After this last day of wandering around in Phnom Penh, here are a few off-beat things I'll remember about Cambodia:
1) They use US dollars. When I got my first handful of greenbacks out of the ATM, I thought they must be fake. The width felt wrong. The texture felt wrong. Were these money? (I think I've been out of the US a little too long.) But they were real and people really use them all the time. It's 4,000 riels to the dollar, and everyone wants to deal with small numbers, so they use riels for change and dollars for the big stuff. (Yes. That's my educated analysis of the Cambodian economy.)
2) It used to be a French protectorate. Get this: I used French to communicate with a shopkeeper this morning. You didn't know I could speak French? Me neither! I took it for one year in middle school. But the elderly lady I was buying water from didn't seem to speak a word of English and I was thirsty. Seriously, though, I've heard a lot of French as I've wandered around and seen a fair amount of French-looking architecture.
3) The shopkeepers call me "sister." I'm not sure if this is a custom or a way to make me feel comfortable (and more open with my wallet) but people here are welcoming. Everyone wants to have a conversation, show me their baby, or guess where I'm from. Sure, there are lots of nice people in the world, but the people I've met here seem to genuinely want to chat.
4) The Royal Palace and its Silver Pagoda are really shiny. See above.
So long, Cambodia. Vietnam tomorrow!
Very cool, Piper. Do you think you remember French from your childhood too?
ReplyDeleteThanks Tom! Haha. No, I'm pretty sure I don't remember any French from childhood. My French is so nonexistent that using it is evidence of a true communication breakdown.
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