As 2019 is about to come to an end, I wanted to end of the decade with some ‘soul searching’ to clear my mind before planning on what’s next. 2020 is just a week away & being unemployed again(not surprising if you know me well) gave me the idea to do something different. A solo trip to an underrated destination.
I decided to visit Phnom Penh, Cambodia (did the title of my post gave it away?)
It was another impromptu decision to book a trip less than a week later. Moments later, the screen flashed “Payment Confirmed.” The itinerary was still empty, but I had a few days to fill it up before embarking on the 3D2N journey.
I landed on a warm & sunny afternoon in late December, 2 days before the new decade. I rode a tuktuk to my Airbnb by using a ride hailing app “Passapp” which happens to be 1 letter too long to be a Palindrome.
Upon arrival, I wandered around for a few minutes but unfortunately I was as clueless as ever. There wasn’t much people around so I made the best decision to enter a salon to interrupt an ongoing hairdressing session before realising that none of them could speak English. Moments afterwards, a security guard came towards me and pointed to the apartment.
After getting refreshed, I headed out to visit the market nearby. For the most part, there wasn’t any paved walkway so I had to navigate on foot whilst trying to appear like I had it under control.
Shortly afterwards, I headed to a nearby restaurant for dinner. The ambience felt slightly romantic, a pity that I am the only person inside that restaurant.
I went back to the apartment and turned off the lights earlier as usual to rest & prepare for the next morning. One of the activities I enjoy doing is cycling, & I booked a half day cycling tour to visit the tiny islands neighbouring the city.
I was awakened by the sound(NOT the call) of nature, none other than your favourite 2 legged animal, the rooster. It was a short 15 mins ride to the meeting place. It felt awkward at the beginning, as I was the only Asian in the group. ( I also realised that I was the only person under the age of 30).
Most of the others were Canadian/Australian retired couples. Another pair of them were actually there on a work trip. After having a short conversation with them, I learned that they were optometrists tasked to give out free eye checks to people in the rural villages in Cambodia.
We cycled past the Silk Farm & coincidentally, a wedding was taking place and I was filled with awe by the striking costumes & peculiar dance moves.
Along the way, many of the other tourists were asking me “ Why here? “ To which my answer was “ I have visited many other places so now I am just exploring closer to home, where my neighbours reside”
On the final leg of the tour, we visited a farm & temple where monks undergo “training.” Our tour guide mentioned that “Monks eat meat they can’t kill.” Let that sink in.
At the end of the tour, we had lunch at an iconic restaurant serving an array of local delicacies. That’s when we found out that our tour guide, who did a fantastic job by the way, was earning about US$150 monthly. Since all of us reside in 1st world countries, that’s equivalent to the amount a middle class worker earns in a day. We then decided to pool together tips for him. We managed to come up with around $30, which is about a fifth of his monthly earnings.
Reggie, one of the optometrists I mentioned earlier, suggested that I visit the Genocide Museum, where prisoners were tortured and killed during the Khmer Rouge, a communist regime that took hold of Cambodia during the 1970s.
*Spoiler Alert* That was definitely one of the main highlights of the trip.
The next few paragraphs might not be suitable for those feeble ones out there.
I was given a headphone connected to a listening device that looked like a mini radio. The following 2 hours felt really gloomy, as people were walking around slowly, with their heads down. Here’s a short description of the surrounding.
“You are in an old school building without your phone, entering the different rooms where innocent people were tortured and killed using the various methods, explained to you through a headphone with sombre music playing on the background. Some of the rooms contained the skeletal remains of humans while others showcased the torture devices with its various mechanisms.”
A part of me felt remorseful and it was a challenge to hold back my tears after seeing a blackboard with math equations on it. It felt bizarre as I was totally “in the zone” not realising that I was actually on vacation. As an engineering graduate, I felt outraged by the people who actually designed the devices to inflict pain on others. What’s going on in their minds? Why would they do such a thing? Later that day, I realise that I have no authority to make a judgement. Those engineers might be “forced” to come up with those mechanisms in exchange with keeping their family alive.
As I stepped out of the building, I whispered to myself “I will never forget this day“
I headed to a bubble tea store, which was a few blocks away from the museum. My credit card didn’t seem to work & that was when I realise that I did not have enough cash with me. It was an embarrassing moment as the drink was already prepared and I was short of almost a dollar. I felt really bad and told them that I can come back later to pay the balance. The 2 girls mending the store were so cordial about it and mentioned that it wasn’t an issue. What a fateful day.
It was the first day of the year & there was word going around about a deadly flu strain found in Wuhan, China. It was a surreal moment to know how little we know about how the new decade is going to unfold. A part of me felt thankful to be on this trip.
The next day, I visited a cafe & walked around some historical sites near the city center of Phnom Penh. There was some free time that afternoon & I decided to find out if there are any other modes of transport to the airport.
I found a train service that departs from an iconic train station in the city. I decided to give it a try. By that time, I had a mix of Cambodian Riel & US dollars in my wallet due to the interchangeable currency here.
Upon arriving at the train station, I felt surprised by its emptiness. The train departs every hour, so I was just in time at the counter to purchase a US$2 ticket(a good steal honestly). A couple of minutes later, I was called in to board the train. there were many passengers on the train, including me and another man. Just to clarify, the majority of the passengers were houseflies. There wasn’t any air conditioning & the houseflies had nowhere else to go after the train doors were closed. I felt bothered by the flies at first, but something else caught my attention for the remaining part of my journey.
It was a 20 minute train ride which covers the ‘unseen‘ areas of the city. I had a huge revelation after discovering that people are living by the tracks, with a small made up huts and minimal amenities.
The image above is just one snippet of the whole scene of scattered citizens of a country with 15 million people. Yet another valuable reminder to practice gratitude for what we have in our lives. We have no idea how privilege we are until we step out of our comfort zone to witness a landscape totally dissimilar from ours.
This is definitely not the happy ending you’d expect. Here’s wishing you a bright decade ahead, thanks for reading 🙂
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