Corona-ed in Phnom Penh

Working in China, Spring Festival is the most anticipated time of year. The two and a half week-long Chinese New Year celebration means a much-needed escape from the noise, smog, and cold weather. This year, I had spent two weeks island hopping in southern Thailand and was finally finishing up my trip with a weekend in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. 

I had been to Cambodia once before, in 2017, but spent all of my time in Siem Reap and Angkor Wat. While there, I spoke with many local Khmer about the lingering effects of the Khmer Rouge reign of terror. Virtually everyone in Cambodia has a personal or familial horror story. One young mother told me about how her grandparents were tortured and executed for the crime of being teachers at an international school. After hearing enough of these stories, I found myself wanting to visit the Killing Fields just outside of Phnom Penh to be able to truly appreciate the evil that happened in this beautiful country.

By the time I was boarding the plane in Phuket, the Covid-19 breakout was in full swing in China, although it was still just coronavirus at the time. Cities were on lockdown, flights were being canceled, and schools had been closed for the foreseeable future. Unsure of what I would return to, I decided to extend my stay in Phnom Penh to nine days to, hopefully, have a better understanding of the risks of returning to China. I was able to book a serviced apartment in the heart of the city at a discounted rate through AirBnB and figured if I wasn’t a big fan of the city, I could at least spend my time relaxing in the rooftop pool that the apartment provided.  

Onboard the train from the airport to downtown, I was quickly reminded of the overwhelming poverty in the country. Multiple times the train was forced to stop so that the driver could get out and shovel trash off the tracks. As soon as the train stalled, naked toddlers approached the train windows, begging for money and food. 

Phnom Penh feels very much like a city in transition. There is development everywhere. The Chinese have seemingly taken over the lower third of the city and have been busy building casinos and resorts. A Khmer local told me that the Chinese are aiming to create the next Macao.

My plan for Phnom Penh was just to explore the city as if I lived here. After two weeks in Thailand, I had no desire to see any more temples. The only must-see on my trip would be the Killing Fields, and sensing how affecting that visit would be, I decided to hold off till I had seen the rest of the city first.

Very quickly, I was amazed to find that Phnom Penh may be the best city for movie-going I’ve found in the world. When I checked the local movie listings, I was just hoping to find something playing in the English language. I was shocked to discover that seven of the nine Academy Award Best Picture Nominations were playing. Apparently, even in Cambodia, it was difficult to catch The Irishman or Marriage Story in a theater.

That first night, I went to a screening of 1917 at the closest multiplex. I found the ticket counter and was told that only one ticket was remaining and it was in the more expensive VIP section. I paid the VIP price, still cheaper than a matinee screening at many American cinemas, and found my seat in the packed theater. The audience was a mix of western expats, wealthy Chinese, and local Khmer.

When the film ended, I was shown another reason why Phnom Penh is such a great city for cinema. The theater remained dark for the entirety of the credits sequence and when I stood up to leave after, I saw that the theater was still full – no one left until every credit had rolled! I have been in theaters in China where they throw up the lights before the final image has even faded out and had ushers shouting out which doors to exit. Here, they paid attention to the credits as if they were expecting to see their own names.

Cinema has a rich history in Cambodia. Norodom Sihanouk, who spent 35 years as the Cambodian Head of State between 1941 and 2004, was also a film producer, director, and actor with over fifty films on his resume. Norodom Sihamoni, Sihanouk’s son, successor, and the reigning King of Cambodia, formerly taught ballet in France and studied film in North Korea. Both leaders have been strong proponents of the arts. 

On my second day, I found another cinema treasure in the city. The Flicks is an expat-run independent movie theater. There is only one screen and the seats consist of futon mattresses and wicker loveseats. A combination of newer and older films screen seven days a week from noon till midnight with the schedule changing daily. The low price of $4 gains you admission for the day and as many films as you want to sit through. In addition to the theater, The Flicks also has a cafe, bar, and an English-language book exchange. I spent a few afternoons here watching movies and then chatting up Aussie and Irish expats in the cafe after.     

The trip to the Killing Fields and the S21 Prison site, where at least 20,000 Cambodians were tortured and interrogated by the Khmer Rouge, was horrifying to say the least. Both are sober reminders of the evil that humanity is capable of. At the S21 site, a handful of survivors sit at tables and tell hideous stories of their captivity. Most are selling books that document their stay in the prison and treatment by their captors. Talking to these men, most of whom are the same age as my father, is a terrifying reminder how recent this history is.

I was right to hold off on visiting the Killing Fields and S21 Prison as the experience haunted me for several days after. It definitely would have ruined the city for me if I went as soon as I’d arrived. The day after, I attended a screening of the 1984 film, The Killing Fields, at The Flicks. It was a surreal experience watching the Roland Joffe directed film about the Khmer Rouge’s rise to power and ensuing genocide a mere twenty-four hours after walking around the mass graves of tens of thousands Cambodians and seeing the casualties firsthand. 

I finished my time in Phnom Penh by taking a day trip to Koh Dach, an island known to foreigners as Silk Island, just north of the city. For centuries, the island’s inhabitants have made a living by weaving silk. Today, it seems, they make just as much money by charging tourists to visit the different silk shops and buy overpriced scarves and shawls from the ubiquitous gift shops. Despite this, the island is a welcome respite from Phnom Penh. Most of the islanders live in lovely homes on stilts and the island seems free from all the construction and development that is everywhere in Phnom Penh. One island resident did warn me, though, that the Chinese developers have begun buying up lots on the unspoiled island.

Being in Cambodia, you are constantly reminded of a terrifying statistic. Over a four year span, 1975-79, one in every four Cambodians were murdered by their government. Phnom Penh, as well as the country as a whole, feels like it is transitioning from recovery to establishing a new identity for itself. Its strengths lie its natural beauty, warm and welcoming people, and vibrant arts scene.

After nearly two weeks in Phnom Penh, I resolved myself to return to China and take my chances. I knew that I would have to immediately self-quarantine once I arrived home but it now seemed that this pandemic was stretching out to all of Asia and if I didn’t leave when I did, I might have been stuck for weeks in Cambodia, as flights were beginning to be canceled.