Sunday 5th December 2004
Oh dear! You know when a day goes perfectly according to plan? Well today was the complete opposite of that! I met Cheau as arranged at 9am and he took me to the bus station to check the departure times. Incidentally I have changed my plans and now I'm going to take the bus directly to Kratie instead of going to Kompong Cham first. I don't feel the need to visit anymore temples for a while after Angkor. This new plan should allow me some extra time to take a detour out to Sen Monorom in the Southeast as that sounds like it could be quite an experience. So getting back to the bus situation. I learned here that there is only one bus a day and it had already left at 7.30am! Oh poo! I'll have to spend one more night in Phnom Penh. I bought the ticket in readiness for tomorrow and we drove to the Royal Palace.
It seems, in Cambodia or perhaps anywhere in South East Asia one learns to answer "No" to many questions as it works out cheaper that way! The ticket to enter the Royal Palace was $3 and, when asked the question "Do you have a camera?" I naively answered "Yes". This cost me an extra $2 because you need to have a camera pass also. The lady behind me, when buying her ticket then wisely answered "No" I noticed. Very sensible indeed because on entering the grounds of the palace it looked like any other palace I have seen in Asia. OK I had only seen the Grand Palace in Bangkok prior to this and the only parts that I considered to really be worth taking photos of, The Silver Pagoda and the Ceremonial Room, you are prohibited from doing so! Maybe it was the annoyance of paying $2 for pretty much nothing, but I found the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh was not particularly interesting, unfortunately.
I'm seriously feeling the pinch with the budget. I have spent mucho dollars here! I haven't walked anywhere because of the constant stalking by moto drivers, but tonight I have decided, by hook or by crook, I am going to walk somewhere to get my dinner even if I have to fight off moto drivers with a shitty stick!
I walked around for an hour tonight. It was really hard work and I didn't even manage to get very far. It's an unusual city as there doesn't seem to be much around and I really am amazed at how difficult it is to get anywhere on foot. I ended up relenting and getting on a moto, which took me Sisawath Quay by the river. It's a busy area with lots of bars and restaurants and quite a large number of old western guys with young Cambodian girls it seems. I ate at a fairly good restaurant, but there's something about the atmosphere in this part of town, which I didn't like. It just didn't feel right. I have to admit that I am not keen on Phnom Penh and I'm glad I'm leaving tomorrow. Maybe my initial introduction to this city, Toul Sleng prison, set the tone, but I suppose not everywhere you go is going to be all lovely and idyllic. I'll accept Phnom Penh the way it is and be grateful for the experience it has given me.
