After the traumatic journey back to Phnom Penh from Kampot, we checked in to the California II for the final time and received the usual, unusual welcome from the staff. Everyone seemed happy and almost pleased to see us, but when we returned downstairs after dumping our gear in the room, everything was returning to the somnolent rhythm characteristic of an average day in the guesthouse.
The ever dependable Mr Thai was on hand to whisk us back to the Russian Market for yet more souvenirs to fill the hungry void created in our packs by our last posting home. We bought Kramas, brightly coloured cotton scarves which are proudly sported by Khmers the length and breadth of the country. Also on the shopping list were various presents for the folks back home; hand painted cards, wooden boxes and of course, one or two choice items for ourselves.
We returned to Sisowath Quay and, later in the afternoon, sat nonchalantly sipping drinks on the balcony of the rather swanky Foreign Correspondent’s Club. We relaxed and watched the ebb and flow of life on the street with the Tonle Sap river sliding gracefully past in the background. We recognised many of the faces below: Vilka the paperboy and his friend; moto drivers laughing and shouting; stallholders frying up that evenings batch of small birds - heads, beaks, feet and all.
The next day we visited the magnificent National Museum which houses treasures and antiquities dating back to before the Angkor period. Intricate and detailed paintings lined the walls, the carved shutters at the windows were almost as finely crafted. The collection of stonework was particularly impressive, sublime figures of deities and kings standing shoulder to shoulder in elegant repose. The garden in the centre of the museum was verdant and peaceful. Koi Carp swirled around in cool pools as saffron clad monks rested on their haunches, impassively watching the patterns woven by the fish.
We took a walk along the river and decided, as it was such a beautiful evening, we’d take a romantic cruise along the river, down to where the Tonle Sap reaches its confluence with the Mekong - the longest river in Southeast Asia which has its source in the Himalayas and runs for over 4000km through Cambodia and Vietnam before finally emptying out into the South China Sea.
Several boat owners were touting for business and we soon found ourselves sat on two plastic chairs on the roof of an otherwise empty wooden barge. We were alone on deck and all we could see of our captain was the flip-flopped foot sticking out of the wheelhouse door. We slowly chugged down river, slipping through the darkening waters as we passed the Royal Palace, its golden roof glinting in the rays of the setting sun.
We reached the Mekong as the darkness began to suck the colour from the landscape - making the iridescent light of television sets in the huts of the Vietnamese fishermen along the banks all the more vivid and incongruous.
When we returned to the boat’s mooring, we went for a meal at what appeared to be Phonm Penh’s only British pub which turned out to be Vietnamese owned! We soon warmed to Phalla the waitress who seemed happy to chat - if only to lessen the boredom of waiting tables in a near empty theme pub while appeasing her stroppy looking boss by keeping the customers happy. She told us what a tough time she had, working long hours for little money, helping her mother at home and somehow managing to fit in a college course too. She dreamt of going to Siem Reap where her friend was and setting up a business there as a tour guide – we wished her luck, swapped email addresses and wandered off into the night after having sampled the most un-authentic burger in Phnom Penh.
Our final day in Cambodia dawned like all the others - intensely hot and humid. We wanted to visit Wat Phnom, the temple on the hill where the city had been founded. Apparently, due to an old lady named Penh who found some Buddha images on the banks of the Tonle Sap and placed them on top of a hill which came to be known as Phnom Penh - the Hill of Penh.
Mr Thai was loitering outside and when he found out that we intended to walk to the temple, insisted on giving us a ride free of charge. His generosity may have been tempered by the fact that we’d probably taken enough trips in his moto taxi to fund his retirement but we took it as yet another example of the Cambodian’s friendly nature.
Once at the hill, we walked around its circumference, accompanied by a vibrant mix of hawkers, beggars, pilgrims, elephants and monkeys - a large troupe of which were greedily munching on a bunch of green bananas fed to them by some tourists. After missing out on an elephant ride at Angkor, Alex wouldn’t be denied and paid $20 to circumnavigate Wat Phnom on the back of a ponderous pachyderm!
Before setting off, we’d struck up a conversation with a young lad who said he came down to the temple on the mornings he wasn’t at college to practice his English with anyone that might be willing to take him on. After Alex successfully dismounted, our new friend led us up the hill to the temple and tried his best to explain the meanings behind the various statues and paintings. There were plenty of locals about too, paying their respects and praying for good luck.
The Buddha must have given us some luck too because from the moment our plane had touched down in Cambodia we’d enjoyed a fantastic stay. Our visit was by turns exhilarating, fascinating, fun but always flippin' hot! The warmth of the Khmers is something we'll never forget and it was with more than a touch of sadness when we said our final goodbyes to Mr Thai after a last trip in the moto to the airport.
Our sadness was worsened by the knowledge that the clock was winding down on our great adventure. After a brief stop-over in Bangkok, we’d be heading for our final destination, which made us all the more determined to make the most of our trip to the enigmatic and inscrutable land of the rising sun - Japan!
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