Banthoy L’boeun in Phnom Penh

Phnom Penh has been my “home” now for almost 4 weeks. The humid rainy season has come to
an end and the ” Dry” season is upon us. This means the heavy torrential downpours have
gone from a daily occurence to an occasional weekly event.

TonleSap Airlines Offices - where I am working

The city is like any other in East, busy, bustling, noisy and with unbelievable traffic.
There are no taxi’s here. Public transport consists of Tuk Tuks which are licensed, and
Motorbikes..which are not. The Motor bike is the favoured means of transport, and
it is not unusual to see whole families driving around on a Motorbike, with only the Father
wearing a crash helmet ( to comply with the law). Women passengers ride side saddle,
a concept that looks singularly unsafe to me as they weave their way through the traffic.
Motorbikes appear to have no rules at all. They drive the wrong way up one way streets,
ignore traffic lights, take to the footpath when the roads are busy, and make car journeys
a truly terrifying experience.

I was lucky enough to be invited to a wedding last week. Weddings are a REALLY big deal
down here. They are an all day afffair, starting with the bridegroom arriving at the Bride’s
house along with his entourage. At some stage a Buddhist Monk shows up to bless the marriage
, and the celebrations begin. Ultimately the wedding party arrive at a large hall.
Depending on weather , guests can number up to 1000, as EVERYONE gets invited.

Ultimately, the plan is to make a” wedding dowry” out of the event. Everyone invited is given
an envelope to put in a ” gift” for the new couple. The more people they invite, the bigger
the ” surplus ” after the costs of the dinner and party. Usually ( if the weather is kind enough
to encourage people to attend) the couple can end up with around $4000 to $5000 profit,
which, if you bear in mind that a reasonable monthly salary here is $400 a month, is a nice start
to happily wedded bliss.

Restaurants here are plentiful and hugely varied. Some of the best eating is in small, family
run restaurants, who serve delicious local dishes. Fish is popular here, as the city sits on the
confluence of the Mekong and TonleSap rivers. There are some of the usual ” Western” fast food places…and quite a number of restaurants set up by ex-pats. Steve’s Steakhouse is just
around the corner from my apartment and today had a special evening , celebrating Steve’s
Dad’s 90th Birthday! I stopped by to join in the festivities and enjoy a great Argentinian steak.

While Tourism is a big part of the economy here, Phnom Penh doesn’t get a lot. Most visitors
to Cambodia either go to the beaches or head for Siem Reep to see the ancient temples
of Ankor Wat. However, this weekend the city is full of visitors for the Annual Water festival
which lasts three days. My local hosts have advised me that during this festival, walking is
MANDATORY as all the roads close to the river are full of people and no cars ,Tuk Tuks or
even motorbikes can use the roads because of all the people. Upwards of 2 MILLION people
are expected to come into the city from outlying areas for the festival.

The festival itself is celebrating the time of year when the TonleSap river reverses course.
The river is fed from a huge lake by the same name. As the Dry Season develops, the lake
shrinks, causing water that previously flowed out of the lake, to , instead, flow back into
the lake. On the river, in Phnom Penh, there are huge illuminated floats, Dragon Boat races,
Live Music and all sorts of entertainment.