Farewell Cambodia!

It has been almost two weeks since I left Cambodia so some of my thoughts have run off.  

Firstly, how could a nation of people with such gentle smiling faces, friendly and welcoming, funny and easy going, have been in that shocking Pol Pot Khmer Rouge horror situation?  Profoundly heartbreaking.  On that topic of Khmer Rouge, most of the interrogators were aged between 13-17, which would make them in their 50’s and 60’s now… they were teenagers following orders from mongrel bastards. And how as a nation you get to alright with that genocide in your head and heart, is admirable.  Maybe Buddhism enables peace of mind here.  Many members of Parliament now are ex-Khmer Rouge. I wonder how much fear there is throughout the society.  I couldn’t tell.  

On our tour, the question was asked about all the French language signage, yet we don’t hear people speaking french on the street, the remnants of french colonisation at least in terms of speech, seems gone. The guide’s pregnant pause was 10 months. He struggled then said “they were all killed”.   Yeah, like so many purges before it and since, the intellectuals and progressives were primary targets and there were many a trick to root them out in Pol Pot’s time eg. Like speaking in French and noticing comprehension.  

On lighter notes:

🤢There is no McDonalds - you have got to love Cambodia for that. 

🦗🪳🕷️Cambodians eat insects and tarantulas. (See photo below of insect market)

🤔It was staggering to see the population rugged up! At first I noticed it in all the motorbike riders and thought OK, sun protection?  But then I noticed it was almost everybody!!! Many were really really rugged up with beanies, gloves and wooly socks!!!  I am still of the conclusion that it is a wrong strategy to stave off excess heat. It must’ve been hell inside those clothes.

🎶🥰The music is sentimental and ballads  Gentle love crooning…which swiftly changes to Swifty the second a westerner settles in for a beer with large ice cubes.  I think I mentioned that in an earlier post.

💰The money - having US$ is not worth it in my experience.  So many US$ notes are rejected, yet the poxiest Riel is accepted.  So sure, have some squeaky clean, pristine pristine pristine US$ on hand but once you are settled, operate in riel. You are offered both at the ATM machine. 

🥘The food is wonderful, really lovely. The Amok fish curry served in banana leaves is delicious and I’ll be attempting to replicate it for friends on Wednesday night next week.  Fingers crossed!  Along with the green mango salad… delicious.

💦While the water is deemed fit for consumption, Brian warns that the storage tanks may not be clean enough. You need to be in the swing of boiling the kettle to avoid buying bottled water.  Ice is safe in bars and restaurants.

🛺A Tuk Tuk or their bigger cousin Ramok (maybe misspelt here!) are the best ways to get around. There is no Uber. Cambodians use an app for the various local companies operating in an identical way.

🦹Crime incredibly low but maybe hold on to your mobile phone as if anything is going to go missing, I’m told it is that.  

I’ll conclude this with some pictures including from our last evening and night.

This picture serves purposes - insect eating is normal AND Cambodians misguided rugging up against the heat!

A bill. For US$, knock off most zeros and divide by 4 and you’ll see that this meal for 4 of us was $28ish. And that was a stunning meal. 

Coconut juice delicious and thirst quenching 

Sweltering heat, people rugged up 

Cat on our table

Siem Reap dogs

Siem Reap chook

This dog was a bit cross with me… I infringed some unknown rule but he did no more that stalk me for a block. Jeez… scary though

🎶 Patches I’m depending on you, son

Our street in Siem Reap. That water on the road must be a mirage

I think these shots were in an earlier blog entry… definitely something similar was posted to fb. Carole and Anne and me

A breakfast offering for the shrine too💖

Little frog on a sign

We alighted from our transport the special last night meal… venue very prettily set, reminded me of one of those TV reality shows - race around the world or survivor

Sadly, not all in our group could make it to the final dinner and Anne revealed the child within

Rhonda delighted in her plate. Very pretty arrangement

Our ride to the airport took an hour and deposited us at least an hour earlier than was necessary.  We could’ve done with that hour in bed! On to Singapore now for four days.

By bye Cambodia. You are wonderful. Bye Brian and Hengh, thank you for the fun times - it was terrific staying and travelling with you.  I’ll see you again here or there soon I hope. 🐘