Happy Times in Cambodia

Cambodia is a very happy country. It is peaceful and laid-back. Indeed, Norman Lewis, in his excellent travel narrative of Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, A Dragon Apparent, writes that Cambodians are, "by their own design, poor, but supremely happy."

The first person I meet really sets the tone for the entire country. A round Cambodian with an open face checks me into my Phnom Penh guesthouse. He always has time to say hello.

"Mi-chael! How are you?" he says with a big handshake and a bigger smile.

"Good, good."

"Where you go today?" He's a moto driver and still has to look after himself.

"Oh, just hanging out today." The response doesn't kill his smile, but he doesn't press me either.

The guesthouse adds to the relaxed feel. In the area known as Lakeside, it has a patio that looks out over the water. I take my breakfast there in the early morning sunlight and look across to the opposite bank. Backpackers routinely fall asleep in the hammocks that are strung up just behind me. They sway and creak in the shade. Other travellers relax over a movie or a game of pool.

The Happy Guesthouse is so quiet that monkeys occasionally drop by to munch on the plants and watch us.

So Lewis is right in his assessment. Cambodia is relaxed, happy. Except for some of the vendors in Sihanoukville, its people do not react angrily, do not get stressed. Even some of those vendors, despite being refused a sale, stop and chat amiably with beach-going tourists. They wave hello when they walk by later on.

But Cambodia is also a Happy country and tuk-tuk drivers are the de facto dealers in Happiness.

"Tuk-tuk?"

"No."

"Smoke?"

"Uhm, no." They still smile despite the refusal.

Every sandwich board on the beach at Sihanoukville advertises Happy Shakes and Happy Pizza. In Siem Reap, I can make my pizza More Happy for a little extra cost. The guesthouse owner lets me know that I can ask for a smoke with no problem at the roof-top bar. Happiness is readily available and no one, not the tuk-tuk drivers, not the restaurants or guesthouses, seems to get any trouble for it.

But can a person be too Happy? It's one thing to be relaxed, to remain peaceful and calm as a way of life; it's quite another to be Happy in a responsible manner. Can Happiness be excessive? As usual, the people I meet on the road are instructive.

An English girl I meet in Sihanoukville says she and her friends had a bad experience with a Happy Shake. "We were like this." Her eyes go wide and beady, her kness come up to her chest and her head twitches back and forth.

In Phnom Penh, I come into the morning sunshine and see a French-Canadian who seems to be having difficulty. Quite tall, he slouches so that his neck rests against the back of his chair and he keeps one hand over his eyes. A bottle of water is never far from his lips. I introduce myself and ask how he's doing.

"I was supposed to go to Battambang today but I moved my ticket. I had a Happy Pizza last night," he explains.

Locals, on the other hand, seem to have an easier time. The Cambodian moto driver in Phnom Penh, who asks if I smoke as soon as I had drop my bag, often seems to have a larger smile than usual. The bartender at the guesthouse in Siem Reap is always mellow and happy. He introduces himself with English that sounds like it comes from a private school in Britain and says, "You need anything, just call."

Later, when I order a pizza, he asks, "More Happy?"

"No thanks." He goes back to the other table with a smile on his face and lights up.

These examples identify a difference in how locals and travellers respond to Happiness. To be fair, I think the difference is mostly one of tolerance. The English girl and the French-Canadian seem to be taken aback by the strength of the shakes and pizzas; they are not used to the contents. For locals - or at least the ones I meet - Happiness is a daily event. They have no difficulty partaking.

Tolerance, though, may distinguish between the outlook of travellers and locals.

Many of the travellers I meet in South East Asia are here to party. Their stories centre on going out in the evening, waking up with a hang-over and doing the same thing the next night. While travellers can afford to go out here, the western world is too expensive and they can't indulge nearly as much at home. This trip is their chance to let go the responsibilities of their daily lives.

Cambodians, though, are laid-back and happy as a matter of course. It's they way the live their lives, as Lewis suggests. They don't get streesed, don't seem to worry about much of anything. If they indulge, they indulge to relax. The indulgence is routine.

So Happiness is here, which may put some people off of coming to Cambodia, but it's also an extremely happy country and would be a shame to miss.