Same same, but different

By PAUL SI
30 Jan, 2010

Four-wheel-drive adventures in Cambodia are similar yet different compared to Malaysia.

The party was in full swing and I couldn’t remember the last time I had so much fun. What made the mirth and merriment even more memorable was that I was having such a good time despite not understanding a single word of the song being belted out with gusto by the band.

But help is always at hand in this friendly land of ready smiles, and I soon found out that the Cambodian song was about how it’s good to be alive.

Sipping a cold beer and occasionally joining in the impromptu line dancing, I could see that my new friends, many of whom I had just met, were truly enjoying the simple pleasures of life. Good music, good company and dance — what more could anyone want?

The 4WD convoy heading through the gateway to Bayon Temple in the Angkor complex.

Now this may sound naïve, even child-like in many other places, but I was atop a rocky hill near a town called Pailin, Cambodia and it seemed the most natural thing to be feeling.

Here, the memories are still vivid from the horror years of the “Killing Fields”. Many of my fellow revellers that night had lived through the terrible “three years, eight months and 20 days” of Pol Pot’s murderous regime. To them, being alive is reason enough for celebration.

Even young Cambodians are well aware of the country’s recent history. So, life is good, and it’s good to be alive, and that’s as good a reason as any to party! With a live band, professional sound stage and speakers and fireworks thrown in, this elaborate production was certainly turning out to be unlike any camping trip I’d ever been on.

The story of how I ended up here goes all the way back to 2002.

Several unfamiliar faces showed up during one of the Ford Lanun Darat 4X4 adventures I was on. They were officials from the various Ford distributors in the region. One of them, Seng Voeung from R.M. Asia Ltd, the Cambodian Ford distributor, told us that he had come to learn how to organise 4X4 events — camping and so on — with the aim of doing something similar for his customers.

Returning to camp at dusk after a day’s adventuring around Pailin.

Five years passed, and then in mid-2007, Voeung showed up again. This time, he brought along three colleagues. They did not say much but took plenty of notes. When finally we were invited to join the Cambodians on their own Ford Adventure, we did not hesitate.

When we arrived in Phnom Penh for the first time, our initial impressions were mixed.

Traffic seemed chaotic, with many beat-up jalopies and motorcycle-towed rickshaws which they call “tuk-tuk” like in Thailand. But, there was also a surprising number of large modern 4X4s like the latest Toyota Landcruisers, Prados and even a few bling-bling Hummers. Fossil fuel-burning vehicles with four, three and two wheels competed noisily for space with pedal power, with everyone honking madly.

The biggest surprise was the staggering scale of the event that our Cambodian friends had put together.

On our own 4X4 outings, we always try to help the less fortunate rural folk, like the orang asli in the areas we visited, by giving them used clothes and a bit of rice and other foodstuff. The Cambodians took this idea to a whole new level by bringing along about 10 tonnes of rice, as well as thousands of bottles of soy sauce, fish gravy and bags of salt.

And while the Ranger is the most popular Ford model sold there, they also had customers who showed up with huge US-specced F-150s, and the even bigger F-250 pick-ups! These humongous trucks certainly came in handy for hauling all that rice and sauces.

Hitting the road, we wide-eyed Malaysians noticed the wide variety of vehicles pressed into service all over the country. Motorbikes (kapcai) ruled, carrying entire families or towing trailers or lugging logs or pigs. There were also Toyota Camrys — that had been converted into pick-ups and loaded up to 3m high — tractors and bullock carts.

If something had wheels, the Cambodians had a use for it.

Safety standards are somewhat different; people riding atop vans without handholds do not attract a second glance. Once out of the hustle and bustle of the city, we found the countryside to be a picturesque procession of padi fields as far as the eye could see, as well as various cottage industries.

Less than 30 minutes away from the camp was Phnom Khiev waterfall. — PAUL SI

Depending on which part of the country you’re in, roads can be good, like the old trunk road from Kuala Lumpur to Ipoh, or bumpy and dusty. One unpaved stretch that I drove on was wide and straight but very dusty and had many potholes that were so big, they ought to be called craters.

Generous aid from donor nations like Japan, South Korea, China and the European Union means many civil engineering programmes, including road construction, are under way so these dusty adventures may not be around much longer. One horror stretch I had heard much about was between touristy Siem Reap and the Thai border town of Poipet but it is now a smooth sealed road on which traffic zooms along at up to 100kph.

Heading west from Siem Reap, our convoy of about 50 Ford trucks and SUVs quickly reached Banteay Meanchey, a big town about 45km from the Thai border. Then we turned left and headed south to Battambang, a charming town that still boasts French architecture.

After a sumptuous lunch of Cambodian delicacies that resembled Thai cuisine, but was a little different and had red ants, we hit the dustiest 80km I had ever driven on. It was so bad that visibility was down to about a car-length in parts. The plants, shops and houses lining the road were all coated in a thick layer of orange dust in stark contrast to the trees and padi fields just 100m on either side, which were a lush green.

But here, too, the road is being progressively tarred over, so progress is coming.

Arriving with relief at Pailin late in the afternoon, we were invited to make thanksgiving offerings at a pretty Buddhist temple, where a welcoming committee put on a musical and dance reception worthy of VIPs. Then, it was a short bumpy drive to the campsite, which I was to discover only later was a bare hill because it had been stripped off all vegetation by miners scouring the slopes for diamonds!

Wished I had been able to pick up a pebble or two myself.

Pailin used to be famous for its gems. Mining them brought fabulous wealth to the area and helped finance the Khmer Rouge’s struggle against government forces until peace came several years ago. Although our Cambodian hosts were all very positive about the future, memories of the traumatic past were never far away.

For instance, just the year before, a landmine blew up an overloaded truck and killed three Pailin locals 30km from our campsite. Mine-clearing teams have been active in the area, and much of the land has been declared safe, and yet the fatal explosion occurred in a place where many cars had travelled over frequently. It turned out to be a massive anti-tank mine which was finally set off by the unfortunate vehicle because it was just way overloaded.

While Malaysian-styled camping meant finding a scenic spot near a clean river or stream to set up tents, the Cambodian way was to find a wide expanse of ground that allowed everyone plenty of space — and a great view. Necessities like water and toilets, complete with plumbing, would be brought in or built for the camp. A local fire engine was even commandeered to supply the water tanks!

After dancing the night away, the expedition would set out the next day to visit nearby attractions like spectacular waterfalls, but only after handing over the tonnes of goodies to the grateful local folk.

A visit to Cambodia, especially a driving holiday like Ford Adventure, is a feast of interesting experiences, with so many exotic places and sights to see and “interesting” food to eat. But the enduring memory that one takes away is of the incredible warmth and friendliness of the people.

As a country whose economy depends heavily on tourism, there are naturally parts that are touristy but what’s a holiday without some souvenirs?

My favourite memento is the T-shirt that says “Same Same”, a phrase often heard at markets where tourists haggle with traders. On the back, it reads: “But Different”. That sums up my Cambodian experience — in many ways, it was the “same same” (like, say, in Thailand), and yet, in a special way, it was very different.