14. Phnom Penh - 24 hours

—Namaste--
Cambodia Museum

Dear Friends and Family --

You might have noticed I changed the title of my blog to what it has always been - the Ki Earth blog. Ki refers to “life force energy,” so my intention is to write stories from my travels--on this vibrant alive Gaia Mother Earth. I took my new title photo at the Cambodia National Museum in Phnom Penh.

I attempt not to explain myself, but sometimes I laugh at my comparisons. I know that it’s not fair to compare the cleanliness of just about any front yard in Minnesota to the whole country of Cambodia, or a passive Seattle beggar to an aggressive Phnom Penh beggar--but I’m a color commentator having fun, and I hope you enjoy it.

Phnom Penh beggar

I began this blog while sitting in an outdoor cafe in Phnom Penh, eating breakfast—twenty four fours ago. An irate woman, ten feet away, was screaming something to someone, everyone--she wouldn’t be appeased--over-powering the traffic horn-honking, tuk-tuk driver chatter and all the other mid-city clamor. The real life moment wasn’t aiding my digestion. While this went on, a beggar woman eating Pringles, with two children, was staring at me. As was her little girl--the baby looked too well-fed for legitimate begging. All I wanted to do was mind my own business and eat my omelette. Finally I had to take their picture, so I gave the marginally-grateful woman a dollar, snapped a few shots and shoo’d them away. That only created a void, one replaced by an older beggar woman, then a boy selling pirated videos, and a man with no hands selling . . . I didn’t want to ask him to show me. A fine to start to my day in Cambodia’s chaotic capital. 

Chick to enlarge

The Encore Angkor Hotel in Siem Reap was a calm and safe haven from the raw technicolor reality of life in Cambodia. After six days there it was time to leave, although as soon as I reached Phnom Penh I wanted to turn around and go back. The gracious Encore owner suggested the best way to get to Phnom Penh was the $11 Mekong Express bus--and ask for seat 1C. This seat is in the front row aisle and would afford the best view during the six hour drive. A shuttle picked me up at my hotel and took me to what wasn’t the Greyhound station. After paying an enterprising beggar, who had scribbled 1000R (25 cents) on a square of old cardboard--for the privilege to pee in the disgusting public restroom--I got on the bus--one which Elvis would have approved of in the 70’s.  I could see the driver--he was two steps down to my left. I sat next to a German man, and two more were in the seats across the aisle. I was imaging a peaceful ride, though I was quite aware of the history of war and violence in this country. All-in-all, I want to believe that I am living in the present moment, and I consider myself part of an ever-growing team which is bringing peace and love to the world. Yes, Cambodia wars, Pol Pot and the infamous Killing Fields happened here and . . . My holiness blesses that whole situation. 

Mekong Express

So there I was, peace and love in the here and now, riding through the very place of this horror I don't wish to talk about, praying for a forever end to violence--when the bus hostess put in a DVD. Right there, eye level five feet away, on the big 40" screen,  “The Terminator,” a very violent film, began playing. The German men were pleased with the choice. Suddenly this peaceful country bus ride was all about death and destruction--both in my memory of the history of the country around me and in the screen in front of me. If that wasn’t enough, as the driver raced into a village, two dogs playing in the road looked up. Too late. Thump, thump. I winced. There was no reaction from the driver as the Mekong Express continued to ramble on through the killing fields. Arnold with his machine gun said “Hasta la vista, baby.” And the kid actor exclaimed, “Holy shit.”  Holy shit indeed. 

Phnom Penh street scene
— my tuk-tuk would drive straight on to the left of that red tuk-tuk --

Driving into Phnom Penh reminded me of a trip to the city landfill/dump. Garbage was everywhere on the sides of the road. I wished I would have spent the $60 and hired a taxi from Siem Reap--there were so many great pictures of trash along the way. Also old boats on rivers and ancient temples—colorful people. Of course, the Mekong Express wasn’t a photo op. btw--the beggar woman came back three more times wanting money. The second time she insisted that her baby was dying. (napping/dying, who can tell?) The third time there was no baby--it must have died. (by this time the tuk-tuk drivers and beggars had already worn me out) The breeze was good though, the coffee was bad. In Cambodia I’ve been perfecting my use of the word “No.” There’s just no getting around it.

Candy Bar

So, after six hours, the Mekong Express stopped in a seedy part of Phnom Penh and let us out. It was designed this way so you had to hire a tuk-tuk to get out of the ghetto. I paid my $4 and was taken to the city. OMG. Bangkok traffic is tame compared to this place, where there is only a rough rule about driving on the right side of the street. So this kid, my driver, started weaving in and out of heavy traffic and then cut across an intersection somehow missing all the cutters coming from the other direction. And then--there was four lanes of trucks, cars, scooters, tuk-tuks and bikes all coming at us—he headed straight into it--going the wrong way on a one-way street. Yikes! I hadn’t made a hotel reservation so I asked for his suggestion of a good $30 hotel. He had no idea what a good hotel was, so we went from one run-down dive to another. By now I was exhausted by his obvious more $ hustle and his attempts to scare the shit out of me in city traffic. I settled for The Modern City Hotel, which was anything but modern, but didn’t stink. I was too tired to care about the street noise--or wonder what trouble I would find in the ‘open 24 hours’ Candy Bar, with girls out front--or the Horny Bar next door. 

The Horny Bar closes early

But before passing out I had to eat. After dinner all I could think about was getting the hell out of Dodge--so I found a travel agent and booked a Sunday evening flight to Hanoi, Vietnam--and the $38 Art Hotel in the more upscale Old Colonial District. All I had to do after my Sunday morning breakfast was stay out of trouble for the rest of the day in Phnom Penh.

But that wasn’t possible--not for a minute. As soon as I wrote the above paragraph I put my computer away and took out the map of Phnom Penh I got from the travel agent. I didn’t even open it when this English guy with all these earrings rushed up, “Can I see your map?” Before I could answer he took it and ran off. The dude stole my map. After I paid my bill I went looking for him and finally found him in some bar. “You stole my map. I want it back.” He said I couldn’t have it--because he had marked all over it--and he just had a tooth pulled and was in pain. “I don’t care about your damn tooth. I want my map.” He had another one at his hotel and all of a sudden I’m following this jerk down alleys until we come upon his dive. He gave me another map. (my blog would get too long if I wrote all these colorful side stories, down side alleys following the likes of hung-over English blokes)

Cambodia National Museum

Bronze-Angkor Wat
around 12th century
-click to enlarge-

From there I went to the Cambodia National Museum. There were so many pieces of fabulous art from Angkor Wat, and unlike the museum in Siem Reap it had quite a bit of pre-Angkor pieces and exquisite bronze art figures made between the 9th and 13th century--it also had some incredible Bronze Age B.C. art with intricate designs. I wanted to go to the Royal Palace next--I couldn’t get in because I wasn’t wearing a long-sleeve shirt or long pants .  . . and it was way too hot to remedy the situation.

Cambodia Royal Palace

So at 3:30 I paid $15 for a taxi to the Phnom Penh airport. Apparently to my driver motorcycles are pests and deserve a good honking. The pests were everywhere. To Phnom Penh’s credit I did see some clean parts of the city on the way there--especially around the University. What was odd is that I paid $18 to get from the Hanoi Airport to my Art Hotel . . . and I swear it was the same driver, maybe his brother. Fortunately there were fewer motorcycle pests on the way here.

Angkor art - 10th century

OK . . . Good Morning Vietnam! Stay tuned to hear all about my adventures in Hanoi.

Hugs and kisses,

David Dakan Allison

ps. This is an inspiring video worth watching:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4MnpzG5Sqc

pss. Although I didn’t anticipate it, I now have a Phnom Penh photo album. Coming after I put the Siem Reap one together.