EC-Rider Travels

We really were quite sad to leave the very comfortable Shinta Mani hotel and its completely adorable staff. Goodness the Cambodians are just the sweetest, they are so welcoming and smile all the time with the broadest smiles I have ever seen. No one more so than Mr Seng, our driver, whose whole face turns into one great big smiley face. Sad also to say goodby to Rit who has looked after us so well and given us the most fascinating time. He is an excellent guide with the most immaculate English and deepest knowledge of everything Cambodian, from its history, culture and even wildlife – truly impressive.

Siem Reap airport is not large, so it was all pretty quick and easy and on to our little propeller plane to the capital Phnom Penh. We arrived forty five minutes later to be met by Camerthon (we think), whose English is not quite as polished or so easy to understand.

We drove into the city, which is very much busier and more built up than Siem Reap, with modern buildings and skyscrapers in the distance. Phnom Penh succeeded Angkor Thom as the capital in 1434, and was abandoned several times before being reestablished as the capital in 1865 by King Norodom. It was once known as the Pearl of Asia, however as we learnt from Rit, it was completely evacuated by the Khmer Rouge in the 70s and devastated by the war and revolution. You would never know it today, the city has risen from the ashes and is now a thriving capital with an impressive looking financial centre, hotels, restaurants, cafes and we are told a world-class food scene. It is now home to over 2 million.

We were delivered to the KVL hotel which overlooks the confluence (today’s new word!) of the Tonle Sap river (running up to the lake we were on yesterday) and the great Mekong river. The KVL is not quite the Shinta Mani, but very well located and perfectly fine if a little tight on space in the room!

At 6pm Wann arrived to take us on a tour, entitled ‘Phnom Penh by Streetlight’. We had no idea what this was to entail, but headed off with adorable smiley Wann (aged 32) in a tuk tuk, who explained he was taking us on a six-stop, local food experience! We drove quite a long way to a very ‘local’ area where, as he promised, there was not a tourist in sight.

On the way Wann explained how he had grown up in the jungle, as one of nine children. His mother could not afford to feed them all, so when he was six, he and four siblings were sent to stay with a ‘friend’ in Phnom Penh. It turned out that she ran a brothel and was a drug dealer who sent them out on to the streets. They barely went to school and had to beg for their food. A few years later they were offered a place in an orphanage – which meant free food, no beating and being able to go to school. Wann struggled with discipline and got chucked out of both the school and orphanage and at 17 had to start fending for himself. He managed to earn enough to finish school and even go to university, though sadly dropped out after two years. He has taught himself the most immaculate English from just chatting with people, watching TV and reading Harry Potter. He loves food and started doing these unique tours and was picked up by the two English guys who run About Asia. Quite a story eh!

He is utterly charming, has a huge social conscience, giving 20% of his earnings to street kids and offers the most brilliant tour …. though not for the faint-hearted. We went to the first restaurant, on a busy street corner, and served a soup called non banhjok – Tofu (my worst!), mushrooms, pigs blood (actually my worst), ochre, fish cake, pate and noodles – rather surprisingly, absolutely delicious, but a meal in itself!

It was then through the chaotic fruit and vegetable market which was humming. Deliveries are made in the evening when it is cooler and everyone now seemed to be out shopping. 80% of people have no fridge and little space to store food, so have to go to the market every day, though clearly many eat out. Stall holders also have no refrigeration for their food over night so lots of food (meat/fish) is dried/salted.

The next course was on another street corner full of locals – this time BBQd crab and langoustine – also completely delicious. We continued our tuk tuk drive to goodness knows where, passing a bare-footed boy, of about six, pulling the most enormous cart full of empty plastic bottles and beer cans, which he was collecting from garbage bins, to take to a recycling depot, for some small pittance….. heart-breaking. This is who Wann tries to help.

It was then some delicious pork and a poor unfortunate frog – not just the legs! Which was surprisingly good too! Then on to another market to choose some fruit …. only local ones we had not had before – I have two new favourites, mangosteen and longan. We really thought we had done it by now, but no, it was now pudding. A little rice number bobbling around in some milky juice which I chose in preference to the bright green, slimy number next to it. Not perhaps up there with the rest, but Wann’s favourite. It was just the most amazing experience and the best ‘safari dinner’ ever. He is keen to take us out again tomorrow … what do you think?