Our nerves were made worse by the fact that we had recently met an Australian traveller who had described Phnom Penh as a "rat hole" so our expectations for the next stage of our trip were extremely low.
I have to say that driving into Cambodia was like going back in time: the chaotic traffic immediately subsided and instead we saw the occasional cart carrying 20 or so passengers on the bumpy road. The concrete buildings were also replaced with basic aluminium huts balanced on stilts along the riverside. The major development we had seen throughout Vietnam was not evident here but we were not disappointed as the scenery was incredible. I got a bit snap happy with my camera throughout the journey.
On route to Phnom Penh the bus had to board a ferry across the river and it was at this point that I realised just how poor Cambodia is. Poverty is endemic - Our bus was followed by a stream of beggars: most were unwashed and shoeless children and eldery people with amputated limbs. It was completely heartbreaking to witness. We had seen children selling things on the streets in Vietnam but it didn't seem to compare to the poverty seen here.
Driving through the outskirts of Phnom Penh it didn't feel like we had arrived in a capital city at all as the streets were still very basic, dirty with litter and we saw entire families camped out along the road side. That said we immediately warmed to Phnom Penh. We were greeted by the friendliest Tuk Tuk drivers I have come across on this trip and even the street sellers laugh and joke with you instead of hounding you for cash. Cambodians seem so friendly and carefree, particularly given their recent history!
Our time in Cambodia continued to go well as we were offered an upgrade at the Billabong Hotel! (they had a function on that evening so i can only assume they double booked but I wasnt complaining)
Phnom Penh has some of the best preserved French relics and walking the streets you get a real feel for the history of the country. The National Museum and Royal Palace are so extravagant and a world away from the shacks along the riverside.
The country is still rebuilding itself following the civil war of the 60's and the atrocities committed by the Khmer Rouge in the 70's when urban Cambodian's were forced to relocate and work in the countryside under the Pol Pot socialist Regime. Many "disobedient" Cambodians were brutally murdered in the killing fields which can be found throughout the countryside. We visited S-21, a former school which was converted into a prison camp during the regime. It was harrowing to see the images of those held and brutally tortured and ultimately murdered in these camps. A mass of bones are kept on display to remind people of the victims so that such crimes against humanity do not happen again and yet those leaders of the regime who are still alive have still not been sentenced. In fact the current prime minister of Cambodia is a former Khmer Rouge member! Needless to say corruption is endemic.
Tourists seem to be flocking back to this city as at night the riverside is swarming with people, restaurants and bars. It was entertaining to watch the street dance class and exercise classes taking place along the waterfront. We enjoyed a fantastic meal and Mojito at the Foreign Correspondence Club overlooking them.
Despite its charm there does appear to be a dark side to the city at night as sex tourism appears to be a real problem here as in many other parts of S E Asia, as does paedophilia given the number of posters and news reports we saw.
All in all yes the city is a bit grimy and edgey but there is so much to see here and the people are amongst the nicest I have ever met! I hope the future is better for them.
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