I have alluded to the fact that this trip was a bit difficult and overwhelming to me, so I want to explain some of that. I did go alone. While I've been some other places alone, they were typically for a long weekend and to other European countries. So I knew what to expect. It was very intimidating to get on that 11 hour flight to Korea by myself and have no idea what was really waiting for me. I was actually so nervous I was almost sick to my stomach, which is ridiculous and yet, there it was.
The first night at my hotel in Phnom Penh I was terrified that the guys from the front desk knew I was alone and were going to sell me into white slavery, "Taken" style. I also knew I was being irrational and ridiculous. After a day or so at the hotel, it became apparent to me that there were other solo travellers at my hotel and it wouldn't have been so highly recommended on Trip Advisor if people got "Taken" there. I'm a paranoid idiot.
But on a more serious note, I've never felt so blond and white and conspicuous. There were not many Westerners around. A few and even fewer were alone. Many of the younger Westerners were a bit more, well, "granola" than me. You know - dreadlocks, Birkenstocks, backpacker types. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but I just felt like I stuck out like a sore thumb. Like everyone could tell I was a middle class business person and totally out of my element. It made me uncomfortable walking around even though no one really said or did anything offensive to me.
I had never been to a third world country before, not even Mexico. And while I knew in theory what it might be like, the reality is much harsher and dirtier than imagination. For example, this was the street that my hotel was on. And this was a nice neighborhood in Phnom Penh.
Please don't misunderstand that I am just bashing a poor and lesser developed country than my own. It was just part of the culture shock to me to see it. Many street had large piles of trash on every corner and the general smell of the city was a combination of trash and fish.
I had read in advance about poverty and beggars. I live in London and have lived in New York, so I've encountered the city-type beggar who hangs out by the subway asking for change. But this was different. They were aggressive. An older woman followed me down the street in Phnom Penh carrying a wailing baby for about 100 yards asking for money. 100 yards is a LONG way with a baby crying right behind you and someone begging for change. Everyone around me was watching and I was mortified. A tiny little girl approached my taxi from the airport when I had just arrived - she couldn't have been more than four, it was midnight and she just walked around other traffic to get to my window.
Most of the beggars are children, especially around the tourist sites and the temples at Angkor Wat. Much of what I read recommended that you do not buy trinkets or give money to these children. As long as they make money, their parents have no incentive to send them to school, so by giving you perpetuate the lifestyle. Instead, I researched some non-profit restaurants and shops in both cities and spent some money there. I didn't want to ignore the problem, but tried to do some responsible giving.
Here are a couple more photos I took while on the bus to Siem Reap. Nothing particular to show, just a general look at some things that seemed different to me.
I wish I had taken a few more pictures of some general scenes - like the riverside quay in Phnom Penh, the markets and the people on the streets. But in my attempts to not look SO touristy (which, seriously, who was I kidding?), I tried to just observe and not photograph everything I saw.
My one genuinely bad experience in Cambodia came later in the trip. My iPhone was stolen while sight-seeing at Bayon Temple. (Hence my earlier comment - have a secure day bag!) I guess if you travel enough, eventually you will be pick-pocketed. Apparently iPhone's are very popular targets in SE Asia because they are valuable. My friend Bec just moved to Phnom Penh and her's was stolen within a week - except they grabbed it out of her hand while she was talking on it! Mine was stolen because I got sloppy. I was alternating taking pictures with my camera and iPhone. I almost always had one in my hand and one in the outside pocket of my bag, which is a cross-body style bag. But the outside pocket just snaps and isn't secure. I had taken a photo and then slide the phone into the pocket - anyone watching me would have seen me do it. Then we got caught in a little traffic jam of people and within a minute I realized it was gone. My tour guide tried to help me file a report with the police but since no one had molested or physically attacked me to take it, they couldn't be sure it wasn't just lost. They weren't much help. I tried not to let it ruin my trip but it was frustrating.
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