I got to my Khmer style (art deco?) house where I am renting a bedroom from a British guy. These bastards are everywhere ;) He wasn't gonna spend a minute more than he had to so after telling me how to work the key and the AC he went upstairs and turned on Trump on TV. After I spent a few minutes staring at a map, I ventured out into the big and wild Phnom Penh. It doesn't mean it has traffic lights and if you've been to Asia (Vietnam and Cambodia specifically) and have gotten *any*where you know that you have to be 100% comfortable walking into oncoming traffic and just trust that you won't die. I haven't. Yet.
I made my way to Wat Phnom, a pretty unexciting and shabby temple. Not to sound ungrateful but once you've been to Bangkok the bar for temples is pretty damn high. Entrance $1 for foreigners and free for locals.
Speaking of... can I stand out anymore?! Besides the obvious look and complexion, I'm tall, wear colorful clothing and show skin. It doesn't matter how much I try not to, unless I'm wearing jeans and a jacket I will stand out. See my commentary on heat and humidity for how I feel about all that.
There was a sunset cruise I had read about in Lonely Planet and thought I should investigate that. Because me and boats are pretty tight, ya know . The "cruise" came with a free Coke and when I said I don't drink such a thing they shrugged. Water, please? No, just Coke. Damn it. The whole thing was a bit of a joke and reminded me of the most pointless ride I've ever had on any body of water, the Moscow River.
The dock is about 3 km away from the apartment. There is a pretty promenade that I could take home or at any point about a million tuk tuks ready for me. I figured I'd walk towards the house and when I'm hot and dying I could hop on some mode of transportation. Best decision of the night.
As I walked through the streets (no real pictures, I was warned too many times about purse and camera snatchings in this city) I got to see locals enjoy their capital. People were everywhere and I was startled to see a beautiful fireworks display over the river. Today is the Queen' s birthday (Cambodian one!) and a national holiday. Couples watching the sunset along the river, many a group of teenagers playing soccer, light show at Wat Botum and most memorable this:
https://youtu.be/TJrS8w7TFCs
Dancing in formation is a thing I've noticed and if I am ever brave enough I'll join. Obviously not the pros but the Zumba - like classes happening on every corner it's only a matter of time before I jump in. (Still regretting not doing so in Hanoi to Ricky Martin last year #yolo).
It's been about a paragraph since I've mentioned heat so let's get to it. I want food/coffee off the cart but what I really need is AC. At all times. While I had breakfast at an Indian joint this morning, I took the fan and pointed to me and me only, none of that fan-turns-in-all-directions-thing (there was no one else there). So when the time to eat comes there is only one decision to make. Cooling or melting. I suppose I could take tuk tuks everywhere to not sweat so much but the walking is fun albeit tiring.
Which brings me to this morning's trip.
Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum. Phnom Penh is full of sadness and history of what transpired here in the 70s (yes, 1970s) and no trip would be complete without learning about it. One of the most common things to do is take a day trip to the Khmer Rouge's killing fields but I decided not to. It is not for lack of desire but because un/fortunately I've already had the chance to see Dachau, a German concentration camp I visited when I was 17. The images stayed with me forever and when I visited another concentration camp in my mid 20s, Dachau was in my mind like I saw it yesterday. Instead of going to the place of killings, I spent my morning at a detention center S-21 which was the first stop for the 12000-20000 people interrogated, bludgeoned, tortured and then sent to get killed. Images of skulls, blood soaked clothing and pictures of young people who would still be alive today are chilling. S-21 was a high school and because the Khmer Rouge believed education was the devil they made this location the site of horrid events of 1975-1979. A handful of people survived S-21, all due to their skills. A mechanic, artist (to keep records) and various other trades that the torturers wanted to use.
After 2 hours of listening to a poignant audio tour I spotted one of the survivors, Bou Meng by the exit. What the hell do you say? I nodded and wished I had something clever to contribute.
I spent the rest of the day walking around town, enjoying the hustle and bustle and the insane buzz of traffic in this city. Tomorrow will be very different and I can't wait to share it with you.
Some things to note:
-Monks here seem less religious? Intense? Dedicated? I don't know what the word is but I feel like if I offered one a beer he'd go for it (don't worry, I won't try)
-A.C. is the strongest at Stabucks. I didn't buy anything but walked in solely to cool off. Also walked into a massage parlor and a bakery just to use them for their air
-Monks on smartphones taking selfies is a weird sight
-It's cool to see the same place at night and daylight. Things you don't notice during one time pop out at another
-Follow the Maps.me app directions. When feeling adventurous, expect to get lost in a monastery complex
-A 2yo girl just started singing "Despacito"
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