Skyscrapers galore!

The skyline of Phnom Penh is changing fast these days, and in the next few years it will change beyond all recognition. The 12-storey building above is a mere minnow in the face of three projects that are either in the throes of building already or under development. The Gold Tower 42 is due for completion in 2011 at the corner of Sihanouk and Monivong Boulevards, will cost $2.4 billion and as the name suggests, will be 42 storeys high. It's gonna be a whopper. However, a Korean developer has announced plans for a 52-storey residential and office monstrosity near the Russian Embassy, costing $1.1 billion and completion set for 2012. The other biggy in the works is a 30-storey, $20 million project near the Railway Station, which will complete next year. Everywhere I look in my own area of the city, Boeung Keng Kang 1, my view is obstructed by green netting surrounding constructions like the one above. They are literally everywhere, most of them are new residential apartment blocks available only to the wealthy - so that's me out of the equation. Someone once told me it's a sign of progress - but as a long-time lover of the 'good old days' in Cambodia, it's extremely painful to my 1 eye!