Cambodia: First Impressions

First impressions have a powerful place in memory, and so it is that I remember with startling clarity stepping out of Pochentong Airport on 15 June 2010. I was an "unofficial" member of the POLARIS expedition and we had to spend a night in Phnom Penh before travelling to Kampong Som (Sihanoukville) where M'Lop Tapang is based.

Pitou, our contact in Cambodia greeted us on arrival. Slim-built, unassuming yet competent, gracious and extremely helpful. A student of tourism at the local university, Pitou organised our programme, accommodation, transport and acted as our translator.

Pochentong Airport is about 2.5 miles away from the centre of Phnom Penh, and given that there were 23 of us, and a heap of boxes (of rations, stationeries, and cooking utensils) as well as our luggages, I eagerly expected a coach to ferry us to our guest house. Instead, Pitou had us, our luggages and boxes on a motorcade of tuk-tuks, a six seater rickshaw powered by a motorcycle from the airport to Paragon Hotel. We were thrilled by the ride, as we sampled the architectural and demographic character of the city, its potpourri of scent and strong smell of barbecued meat.

We arrived at Paragon Hotel at sunset. The hotel overlooks the Tonle Sap river. Sandwiched by pubs, cafes and massage parlours, the hotel is attractive to budget travellers such as the middle-aged American (with a Macintosh in his hand) who was curious to know where I came from and the purpose of our visit. After a quick view of our room and dropping off our luggages, we marched along a dimly-lit road of shophouses and curious onlookers. Who could blame them. We stood out like black ninjas. With our black attire, and sisters in hijab, everyone on the street looked at us as we passed through the road, looking for the Halal restaurant. We found one, although not the restaurant in mind. The place was full, with Malaysians who had just arrived from KL. To make way for us, the Malaysians were nudged by the restaurant owners to leave the moment they finished their meals. The lady who acted like the manager-cum-waiter of the restaurant, suggested that we have the same menu as the Malaysians: tom-yam, omelette, fish, mixed vegetables with white rice. Too tired to think, and too hungry to argue, we agreed with her "instructions". We ate dinner for the stomach. For taste, I thought the tom-yam was too sweet for my liking and therefore complemented it with small cut chilli padi(s). After dinner we walked straight back to the hotel for our first briefing (and introductions).

We assembled at the hotel reception and walkway with our bags and boxes early next morning to wait for our chartered coach that will take us on the 4 hour ride to Sihanoukville. There was hustle and bustle on the corniche, and the road next to it. Foreigners and locals, joggers and peddlers, motorcyclists, and an elephant (with its keeper) were sharing the road, making it an eventful (and delightful) morning.

My first impression of Phnom Penh resonated with Yaya's (one of our team member). She described the city as broken and beautiful.

To me, the city may be broken, but the people are definitely beautiful.