Third World?

Just as I remember Vietnam, the streets here are vibrant and flush with life and activity. The dilapidated sidewalks are filled with parked motorbikes, kids playing, men seated playing cards or some kind of chess, debris, and little shops overflowing their doors, making it often easier to just walk in the street. Monks in orange robes carrying yellow umbrellas and silver urns (containing alms?) walk about barefoot. Motorbikes and tuk tuks (a taxi of sorts, a modified motorbike with covered passenger cart fixed to the back) are everywhere, greatly outnumbering the cars, though there are a shocking number of Lexus SUVs and Toyota Land Cruisers as well. The contrast between poverty and wealth is striking.

Yesterday I had a rather unexpected posh "expat" day, it felt almost like a few pages of a Graham Greene novel. After a lazy morning at Chez PEPY, Maryann, Shannon and I rode our bikes over to the "VIP" sports club for a swim in the beautiful pool there. A vicious rainstorm forced us from the water to the covered patio where we attempted to wait out the storm with passion fruit smoothies. After about an hour we abandoned the wait and decided to pedal home in the rain, which Shannon rightly said, was even more refreshing than the swim itself. During the ride home, as I pedaled through the rivulets and small lakes of rainwater , waved to kids playing soccer on the sidewalk, and manuevered through the traffic (more on this in another post), I had my first "Yep, I've arrived in Cambodia" moment.

In the evening, we had a bit of a celebration, partly for me and the other newly arrived intern, and partly for the birthday of Tim, who has been with PEPY for several months. Six of us went out for dinner at a swanky Lebanese restaurant, and then joined a collection of expats for a riverboat cruise on the Mekong. While on the boatdeck, staring at the nightlights of Phnom Penh across the water, talking to a young French woman and an Aussie who work for the Khmer Rouge Tribunal (the body attempting to bring the war criminals to justice) I had my second "arrival" moment. I had no idea there was such an expat "scene" here, but with 1000+ (or so I'm told) aid organizations working here, money coming from many directions, and a stream of backpackers passing through, I suppose its only natural. After the cruise, drinks and dancing followed at the Pontoon club, a large boat docked on the riverside and apparently, a favorite spot among the expat crowd.

It was a fun night indeed, and I certainly met an array of interesting folks, but it seemed like it would be easy to get caught up in the scene, which would likely mute the Cambodian cultural experience. However, the PEPY folks are a solid, motivated, and bright group and I've no doubt that once I am working and making connections, I'll discover the cultural avenues that enrich and actuate my life.