Phnom Penh: welcome to the city of beautiful chaos
As I awoke this morning just as the sun was coming up, the first thing I felt was a serious headache and the same sick sensation in my stomach. Not the best way to start a day, especially since I just arrived to a new country. My day was spent rolling around in bed, watching television and resting my head, since moving hurt more. But since I went to the pharmacy and got some medicine, later in the afternoon I actually started feeling like myself again.
I decided to venture out and see what Phnom Penh was all about. When I walked out of the guesthouse situated near a very busy street, I was hit with all the noise and traffic in the streets. Strangely, it didn't bother me. And he further I walked, the more enchanted I was becoming with this city. As busy and loud as it was, for some reason, it didn't bother me. This city feels alive, even it it's mostly alive with the local people trying to survive and make a living, being alive is the part that counts. But within that hustle and bustle there is so much soul and the energy is undeniable.
I walked all around the center of the city and encountered many smiling faces as well as persistent street vendors and tuktuk drivers. There are so many smells and sounds in the streets that it's easy to lose your head and forget where you were going.
As I reached the riverside, I saw people playing fútbol, dancing or simply sitting and enjoying the views. After walking down the street I stopped and sat down on the side of the street facing a little patch of grass where people were lined up to dance following a leader in the front teaching them the moves. Many people were sitting on the grass and on benches as well, watching on. There were a couple of mothers with their little daughter to my right who were swaying to the tunes that were playing as was I. The little girls spotted me and were sending me smiles and giggles and after getting the go ahead from their mothers, cheerily danced over to me. Enthusiastic yet a bit cautious, they were inviting me to dance with them. One girl was about five, with jet black long hair, clipped up in the middle with a happy pink bow and a pink dress to match. She had a plump round face with two deep dimples which appeared when she smiled. She had big black eyes which sparkled with excitement and pure love of life. The other girl was more petite and younger as well, about three and a half and had short wavy black hair which was disheveled because she kept shaking her head while dancing. She had a permanent smile on her face which I only saw fade once while being in their company, when she tripped and fell while dancing. That beautiful smile came back just as fast as it disappeared after the little girl realized she wasn't hurt. They both beckoned me to stand up and follow the dance with them. It was an offer I could not refuse. At first I felt a bit out of place but after a couple failed attempts to follow, I got a hang of it and the three of us were dancing away. There were smiles everywhere and my headache seemed like a distant memory. Sometimes all it take are the simple things in life. They take you by the hand (literally this time) and they take you dancing :)
I decided to venture out and see what Phnom Penh was all about. When I walked out of the guesthouse situated near a very busy street, I was hit with all the noise and traffic in the streets. Strangely, it didn't bother me. And he further I walked, the more enchanted I was becoming with this city. As busy and loud as it was, for some reason, it didn't bother me. This city feels alive, even it it's mostly alive with the local people trying to survive and make a living, being alive is the part that counts. But within that hustle and bustle there is so much soul and the energy is undeniable.
I walked all around the center of the city and encountered many smiling faces as well as persistent street vendors and tuktuk drivers. There are so many smells and sounds in the streets that it's easy to lose your head and forget where you were going.
As I reached the riverside, I saw people playing fútbol, dancing or simply sitting and enjoying the views. After walking down the street I stopped and sat down on the side of the street facing a little patch of grass where people were lined up to dance following a leader in the front teaching them the moves. Many people were sitting on the grass and on benches as well, watching on. There were a couple of mothers with their little daughter to my right who were swaying to the tunes that were playing as was I. The little girls spotted me and were sending me smiles and giggles and after getting the go ahead from their mothers, cheerily danced over to me. Enthusiastic yet a bit cautious, they were inviting me to dance with them. One girl was about five, with jet black long hair, clipped up in the middle with a happy pink bow and a pink dress to match. She had a plump round face with two deep dimples which appeared when she smiled. She had big black eyes which sparkled with excitement and pure love of life. The other girl was more petite and younger as well, about three and a half and had short wavy black hair which was disheveled because she kept shaking her head while dancing. She had a permanent smile on her face which I only saw fade once while being in their company, when she tripped and fell while dancing. That beautiful smile came back just as fast as it disappeared after the little girl realized she wasn't hurt. They both beckoned me to stand up and follow the dance with them. It was an offer I could not refuse. At first I felt a bit out of place but after a couple failed attempts to follow, I got a hang of it and the three of us were dancing away. There were smiles everywhere and my headache seemed like a distant memory. Sometimes all it take are the simple things in life. They take you by the hand (literally this time) and they take you dancing :)
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