Dharma bums

Thursday night and we’re about to leave Phnom Penh. It’s hard to believe we’ve only been here since Tuesday. The city is a blur of activity; there is something (or many things) to see everywhere you look…

motorbikes, cars, scooters, cycles, pushcarts, peddle carts, pedistrians, SUVs and trucks all weaving constantly along…no stoplights, stop signs, traffic cops, speed limits or apparent rules…but it all works

life happens on the streets and sidewalks with street pedlers cooking on charcoal burners, women selling gasoline by the soda bottle, boys and young men playing marbles in the dust near the corner, women working sewing machines and motorcyle mechanics repairing motos side-by-side on the sidewalk. Everywhere the sound of scooters, horns, and men calling out “Tuk-tuk, Sir?”

Every morning saffron robed monks with yellow parasols going out to collect donations…families on their fishing boats along the Tonle Sap River…the many Expat bars, restuarants, and businesses we sampled (thanks to Neil) in just a few days:

* Sea and Sand – owned by a frenchman named Stefan…buckwheat creps and Italian-style fish
* Pancho Villa’s – owned by Randy (from Canada) and Andy (from Madison, WI)…bordeaux wine and local treats…a bar like no other
* Rock Zone/Zepplin Cafe – an all “vinyl” Rock-n-roll bar and cafe run by Ju-an, a 60s & 70s rock-n-roll fanatic from Taiwan, who personally picks & plays the music on his twin turntables
*The Boom-Boom Room – MP3 s for your iPod on a disk – $1/album (no copyright laws in Cambodia)…and
*SpunCambodia.com – one of a kind clothing (and t-shirts) from Cambodia (Neil and Poojah’s business)

Vast markets with stall after stall of cheap clothing, fake Rollexes, fake Nikes, fake North Face backpacks, fake Channel sunglasses…you name it, you can get it cheap and fake at the Russian Market, or the Central Market, or any number of local markets and shops.

Tomorrow we leave for a motorcyle trip north up to Preah Viahvar, near the Thailand Border, to explore the countryside and see a temple. Then we’ll head to Siem Rep, near Angor Wat. It may be a few days before you hear from us again.

A few images from Phnom Penh (there will be more later)…

Boy selling birds along the Tonle Sap River

Outside the Palace

Sambo the elephant

Lakeside (Boeung Kak Lake) – backpacker’s haven

Lakeside Mosque

Local boys

Boy and boat

Tags: Cambodia, Phnom Penh, Travel

This entry was posted on Thursday, January 12th, 2006 at 11:00 am and is filed under Travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.