Living in the city

Three days in and I'm beginning to climatise. Climatise to the slippery, sweaty humidity and the constant roar of moto's. This city is noisy and every day is dramatic. The heat is heavy and the air is smoggy and polluted. Waves of delicious smells rise from the food stalls that line the streets. Out of nowhere thunder rolls across the sky and heavy sheets of rain pelt down from above. Everybody skitters away like startled cockroaches and the streets are suddenly empty. The rain pours and pours and pours and the street becomes a canal, dirty water swelling round my ankles and threatening to wash away my flip flops. I love the rain! It is not like English rain, it is warm! And it arrives and retreats again with no warning at all.

I have sought solace in Huxley's, an English pub run by Aldous Huxley's grandson. I must confess I have only travelled as far out my comfort zone as I can manage day by day, there is so much to adjust to. Simply walking down the street is intense! Tuk tuks and motos flying past in all directions, locals banging and buiding and chattering, children trying to sell you something, anything, people becoming suddenly alert when they see a white face approaching. Huge barrows swing by, carrying shedloads of unrecognisable fruit, with drivers shouting about their wares through megaphones. I have retreated to the air conditioned shopping centre at times, which is only where the Khmer elite can afford to tread. I feel so acutely aware of the way that I must look - white, foreign and rich.

John greeted me at the airport on Saturday with a huge smile and a big sign saying 'Bridie'. He towers above all the Khmer locals and girls ride past him on moto's saying 'hello teacher!!'. He is teaching me some of the lingo - 'atai-akun Bruv' he says, in a mixture of Khmer language and strong London accent. His apartment is lovely, and so is his flatmate Angus. They have welcomed me into their home and are ensuring I am safe and well looked after. Mr Phong is their landlord, who visited this morning and insisted on talking at John in broken English for almost an hour ('I sorry broken fridge'). Both John and Angus teach in the local school, so I occupy myself in the daytime and join them for dinner.

Right now I am sitting right beside the Mekong River. It is very beautiful. The day is my own and I am going to take a wander, before the rain begins to fall and a walk.... beomes a swim ....

written by

bridiethebarang on March 9, 2009 from Phnom Penh, Cambodia

from the travel blog: Cambodia 2009

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