One of the Seven (Man-Made) Wonders of the World

 

 

 

 

An Article That Is Worth Your Time

If you've ever been interested in tourism or how it affects a developing country, or if you've ever been a tourist anywhere, you must read this article. A disgusting look into the reality of what some people come to Southeast Asia for. This kind of thing only builds up my resentment for Western influence. I meant it when I said, "Cambodians, take back your city!"

Please view the link below:

http://www.smh.com.au/travel/down-the-tube-20110727-1hzzc.html

& another link to view if you are interested in volunteering abroad, especially with orphanages.

http://www.thinkchildsafe.org/thinkbeforevisiting/

When It Rains, It Pours

       It's a total cliche, but it's true. I wouldn't even call it rain; I'd say torrential downpour. It's torrential downpouring right now as I write. The rain here isn't a silly drip that lingers for hours or comes and goes as it pleases, the rain in Southeast Asia during the rainy season happens once every other day and it it's always on time. It's not lazy; it bleeds from the sky like a deep, gushing and gashing wound, working hard to clean (or drown) this dirty city. About every other day around 4 o'clock to 4:30 in the afternoon, an alarmingly loud sound appears out of nowhere. I remember hearing the rain for the first time here. I was sleeping and suddenly my ears perked up to discover what sounded like the violent smashing of tin outside. Waking up in a panic, I asked, WHAT IS THAT? It was stupid, but the sound, eruption, and unexpectedness of it all caught me off guard. However now I know about the rain because the sky gives it away every time. A black eeriness shelters the heaven above, leaving the city dark and with a vibe that tells you something is going to happen. Luckily, I shoved the drying laundry under the balcony roof just in time.  Looking out now, I only see sheets of rain in the sky.
       Unfortunately I do no justice in describing the rain, so I'll let Edgar Drake, character from Daniel Mason's The Piano Tuner (set in Burma circa 1886), describe it in a much more imaginative way:
"Indeed, I have never seen anything like the rain here. The drizzle that we call rain in England is nothing compared to the pounding of a monsoon. At once, the sky opens and soaks everything, everyone runs for shelter, the footpaths turn to mud, to rivers, the trees shake, and water pours off leaves as if out of a jug, there is nothing dry....I could write for pages only about the rain, the way it falls, the different sizes of the drops and how they feel on your face, its taste and smell, and its sound. Indeed, I could write for pages only on its sound, on thatch, on leaves, on tin, on willow."

Laura's Visit

High Tea at Raffles Le Royal

Emily & Laura at Wat Phnom.

A Bundle of Contradictions

       This place remains to me a bundle of contradictions. Oddly enough, that is one of the few ways I can describe what I've observed in Cambodia thus far.

  The first example that comes to mind is the overwhelming bureaucracy woven into many businesses and most certainly ingrained in the Cambodian government. Contrast this to the general perceived notion that Cambodians are "lazy" (not my opinion but one shared by many!) and hardly get anything done. From what I hear about the work method at least in the province, it is not uncommon to have to shake an employee awake during work hours - meaning that this general notion is generally true. So we have bureaucratic freaks v.s. sleepy slackers. That being said, I believe that there is not one way to describe how Cambodians work because  the popular beliefs are incompatible.
       Next is the discrepancy between the rich and poor. Yes, flashing lights should be going off in your head because this is painstakingly obvious. In fact, according to the UN, the gap between rich and poor is among the greatest human rights challenges facing Cambodia. The gap is great, with the poorest 10% having only 3% of the income while the richest 10% have 35%. (Global Education) Hummers carrying an army size load of one passenger cruise next to motos escorting families of four and the family dog. Clean and brightly lit grocery stores comparable to ours in the US are situated not far from bustling markets, where the majority of K'mai buy their food. I once went to this huge grocery store with outstanding variety, but I was only one of maybe seven shoppers there. The statistic of the gap between the rich and poor shows that only few can afford to buy things off shelves in a pleasant setting. Beautiful, atmospheric, and expensive restaurants rival street stands selling fried ramen noodles. I often wonder what K'mai people even go to these restaurants. They are usually pretty empty or just have a few tables occupied by foreigners. However the rich K'mai do exist and they do go to the best cafes, restaurants, and stores; this I have witnessed. Overall, this discrepancy is by far the biggest contradiction. Hun Sen's immaculate and obscenely huge house complete with a helicopter landing pad overlooks the hundreds of struggling K'mai people who pass it everyday, probably either holding back their gag reflex or just indifferent to it all (as the Cambodian population is). The corrupt government has it all, but the country is still so poor.

  The final example that comes to mind now is just one of comparison, not contradiction, though you may find hints of inconsistency in it. One thing that kind of boils my brain here is the large ex-pat population. Try as I might, I can't find a statistic on the ex-pat population in Phnom Penh, but I do know it is big enough to get me thinking. It seems that of the numerous neighborhoods in Phnom Penh, I would say that two are entirely made up of foreigners. Some come to follow their dreams. Tons of international and Western restaurants are proof of this. Cambodia is relatively inexpensive and there's a lot of opportunity. Some come for work. With a stressed job market at home, many come here for high-up positions in companies they couldn't imagine being apart of at home. There's a need here. Others, more arguably, come for what seems like just plain old fun. I met an older Australian gentleman last week who's made a life here for 14 years. He has a wife, daughter, and easy part-time job, and he's just hanging out. He maintains an active nightlife with people years younger than him and uses the city as an excuse to do whatever he wants. No judgement here on my part, but what I'm trying to say is, Cambodians, take back your city!! Make it yours and be the most successful people in it! I would say that there are uncountable efforts to integrate the K'mai people in their own city and businesses, but I would feel like I'm lying if I didn't admit that it seems like Western influence has hit this city hard.

  I wouldn't say that the city is teeming with foreigners and is boiling over the edge with them, but the number of NGOs here is out of control. Many NGOs are trying to do the same thing as their counterparts or opponents, but waste time and energy because they all of their missions overlap. Their image is also contradiction; NGOs are seen as being more detrimental to Cambodia's development while also being praised for their hard work and progress. 
       These contradictions, or call them what you will, are not simple to dissect. I'm still figuring everything out here, and it's easy to overcomplicate ideas. I would like to perhaps revise my previous statements in saying that though everything may not appear to be a total contradiction, Cambodia is a land of extremes. On one end, I'd like to say that there are endless problems with seemingly no solutions and a system that is too confusing to break. On the other, I'd like to say that everything is developing here, slowly but surely, and I remain pleasantly optimistic.

Holiday in Kampot & Kep (Southern Coast)

On the Bokor Mountain and waterfall tour...

Bike ride through the province

Having our own K'mai family picnic by the ocean.

The famous and finger-licking good Kampot pepper crab. We went to the same restaurant as Anthony Bourdain. 

The river in in Kampot, a province and town on the southern coast.

Notes I've Gathered From Observations & Incidents in Cambodia

-"Hello Ambushes," a pharse coined by foreigners describing the frequent and sudden exclaimation of "HELLO," occur whenever a barang, or foreigner is seen.

-White skin is taken seriously here. I feel like "the white man" coming to an ancient civilization via extensive exploration of the world on the Mayflower. Okay, an exaggeration, but really, white skin is coveted. It's nearly impossible to find a lotion or body soap that doesn't include whitening ingredients. Also, children will caress my arm and say, "same same monkey!"

-Men pee everywhere - that is not an exaggeration, and I am talking about the streets and sidewalks of a big city! In broad daylight! One time I witnessed a child (over 5yrs.) pooping in a plastic bag on the side of the street. People surrounded him, but he had a radius of clear space around him. His mother just plopped him right over the bag! 

-It's low season for tourism. That means a very limited number of foreigners. Phnom Penh does have a huge ex-pat population though. I'd say that actually about 2-3 neighborhoods here are dominated by ex-pats. However, we live about 15-20min away from any of the fun or exciting restaurants, stores, etc. that are in any of those neighborhoods. Apparently our neighborhood, Boeng SaLang, is straight K'mai.

-Foreigners are honored here, whether they're invited into a home, to a meal, or to a wedding! I got Emily, Brain, and myself invited to a wedding reception of one of my co-workers whom I hadn't even met yet! 

-K'mai delicacies are not exactly what Westerners would consider to be delicacies. Spiders, grasshoppers, liver, frogs, snake, insects of all kinds, and my favorite, unborn or fetus duck egg. As gross as it is, a few of these delicacies actually portray some of Cambodia's recent tragedy. Food telling history. During the Khmer Rogue, most of the population who survived were forced into the countryside and jungles of Cambodia. There, they had to fend for themselves in terms of food; that meant literally anything edible. 

-The city/province deal of Cambodia is unlike any other country I've visited. So the "province" basically means the countryside, or anywhere except Phnom Penh. Cambodia is made up of many provinces, much like states, that are all pretty rural and situated entirely in nature. Essentially, the entire population is from these provinces and some have moved to Phnom Penh, making up the population of the city. Of course, some have been born and raised here, but for the most part everyone was born and has family outside the city. During the most recent holiday, PP was empty because everyone had gone home.

-Rice. Everyday, every meal, rice.

-Karaoke is everyone's favorite pass time or nighttime entertainment here. Especially the men.

-The average Cambodian's day is broken at 11AM when nap/lunchtime occurs and then commences again around 1PM or 2PM. I will say that they do wake up very early, beginning their day around 5AM or 6AM.

-The current ruling party of Cambodia, and the ruling party for about 30 years now, is the Cambodian People's Party. CPP signs are posted everywhere - on every corner of the city, and every few kilometers in the provinces.  You'd think with all that money alloted to posting huge signs everywhere that the government would have enough money to bring their people over the poverty line. Also, every government worker or official and their family members own Lexuses or other expensive, imported cars. As if that isn't enough, many put the logo of the vehicle in huge print on the side of the car. So as you're watching a tough, high-level government official driving around in the most soccer-mom transportation on this planet, you wonder if he really thinks he's cool with a big "RANGE ROVER" on the side of his car....lame.

-The rich/poor gap is out of control. I could go into further details but I'll save it for another post.

-For young adult men and boys alike, the metro style is favored amongst them. They have a lot of influence from Korean pop culture, but still, it's not exactly the most attractive look for any young man. Flamboyant haircuts, colorful and very tight clothing, and they're always topped off with a unique cap. 

-& finally, being harassed by tuk tuk drivers everywhere. The ones on our street have stopped bothering me once they realized that I just walk to and from work everyday. But I swear if I hear, "TUK TUK. LADY TUK TUK. TUK TUK LADY," one more time....