Dish: Breakfasts first kingdom
Breakfast: the most important meal of the day. But in the Kingdom of Wonder breakfast can often leave you wondering; when born and bred Phnom Penhites eat their first meal of the day they appear, to expat eyes, to be erroneously chowing down on their evening meal. Rice, noodles, mystery meats – a morning mash-up confusing enough to send even the most adventurous scurrying for the comfortable familiarity of one of the city’s numerous Western coffee shops. A caramel latte, a pain au chocolat, a bit of toast and jam: now that’s breakfast. It will also cost you about $10, thank you very much.
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My brother's killer
‘On the afternoon of the 13th, we thought we could hear a boat engine at intervals throughout the afternoon but we couldn’t be sure. Suddenly, a boat came in closer. I was about to go up on deck when the boat opened fire and sent some shots over our mast.’ – Kerry Hamill’s journal, August 13 1978.
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The ESL Scene in Cambodia – Part 2: Soft Landings, Getting a Job (and Keepin’ Your Sanity)
Soft Landings
Like most westerners who end up staying in Cambodia, I showed up with little to no plan of action, or much cash at all to speak of. If I wanted to experience life in the tropics of Asia, I was going to need to eventually find some work. Eventually was the key word when I first arrived. I had just left Korea after six years on the lam from post-university life responsibilities in the Korean ESL Machine. I was a well-seasoned classroom rodeo clown by the time I rolled into Phnom Penh. “If you can hack it in Korea, you can hack it anywhere,”
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Exciting Changes at NataRaj Studio New look, new teachers,same top quality promise
Krama Yoga and NataRaj Yoga are sad to say farewell to Oskar and Alison, two fantastic yoga teachers who have contributed so much to the yoga community over the two years they have been living and working in Phnom Penh. NataRaj offers a heart-felt thank you and wishes these two inspiring teachers all the best.
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New generation of Cambodian teenagers discovers telephone sex
PHNOM PENH (Cambodia Herald) - Seth Bunsath describes some of the language used when having telephone sex with his girlfriend. "Lip to lip, tongue to tongue ... rolling my tongue from her neck to her ear.”
Is it a new style? It may be for some, but Seth Bunsath said he's been engaging in telephone sex with his girlfriend for about five years already.
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Foreigners 'step over the line' by taking part in protests
PHNOM PENH (Cambodia Herald) - Foreigners 'step over the line' by taking part in local political protests as some reportedly did this week, a self-described long-term Western observer of Cambodia says.
Referring to a photo reportedly showing a Western woman in a headband with Cambodian protestors including children on Wednesday, blogger Casey Nelson says
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Release of 13 Cambodian Women a 'Victory for their Community'
Human Rights Organization Renews its Call on Authorities to Overturn 'Baseless' Convictions
(Washington, D.C.) -- Amnesty International said today the decision by Cambodia's Appeal Court to release 13 women imprisoned for peacefully protesting is a victory for their community, but called for their convictions to now be overturned.
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International Children's Day in Cambodia – 1 June 2012
When I started to write something about this special international day which is also a national holiday in Cambodia, I assumed that this would be a simple, straightforward affair – at least as far as its history is concerned. To my surprise, it turned out to be a fairly conflicting field.
I knew that there is controversy related to another case: while the First of May is celebrated widely by the international labor movement – considered by some as “communist” - but in many countries it is just a day to remember and celebrate the achievements of labor movements and to demonstrate for further securing of rights – in the USA Labor Day is observed as a United States federal holiday on the first Monday in September.
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The fireflies of Kampot
The waters of the Kampot River lapped at the sides of our long-tailed boat as we made our way north in search of one of nature's tiny nocturnal wonders.
The Kampot is full of fresh water in the river this time of year (in an interesting quirk of nature, the river running from Kep to Kampot and to the north is fresh water for six months, and salt water for the rest of the year), which means the phytoplankton aren't in the water to offer passersby a waterborne light show.
Not to worry. The fireflies are in charge of the night's entertainment.
Snow on the Tonle Sap
When Australian Aboriginal art meets Angkor, the result is stunning. From within a myriad of perfect dots, a jumble of Hanuman monkey warriors emerge in the shape of a sacred elephant storming to battle, its feet floating on a carpet of flowers and stars. Each flower alone is formed from at least four tiny dots of brightly coloured paint. Ian 'Snow' Woodford's work is even more remarkable because the working class Australian boy from Sydney is colour-blind.