A Horse In Cambodia – Settling In

By Duncan Horscroft on April 23, 2013 in Other

There are plenty of yummy mummies here, but their preferred method of transport is not the latest SUV – it’s a step-through motor scooter on which most of their family can fit.

Parking is not a problem at any of the cafes; all you do is park on the footpath outside your eatery of choice, or sometimes in it if you so choose.

And there are no parking rangers here.

This is Phnom Penh, capitol of Cambodia and a major pulse which beats in the heart of South East Asia.

The only blue ducks to be found are the ones hanging in the window of the local butcher or squawking in bamboo cages on the back of one of the infinite number of motor scooters that brush past you in your quest to reach the other side of the road.

It’s truly an amazing place.

I put my hand up to do a three-month stint as a volunteer for an organisation called Equitable Cambodia, which assists the local Khmer people to know their rights in cases where the government has taken their land with little compensation.

Sounds like some local Sydney councils, eh?

These land grabs come in the form of more land for railways, sugar plantations run by multinational companies rather than locals, the Boeung Kak Lake, which was filled in for development, and the destruction of more than 40 per cent of the Prey Lang Forest, which is home to the indigenous Kuy people.

Interesting times but the Community Empowerment and Legal Awareness arm of Equitable Cambodia (EC) is making inroads and the local people are becoming more aware of their rights and progress is being made.

In a country that is considered by some as more effluent than affluent, life goes on, and it is hard not to get a smile from the beautiful local Khmer people.

They get on with their lives no matter if it is in an office or hawking the local produce in a street stall.

I have only been here a short time but so far I have been welcomed by all I have come to meet.

And my timing has been pretty good as the office in that I am based in began early celebrations for the Khmer New Year.

Amid copious amounts of cold Angkor beer and local cuisine, they partied in true style with plenty of games and lots of dancing to the Phnom Penh Top 40.

I tried to convince them to plug in my iPod but they weren’t quite ready for Barnesy belting out Khe San.

It’s only early days.

Apparently everyone deserts town and heads back to their families in the country.

This will give me time to do the tourist thing and see a few of the local sights unhindered by the masses.

And of course there is a plethora of bars selling the tasty local brew where I can rehydrate.

I have already touched base with an old News Ltd workmate of mine who is working on the Phnom Penh Post.

The Score Bar has already had the pleasure of my company for the Roosters versus Bulldogs game.

Anyway, for now it’s back to ordering breakfast at the local café where they neither speak nor understand English, as is the case with my Khmer.

But the noodle soup is bloody good and the coffee moreish, along with the complimentary pot of green tea.

When my Khmer improves I will probably realise I am being ripped off for $2.50, but who cares – it’s all an education and the people are great.

Stay tuned for the next installment of A Horse In Cambodia.

Cop you later.