My final morning in Phnom Penh, the wonderful capital city of Cambodia was on June 26th, 2011. I scheduled a 2:30pm bus to Sihanoukville, an ocean/beach town 4 hours south, in order to take in another half-day's worth of sights in Phnom Penh.
I felt that as a tourist, I had a duty and obligation to go to the Royal Palace, and to see the National Museum. I am glad that I went to both places, just to have seen them, but to be perfectly honest, the museums (at least in SE Asia) are not usually my favorite places or experiences. From reading my previous blogs about Phnom Penh, you will have already gotten the impression that my favorite parts are just riding around on a bicycle and randomly exploring markets and street scenes, as well as cool rituals and the everyday goings-on of the city.
The Royal Palace was pretty to see, and I spent a bit of time there. I went to the National Museum next, but spent all of ten minutes in there, deciding that I really did not have interest in looking at small historical objects- I only had a few hours left, and the Museum was not holding my attention. What was most interesting to me was when I returned to the parking lot where bicycles and motorbikes are looked after for a small fee, and the attendant there was holding a large colorful rooster on his lap, and stroking it lovingly as though it were a pet poodle or kitty. I took his photograph, and then his friend laughed, and indicated that I, too, should get in a photo with the rooster, so, I did. :)
Just down the street was a restaurant called 'Friends' which was advertised in the Lonely Planet guide, due to the enrichment and direction it offers to many underprivileged kids from around Phnom Penh. The kids get taken in by project-leaders, and taken under their wings to be taught how to cook. The kids run the restaurant, and cook all of the food. There are at least two in-depth and mouth-watering cookbooks that are a result of this cool NGO, and, my meal was fabulous! It was cool seeing these kids in the flesh, while also reading about the project over my meal and reading the most excellent recipes that I hope to follow upon my return.
Next, I thought I was quite clever and was going to take a 'special shortcut' based on my map-reading ability, but wound up going in circles and 'getting lost'. That said, in my 'lostness', I wound up seeing all of the sights that I had originally intended to see, but thought I was going to miss. This included seeing the 'New Market' (just from the outside), Independence Monument, a huge large Golden Buddha statue in the middle of a major roundabout, and found numerous opportunities along a relatively quite strip of street to take a series of photos of my one of my favorite subjects- sleeping tuk-tuk drivers and motorbike taxi drivers. I am always so impressed with how they sleep in their hammocks in the tuk-tuks, or how the motorbike taxi drivers sleep along the length of their motorbikes! And, I always feel so sneaky(but in a good, satisfied way) capturing them on film while they sleep. Classic scenes of Cambodia and the other countries I have been visiting these past four months!
One more time, I thought I had the map and the streets under control, but once again, I realized after riding a while, that I had no idea where I was. But, where I found myself was really quite neat and special, and seemed like a well-kept secret from the rest of the city. It was a small-alleyed neighborhood, with tiny cafes and a very chilled-out and quiet feeling, and for some reason it gave me the impression of somewhere middle-eastern, even though I have never been to the midde east. It seemed like a place where people who operate on a very laid-back frequency could hang, people who are comfortable with silence, and don't need to speak a lot, but at the same time, when they do- it is important and well-thought out. This is the feeling I got within about 30 seconds of riding through this little area that bordered what seemed to be some sort of lake. When I asked a chilled-out Frenchman reading the paper if he knew where we were, he pointed to a place on my map- it turned out we were in the Boeng Kak Lake area, which, if I had more time in the city, or ever get the opportunity to return, I would go there and spend more time.
As I turned around to leave this neighborhood, I began to realize the time, and that I was coming dangerously close to missing my bus if I kept going at this rate of lost-ness, especially with my need to eat some food and take some to go as well. I gave in to my own stubborness to 'do it myself' and asked a tuk-tuk driver to take me (and the bicycle) back to my guesthouse. He did so, and miraculously I had exactly enough time to go to the Dragon guesthouse across the street, have a super tasty traditional Khmer meal, and pack one to go a well, and ran across the street to the Capitol Guesthouse, where my bus was leaving from. I managed to find a great guesthouse in a great location, but without being in a touristy area, while still having everything I needed conveniently nearby. Happiness and satisfaction were mine!
I got on the bus, and a few minutes later, we were off to Sihanoukville. I was one of two foreigners on the bus, which, I appreciated. We stopped halfway for a quick bathroom break and food break as well. These bus-stop rest-stop areas are great at catering to the bus passengers, and whip up tasty and hot meals in less than 5 minutes. I also had some excellent Cambodian tea which I like to drink hot, much to the surprise of most Cambodians who almost exclusively drink it over ice given the heat of the area.
We arrived in Sihanoukville around 6:30 or 7pm, and I was taken by a motorbike taxi driver to the road near my guesthouse, 'Cloud9'. He then carried my bag for me the 5 minute walk to my beachfront bungalow guesthouse, which was $10 a night (usually $25-35) due to the low season. I was quite excited abuot my bungalow with a little porch with hammock, and after settling in a bit, I came downstairs for some tea, and played Connect-4 with Sophar, one of the Cambodian bartenders working at Cloud9. He was a super fun and funny guy, and would say with smug satisfaction 'THANK YOU!!!' whenever I dropped a chip that gave him the winner status of the game. It was fun. This guesthouse is run by an eccentric older Australian man named Joe, who has more stories to tell than could ever be told. He had a tendency towards tangents which I could not understand half the time, but he had a jolly and cheerful disposition (while cynical) and had an excellent music selection playing at all times. That night I slept with my windows open, lulled to sleep by the beautiful sounds of the ocean waves.
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