Why Phnom Penh is a ballin' town
Going back to Phnom Penh after being in the country side, I realized what a wealthy town it was in the great scheme that is Cambodia. Siem Reap, despite its massive tourism industry, has managed to stay clear of big supermarkets and malls with escalators. In fact, there aren't many tall buildings in Siem Reap save for the 5 star hotels. The local town consists mostly of wooden houses and small huts.
Reaching to outskirts of PP by bus, I saw many large houses built from cement. Some complete with garages, gates, and fountains in the front yard. And it hit me: PP is a ballin' town.
We went to my favorite restaurant in PP, around the corner of 130 street where a waitress name Ah Ling spoke Cantonese. I was a little shocked at the $10 bill, having been spoiled by $3 meals (for 3 people) in Siem Reap. Phil quickly reminded me that this was the restaurant we nicknamed "the baller restaurant" last time we were in PP. The nickname spawned from our first time here as the tables near us popped down Benjamins for football bets, leaving us shocked in the midst. They also demanded Ah Ling to bring them every single item we, the foreigners, had ordered on top of their food. These were shot callers my friends.
I was quickly reminded of how cruel the city is, when Ah Ling laughed that it was Tola's first time in PP. City dwellers have forgotten about the country side; where there's no houses, no electricity lines, no AC or hot water, and no way make it to the city.
With Tola, our tuk tuk driver from Siem Reap, with us we rented a moto to get around town. Tola sat still as the rental service guy explained to him in English how to drive a moto. I could hardly contain my laughter, as Tola is a professional moto driver who speaks perfect Khmer. With us, Tola was no longer viewed as Khmer. People now saw him as a Canadian tourist, which was very strange but always hilarious.
I asked Tola why he's assuming the role of a Canadian. It was such a curious thing to do. He told me: "It's the chance to be a tourist in my own country! To see how tourists are treated. And now I can understand."
Not a bad reason at all.
Going back to Phnom Penh after being in the country side, I realized what a wealthy town it was in the great scheme that is Cambodia. Siem Reap, despite its massive tourism industry, has managed to stay clear of big supermarkets and malls with escalators. In fact, there aren't many tall buildings in Siem Reap save for the 5 star hotels. The local town consists mostly of wooden houses and small huts.
Reaching to outskirts of PP by bus, I saw many large houses built from cement. Some complete with garages, gates, and fountains in the front yard. And it hit me: PP is a ballin' town.
We went to my favorite restaurant in PP, around the corner of 130 street where a waitress name Ah Ling spoke Cantonese. I was a little shocked at the $10 bill, having been spoiled by $3 meals (for 3 people) in Siem Reap. Phil quickly reminded me that this was the restaurant we nicknamed "the baller restaurant" last time we were in PP. The nickname spawned from our first time here as the tables near us popped down Benjamins for football bets, leaving us shocked in the midst. They also demanded Ah Ling to bring them every single item we, the foreigners, had ordered on top of their food. These were shot callers my friends.
I was quickly reminded of how cruel the city is, when Ah Ling laughed that it was Tola's first time in PP. City dwellers have forgotten about the country side; where there's no houses, no electricity lines, no AC or hot water, and no way make it to the city.
With Tola, our tuk tuk driver from Siem Reap, with us we rented a moto to get around town. Tola sat still as the rental service guy explained to him in English how to drive a moto. I could hardly contain my laughter, as Tola is a professional moto driver who speaks perfect Khmer. With us, Tola was no longer viewed as Khmer. People now saw him as a Canadian tourist, which was very strange but always hilarious.
I asked Tola why he's assuming the role of a Canadian. It was such a curious thing to do. He told me: "It's the chance to be a tourist in my own country! To see how tourists are treated. And now I can understand."
Not a bad reason at all.
This entry was posted by cheapculture, on
Monday, October 08, 2007.
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