During the past few days, other than the touristy things I do (am very thankful most of the touristy things are quite near the Riverfront so I do not have to venture too far out which, which works well for my lack of a good sense of direction), I got to spend a lot of time at the Riverfront, which became one of my favourite places.
The Riverfront seems to manifest the paradox which exists in much of Cambodia. It is mostly appealing, especially the lake itself. Hordes of tourists as well as local dating couples throng the boat cruises that sail into the Mekong River. If one chooses the ideal timing to go onboard (which Dawn and I discovered it to be 5.30pm), one would be assured of a gratifying combinations of the gentle twilight of the day culminating in a majestic sunset before easing itself into night, complete with Khmer pop songs.
There is a great deal of life along the riverbank too. Locals who live on floating villages nearby would dock their boat by the bank, possibly to replenish their daily necessities and also to sell their day's catch (fishes), I am guessing?
The men would wait by the shore while the womenfolk go to the local market just across the road from the river bank. They would be back in a while’s time, carrying their heavy supplies for the day on circular rattan baskets (typically used for drying food) and in acrobatic style, runs down the 45 degree slopes along the riverfront, into boats that await them. Am very impressed!
Along the huge boulevard on the riverfront, groups of locals gather at various spots to exercise and dance (which somewhat resembles line dancing) to different Khmer folk music which adds to the cacophony on the busy streets. A particular Khmer folk music even sings to the tune of the nursery song ‘Five Little Ducks Went Out One Day’! Not surprisingly, this part of the riverfront attracts many tourists.
At the other end of the riverfront however, opposite the Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda, presents a slightly different scene, injecting several doses of reality. Here, there aren't as many tourists. Several old women lug and hawk heavy containers of food and snacks. A well-dressed Caucasian man blatantly goes up to and seeks a sexual favour from a young Cambodian girl sitting next to me.
There are many beggars too, and after a while, many questions come to mind which would require a certain amount of rationalisation and hence discomfort – why do I give money to a child beggar who looks on with imploring eyes but decide not to buy from a child selling styrofoam-wrapped mango (as I don’t eat mango)? Both types of acts are discouraged, according to local travelling advice (as this could discourage the parents from sending them to school). But when I did what I did, did the child who is attempting to earn an honest living decide then that it must be easier to survive when he begs? Perhaps it is more okay to give to the elderly and the physically handicapped as they are very unlikely to be able to find jobs in a land where 9 out of 10 graduates (2005 statistics) are unemployed? After a while, these questions start to spiral.
In spite of all that, my time here makes me feel hopeful about the country, simply because it is a nation where its young seem so energised and an extremely hardworking lot. It seems difficult to find a non-hardworking young person here. At the NGO where I volunteered, a typical young Cambodian teacher works in the day and rushes off to study in the evening. Sometimes, he may even try to squeeze in some valuable learning time during the 2 hour lunch siesta. Come weekends, he may hold another job, depending on what skills he possesses. If something can’t work out, he will look for another outlet (apparently many tuk-tuk drivers in Phnom Penh are IT graduates and I think I just saw one outside my hotel studying very hard for an exam while keeping an eye out for potential customers).
Given such ingenuity and creativeness in its younger generation, I hope that they will succeed in carving a bright future for themselves.
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