Cambodia, where classy and tacky clash

Capital of Phnom Penh littered with rivers, street markets, variety of lovely architecture and sometimes, sadly, trash

JOHN BORDSEN
Travel Editor
The Charlotte Observer (North Carolina, USA)

Ashley Macpherson, 44, has lived in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia, for nine months. She is a native of Zambia with a background in clinical psychology. Macpherson works for a Cambodian-based nongovernmental organization, building a native staff that can better deliver services to rural Khmers with psychosocial problems.

Q. Can you describe your neighborhood?

I live in what could be described as the "embassy block"; my neighbors are ambassadors and actual embassies. Interspersed with these are homes of wealthy Khmer who live in enormous, three-story homes and invariably rent out two of the floors to foreigners.

I am centrally located and can walk to the Mekong riverside, the palace, the shops and markets. The market is one block away and is a typical Khmer market that sells fruit, vegetables and meat. I get all my supplies there as well as bits and pieces to fix motorbikes and things around the home. There are also two supermarkets one block away, and one street up is a "Barang street" -- "foreigner street" -- that has cafes, bars, restaurants and boutiques.

Despite living a few houses away from one on the largest roads in the city, my house is extremely quiet, and I have a wonderful, leafy view, thanks to the green thumb of my Khmer landlady.

Q. What does Phnom Penh look like?

Phnom Penh is, along with Hanoi, (Vietnam) a very beautiful city if you can look through the dust and chaos. The architecture is fascinating, and there are examples of wonderful early Khmer architecture, French colonial villas, and large 1960s French and French-inspired Khmer designs that make for interesting viewing.

Unfortunately there is also a proliferation of tacky blue glass, shiny marble and what are known as "wedding cake" buildings.

The streets are swept regularly because there are no garbage cans and people are in the habit of throwing everything on the ground. Your view of how clean the city is is often determined by how soon before a sweeper is along that route.

There is surprisingly little pollution, but dust and exhaust fumes are bad.

Q. I've heard Phnom Penh is hot year round. Does it feel tropical?

It is unbelievably hot. That's the one thing that makes me want to leave. There is usually no breeze..

In the rainy season, which is now, the temperatures are usually between 82 and 91 Fahrenheit. .

Most Khmer shower at least three times a day to cool down.

Q. Phnom Penh is where several rivers join the Mekong. Is it a river-oriented place? Are there parks and such along the river? Are there floods?

There is a park opposite the royal palace and every Saturday and Sunday evening it is packed with families, eating from street stalls and relaxing. The river has a mixture of tourist locales, businesses and private land. There is often flooding, but that is largely caused by heavy downpours, poor drainage -- as well as garbage blocking drainage -- and drainage points being filled by developers.

Q. We also hear about an influx of tourism and business -- and corruption. Do you feel safe?

As a foreigner, (I think) Phnom Penh is an extremely safe city. It is so much more organized than I could ever have imagined, and I do feel very safe.

Phnom Penh itself has people living on the streets, but the poverty is more on the outskirts and in rural areas. Towns and villages not too far from Phnom Penh are a world apart -- no running water or electricity, schools without teachers, clinics without doctors and with little work.

Corruption is the main issue here and it is endemic. Nowhere is "the rich get richer and the poor get poorer" truer than here. Corruption and nepotism are resulting in vast sums -- donated and generated money -- being siphoned into back pockets.

I was surprised by the number of huge black cars driven by "neak thom" -- "big people"; fat cats -- who do not give a damn about anyone.

Q. Cambodia was a monarchy, a republic, a rogue communist state, a republic, then a monarchy again. What do Khmer people seem to make of all this coming full circle?

People do seem to respect the king and the monarchy, but they are figureheads and represent the glorious past. The royal family has some interesting stories attached to them.

The Khmer Rouge tribunal is in its initial stages, and there are many mixed feelings about it. It will only bring to trial a handful of the Khmer Rouge leaders, and is costing huge sums. So there is lots of debate about whether it is a good or necessary thing that will allow people to move forward from their traumatic past.

Q. I've read that the Festival of Boat Racing is a big fall event. What's that about?

Om Tuk -- which translates as "Water Festival" -- just finished. It is to mark when the Mekong reverses its flow at the end of the rainy season; about 1.5 million people from all over Cambodia come to participate in dragon-boat racing. The festival is exciting, fun, peaceful and far less chaotic than I anticipated, despite the huge crowds.

Q. It's said that 60 percent of visitors come to Cambodia because of the famous ruins of the religious monument Angkor Wat, but the beaches on the coast, around Sihanoukville, are also a draw. What's the seaside like?

It's true that most people come to Angkor, do not go anywhere else, and leave.

Sihanoukville is not my favorite place. It seems to attract backpackers because it has drinks and drugs and nice beaches. Sadly, it also attracts less savory tourists for sex tourism.

I prefer Kep, which was the beach resort for rich Khmers in the '60s. It has some wonderful falling-down or destroyed houses. Despite the beach being unexceptional, the bush-walking and tranquility are great. There is a more family feel. Kep is not about satisfying tourists, so there is a more laid back feel to it.

Q. What's the one biggest surprise about Phnom Penh?

How easy life is for expats. You can get anything you want or need. There is an efficient power supply: I have broadband and cable TV at home. There are restaurants from so many nations it would make the average European city blush.

Q. What's offered in restaurants as Cambodian food?

Many Khmer in the United States seem to be in Long Beach, Calif., and there are many restaurants here called Long Beach.

Rice is the staple diet. The food here is a mixture of Thai and Vietnamese but not as spicy or hot, and probably not as interesting. There are still some good tasty dishes. Fish sauce is used in most dishes, and pork is probably the most popular meat -- it's the best pork I have eaten in my life. The pork is fresh and raised on "normal" garbage and some unmentionables as well, probably, but it is so delicious.