One observation we’ve made here is the common theme behind road names.
In Phnom Penh, roads can be named ph. [number] with numbers ranging from say 7 to 358. It is a most orderly way system of naming roads although the particular order escapes me.
I’m guessing this is one of the many legacies of french colonial rule. Not only did they build and name roads in numerical order, they also arranged their perpendicularly to one another, in a grid-like manner.
Check it out:Phnom Penh City Map
This has made it most convenient for us to navigate Phnom Penh on foot.
Like pacmen, all we have to do to get from place to place is first orientate ourselves, then walk in straight lines and turn at the approximately appropriate corners.
We tend to walk from place to place. Phnom Penh is not a very big city. Anything within 1 km is fair game for us. I estimate we walk about 3km a day. I realise not everyone would consider what we do to be a holiday.
Because we walk so much, we cross many roads. I suspect the most important thing to do when crossing roads is not to first look left and right and cross at an appropriate time when traffic stops for you. Phnom Penh has a disturbing dearth of pedestrian crossings. Thus, traffic will never stop for you.
Rather, what is most important is to cross the road with courage. One must maintain a predictable course and walk at a steady and brisk pace. Traffic will consequently part for one like the red sea did for Moses. The hardest part is to take the first step and requires a great leap of faith for the uninitiated. Everytime I cross the road, I somehow feel like I am dicing with death. I cope by looking straight ahead and walking on despite oncoming traffic inducing strong thoughts of freezing in my rational self. I think it helps to imagine oneself as a horse. With blinkers. Don’t try this in Singapore.
Other than roads and streets, Phnom Penh has boulevards. Which I gather are longer and wider than roads and streets. They are the arteries and veins where roads are the capillaries. These boulevards have incredible names:
Mao Tse Tung Boulevard, Nehru Boulevard, Charles de Gaulle Boulevard, Russian Confederation Boulevard, Preah Sihanouk Boulevard, etc…
It gives a greatly international flavour to Phnom Penh. A stroll down Mao Tse Tung Boulevard, for instance, puts one in a somewhat revolutionary mood. I wonder if Singaporeans feel like doing their laundry while walking around Dhoby Ghaut.
–Roger
