phnom penh

My brain is mush right now because all my brain power is dedicated to finishing my dissertation, but I'll do my best to recount the trips we took while I visited Drew in Shanghai. Drew's visa requires him to leave the country every 90 days, so that was the main reason for our trip. It was also a good opportunity to do some traveling in Asia and see something different, ie, not a big city. Having been in Beijing, Shanghai, Seoul, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, we've come to realize that major cities basically all look the same. 

And so we headed to southeast Asia, steering clear of Bangkok and Saigon. We flew to Phnom Penh for one night and left the next day for Siem Reap. Though we spent only a few hours in Phnom Penh, we had a chance to walk around and see some stuff.

Well, Drew and I wanted to see something different, and it didn't take long before we did, as neither of us had ever been to a third world country. There were lots of modern conveniences, so we certainly did not rough it, but there was a noticeable lack of infrastructure. For instance, the lack of traffic lights and lane lines were among the most noteworthy (or what I remember at the moment). That was a little unnerving and it made crossing the street a bit of a challenge, but we got the hang of it. Because it's a traffic free-for-all, everyone drives slower than they probably would if there were traffic lights, so at no point did we feel unsafe.

Tuk tuks are everywhere, and they are a very common way for tourists to get around. This is a nice convenience, but also an annoyance because Drew couldn't walk past a tuk tuk driver without being solicited for a ride (apparently I never looked like I needed a ride?).   

I must confess that I am a sucker for street food. I will eat most anything and everything (this will come to bite me in the ass, but I'll save that story for later). We stumbled upon this street vendor who was selling a version of banh mi. I think this was a good sandwich, but it must have been spicy. My memory escapes me, so I'm basing this assessment on the next picture that follows on my phone, in which I'm clearly swearing. 

We ate our sandwiches while sitting along this river.

And then we had a nice walk.

Prior to arriving in Cambodia, we learned that U.S dollars are accepted, so we knew there was an American influence there (as there is most everywhere of course). Not surprisingly, here's further evidence:

I have no idea what this is, but it sure looks cool.

And that wraps up our morning in Phnom Penh. At noon, we embarked on a 7 hour bus ride to Siem Reap.