A very short visit to the Cambodian capital, the first time for about five or six years. There seems to have been lots of building going on, since I was last here, although there are still traces of the older Cambodian buildings.
There are also lots of reminders of the French colonial past, with balconies like these often visible. And modern Cambodia still uses US dollars for many transactions, as it has done for many years, a reminder of the world outside.
The new building is especially evident from up high, with lots of condos being constructed and some quite high buildings on the skyline, which I don’t remember on my last visit. Clearly a time of great change, much of it fuelled by foreign companies (especially Chinese?):
Lots more people live here in this rapidly expanding city of now almost two million people, and of course that means lots more traffic. The infrastructure is struggling to cope with the traffic, which was especially heavy at peak hours (mistakenly described as ‘rush’ hours, although everything moved at a snail’s pace … a slow snail.
Indeed, it was often hard to tell which side of the road traffic was on and which was the correct direction. Hard to find people moving in the same direction. The car I was lucky enough to be in had a very impressive camera that showed some of the traffic around and beeped regularly as it all got close to us, but there were no collisions that I saw.
Traveling on the roads in Phnom Penh was always interesting, with lots of life taking place on the side of the road and lots of interesting traffic on the road, even when there was no traffic jam. The picture at the top of this blog is but one example. Click on the pictures below for a closer look. (All photos taken from inside a car, and so rather defective, but they capture the ambience, I hope).
It struck me that people managed to get along with each other very well, despite the awful traffic conditions. It all depends on cooperation between drivers, and not mechanised by road rules, traffic lights and policemen, as it is in my country. Somehow, it seems safer, strangely enough, and not only because of the slow pace of the traffic. There seems to be a lot of mutual respect on the road, tolerance for people going the wrong way, doing U-turns in unbelievable situations, etc.
I’m always amazed to see the electrical systems in countries like Cambodia, making me pleased that I’m not a linesman looking for the other end of a wire!
The Cambodian people I met – mostly mathematics teachers – were delightful, friendly and welcoming. So my short visit was also very pleasant.
Barry's travel blog 
I’ve never been to this city so thanks for sharing. 👍👍
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