poverty | Hello from the Five Star Vagabond

Extreme poverty Phnom Penh

November 11, 2015 by David Herd

On display at the Foreign Correspondents Club.

Extreme poverty Phnom Penh

Extreme poverty Phnom Penh & in fact throughout Cambodia, is everywhere you look. There is a huge gap between rich & poor. Apart from this I found the people to be some of the nicest I have met anywhere in Asia.

My recent journey in May 2010 from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville was delayed because I was enjoying myself so much in the city I found it hard to leave.

I returned in October 2017 & couldn’t believe the changes, mainly due to Chinese investments.

The Foreign Correspondents Club

I was so surprised by the number of quality restaurants and bars, excellent food, good service and nice decor. On the other side of the coin is the poverty, Cambodia is certainly a third world country struggling to drag itself into the 21st century. Like most poor countries the gap between rich and poor is immense.

The foreign correspondents club.

Relaxing most days in the Foreign Correspondents Club overlooking the Mekong River is like being transported 60 years back in time. Sipping a gin & tonic in the big comfortable leather chairs makes you feel like you are in an Oliver Stone movie covering the Vietnam war.

Shutters on the windows

Letting in the breeze.

Extreme poverty Phnom Penh

Here is a lovely family playing cards under a tree on a public footpath seemingly without a care in the world.

Happy face selling sunglasses

A lasting memory for me is how nice the people are, sure many of them will try to sell you something, however they do it with a smile on their face and without the persistence and aggression of their counterparts in Vietnam and Indonesia.

Taxi

A huge bonus in Phnom Penh which is out of character with every other Asian city I have ever visited, is how slow the Motorcycle taxis travel, there is no stress or haste, you sit back, relax and enjoy the ride, plus as you can see the seats are very comfortable.

Monkeys

This photo was opposite our hotel, notice the wire grill on one of the upstairs homes. A simple explanation, it is there to stop the dozens of noisy monkeys from entering the home. Every day they scamper along the rooftops and balconies making one hell of a racket, quite funny really.

Malis Restaurant at 136 Norodom Boulevard, Phnom Penh

The Mali restaurant was an excellent example of the high quality restaurants in Phnom Penh, great food and fabulous decor. There is another bonus you can buy bags of Cambodian pepper to take home with you, many people, myself included, believe Cambodian pepper is the best in the world.

Malis Restaurant

Travel tips. Have dinner at the Mali restaurant and buy some pepper to take home, please click here.

Le Grand Palais Phnom Penh

For a very good discount just book through THIS LINK.

Good low cost hotel. The Pickled Parrot is a budget hotel run by an Australian, rooms are fine and there is a good bar & restaurant on the ground floor, the location is excellent. The best hotel booking site is Agoda, you have a choice whether to pay now or later when you check out of your hotel.

Good Phnom Penh information site. Please click here.

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Long tail boat

The mighty Mekong river.

A terrible cruel sight, dying in the heat.

Heartbreaking to see these poor birds suffer in 35 degree heat.

Hot truck probably owned by a government official.

Many expats in Cambodia tell me a lot of government officials spend foreign aid money on expensive cars etc for their own benefit, while continuing poverty Phnom Penh prevails.

Pickled Parrot

A bunch of Aussies, next to me is Roger Gaffney who now lives in Saigon, then old mate Tony Murphy with his camera locked and loaded. Can’t remember the other 2 guys.

A great way to relax in the heat of the day.

Life generally is fairly lay-back in Cambodia.

The mighty Mekong River

Mekong River Phnom Penh Cambodia is certainly changing rapidly, not necessarily for the good I’m afraid. However there are still many wonderful experiences to enjoy in this fascinating country.

I have been lucky enough to visit some of the worlds great rivers as well as the Mekong, the Nile, the Amazon, the Mississippi and the Yangtze. And of course in Australia the Murry and the Darling.