June 9, 2012
Hi all!
So, this first week in Cambodia has been so different from anything else I've ever experienced. The flight on Singapore Air was really nice and the stewardess are so accommodating. Landing in Phnom Penh and going into the city was eye-opening in itself. The traffic here is chaos and all the motorbikes, tuktuks carriages on the backs of motorbikes) and cars are swerving in and out of lanes and around each other. Crossing the street is a feat too. Once you proceed you can't go back and you have to judge the traffic as they won't stop, merely swerve around you. Otherwise people go down the opposite lanes of traffic, along sidewalks and through the gas stations. I've seen numerous things on the backs of motorbikes. To date: a family of five with the baby in mom's arms, a bundle of rubber chickens --
oh wait, not rubber, plucked chickens of course, four large box tvs, goods for the market, a humungous basket of baguettes (bon appetit!), woman with IV pole (photo below)(and yes, it was in her arm-- apparently if they're feeling ill or tired they'll attach an IV to themselves because its a
surprisingly popular way of self-medicating), live chickens and live pigs, bowl of crickets, and balloons. I'm sure I'll see more because the preferred mode of transportation is motorbike and who knows what-else they bring to the market!
The weather is hot and humid, but very similar to DC weather and it really hasn't bothered me much. A bit sweaty at times, but hey what else did I expect this close to the equator. The family hosting me, the Graylings, have been so very welcoming and friendly. I've mostly been doing the touristic thing in the city, although I'm heading out to Kampong Chhnang on Monday. Besides visiting my NGO and sitting on a few Cambodian NGO meetings, I've been to the markets (hagglers paradise), temples, restaurants and of course, Toul Sleng- the famous prison and torture site of the Khmer Rouge, and the Choeung Ek Killing Fields. Those trips were hard and emotional. If the Khmer (Cambodian) people cannot begin to understand how their own countrymen could kill so brutally and inhumanly, then how can I even begin to fathom it. What struck me the most was how they killed so directly, by slitting throats and bashing heads. They even threw babies against a tree in Choeung Ek (photo of tree below). What makes it so hard is its unfathomable reality. Another eerie thing is that walking along the killing fields, there are still bone fragments and scraps of clothing surfacing and along the path. So we were literally walking over mass graves.
Otherwise Cambodia has been 'happy,happy' (as Hun Sen, the Prime Minister, responded to the victory of his party in the recent commune elections). I actually arrived the weekend of the commune elections and saw the two major party rallies- the Cambodian People's Party and the Sam Rainsy Party. If you have questions about the political situation I can email more, because I've learned quite a bit since being here, but essentially the CPP rules alone and other parties are allowed for democracy's sake.
Everything is very cheap. Some comparison. My first lunch here was in the Russian Market (Toul Tom poung market), called the Russian market because apparently a lot of russians go there--i didn't see any. Anyway, my first lunch- noodles and beef, cost me 1.25$ and it was quite good. And at the mall shirts cost 3$. So, as you can imagine the cost of living can be very cheap. Most lunch is around 5$ though in any cafe or restaurant.
I'm finally over my jet lag, it took me a few days, and ready for the province!
Thanks and goodbye or 'Akun, lea heuy'.
Margot
So, this first week in Cambodia has been so different from anything else I've ever experienced. The flight on Singapore Air was really nice and the stewardess are so accommodating. Landing in Phnom Penh and going into the city was eye-opening in itself. The traffic here is chaos and all the motorbikes, tuktuks carriages on the backs of motorbikes) and cars are swerving in and out of lanes and around each other. Crossing the street is a feat too. Once you proceed you can't go back and you have to judge the traffic as they won't stop, merely swerve around you. Otherwise people go down the opposite lanes of traffic, along sidewalks and through the gas stations. I've seen numerous things on the backs of motorbikes. To date: a family of five with the baby in mom's arms, a bundle of rubber chickens --
oh wait, not rubber, plucked chickens of course, four large box tvs, goods for the market, a humungous basket of baguettes (bon appetit!), woman with IV pole (photo below)(and yes, it was in her arm-- apparently if they're feeling ill or tired they'll attach an IV to themselves because its a
surprisingly popular way of self-medicating), live chickens and live pigs, bowl of crickets, and balloons. I'm sure I'll see more because the preferred mode of transportation is motorbike and who knows what-else they bring to the market!
The weather is hot and humid, but very similar to DC weather and it really hasn't bothered me much. A bit sweaty at times, but hey what else did I expect this close to the equator. The family hosting me, the Graylings, have been so very welcoming and friendly. I've mostly been doing the touristic thing in the city, although I'm heading out to Kampong Chhnang on Monday. Besides visiting my NGO and sitting on a few Cambodian NGO meetings, I've been to the markets (hagglers paradise), temples, restaurants and of course, Toul Sleng- the famous prison and torture site of the Khmer Rouge, and the Choeung Ek Killing Fields. Those trips were hard and emotional. If the Khmer (Cambodian) people cannot begin to understand how their own countrymen could kill so brutally and inhumanly, then how can I even begin to fathom it. What struck me the most was how they killed so directly, by slitting throats and bashing heads. They even threw babies against a tree in Choeung Ek (photo of tree below). What makes it so hard is its unfathomable reality. Another eerie thing is that walking along the killing fields, there are still bone fragments and scraps of clothing surfacing and along the path. So we were literally walking over mass graves.
Otherwise Cambodia has been 'happy,happy' (as Hun Sen, the Prime Minister, responded to the victory of his party in the recent commune elections). I actually arrived the weekend of the commune elections and saw the two major party rallies- the Cambodian People's Party and the Sam Rainsy Party. If you have questions about the political situation I can email more, because I've learned quite a bit since being here, but essentially the CPP rules alone and other parties are allowed for democracy's sake.
Everything is very cheap. Some comparison. My first lunch here was in the Russian Market (Toul Tom poung market), called the Russian market because apparently a lot of russians go there--i didn't see any. Anyway, my first lunch- noodles and beef, cost me 1.25$ and it was quite good. And at the mall shirts cost 3$. So, as you can imagine the cost of living can be very cheap. Most lunch is around 5$ though in any cafe or restaurant.
I'm finally over my jet lag, it took me a few days, and ready for the province!
Thanks and goodbye or 'Akun, lea heuy'.
Margot