To begin my exploration of Phnom Penh I continued down the waterfront.
I stepped out of my hotel, and was surprised to see that the giant garbage
piles had been removed from the sidewalks. I was to find that garbage free
sidewalks never lasted long, the piles quickly re-growing throughout the city.
While I watched people fish and bathe in the river I decided
to take out my camera to take a few photos. A man selling feather dusters, and brooms from
his bicycle was walking by and stopped in front of me. He made some jesters which could only be assumed to mean
he wanted me to take his picture. He proudly posed as I adjusted the lens of my
camera. I walked over to him, and held out my camera so he could see the
pictures. He starting giggling like a child, he looked at me, and then back at
the picture covering his mouth and still giggling. He continued on, walking his
bicycle laden with his wares, and I could hear him giggling the whole way.
I stopped at a shrine, where people were giving offerings.
There were quite a few musicians playing in a covered area directly opposite,
and the square was filled with people begging and selling caged birds. You pay
to let the birds go, thus earning merit. I also watched the men run around and
re-catch all the birds to be placed back into cages after the customers had
left. I wonder, if you earn merit by releasing caged birds, what happens to the
guys who cage the birds in the first place?
I made my way to Wat Phnom which sits on the only hill in Phnom Penh. It has a
wonderful park surrounding it filled with people, monkeys, and an elephant. I
watched people feed the monkey’s bananas, and little kids scream when braver
monkeys took the food out of their hands.
The American Embassy actually sits at the base of this park,
a fortress with an incredibly formidable look about it. Well, except for the
obscene Christmas lights display complete with carols being blasted out of
hidden speakers. I drove by it one night, and despite being told about the
spectacle still couldn’t believe it. The lights covered the building, and
filled the “yard” between the building and the fence; giant Christmas trees,
gifts, and a Santa on a moto instead of sleigh. I wonder what their electricity
bill was. I wish I had taken a picture, but passing by on the back of the moto
doesn’t make for the best picture taking moments.
I browsed various markets, the Central market, the market
near the hotel, the Russian market. Each one had its own personality, and each
one had something fascinating to ponder. Isles of fake watches, piles of
remaindered clothing, shoes, socks, reams of material in every color, moto
parts, chicken and pig parts, spiders, unidentifiable meat, cooked food,
souvenirs. I could have passed weeks just exploring the markets.
At the Russian Market, I found myself deep inside, the
sweltering heat making it hard to breathe. There were goods piled to the
ceiling, and at times I couldn’t walk down the isle without crawling over a
pile of shoes or stools. I started to make my way out, and was standing near
the entrance looking at one stalls DVD selection.
(Note: There are people begging everywhere in Phnom Penh, kids, women
with infants, people with various disabilities, it is impossible to escape.
Because of the shear number of people begging there is no way you can give to
just one. Once one person asked several more would crowd around me before I
could say no. I decided that I was not going to give any money to individuals,
but instead I decided to spend money at places that were seeking to improve the
lives of Cambodians through training, education, and that provided various
services. I was also participating in a volunteer program that donated money to
various organizations throughout Cambodia
and that’s involved with schools in rural Cambodia. Often the kids don’t get
to keep the money, and when the do often use it to get high. It is a complex problem, with no one good
solution. To not give money was my personal choice for good or bad.)
While looking at DVD’s a kid came up to me taping me on the
arm to get my attention, and asked for money. I shook my head, refusing. He
persisted for a minute, then stuck his tongue out at me. I couldn’t blame him
really. Here I was shopping for frivolous items, a foreigner who had paid a
considerable sum to come to Cambodia,
and I was refusing him. I think I would have stuck out my tongue too. He ran around me laughing joining his friend,
and I followed them with my gaze, shifting my purse just incase.
There was another stall behind me, and there was a man
shopping with his wife. To be honest, I don’t remember what the wife looked
like, but I will never forget that man’s face or the beige backpack he was
wearing on his stomach. There was a women talking to the wife about some
material or a scarf.
As I turned my attention, the other boy took his shoe shine
brush and hit the guy on the arm. The kids laughing started to run off. The man
lunged forward swinging out his right leg catching the kid with the brush in
the ribs. The kid stumbled, and I could hear everyone suck in a deep breath,
before the guy kicked him again. The
kids ran off, through the crowd, the wife kept shopping and everyone else went
back to work.
Not one person said a word to this man. I was so mad I could
feel my face turning red. But the more that I considered what I should say to
this guy, the more I lost my nerve. His reaction had been so violent; I could
only assume his reaction to me wouldn’t be a positive one. I am not so naive to
see these kids as innocent, but this guy’s reaction was completely
inappropriate. Disgusted with myself for being lumped into the tourist category
with such a horrible person, and my own inability to say or do anything, I
could shop no longer and quickly left.
