Sihanoukville: A peek at the underbelly of Asia
Cambodia, March 20 — Don’t be fooled by these first two images. Cambodia is not a jewel in Asia’s crown. With a literacy rate of around 77% (84.5 for men, only 70.5 for women) and a per capita income of only $2,600, Cambodia’s 15 million residents are among the poorest in the world. After the affluence of Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Ho Chi Minh City (yes, that Communist capital), our brief visit was an eye opener.
Wat Krom, Buddhist temple
I don’t know how Phnom Penh, the capital, would compare... we landed on the coast at Sihanoukville (population 89,000 in 2008; they haven’t done a new census in 9 years). The scene below was our first look at the city: unpaved road with no lines, so traffic was an all-out scrum; and no sidewalks, so shops and pedestrians just oozed out into the road.
Wikitravel says: ‘In a land with thousands of years of history, Sihanoukville is a colourful but tragic upstart. A mere fifty years ago, a French-Cambodian construction [company] carved a camp out of the jungle and started building the first deep-sea port of a newly independent Cambodia’ (it gained its independence from France in 1953). In 50 years, Singapore, on the other hand, has become what one of our lecturers called ‘the most successful Asian nation.’ The Khmer Rouge ravaged Cambodia between 1975-1979. Our young guide Sopaek (‘I’m 24... and single!’) never mentioned it, but Wiki tells us: ‘The Khmer Rouge won the Cambodian Civil War when, in 1975, they captured the Cambodian capital and overthrew the government of the Khmer Republic. Following their victory, the Khmer Rouge, led by Pol Pot, Nuon Chea, Ieng Sary, Son Sen, and Khieu Samphan installed a government called the Democratic Kampuchea and immediately set about forcibly depopulating the country’s cities, murdering hundreds of thousands of their perceived political opponents and carrying out the Cambodian genocide in which 1.5 to 3 million people (around 25% of Cambodia’s population) died.’ Pol Pot’s political ‘philosophy’ was known as agrarian socialism. Twenty-five percent of the population, in four years. This is why the median age in Cambodia today is 24... they don’t have many elders. The Sun showed The Killing Fields (1985) in the theatre the other night... I wonder how many people could bear to watch it. But, back to ‘modern’ Sihanoukville, which is billed as a beach resort: we walked on a nice beach with a decent looking hotel nearby. China is building hotels and casinos — what else is new? Our first stop was the covered market in the middle of the city. That’s where I snapped the jade figurines. There was also a lot of gold jewelry for sale, and the craftsmen and -women were working in their stalls.
But, mostly, it was a dark, crowded and depressing place. The old woman with the red head scarf, below, must have lived through the Khmer Rouge. She is one of many beggars sitting in the middle of the main walkway in the market. The guide advised us not to give any money to anyone — if we gave money to one child, for example, we would immediately be surrounded by 100.
You could get a pedicure in the market. Or, in the shop behind, have your hair done. I wouldn’t if I were you.
Children come to work with their parents and play in the aisles. It is the custom to remove one’s shoes before entering a house or temple — or market stall.
Speaking of shoes...
There was a lot of food for sale, hot things to eat on the spot, fruits and vegetables and... a cat. I was tempted to jiggle the plastic tub to see if it moved, but I didn’t. It had a suspicious mark around its neck, and I suspect it was for sale.
Next stop, the Buddhist Wat Krom. ‘Wat’ means temple, as in Angkor Wat, the most famous temple complex in Cambodia. Some 80% of Cambodians are Buddhist, the rest are Christian, Catholic and Muslim. This was a vast improvement over downtown Sihanoukville.
The photo below is not great composition but I wanted to show the incredible style of their sculptures — which comes through in their dance costumes and their dance style. We were treated to a local performance on the ship that night. The dancers articulate not only their fingers but their toes as well.
These are a few of the dozens of mausoleums on the grounds. Which brings me to another point about what we saw of Cambodia: as we drove out of the complex, we could see over the wall that runs in back of these mausoleums. Either the locals or the monks throw all of their garbage over that wall, where it festers in huge piles. There is litter everywhere.
This little guy’s fuzzier in the photo than in real life. Locals bring bananas (and water) to a bunch of monkeys who live along a particular part of this road. Our guide knew right where they would be — they get a free lunch every day.
The guide taught us the proper way to greet people: Imagine the ‘Namaste’ hand gesture. In Cambodia, you touch your thumbs to your chest for your peers, to your mouth for your parents, to your nose for a monk, and you only put your hands to your forehead when you are greeting the king. Over the years, I have unknowingly elevated many to king-dom. There was another stop on this excursion, but I will save it for a separate ‘photo essay’ later. I believe it will convince you to buy your fish locally... #
