After a non-eventful 24 hrs in Bangkok (airport, airport hotel, airport), I arrived in Phnom Penh yesterday and was immediately glad I'd chosen Cambodia as my holiday destination. The size, pollution and busyness of Bangkok, is really not my thing. Bangkok is huge and horrible, whereas on touchdown PP is small and friendly. The minute I entered the airport, the Cambodian people were clamouring to help (granted, they wanted my business, but they were still so friendly in doing it). In fact, the customs men were more interested in finding out where I was from and chatting in English than looking at the forms I handed over!
Met 2 great Kiwi girls my age, one is also a teacher, and so we have banded together to visit a few sights.
My first impression of PP was that it is a city that is trying hard to catch up with its wealthier neigbours to the east and west. If I hadn't been to Vietnam, the culture shock would be huge. It is certainly poorer than either Vietnam or Thailand, with lots of children begging (saw one boy pretending he didn't have an arm to get some tourist sympathy. He was about 5 and smiled sheepishly when he saw I had caught him out!) There are certainly a noticeable number of amputees begging and selling things. It is confronting.
The tourist area of PP is booming with people trying to make a living. "Hello, hello", "G'day" comes from everywhere and people yell across the street "moto" & "Tuk-tuk" at a glimmer of white skin - but its all in good fun without the business savy feel of BKK or Ho Chi Minh. The young kids who walk around selling books to tourist have been at school from 7am, and are still up at 11pm, working. They show such spirit and good humour and the older ones remind me so much of the kids at school. I just hope that no one takes advantage of their openness.
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