Crime is on the increase. Whether it's due to the magical disappearance of the amusement park on Sisowath Quay (a former favorite teenage hangout), or the new appearance of a growing middle class, some Khmer teenagers have begun to take to the streets with guns.
This last Saturday two Australian Ex-pats were walking home after dinner in the BKK neighbourhood and were stopped by a young man on an expensive bike with a very large handgun. He spoke one word of English to them "Money", took their cash, wallets, sense of safety and sped off.
Ready to kill the next vendor who says "Sir, you buy trouser"? That's okay, we've all been there, too, and help is at hand. If you're in desperate need of a shot of crass western consumerism, try one of these places.
Orange-robed monks are a dime-a-dozen on Phnom Penh's streets. According to Jordyan Edmiston and local monk Nhean Pov, they are always up for a good chat.
Take a stroll around Phnom Penh on any given Sunday, and you are bound to encounter a pack of teenaged monks,hanging in the afternoon sun or cruising the museum scene. More likely than not, they will smile at you, ask you where you are from, and inquire if you like Cambodia. Embrace them in conversation and you'll come to learn that Khmers choose the cloth over the conventional for different reasons than young men and women in the west.
On the quest for enlightenment, Oliver Martin finds higher ground on Vietnams Yen Tu.
"Although you may practice Buddhism for 100 years, you cannot attain enlightenment without reaching the summit of Yen Tu," say the Vietnamese pilgrims who visit Dong Pagoda, Yen Tu mountain, 120 kilometers north-east of Hanoi.
While the view may be beautiful and the breeze spiritual, it is the adventure of getting to the summit of this mountain in Quang Ninh Province where the fun is to be enjoyed.
Opening 6 - 9 pm, Wednesday, June 6
At Java Café & Gallery
Drawings by Valentina DuBasky since 1994
Artist talk to be announced...
Legal terms I've come across.
Amicus Curiae.
Amicus curiae (plural amici curiae) is a legal Latin phrase, literally translated as "friend of the court", that refers to someone, not a party to a case, who volunteers to offer information on a point of law or some other aspect of the case to assist the court in deciding a matter before it.
-Wikipaedia
Tucked away on the southern section of Monivong Boulevard, this small and unassuming shop front restaurant represents real value for money and indeed offers "a taste of Singapore", yet with an atmosphere reminiscent of Sunday dinner with the family, Asian style.
Cambodian National Volleyball League (Disabled) As part of the ongoing expansion of the National Volleyball League competition, the CNVLD is pleased to welcome the Anlong Veng Austcare Lions to the national volleyball family. Set at the foot of the Damrek Mountains on the Northern Cambodian - Thai border, Anlong Veng gained notoriety in the late 1990s as the impenetrable guerrilla base of Pol Pot and Ta Mok.
The Secretary
So you've been working off your laptop in bars and hotel rooms for long enough now, and you've decided to take the plunge and open an office in Phnom Penh to help your business grow. Your company registration is coming along and all your paperwork is in order so it's off to the estate agent.
Cambodia is to stage its biggest ever international music event with a concert by world-wide singing sensation Ronan Keating.
Ronan (30) - famous for number 1 selling songs 'If Tomorrow Never Comes', 'Life's a Rollercoaster' and 'When You Say Nothing At All' as well as his work with platinum selling boy band Boyzone - will perform at a special concert to be held at the Indoor Arena at the Olympic Stadium on May 9th 2007. The performance is expected to start at 7.30pm (1930).