tuk tuk! motorbike! tuk tuk! Garantuoju, kad puse Kambodzos sostines vyriskosios dalies dirba taksistais - vairuoja tuktukus bei mopedus ar motociklus. Einant gatve is visu pusiu sklinda tie patys zodziai. Man atrodo, kad jie taip ir bendrauja, ilsedamiesi medziu pavesyje.
Vienas, linkciodamas galva, taria: tuk tuk, kitas pritardamas tesia: tuk tuk. Trecias, apzerges nuskurusi mopeda, gincijasi: motorbike, ketvirtas ji palaiko: motorbike motorbike. Taip visa diena be petrauku. Uzknisa tas nuolatinis saukimas, bet negali pykti - kiekviena siulyma palydi kvailoka, bet tokia nuosirdi sypsena.
Phnom Penh toks, kokio tikejausi - purvinas, triuksmingas, pergrustas. Tarsi pigaus Hollywoodo trilerio izanga - pagrindinis herojus vaziuoja i susitikima, automobilis sunkiai iriasi dviraciu transporto priemoniu ir zmoniu skruzdelyno misraineje. Dienomis kepina saule, vakarais isdziuvusia zeme tasko lietus.
Realiai tiesiog pailsejau (isvargina tos keliones:) - dienomis po miesta, vakarais hostelyje prie ezero pakrantes su dideliu tv, gera filmu kolekcija ir kompanija is viso pasaulio kampeliu, kurios dalis visa laika ir praleido restorane, gerdami pilstoma alu bei rukydami vietine taboka.
Kambodza - karalyste su zvilganciais karaliu rumais - ispuoseletu kompleksu miesto centre. Daugybe aukso ir sidabro, Sidabrine pagoda, kurios grindys isklotos 5000 plyteliu, aisku sidabriniu, kiekviena sverianti kilograma.
Kaimuke Mekong upes saloje salia Phnom Penho vaizdas kitoks - mediniai, pavarge namai, sunys edantys puszalius mango, purvini vaikai dulketose gatvese.
Visi (toks ir kaimas, 9000 gyventoju) uzsiima silko gamyba. Nusipirkus pora daiktu, vaziavau pas viena seima i svecius. Jiems labai juokinga, kad Europoje seimoje dazniausia 2 vaikai, cia minimum penki (nemokamas gydymas iki 15 metu ir Angelinos, nuperkancios po pora vaiku kas menesi, padeda).
Keisciausias dalykas - daugybe Lexus dzipu bei daznai praslenkantys milziniski Hummer monstrai. Rajonas prie ezero su daugybe pigiu hosteliu - nerealus, cia gyvena ir vietiniai. Gatveleje, vedancioje i iejima, kiekviena diena pamatysi dieduka, kruosciai drozinejanti rankenas muzikiniams instrumentams, seimas, sedancias valgyti vakarienes lauke, pyplius, kurie kiekviena karta issisiepia taria: hello! Deja, greit si simbioze isnyks - aplinkinius vietiniu namus ir hostelius nupirko Pietu Korejos burzujai su korumpuotu valdininku pagalba uz juokinga kaina.
Smeliu jau dabar uzpilamas ezeras pavirs mini bala, ja sups ofisu gelezis ir stiklas, prekybos centrai ir viesbuciai. Mieste padauges Lexus ir Hummer. Daug sutiktu zmoniu tvirtina, kad po keliu metu dauguma pietyciu Azijos pavirs i Disneylanda, ismirkyta sojos padaze..
Phnom Penh is just as I expected - dirty, overcrowded,noisy and I love it. Sun is killing at the day time and the evening belongs to monsoon (ok it's close to monsoon anyways). The hostel I'm staying in is by the lake. Brilliant place - nice view, big tv with not so bad film collection and friendly backpackers from all over the world.
Some of them don't even leave the place - drinking local beer on draught, smoking local stuff, watching movies and chating. The best thing is that even it's backpackers' area local families live here. Just walking around you see families sitting down for the dinner, the old guy spending whole day making music instruments and of course little kids with their usual smiley hello.
I did go outside the hostel:) Just wondering around the city on foot, never mind the crazy heat. Cambodia is kind of kingdom and Phnom Penh is the place for Royal Palace.
Yep, it's very shiny and tidy, full of gold and silver, even with Silver Pagoda (the floor is made of 5000 pieces of silver, each 1 kg of pure silver). One day I spent in the village on the island of Mekong river (9000 people live there, kind of difficult to call it village).
All villagers are in silk business but no silver floor there. The dogs eating mango, dirty kids on dusty streets and some of the houses let's say are not in the best condition. Bought few things and was invited to the house of local family. Lovely people even only one of them could speak English and the best mango I ever had.
Phnom Penh streets are full of Lexus jeeps and even Hummers are not unusual sight. The backpackers' area will change soon. South Korean company with corrupt goverment's help bought all the houses and hostels round the lake for realy low price (people were forced to sell). The lake will be covered in sand and the office blocks, shopping centres and hostels with many stars will be build. More Lexus and Hummers on the streets. Anyways all South East Asia sooner or later will become Disneyland in soya sauce.
O as rytoj i siaure dumsiu..
