Phnom Penh

I thought that it would be good idea to write a bit about my experience so far in Cambodia. I have been living in Phnom Penh near the river front area of the Mekong. I am attending a class to get certified as an English teacher at a nearby university. The class itself is interesting but boring at times. I like the people involved in the program and I think that I’ve made some long lasting friendships already. It is mainly Americans in my class and a few British people and a very nice lady from Columbia.

 My first impressions of Phnom Penh were good. I’ve explored the city and been to most of the places of interest but there are still a few more places I should go to.

 The only problem is that my class is from 9 to 5:30 so I do not have a lot of time for sightseeing aside from my hour and a half lunch break. Since I am leaving Phnom Penh this Friday I don’t think I will have much time to get more touristy excursions in. I usually wake up early, around dawn, and I jog up and down the river front area. 

It is quite beautiful and lively at that time of the morning because around dawn and dusk are the only time people around here exercise. It is much too hot to exercise during the day. I made that mistake in the Philippines and got some sort of heat stroke so I am trying not to make the same mistake again. Phnom Penh has some very wide boulevards and magnificent monuments which remind me of the French style of city planning. The Cambodians taste for baguettes and good coffee also reflects some French influence. Phnom Penh is nice also because it is littered with cafés and nicely maintained parks along the river side and throughout the city. This makes the city a bit more accessible for foreigners compared to Manila.

Cambodian food is interesting but I wouldn’t say I am really amazed by it. I have tried to eat at various different kinds of restaurants to get a feel for the cuisine. Some of the local food reminds a bit of the food in the Philippines but it is quite different. Pretty much all sandwiches here come in baguettes but like most Asian countries the meals revolve around rice or some kind of noodle. I have soups that remind me of Vietnamese style soups but mainly the combination of meat in some sort of sauce with some rice seems to be a staple. My boss was complaining that Cambodian food is quite bland which when it is compared with Vietnam or Thailand (the gastric powerhouse of the region) would be true but I don’t think it is a fair characterization. I have enjoyed pretty much all my meals but the only problem is that I still can’t point to anything really distinctive in Cambodian food that differentiates it from other Asian foods, like sushi for the Japanese or kimchi for the Koreans.

My main complaint about my trip so far is that I have not had the chance to communicate extensively with a local Cambodian. I have spent most of my time talking to Americans and my interactions with the locals have been limited. I really valued my time I spent with Filipinos while I was in the Philippines and I learned a lot about the local food and where or where not to go. I have been shooting in the dark as it were over here which can be cool in different ways but can be frustrating. That being said, I have only good things to say about the people here.

I have also had the privilege of travelling to Siem Reap to visit Angkor Wat. That trip was awesome and unforgettable. The temple grounds are massive and it would really take over a week to really explore the whole area. It is very tourist however which did put me off a bit but as they say, tourists have good taste.

The temples were built mainly in the twelfth century but the city was eventually abandoned because of frequent invasions from Siam. The name of the closeted city, Siem Reap, actually means “The Defeat of the Siamese” so I guess the Cambodians must have expelled the Thais at some point. The various temples and old capital buildings I saw were spectacular but I don’t want to bore anyone by writing a several page description of the place. 

On our way back from Angkor Wat we stopped at a more obscure temple that is also in ruins. It’s called Beng Mealea and that place was a trip. Unlike Angkor Wat there are no guards or park rangers and the whole temple is completely unrestored and open for whatever exploring you want to do. We climbed throughout the ruins and were quickly spotted by local kids who just sort of inserted themselves as your tour guides. They were good since they knew the safer routes to take and they showed us around to some super cool parts of the temple. The whole experience has surreal and extremely enjoyable.

I have only a short time left in Cambodia but I am going to a famous beach town in Cambodia this weekend with the whole crew of people that are going to Vietnam and that should be a good time but a long journey on Sunday to Saigon. I’m looking forward to it and I am also very excited to be going to Vietnam. My time in Cambodia does feel like a vacation at this point but I am not complaining.