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During my trip, I spent a few days in Phnom Penh. In all honesty, I’m not a huge fan of urban travel. I prefer to skip the cities in favor of the country. Rural areas, relishing the outdoors — that’s my cup of tea. But a chance to soak in the flavor of Cambodia’s capital city was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up, especially since I knew someone that lived there.
I’m glad I didn’t skip it. The city was fascinating. And the people — they were some of the sweetest I met in my travels (of course, I find myself saying this about pretty much every destination in Southeast Asia). Although not pictured, I did in fact visit the Killing Fields and the Tuol Sleng Museum of Genocide. I am choosing not to share those pictures. Although I found the history of this beautiful country ravaged by genocide and a brutal regime, I found the present situation to be anything but. The city was vibrant and full of life.
It was in Phnom Penh that I bartered for my first pair of hippie pants at the Russian Market (you know, those free flowing, gaucho-type pants I wouldn’t dare wear anywhere else but that I secretly love and seriously hope come back in style). This was also where I discovered the $4 pedicure with foot and leg massage (you can’t get better than that!) and the craziest transportation contraptions I’ve ever seen (Need to haul a refrigerator across town? No problem. Throw it on the back of my moped!). Coincidentally, this was also the location I finally tossed out my fear of riding on the back of a moped taxi. If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em — right? Oh, and it was in Phnom Penh that I ate bugs! Red ants, to be precise. Good times, I tell you. Good times.
