Rainy Season is Upon Us: Learning the Hard Way

Although we've been getting the occasional afternoon thundershower since the end(ish) of hot season, this week there was no doubt in anyone's mind that rainy season has commenced!

Buckets of rain + Phnom Penh infrastructure = FLOODING!!!

Of course, we though it was a good idea to go out for supper. We had an excuse, our good friend was leaving and we wanted to go out for a final farewell meal.

I now believe home cooking is underrated.

So agreeing to meet at the restaurant, I ventured out in my wellies (thank goodness for wellies! I literally wouldn't have made it past my driveway without them) and with my yellow polka dot umbrella. Within ten feet of my house I was calf high in water and trudging down the street in search of a tuktuk.

Forge ahead, or turn back?

A couple blocks from my house, there was not a tuktuk on the horizon, so I stood in the middle of the street, being stared at by a number of people (foreigner, wellies, umbrella: not such a common sight), and contemplated my options. Just as I was about to dial Charlie and say, "Forget it, bring home takeout," an empty tuktuk appeared!

And thus began my half hour commute of 2.5 kilometers. Because as soon as I got in the tuktuk the rain itself stopped, and it was very nearly 5:00, and everyone decided it was safe to venture out to go home. EVERYONE. So bumper to bumper, swishing in the street rivers, we all proceeded forth. Slowly.

The water creating waves against the sidewalks on a main boulevard.

We finally did spiral into the neighbourhood where I was going and I arrived relatively unscathed. The same could not be said of my tuktuk driver, who was wet and dirty from head to toe, so I sheepishly thanked him and gave him a generous tip.

We had a lovely meal. And Sam was extremely excited about all the chaos the rain and flooding had caused. And she does look incredibly adorable with an umbrella.

How cute is that?

Well. If I thought the ride there was long and tedious, I didn't know what was coming. It took 50 minutes to get home. And I think I got poop on my foot. Let me explain.

There was even more traffic at this hour, and the water had not receded at all in some streets, which our tuktuk driver decided was the best route home. People were turning back at all corners, moto drivers were walking (knee high in water, of course) their motos because they'd gotten water in the engine, and at some points the water was so high we almost started floating.

I swear this is a street, not a river

Ahoy!

As we inched our way into our neighbourhood, it seemed inevitable that we would have to cross Street 105 to get there. Except no one calls it Street 105; they call it the Stinky Canal Street (other names I have heard are the Black River or Shit River). It is basically a large open sewer that, yes, stinks to high heavens... on good days. And that day it was overflowing.

As we headed into the rising water of the Stinky Canal, I was a nanosecond too late to lift up my feet and my toes got splashed!!

Shit River overflowing into the street

We were traveling after dark, so I've included a picture of the Stinky Canal overflowing from earlier in the day, when it was just starting to rise above street level.

Care for a swim, accompanied by some giardia?

We finally arrived home, where I immediately scrubbed my feet and legs vigorously with antibacterial soap (even though the "water" only touched my toes, you never know how fast crap travels!) I still cannot think about it without shuddering.

In the end, we survived! But I definitely learned my lesson, and next time I'll stay in.