the places in the world where an ordinary size building would have sufficed, but instead these massive structures were built: Chichen Itza, Machu Picchu, Angkok Wat, the Pyramids etc. All of these structures took years to build and cost hundreds of lives. All of this to stroke the ego of whoever happened to be on the throne at the time. I guess there are some things that just don't change over the millennia...

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