A few surprising things about Cambodia.
I had heard the rumor, but I'm still surprised it's really true. You can use US dollars in almost all places here, although sometimes you get change in riel, which is the Cambodian currency. So crazy to be using our own currency in a foreign country. Even the ATMs give out US currency. Crazy!
Cambodians have much darker skin than the Vietnamese. They look similar to Nepali or Indian people. I did not expect that. I imagined because the countries are so near each other that the people and the place would not be that different from Vietnam.
Cambodia seems to have a garbage problem like India did, though not quite as bad. Garbage is strewn all down the national highway. I guess if there is no business on the road, then there is no one to pick up the garbage.
On the outskirts of Phnom Penh, it looks a lot like India, but Phnomh Penh itself is more cosmopolitan than what we've seen of Cambodia on the bus up to now.
They have motorbike tuktuks here. They look so cool. A motorbike tuk tuk is a carriage that has been hooked to a motorbike as a tow. Very comfortable and a smart way to use the motorbike. Almost seems strange that we didn't see this in Vietnam. I guess maybe the traffic is just too strong or there isn't demand for this sort of thing there. It made me realize that in every place the tuk tuks are always a bit different - built to suit the environment that they work in.
The hotel in Phnomh Penh is nice, but our room is on the 4th floor and quite hot. Just to give you an idea of what we're dealing with - the air conditioning in the room is not strong enough to overcome the heat. We had to ask them to bring a fan in, but it really didn't help. Luckily, it's just one night.
We were exhausted from the six-hour bus ride, partly from the incredible amount of bumpiness and partly from the heat. Once we reached Cambodia on the bus, the road became incredibly bumpy. The national highway is under construction and is being widened so most of it wasn't even paved. The lack of pavement, as you might imagine, left the dirt road full of potholes. Giant potholes! It was an incredibly uncomfortable ride.
For dinner, we went to Romdeng, a restaurant run by Friends non-profit to train former street kids in the hospitality industry. It was recommended by the hotel and also happened to be a gourmet restaurant!
We had some delicious dishes. Smoked eggplant dip with French bread! Pomelo salad with mint, lime juice, shrimps and basil! Amazing!! Never would have thought to make a salad like that.
Cambodian style pancakes: stuffed with sauteed cabbage and topped with beans, sprouts, mint and parsley, and some sauce. Kind of like a noodle bowl, but in pancake form. So unusual.
Then finally an eggplant dish with chicken. Really nice, balanced and delicate with unusual flavors in the sauce. I wish I had taken pictures of it all.
I only remembered the camera when dad had a cappuccino at the end, his first ever! He was surprised that the milk didn't mix with the coffee. I had a Lapsing Souchong tea that kind of smelled like dried grass. It was interesting, but not a favorite.
Today, we go on to Siem Reap. Unfortunately, we were just too tired to see any of the Phnom Penh sites, including the capital. The heat is wiping us out. But we had a nice lunch before we left at a restaurant called Mother-In-Law's Place. The food was good. At the end, they gave us a free dessert: sweet corn tapioca soup. It looked quite strange, but I was surprised to find it was actually quite good. The concept was sound, if a little too sweet for my taste.
Today, we go on to Siem Reap to see Angkor Wat. Honestly, I'm not looking forward to the bus ride, but I am looking forward to Angkor Wat. I hope it's all we have hoped for.
