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  • Day 51

    Phnom Penh

    April 7, 2018 in Cambodia ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    After lunch, we docked in Phnom Penh, which we had driven through a few days earlier. Phnom Penh is a big city, which is reminiscent of Hanoi, but with far fewer people. Food stalls are everywhere. Restaurants open onto the street. Lots of motor bikes zip by. Basically, a big city, Asian-style.

    As a group, we visited the Royal Palace, which was built about 200 years ago. Surprisingly, the palace was neither destroyed, nor looted during the civil war. Actually, the lack of looting is astonishing when you learned that the floor of the Silver Pagoda, which is on the Palace grounds, contains 5 TONS of silver. The palace is lovely, and reflects the more modern Khmer style of architecture — lots of serpents on peaked roofs, etc.

    Afterwards, we visited the National Museum, which is filed with beautiful artifacts that were taken from Khmer sites throughout the country. Given that the Royal Palace was not looted during the war, I was surprised to learn that the museum was trashed, and many artifacts were destroyed. So sad.

    As we walked through both the Royal Palace and the National Museum, we saw lots and lots of monks. Many of the monks are actually young boys, in the range of 10-14 years. Becoming a monk is considered to be an honor, and families encourage their children to do so. Given the poverty in the country, and the lack of educational opportunities, joining a monastery is a decent option, as you are well-fed and educated both religiously and secularly. And, since joining a monastery is not considered to be a life-long commitment, it is a realistic short-term option. Of course, joining a monastery at the age of 9 also requires that you move away from your family, live a life that is filled with very stringent requirements (like only 2 meals a day, and nothing to eat after noon), and no “play.” Yet, despite these strictures, it is obviously a very popular alternative in Cambodia.

    In the evening, we had the option of skipping dinner on board the boat, and going into town. We decided that a little excursion would be fun, and found someplace to eat. Our cruise director and local guide repeatedly tried to dissuade us from leaving, due to concerns that they seemed to have about our safety. When we announced that we were going to walk to the restaurant (which was about a mile away), rather than take a tuk tuk, their concerns seemed to grow. But, we were bound and determined, and repeatedly assured them that we’d be fine, and would return to the dock long before 11, when the gates closed. So, off we went.

    We started with a stroll through the night market. Nothing of interest to buy, but it was fun to do some people watching, as we were pretty much the only westerners in sight We then walked through the streets, peering at the food stalls and taking in the sights and sounds of the city. As we passed a barber shop — which was really just a store front with a mirror and a barber chair — Arie decided that it was time for a haircut and shave. So, for $6 (which was probably too much), he got a haircut and a beard trim.

    We ate at a restaurant called Sugar Palm, where we had some delicious food. And then walked back to the boat. Along the way we passed a Cambodian gas station. Why do I mention the gas station? Because it is not really a gas station, at least as we think of it. Since most transportation is by motor bike, gas stations are simply stands where there are large bottles (often bottles that were originally used for alcohol or soda) that are filled with gasoline, and a funnel to fill the gas tank of the motor bike. It would never pass EPA standards, but it obviously does the trick.
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