First impressions

Who ordered chicken?

My discovery of Battambang and Cambodian people and their culture has started.

On Saturday morning we went to the local market to get some basic supplies. The market, located in the heart of the city, made me think about how markets surely looked in the Western world a couple of decades ago. The stalls, crammed in beside one another, sold anything from fresh crab to flip-flops. Nostrils were filled with the stench of meat and fish sweating under the blazing sun, flies swarming around. Overall, food is expensive in Cambodia. You would expect meat and fish to be (the latter being sold salted most of the time as it's the only way of preserving it under the hot temperatures), but also local fruit and veg are quite pricey. I don't know how the locals get by.

Actually, when you order noodles with pork in an average Cambodian eatery, you only get a few tiny pieces of meat scattered over a heap of noodles. Also, the portions are rather small, but this is due to the Cambodian habit of eating more than three meals a day.

 Life here is rather slow, but locals add a bit of speed by moving around by motorbike. It's usually too hot to cycle and cars are expensive, so the motorbike is handy as can be. There are shops selling and repairing them everywhere, and it's quite normal to see a family of four riding the same vehicle... without helmets. The road safety laws have recently changed and now driving without a helmet or having more than two people on a bike is not allowed anymore. However, it will take a couple of fines for the citizenship to comply with the new legislation.

In the afternoon we visited Battambang airport. This small airport built in colonial times doesn't operate flights anymore, but it has been re-purposed as a football pitch. Besides, it has become a true favourite for hanging out. It is frequent to see young locals taking selfies for their Facebook profiles after enjoying a glass of sugar cane juice -never tried anything sweeter!

Waiting for our death-by-sugar beverages

In the evening, the Coconut Water staff was invited to a "party" in the pool area of a fancy hotel. And I say "party" because there was no music or even a good crowd: it came down to a bunch of us just chatting away, without any frills other than some warm Angkor beer -yikes! Thank god it was free.

I had the chance to chat with some Cambodians and observe them. My first impression is that they are a friendly bunch, perhaps more open and assertive than their Thai neighbours. The way they socialise resembles the way children interact, which is an adorable thing. For instance, parties as we know them and going out are not that common in this part of the world and when they are not at work, people are usually at home. So, for them, sitting at the improvised table of a street food wheel barrow having a laugh with some buddies is their definition of fun. Women normally don't drink alcohol in public, although they might have a beer or two at home. Friendship is also very different: Cambodians do not usually have much physical contact and they don't tend to share intimate thoughts or experiences with their friends. Needless to say, the boyfriend-girlfriend relationships are also totally other. Sometimes they are even limited to phone conversations with their beloved, and maybe a walk along the river bank if the lovers live in the same city. Of course, living together before getting married is an absolute no-no.

Motorbikes everywhere!

The "party" was followed by a light dinner and right after the meal almost all the females headed home. 9 or 10pm is late for Cambodian standards, and certainly not a good time for women to be out and about. But Eva, Juanjo and I were determined to make the most of our Saturday night. Only Bulan, a young lad who works as a chef at the Coconut Water restaurant, joined us to the Sky club. The club was rather odd. The facilities were quite amazing, including a parking area for motorbikes, but the music and the ambiance were just bizarre: Asian electronic themes interrupted every now and then by cheesy Cambodian love songs. It was funny to see how the young crowd on the dance floor rapidly shifted from a robotic bouncing to a slow dance, holding their partner carefully like teenagers at the prom. An interesting experience. But probably the first and last time I hit a Cambodian club.

Unrelated pic of myself in a nearby pagoda.
(I don't have any of the nightclub, but I know you love temples)

Sunday was the first day of the Chinese New Year three-day celebrations. I,  ignorant westerner, woke up expecting fireworks, lanterns and dragons crawling the streets. Instead, I got kids playing with firecrackers at 5am, closed shops and museums, and the least festive environment you can possibly imagine. Apparently, Cambodians keep the hype out of the streets and celebrate only at home with family and close friends. Women cook all sorts of food for the whole day, then relatives gather together in the evening to enjoy the staples. Since we are not that popular yet so as to be invited to a Cambodian house party, we just went to the Battambang resort for lunch beside the pool -I had a delicious fish amok- and had a lazy day, which is not to bad either.