The Khmer #1

Phonm Pehn January 28th - 30th, 2008



Okay so we didn't quite land in Phnom Pehn as the plane hit the runway. We were out into the madness that is the Cambodian capital in the back of our first Tuk tuk, a novelty at the time but over the coming week our arses would be permanently glued to them. The place is pretty grimey, with a thick layer of smog constant so no need for sunscreen, and no risk of a tan.


Other than millions of tuk tuks and motorbikes, the only other vehicle we were to see was the trusty Toyota Camry... In cambodia you aren't judged by the car you drive it seems, more the year of your Camry.


Cambodians are genuinely nice people, a smile in the eyes when they see you, which is amazing given the fact the country is still coming to grips with 160 odd years of occupation and civil war. You can't miss the desperation, with a lot of poverty and begging from those who have lost limbs or been left disabled and unable to work due to landmines that still pepper the country.


We had gone from our brand spanking 5 star hotel about 100 metres from the new Bangkok airport to the slightly less luxurious, but much friendlier 'Sunday Guest House'. We took an afternoon tuk tuk to the killing fields, about 14 kilometres out of Pnohm Pehn and the setting of mass executions under the Pol Pot Regime. It's pretty grim and pieces of bone and clothing are lying next to the paths and partly excavated mass graves. We also went on to the S21 Tuol Sleng genocide museum - Pol Pot's biggest prison and main location for interogations. You get a flavour for what a stunning setting it must have been when it was a school, and seems cruelly ironic that most of the warders, those who conducted the questioning and the executioners were 10 - 15 year old children, brainwashed into Pol Pot's new world order. All education, as well as arts, were banned under Pot, and visible in the main courtyard is a list of 10 rules (pretty twisted shit) that read not unlike those of Nazi Germany.

Our second day in Phonm Pehn we hooked up with Boral - a tuk tuk driver recommended to us by Andy and Kylie who has had him only a week or so prior. Boral was great at telling us about his family, life growing up, as well as doing the driving bit. He also had a pretty pimped dirt bike as his ride, rather than a scooter, so we made some pretty good time.

Over lunch he told us of his 6 brothers and sisters who had died over the Khmer Rouge years, leaving his farm to move to the city, being ostracised and reunited with his family, and having a child out of wedlock - not too good by Cambodian standards. The story of his grandfather who had a knife grow out of his chest (later passed on to his brother), and that of his brother who was sacrificed to the gods of the sea to make another man rich kind of left us a little puzzled.

We spent some time at the royal palace - the most notable feature the number of Buddha statues everywhere so you are constantly feeling his divine gaze. The one we couldn't quite get our heads around was Nu Rave Buddha complete with techno outfit and glow sticks around his head.

With some time left Boral suggested we take some food to a 'small' neighbourhood orphanage, where we could go and meet the children. The Khmer Developmenty of Freedom Orphanage was so heartbeaking but a special memory we will keep with us forever. We had picked up a 50kg bag of rice and some fruit at the market to take with us. Nic managed to survive being slapped on the shoulder by a slightly disturbed local woman in the market. Apparently it couldn't have had the power behind it of a kick to the shoulder by a Thai lady boy (we were told with confidence by a recipient of said kick at our hostel that night).

The kids were so happy and friendly - crowding around so we could hand out the fruit and fighting amongst each other to get the best pose for photos (we'll get some sorted to see soon). It was hard not to go all Brangelina and take some of them out of the desperate situation they were in. The orphange had 60 full time kids but looked after a steadliy increasing number of neighbourhood kids whose parents could not afford to feed and school them.

We got the tour of the place, small shack classrooms and a library complete with only a few dozen books. We left wanting to support them in a more sustainable way and thought maybe ticket money from the next 'All-Eights' party could be an idea.

The trip ended kinda weird when Boral suggested we could 'help' him (financially) through university - we suggested the best we could do was send future travellers his way!

Todd and Nic