Day 8 - A city of staggering contrasts

After a hot shower and cooked breakfast, we leave the protective cocoon of our double glazed hotel room and start Tuesday by taking our air conditioned Mercedes minibus to a second impoverished village on the outskirts of the city.

It’s surprising me a lot, quite how quickly we’ve all become accustomed to the entirely different way of city life here. As we weave our way through the early morning traffic, we pass thousands of scooters, some with a family of 5 or 6 on the back, others carrying an array of different precariously balanced goods. We also dodge the numerous glossy black Lexus and Hummer people carriers - the outward symbol of power and affluence. Despite the obvious and immense differences to home, Phnom Penh is a lot more developed than I had expected. Things do seem to be developing very rapidly; tarmac roads and traffic lights are new in the past few years, designer labels are commonplace, and many cultural aspects of life, such as leaving your footwear outside a building or shop when entering it, are being ridden roughshod over by the force of progress and westernisation.

For once, our driver seems to obey the traffic lights and road markings, in stark contrast to most other journeys we’ve made. Indeed, as I jumped on the back of a moto last night, paying the driver less than a dollar to be driven across town, haring the wrong way down a one way street weaving in and out of oncoming traffic, I wondered again quite how quickly it’s possible to become immune to such craziness. I’ve only ridden pillion on a motorbike once before coming here, and then I was terrified, but here I am now engaging in this extreme sport on a daily basis.



The village we are visiting is a relatively new one; the inhabitants are former slum dwellers forcibly relocated by the government seven year ago to new land on the city outskirts after their old homes were burnt to the ground – twice. Family groups have each been allocated a small 7 x 15m plot and have built corrugated iron huts from whatever they managed to salvage from the remains of their previous homes. Surprisingly, this enforced relocation was described as a blessing by some of the villagers we spoke to rather than with words of sadness, pain and remorse I’d expected.

One of the students that Edukid has supported through university and medical school lives in this village, as does the lovely young woman who is responsible for the education program in all 56 villages that Care for Cambodia works in.



Although it’s the summer holidays, as we arrive three groups of different aged children are all having English lessons. The little ones are singing, whilst a group of nine or ten year olds are spelling by rote, excitedly using a new laptop which has just arrived from England.



The village classroom is in one of the homes; the family sleep upstairs. It is one of the nicest buildings in the village, but together with the outbuildings and yard, it covers three plots of land. These small plots were selling for about US $10,000 each a year or so ago, a figure that is fantastically unobtainable to anyone living here. It’s clearly only been possible to build like this with a lot of outside help.

During the few short hours of our visit, we interview one of the older students who has just finished university. We also play ball games and do some craft work with some of the younger children. I really am becoming quite a dab hand at friendship bracelets!



One of the main reasons for coming here today is to give out school packs to several children recently sponsored by supporters back home. The fluorescent pink and blue rucksacks each contain a school uniform - a pair of trousers, shirt and belt, exercise books, pens, a ruler, eraser, protractor, and pair of compasses. It’s only with these items that the kids can attend the local primary and secondary schools which are about a kilometre away. The excitement on the faces of the children receiving these packs is infectious.



Whilst there’s a lot of progress being made, it’s a long way from where it could be though. Initially when some families moved here, they were so poor that they sold their small plot of land for just $300 as they couldn’t afford to build on it. With this money, they built homes above the rancid river, but they are now again facing eviction for having built in the wrong place.



Today was the hottest day we’ve experienced so far; mainly because the skies were free from cloud and haze which has somewhat protected us from the heat thus far, and so before lunch we head back to the city.



Back in our palatial hotel rooms, we wash off the dirt and grime of poverty, before heading out for lunch. The heat has got to us, and since we can afford to escape from it so easily, we head for another cool, air-conditioned cafe.



There’s something about this trip that really is feeling uncomfortably like a holiday. Back home we’re quite used to hearing and talking about abject poverty. But it’s a very different thing to experience it in such close proximity. Perhaps the hardest part of this visit so far has been the contrast between it, and such outward signs of wealth.

A question that is haunting me now, is whether I’m allowing it to get under my skin or not?

Kevin