Saturday Night Life

It takes an entire separate entry for the social life on a Saturday night in Phnom Penh.

What's really amazing is that they closed 2 entire miles of the road by the promenade along the Mekong river and turned it into a pedestrian zone. Vendors come out and set up their little shops, a million scooters are parked in the side streets and a crowd of people are enjoying the warm evening. There are lots of families and kids running around.

There are lit up boats cruising the river and you can hop on for a ride. A Cambodian band is playing.

I go to the night market, where they also have food and I get to sit on a cushion on the ground with a French couple who have traveled extensively. He retired as a sculptor for UNESCO, what an interesting job. They lost their entire family in a space of 2 years when they were 52, they realized time is short, quit their jobs and started traveling. I keep meeting fascinating people on the road.

You're allowed to drink a beer on the street, there are no drunks, I did not smell any drugs, no screaming, no shuffles, just well behaved people enjoying the evening. There's one police car and two officers in total and they have nothing to do.

It is an absolute joy to see people living like this.Read more