Cambodia Days

Cambodia Day… The First 24 Hours

January 2020

From Saigon, we drove seven hours to Phnom Penh yesterday. The packed public bus had air conditioning and even spotty wifi. Heading west, we stopped every few hours at a gas station for a pretty dodgy bathroom break. Note to self: bathrooms that are located behind gas stations are never cool. And BYOTP: bring your own toilet paper. After a few hours, we made it to the border. There, we navigated a bizarre border crossings that seemed like part comedy sketch and part intelligence test in a different language. This included snoozing metal detector border agents, bus employees who “handled” the passport details, and immigration officials who were easily swayed by my emphatic declaration that I have an e-visa! Going through the immigration procedure, there were completely different experiences for each member of our group. Then, we enjoyed a strange lunch in a ghost town duty free limbo zone between two countries. Seeing 12 foot advertisements of blond haired male Lacoste models and displays for Rolex watches and Guess fragrances in an empty hall between Vietnam and Cambodia borders on bizarre. I did eye up the selection of boxed wine but fought any urge to participate in the nonsense there.

Once we crossed into Cambodia, it was evident that this country is more rural. We drove past uncultivated land for many miles. The infrastructure is also much more basic. The bridge (name i will look up) that crosses the Mekong was completed only four years ago. Rous, our guide, proudly raised this up as a significant stride in the progress of development of the nation’s roadways. The bridge, built by the Japanese, connects Cambodia’s eastern region to the west, a route that many people take going toward the capital. 

The rural areas abruptly become urban city centers. Once in Phnom Penh, we became aware that serious traffic snarls this capital during rush hour. There are less motorbikes on the roadways, though. Although less densely populated, the roads in PP become clogged with cars, tuk tuks, and motorbikes. Unlike Saigon and Hanoi, the cars here are sleek, new Lexus SUVs, new Prius, Toyota CRVs... I asked Rous about this obvious display of wealth, she responded “the rich can buy whatever they want.” I am still curious: who has enough money to purchase a Lexus in Cambodia??