HAPPY KHMER NEW YEAR!!

Day 24, April 14^th

Battambang done.  Time to mosey on down the trail.  As I stated before, I made the ‘rational’ destination choice, Phnom Penh.  ‘Rational’ isn’t my typical M.O.  But Phnom Penh is it.  I need more time to figure out the beach options.

The three of us meet for a nice rooftop breakfast before the bus for Phnom Penh arrives.  Naturally, I am the last to the lobby.  I pay for the rooms and we hop on the transport to the bus station.  A few minutes later we are at the bus station and must say goodbye to Battambang.  This was probably one of the smoothest cities we have been to.  Probably one of the better times we have had too.

A four-seater.

The ride to Phnom Penh is an easy slow roll up the road.  One interesting thing on this ride, actually on every overland ride we have been on in Southeast Asia, is the traffic.  Initially, it looks chaotic, unorganized and dangerous.  No one is stopping at red lights or intersections.  Every level of transportation can go anywhere.  Huge busses.  Mini busses.  Cars.  Motorbikes.  Bicycles.  They all go everywhere.  Highways.  Back roads.  Dirt roads.  Alleys.  Weaving in and out of each other.  I’m always waiting for a wreck.  But it never happens.  There are no rigid traffic laws in this region.  Just traffic suggestions.  And the suggestion is if someone is coming at you in a bigger automobile than you are in, they suggest you get out of the way. 

Typically for the farm, but goes anywhere.

Once you step back and look at the way their traffic works, it makes sense and is highly efficient.  It isn’t stop and start.  It is a rhythmic, fluid motion that is made possible by the demeanor of the people in the region.  Patient.  Calm.  It is like an organism in constant motion.  This would never work in the U.S.  We drive with too much aggression and impatience.  There is no such thing as road rage here.  Once I was able to wrap my head around how the traffic works here, it is pretty impressive.

After a quick five hours on the road, mixed in with a couple of ‘rest stops’, we arrive in Phnom Penh.

Phnom Penh is one of the cities in Southeast Asia I made it to back in 2002.  Just in the time it takes the bus to drive into town and to the area we are staying, I can tell this town has changed quite a bit.  Built up.  More money all around.  Businesses.  Traffic.  Tourists. 

Public transportation.

We hit the bus station.  Employ a tuk-tuk.  Get to a restaurant.  Lunch.  Ditch the kids.  Hoof it to locate lodging.

I find a place called Paddy Rice Irish Pub with a restaurant on top.  I know, an Irish place in Cambodia.  The main selling point for me is the manager here, a cool Canadian.  This is the first place where we can communicate with a hotel staffer whose first language it English.  Not that that is imperative, but we are in Phnom Penh during an interesting time, the Khmer New Year.  We have heard a lot of different reports of what to expect, and judging so far, most have been wrong.  The new year in Southeast Asia is suppose to be huge, crazy, with lots of water guns.  We’ve seen people preparing for it.  Huge animals slow roasting on a spit.  Colorful decorations.  This is going to be a big deal.  Or so we thought.  The town seems empty.

View from the front window of the VIP bus.

Our situation is we need to know what to expect with the New Year, if the things we want to see in Phnom Penh are open and what are the possibilities with transportation to the next town.  The Khmer New Year stretches out 3-4 days and will affect all of these things.  The Canadian has been here for about 10 years and he should know the skinny.  Any kind of language issues could cost us precious travel days.  I choose the Paddy Rice and the Canadian manager to eliminate that possibility.

I round up the kids and we check in.  Immediately, Patton starts inspecting the room.  Lights.  Hot water.  A/C.  Crap!  The heat in Phnom Penh is suffocating and the A/C isn’t sufficiently cooling him.  We are in serious danger of another hot flash and there are no hand wipes in site. 

A quick call to the staff and a girl brings in a fan.  It really does no good and we can tell, Patton isn’t happy.  But, to his credit, he says no worries.  He’s gonna try it Pyle-style.  Just gonna go with the flow.  That is the most non-flow going with the flow I have ever seen.  We’ll see how long that lasts.

Constant motionly yours,

The Rabbit 

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