Ok, go!

So we flew into Phnom Phen Sunday night and were greeted at the airport by our lovely Cambodian driver who whisked us away to our hotel. The first thing we noticed (besides the stifling humidity and the yelling taxi drivers) was the application (or lack-there-of) of road rules… Now there definitely are rules – we asked the driver – people generally just see them as a suggestion or at most a best-case scenario! Anyway, after a hair raising 30mins we arrived safely at our hotel (only because I had my eyes shut half the time), checked in and went out to explore the Night Markets in central Phnom Phen.

Now we all know that age old proverb that life’s not always about the destination, but the journey… getting to the markets was just that. We arrived knowing that traffic is chaotic and unpredictable and that you just need to be a little bit brave! Amy and I stood on a street corner for about five minutes waiting/ trying to cross the road…and the green man was flashing and everything! So after a few “ok, go!” moments we (Amy) haggled with a touk-touk driver to take us and we spent a pretty amazing couple of hours exploring.

I don’t think there could have been a better way to acquaint ourselves with the city, its people and how they live. These markets were packed – people swarming everywhere, having dinner with friends and doing a little friendly shopping. There was also a little bit of Phnom Phen Idol action happening… well that’s what we think it was, although it could have been a very public form of karaoke with no alcohol!!!

I’d love to tell you that we got right in, sat right down and devoured some tasty street food there and then… but we didn’t! There were a few reasons, the main one being Singapore Airlines had kept us full to bursting – honestly I think we were fed three times in eight hours – but if I’m completely honest, I was a little bit scared…

Now, I’m the kinda girl that – especially when it comes to eating – will try just about anything once, however, I think I’ve been pretty spoilt in the preparation standards that support this eating philosophy! Seeing how the food was stored and prepared was just a little too confronting for my first night in town and I really didn’t want to subject poor Amy to a sick SuziQ! But the smells were amazing and I’m determined to go back (maybe after a couple of pre-emptive Imodium tablets!) and give it a go!

After the markets we decided to stock up on bottled water and walk back to our hotel for a much needed sleep… Some of you will recall my emails from the USA last year where I told you about my “book smarts” translating into “street smarts” – well folks, this wasn’t just a one off event and since I’ve been here I’ve used my “street smarts” on a couple occasions!!! I’m sure Amy has a few lovely stories about some very “street dumbs” but she can tell you about that herself!