1. The capital of Cambodia is in Phnom Penh, and it is not common to see high-rise buildings at a glance, but low-rise buildings with four to six floors dominate!
On the streets, tuk-tuks and motorcycles run on potholes, shops on both sides, and Chinese signs can be seen everywhere. Pedestrians and vehicles and all kinds of noises are intertwined, and it is really noisy and panicked!
2. Before coming to Cambodia, I did some homework and learned that there were scammers around the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh. Sure enough, as soon as I walked 200 meters out of the hotel, I was met by a scammer. They will pretend to be a good Samaritan and tell you that the palace is not open, and then take you somewhere else on a tricycle for a fee. Thankfully, I didn't fall for it and kept going, avoiding the trap.
Today's Royal Palace in Phnom Penh, designed by French engineers, was built in the late 19th century and expanded in the early 20th century. The palace is surrounded by yellow walls and is the place where the king lived, worked and received foreign guests. What visitors can see today is actually only a small part of the palace. Compared with the splendor of the Royal Palace of Phnom Penh and the ruins of Angkor Wat, there is a big gap in terms of architectural scale and artistic attainment. The grandeur and depth of Angkor Wat is unmatched by the royal palaces of Phnom Penh.
3. The street outside the hotel where we stayed is a typical red dirt road. The roads are lined with garbage and weeds, which is a common sight on many streets in the center of Siem Reap. Luckily, the road in front of our hotel was relatively smooth and didn't get muddy even if it rained. From the clean and fresh of the hotel to the dusty street, there is only "one step away", and the gap is so big that it is emotional!
4. In Siem Reap, Cambodia, a casual chat with a local driver discussed a question: Why are the roads in Siem Reap so muddy and difficult to navigate? Especially considering the considerable income that tourists bring here every year! Angkor Wat tickets cost $37 a day, and a three-day ticket is as high as $62. In addition, the restoration work has been financed by many countries. So why aren't these revenues being used to improve Siem Reap's infrastructure?
The driver shook his head and sighed at my question, and replied helplessly: "Cambodia has various plans every year, promising to improve the living environment and build roads, but 20 years later, it is still the same. ”
He told me that although some sections of the road have been repaired, it is mainly because of the crazy real estate development in Cambodia in recent years, and the road conditions in front of the rich people who bought the land are not a problem. On the contrary, ordinary people living in the city center are not so lucky. So, in Siem Reap, a peculiar phenomenon has emerged: the roads in the countryside are better than those in the city center! Because the rich have built mansions in the countryside, and the situation in Phnom Penh is similar.
The driver's words made me ponder. I tentatively asked, "So where is the money going......?"
"Yes, it's all in the pockets of those corrupt officials!" replied angrily to the driver, "no one cares about this phenomenon!"
The driver calmed down a bit and continued to tell me that the Phnom Penh-Siem Reap highway was built with Chinese funding. "It used to take me eight hours to drive from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap, but now it only takes four hours," he said. ”
5. In Cambodia, motorcycles and tuk-tuks are the main means of transportation for the locals. Motorcycles can not only carry people, but also transport goods, while tuk-tuks are functionally similar to domestic electric three-wheelers. If you're pressed for time, motorbikes and tuk-tuks are the best way to get around the streets. A trip to the home can cost three or four dollars, which is comparable to the price of a taxi in the country. In Cambodia, traffic lights are a rarity! Especially within a three- to four-hour drive east of Phnom Penh, there are very few traffic lights!
Public transportation is relatively scarce in Cambodia, especially outside the capital Phnom Penh. There are only 8 bus routes in Phnom Penh city. It is worth mentioning that in 2017, China donated 100 buses to Cambodia free of charge, which is a big deal in the local area!
6. Cambodia, a relatively backward country, has a per capita GDP of less than 2,000 US dollars and a weak industrial base. Here, the monetary system is closely linked to the US dollar, and the riel is parallel to the US dollar, but in everyday transactions, the use of the US dollar is more prevalent. In restaurants and shopping establishments in Cambodia, it is necessary to specify the payment method when making purchases, whether it is in US dollars or riel, usually 1 US dollar is equivalent to 4,000 riel. It is worth noting that online payments are not popular here, and cash payments are still mainstream.
7. Cambodia has a population of about 16 million, including about 1.1 million overseas Chinese. In the composition of the population, the proportion of poor people is as high as 28%. In recent years, Cambodia has been actively developing tourism in order to promote economic development, and tourists mainly come from China, South Korea, Vietnam, Laos and Thailand.
8. Cambodia is not highly urbanized, except for a few cities, most people live in rural areas, mainly engaged in farming and handicraft production. In the countryside, many villagers grow subsistence crops such as plantain trees, which are one of the most important staple foods in many countries in Southeast Asia.
Passing by a village on one occasion, I noticed two cows tied to the entrance of the village, and they were as scrawny as wood! Out of curiosity, I asked a local man why? He explained that the cows eat a very natural diet and eat enough every day, but the breed is like this, and they are not born with meat. He also mentioned that if you want to eat Cambodian beef hot pot, you can only eat pure lean meat!
At the ditch in the village, I also saw the citronella planted by the villagers, which is an important food spice in Southeast Asia!
9. In rural Cambodia, I met a girl with sapphire blue pupils, and her eyes were deep and mysterious. I curiously asked if her eyesight was normal and if the color of her eyes had been like that since she was a child?
She told me that her eyesight is very good and her eyeballs have been blue since she was a child. Local villagers told me that about 1 in 10 people in Cambodia have blue eyes, and there are three such people in their village. Because of their distinctiveness, they are often seen as a symbol of foreboding. I hurriedly comforted her and told her that in many countries, such eye color is considered beautiful, and some people even pursue this eye color by wearing contact lenses.
10. I was also invited to visit the homes of local villagers. It was a beautiful young lady who cooked. I asked the man privately if this lady was his wife, and he quickly denied it, telling me that she was unmarried. I further inquired about the status of women in Cambodia and the Xi of marriage.
He explained that in Cambodia, men and women are equal, and mothers are treated with extra respect in society. When it comes to marriage, it is usually the man who is responsible for buying the house. But if the man can't afford to buy a house for the time being, the couple will live together in the woman's house.
11. Cambodia's festival celebrations are particularly colorful. The most striking event is the Songkran Festival in April, a nationwide event that pours water and shampoo on each other to wash away the misfortunes and bad luck of the past year with laughter and blessings. This is followed by the Buddha's Birthday in May, the most important religious festival in Cambodia, where temples across the country host grand celebrations and people pray to the gods for protection in a solemn atmosphere. The Dragon Boat Festival in June is dedicated to water activities, while the Water Festival in July is dedicated to the water source, which is celebrated at temples upstream of the river.
12. In Cambodia, a funeral is an expensive ritual that usually lasts 49 days and is accompanied by the prayers of the monks. The cost of a funeral can be as high as thousands of dollars, which is undoubtedly a huge expense for Cambodians who earn only two or three hundred dollars a month.
13. Although the online guide mentions that there are many scammers in Cambodia, the ordinary people I met seem to be very friendly. When I capture moments with my camera, they are always busy with their work and smile shyly, which reveals that they are not Xi to being photographed, but their easy-going nature makes them smile.
In front of a humble shoe repair stand, I turned my camera on a cute little sister who happily invited her to join me! This kind of simple child is rare in Siem Reap, where children have learned to trade their image rights for a dollar.
14. Cambodia is a Buddhist country, but in a tourist area like Bar Street, you can completely relax your worries about dress, because this place belongs to tourists, and it is a completely different world.
I was surprised when I first saw Cambodian natives eating meat and drinking wine from roadside stalls in Siem Reap. I asked my driver, "Can you eat meat?"
He nodded and replied, "Of course, you can do what you want." Although we are a Buddhist country, we do not have strict Xi in our daily habits. He reluctantly said that the arrival of a large number of tourists of different faiths has changed the Xi of Cambodians. Cambodia used to believe in Hinduism and Buddhism, which are similar to the beliefs of India. But unlike India, there are still a lot of people in India who are vegetarians. The change in the diet and even the Xi of life of Cambodians is closely related to this phenomenon of over-dependence on foreign economies.
15. Phnom Penh Central Market, located in the northwest of the Royal Palace of Phnom Penh, is a classical French building with a pale yellow dome. This is the most abundant place in Phnom Penh, with fresh fruits and vegetables, and even gem stalls. The market is divided into two parts, indoor and outdoor, with gems and daily necessities sold indoors, and seafood, vegetables and various food items outside.
It was the first time I had seen such small eggplants and round green tomatoes at this market! Intrigued, I asked the stall owner and learned that these were local varieties. The stall owner also pointed to another basket of tomatoes and told me that it was a Thai variety.
The outdoor market, with its fruit and seafood stalls and food stalls, is the best place to observe Cambodians in real life. When I was passing by a barbecue stall, a tourist from Taiwan Province recommended me grilled shrimp and grilled squid. Taiwanese people are quite familiar with the food stalls and night market culture in Southeast Asia, after all, their night markets are also quite famous.
16. Phnom Penh's roadside is full of cafes and restaurants, but these places are mainly places for foreign tourists. For the average Phnom Penh citizen, the level of consumption here is too high.
A slightly hygienic restaurant meal costs at least two dollars, and a Chinese restaurant is even more expensive. In contrast, roadside stalls are much more affordable.
Ordinary people in Phnom Penh usually choose to eat at roadside stalls. After work, they would park their motorbikes on the side of the road, find a barbecue stand and sit down, and chat while eating. While the food may not be as sophisticated as cafes and restaurants, it has a strong sense of life!
17. In terms of education, although Cambodians do not have a high monthly income, they still attach importance to education. The official language of Cambodia is Khmer, but in the service industry, English is very commonly used. The driver told me that he wanted to learn XiChinese very much, but the economic conditions did not allow him to learn Xi, and said that Chinese is very popular in Cambodia, and many Cambodians with better economic conditions are learning XiChinese.
I met Cambodian tour guides who spoke multiple languages in Angkor Wat. One of the tour guides heard me speak Chinese and came over to talk to me. He was also practicing XiChinese and didn't have enough money to make up for the Xi class, so the tourist became his teacher. I saw in his eyes a thirst for knowledge, which made me very impressed!
Due to the hot climate and limited educational resources, Cambodian students, whether elementary or high school, attend only half a day of classes a day. Children from families with no money may play outside in the afternoon, while families with some financial means will enroll their children in language Xi classes. A language course costs about $50 a month, which is cheap for me but a lot of money for many Cambodian families.
18. In terms of public medical care, although Cambodia's public hospitals are free of charge, the reality is that the hospitals are overcrowded and need to wait in line, sometimes even for days! The conditions of most public hospitals are similar to those of township clinics in China.
19. Typical Cambodian dishes are mostly stews and stir-fries, and a traditional Cambodian meal usually includes soup, salad, main course, vegetables and rice. Common ingredients include glutinous rice, fish sauce, palm sugar, lime, garlic, chili, coconut milk, lemongrass, galangal, and lemongrass.
Before coming to Cambodia, I had the misconception that Cambodian food is very spicy, but in reality, Cambodian food is hardly spicy. One of the most famous dishes here is Amok, which is made by wrapping fish, chicken or beef in Amok leaves or banana leaves and cooking with seasonings such as coconut milk, curry powder, turmeric powder and lemongrass.
In Cambodia, the quality of the rice in the restaurant is average, and the taste is dry and woody. After asking the locals, I learned that although rice is a famous product in Cambodia, most of the best rice is exported to Thailand, and the quality of the rice left in the country is average.
20. Cambodia has a tropical monsoon climate, with an average annual temperature of 29-30 °C, hot and humid all year round. The rainy season is from May to October, and the dry season is from November to April. Considering the road conditions in Siem Reap, I recommend traveling during the dry season, when there is less rain and the road conditions are not too much of an impact and the climate is relatively dry.