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From the Tonle Sap to Psaa Kandal - Nathan Horton
Life starts early on the Tonle Sap. With the first glimmers of light creeping over the horizon come the first sounds of distant diesel engines coughing and spluttering their way towards Sisowath Quay. Eerie silhouettes emerge from the darkness to reveal small fishing vessels of the simplest construction. The engine cuts out and the boat glides towards the riverbank.
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Film Frenzy
Over the last two weeks we've seen the Environmental Film Festival, the Refugee Film Festival, and Cambofest. Now that the dust has settled, Cambofest has presented some awards to their entrants. Two standouts were a locally produced animated vignette and a biographical drama on Ros Sereysothea.
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In her own words - inside S-21 from a woman's perspective
This week a woman came forward claiming to be the first female survivor of Toul Sleng Torture Center ever located. Although Documentation Center of Cambodia director Youk Chhang says doubts remain about Chim Math's story and whether she was actually staff or a prisoner, Math insists she never worked at Toul Sleng and only discovered hell when she was sent there and has questioned whether the doubts might be triggered by feelings that women like her should not have survived. People familiar with Vietnamese documentation of S-21 after 1979 say the Vietnamese would not mistake staff for victims.
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Phnom Penh Post Sold
Months, years of speculation and rumors are over.
The Phnom Penh Post, Cambodia's oldest English - language newspaper, has new owners.New co-owner Ross Dunkley confirmed the buy to expat-advisory.com (EAS), but did not speculate on the $500,000 price tag for the paper being touted by local media.
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Comfortable old favorites at the Rising Sun
Friday night at the Rising Sun is country music night. In fact, if the mood takes management, Thursday and Saturday nights might be heavy on the sounds of Johnny Cash et al as well. The pictures on the walls are from a past era in more ways than one - Minder, mods, scooters and The New Avengers.
But the Sun, as it is affectionately known, has stood the test of time for nearly a decade, and this English pub grub-style restaurant run by a long term expat Aussie never disappoints with its food.
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Dengue fever hitting record highs
For Cambodians, dengue fever is a serious childhood disease, although, if they survive, most will have been exposed to all four strains of the virus by adulthood and have developed some degree of immunity. For most foreigners the mosquito-borne disease remains a risk throughout life. Because there are so many strains, a previous infection with the virus does not guarantee immunity and in some cases a second infection with a different strain can prove more serious than the first.
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Pol Pot makes an eBay appearance
Psst - want to buy a genocidal maniac's used car? Thanks to eBay, this rare claim to fame is now possible. For a mere 35,000 pounds ($72,000) minimum bid, Pol Pot's alleged former stretch limo could be yours.
"Currently on display at the famous French colonial Renakse hotel (Monireth Boulevard) - opposite the Kings' Royal Palace, the car was discovered by a previous editor of the Phnom Penh Post being used to transport water melon's to the Central Market (Psar Thmei) ... The current owner purchased the car in 2001 and has painstakingly restored it to its current glory.", eBay Says.