An Evening on the Town

My friend Daniel went crazy after returning from Japan and decided to have a blowout of organized fun one Saturday night.

First, he organized a sunset boat ride on the Mekong, a veritable Phnom Penh tradition. It was something I had been wanting and needing to do, and we made it happen. In fact, in Rough Guide it’s listed as the #1 thing not to miss in Cambodia. You can rent a 100ft long boat for like $20/hour, buy a lot of beer and food, and have a cookout on the boat. I met a lot of Daniel’s expat friends from the past few years, and I feel a lot more connected socially as a result.


Daniel and Deborah on the boat

After flowing down the Tonle Sap river (bordering Phnom Penh), we turned up the Mekong, past nearly-floating villages (tiny wooden shacks floating on the river next to the riverbank), and up to a spot for swimming. At that spot, we watched the sun shrink behind the Phnom Penh horizon in a mélange of pinks and oranges. The owners of the boat boiled about 50 crabs, which looked delicious but which I could sadly not enjoy. I jumped off the roof of the boat into the water, which is questionably sanitary (I had a rash on my leg for a few days afterwards, but no big deal). The river’s current was deceptively strong, but manageable. More than anything, splashing around with new friends in the last light of day on the Mekong River in Cambodia was thoroughly enjoyable. I’m pretty lucky to be here.


On the Boat


A group of Khmer fishing boats on the banks of the Mekong


A floating house, fishing canoes, and small wooden huts on the bank


A short video of the boat ride along the Mekong. I quite like the soundtrack of Neil Young's "Keep on Rockin' In the Free World" in the background. It provides a good summary of the contrasts and internal struggles of working as a foreigner here. Are the people living along the bank and/or on their fishing boats truly free? Certainly we, as foreigners on the boat who work in Cambodia, are operating with a degree of freedom to our actions that is unfathomable for the people living along the bank (and, indeed, for most Cambodians). With a foreigner salary, we can do and access and live in a manner that is quite unattainable for most Cambodians (I am making at least twice as much as the average middle class salary here, on a volunteer stipend!)

We can keep on rockin' freely, but what are we doing here? How beneficial is foreign NGO/IO presence in this country, and especially in Phnom Penh? How do we truly help, and not make our experience here overwhelmingly parasitic or voyeuristic? How much is our presence alleviating the structural impoverishment that these riverbank dwellers face on a daily basis?

These are vital issues that I struggle with and that try to come to terms with. Sometimes this happens by believing in the work I am doing, by hoping that this work is supporting those in need (and I believe it does) and also that it will engender personal growth so that I can better serve others in the future. Of course, sometimes I react through denial, and sometimes by accepting that a certain action is voyeuristic. But these issues are a fine line that we, as foreigners living in Cambodia and in many parts of the developing world, must confront daily--the balance is a tricky one.



Sunset over the Cambodiana Hotel

We returned to Phnom Penh with the lights from the new Naga Casino growing ever closer. After I grabbed a quick bite (being unable to eat the crabs and all), I headed over to see the best (and only) English-language band in Phnom Penh that plays original music. They call themselves Betty Ford and the GT Falcons, and they sound something like Television mixed with the Replacements. A bunch of them are friends with Daniel and were on the boat trip. I’ve become friends with the guitarist Matt, who’s from Australia (as are half of the expats here). In the last week, Matt has taken to calling me “Dynamic Lee,” which I quite enjoy.


Matt and Sean on the Boat


Betty Ford and the GT Falcolns Poster. Even Roger Ebert is a huge fan!

Anyway, the show was pretty surreal because it was at this bar called Zeppelin Café, which is owned by this middle-aged Cambodian who has about 700 LPs from 1972-1979 in the bar—hence the name and theme of the bar. It felt so much like a small bar/music venue in the US that it was quite disorienting. Of course, adding weight to this sentiment was the fact that there were not too many Cambodians at the show besides the bar’s owner (who would’ve thought—Cambodians not digging English rock music). A lot of expats came to the show, and although the sound mixing and acoustics were terrible, we all seemed to have a great time. Watch out, BFAGTF will take the US by storm soon!

Phnomenally Disabled Volleyball

I met two documentarians from Brooklyn about a month ago (so hip!). They came into my office to film an interview with the director of the National Center for HIV/AIDS, Dr. Vun. He wasn't ready to see them, so they chilled in my office and I talked with them for about a half hour. Their main documentary is about a unique system in Cambodia (also practiced in a few other countries) whereby monks and pagodas are integrated into home-based HIV services (as community health workers) and provide social supports for these people. It makes sense--Buddhism is the oldest institution in most villages, and so utilizing this network has proved quite fruitful.

Anyway, one of the two of them, Scott, was also making a side-project documentary about the Disabled Volleyball League of Cambodia, which is apparently the best-run and least-corrupt sports league in Cambodia. There was a tournament the next day, so I met Scott at the court and I watched 3 matches.



These players are INCREDIBLE!



So how disabled are they? Some of them only had minor restrictions in their movement caused by polio or having been shot in the arm, but about 70% were landmine victims who had missing limbs or hands. The best disabled-volleyball spiker in the world was there, and he plays barefoot and is missing his right forearm. His ability is even more exceptional because, like in many countries, all Cambodians are taught to be right-handed. So he essentially had to learn to play volleyball, or re-learn how to play, in a counter-intuitive manner. A left handed spiker in Cambodia is a truly remarkable feat!





Below, the best spiker wins the point!



The whole day was pretty incredible and inspirational, and I was so surprised by the high level of play. Apparently Phnom Penh is hosting the world cup of Disabled Volleyball in Dec 2007--I won't be here. It's cool the things you learn that you never knew existed!

Last weekend, I was able to break away from my Clinton trip-planning duties to watch the championships in the one indoor court in all of Cambodia, at the Olympic Stadium in Phnom Penh. The Phnom Penh Sunway Dragons beat the Siem Reap DHL Eagles 25-15, 25-20, 25-17 (not absolutely certain about the score in that last set, but I think it's correct). It was a really exciting game, and the left-handed spiker for the Dragons (about whom I wrote above) definitely dominated with spikes and blocks.

The stadium, with a capacity of 2000 or so, was about a quarter filled. Despite the feeling of emptiness, the game generated a lot of excitement among those who were there, with people cheering shouting, clapping for good points. There were about 20 foreigners there, a lot of Cambodians, about 7-8 of the other teams in the league (I sat behind them for one set and it was like sitting in an enclosed smoking section—for athletes, those guys smoke a lot of cigarettes!). What was strange was that there were so many more Siem Reap fans, despite the game being in Phnom Penh. And the Siem Reap sponsors came out in droves—there were about 20 Cambodian DHL workers dressed in their daily uniforms cheering for their team! The Siem Reap fans were definitely the most vocal, shouting “SIEM REAP” every time they scored a point.

One other strange thing was the VIP section in the stands. Granted, it was the championships, and the His Excellency ……., the Minister of Social, Veterans and Youth Affairs (MoSVY) was in attendance. But I thought the Cambodian waiters dressed in tuxes serving soda, water, and hors d’ouvres was a bit overboard. I guess it is not so strange, considering the amount of corruption in most levels of government in this country, and considering that they wanted to show off at the Championship game, but I was certainly surprised.

But seriously, I haven’t seen that level of skill and intensity in a volleyball match in a long time (sorry if I offend any of my Team from the Block/Fellowship of the Bling team members with this statement).

You can check out a clip of Scott's footage here. Also, look at his "Hunting Dumplings" post--I ate lunch at this place with my Cambodian coworker Saingyouth last week and it was incredible!!!

Hell yeah, volleyball!

Water Festival Video

Look how tech savvy I am! I shot this video from the Riverfront on the last day of races.

Settling In

Finally, I’m starting to feel somewhat comfortable here in Phnom Penh, in terms of carving out a life for myself and getting used to the chaos (though acclimating to chaos might not be the most healthy thing in the long run). I’ve started Khmer lessons, will start working out next week, and I want to try to get onto the English-language radio station.

I've had a good week, and feel better about living here, for 3 reasons:

1. Water Festival this past weekend: Phnom Penh's population swelled from 1 to 2.5 million, as people flocked from the provinces to cheer on their teams racing on 50-person, sleek and narrow, hand-crafted boats, each with a coxswain and dancer! The festival celebrates the reversal of current on the Tonle Sap river--the Tonle Sap and Mekong meet in Phnom Penh, and during the rainy season the river rises so much that water from the Mekong pushes the current of the Tonle Sap up-river (to the Tonle Sap lake, the largest inland lake in SE Asia). It can do this because, well, Cambodia is really flat, especially between the Lake and Phnom Penh. The festival commemorates the beginning of the dry season essentially, as the Tonle Sap now flows towards the sea again. I went to a friend’s apartment on the river a few nights ago, and at night there were fireworks and boats with intricate colored-light displays of the seals of different government ministries (think Lite Brite design of Gov Ministry Seals!). Thousands of people were walking along the riverfront, playing games, buying little pieces of food to eat, and enjoying themselves--it was great! The social coherence, celebratory feeling and common goodwill emanating from foodsellers, firework-watchers, moto-drivers, and everyone else was remarkable.

2. Meeting great people. I met up with this guy Yazan. We were told to meet because he is a friend of a friend of Hannah Lantos. He just graduated from Duke, was actually their student Graduation Speaker, and is currently working with an NGO that runs an orphanage in Battambang. He's working on an ongoing Duke research project and is funded as a sort of 1-year post-bac fellowship. Battambang is 6 hours away, but he was here for Water Festival. It was so wonderful talking with someone my own age, going through similar changes at the same stage of life (adjusting to life after college). Everyone else here is at least 27, and while many are awesome, few are going through that one particular and difficult change. Also, he has been here 3 months, so it's inspiring to see how well he as adapted Cambodian life and how well he's learned Khmer. Something to strive for.

It was great to have such flowing and interesting conversations with someone who I could relate to so well. I hope there are others out here who aren't 6 hours away too.

On Wed night, Daniel invited me to dinner at his friends’ apartment, a beautiful, open space with great art on the walls, an atrium, and a spectacular balcony. Man, if only the French had stayed in power here, everybody would have apartments like this! Well, at least the wealthy, and then the underbelly of society would work for them, but at least they would be working in beautiful buildings. Please note the sarcasm in these statements; otherwise it would sound really insensitive.

Anyway, I had a great night of amazing food and conversation with 8 of Daniel’s friends here. They are all older, but are really fun and interesting, 2/3 of them work for NGOs, predominantly with orgs that combine the arts with the empowerment of children, or with environmental orgs. The others worked for the UN (UNICEF, UNHCR). Really fun, interesting, smart, and motivated people—hopefully I will see them increasingly in the coming months.

3. I decided to take a day trip out of Phnom Penh to this village called Oudong. It was my first time out of Phnom Penh, and it was soooooo refreshing. The village was an hour and a half away, and I rode with my friend and favorite moto driver Sophorn. He had never been to Oudong before either, so while he wasn’t a great guide, he really enjoyed himself. Out of flat and beautiful rice fields rises two small hills, on which a few pagodas sit. A trail has been constructed between them, and all along the way you pass chedis (mausoleums), one of which is filled with the ashes of a King. There were Buddhist offering sites all along with way, with giant Buddhas and other representative figures in many different shapes and forms (golden Buddha, wooden Buddha, reclining Buddha, and many others). Maybe the most interesting site was a pagoda that had been destroyed by the Khmer Rouge and was currently undergoing reconstruction. A giant yellow-painted Buddha was being reformed and held up by posts, and the roof had been destroyed. I was, in fact, walking through ruins, but recent ones rather than ancient ones.

There was also one mosque at the top of one of the outer hills. It had been there for 50 years, though it had also been gutted during the Khmer Rouge. Along the drive, I also saw about 4 mosques—Islam is the second-most practiced religion here, and has a growing presence. I want to find out more about Muslim culture and how it interacts with Buddhist culture here. The Kingdom of Cambodia is officially a Buddhist state, though it has a deeply entrenched history of Hinduism, and I wonder how the growth of other religions is impacting present-day Khmer culture.

At Oudong, there were so many beggars--amputees, the blind, the aged, children, it was very overwhelming, and there was one for about every 5 steps on the 509 steps on the staircase up the hill. One shrewd teenager came up to me and started fanning me, and then followed me and Sophorn the whole way. We couldn’t get rid of him, but the fanning was pleasant, even if I felt a little strange being so lavished with privilege. I gave him two dollars at the end, and all along the way gave some of the beggars—and all of the amputees—about a quarter each. There are money changers who change larger bills for the smallest currency so that people can distribute small amounts to more people, and to the Buddhist offering sites, along the whole route. But all in all, just seeing the way houses were constructed, the way people were living, and the forms of spiritually displayed at these important sites was very interesting, beautiful, and a refreshing change of pace to the chaos of Phnom Penh.

A Few Photos

You may click on these photos to enlarge them. ENJOY!



Independence Monument, only 4 blocks from my apartment. It commemorates independence from the French in 1953. At night it's quite beautiful, floodlit in red, white, and blue lights, the primary colors of the Cambodian national flag.
A street in Phnom Penh demonstrating disparities. Note the seemingly burned-out row houses in the back, with people living in every room possible. Contrast this with the Toyota Minivan in the foreground, with "Donated By" painted on its side. It was probably donated by a foreign NGO. Local and foreign welath shows its presence here and is a stark contrast to the deep poverty in which most Cambodians are immersed.

A view of the National Assembly. It is a truly beautiful piece of Khmer architecture (sorry for the tree obscuring the view!). My landlord works here (as a clerk, not as an assemblymen). His house and possessions speak to the utter corruption of the goverment--the family owns a Lexus SUV and many expensive house decorations and antiques.
Small fishing canoes coming in to dock on the banks of the Tonle Sap. The Tonle Sap and Mekong Rivers converge at the center (north-south meaurement) of Phnom Penh and form the eastern border of the city. The Riverfront area, which has been developed as a grassy boulevard with trees and shrines along the river, and with restaurants, bars, and hotels across the street, is located just north of the convergence--right on the Tonle Sap. Many of the owners of these small boats eat, sleep, and live on them, even families of 4 or 5.


This is a great shot of the Riverfront Area, Sisowath Quay. The elephant's name is Sam Bo. He leads an interesting existence. During the day, he is tied up at the base of Wat Phnom, a park that consists of a hill (the only hill in Phnom Penh) with a pagoda on top. He gives rides, eats bananas, and poses for photos all day while being tied up most of the time. Then, at rush hour, he is led on a walk through rushhour traffic down Sisowath Quay to his home. I think his home is behind the restaurant La Croissette, or maybe he just wears their banner (the red cloth on his back and sides) as advertisement for fun!
Sam Bo crossing the street.

A morning view from the apartment I lived in for 1 day. The view was what sold me on the place. I moved out because I felt uncomfortable, because the floor was slanted, because it was up 5 flights of stairs, and because I thought there were bugs crawling all over me in bed the night I stayed there! Don't worry, I'm not totally insane, and I'm happy where I am now. The Khmer architecture in the foreground is a pagoda, and the Japanese (Friendship) Bridge is in the background.A balcony view of an alleyway and typical housing in Phnom Penh.

In the foreground is an outdoor concert space. It serves as a parking lot most of the week, but performances and concerts take place in the early evening on Saturdays and Sundays. In the background, the bell-like structure is Wat Phnom.


The speaking panel at the Convocation Meeting for the Review of the 2006 Work Plan and the Revision of NCHADS's 2007 Work Plan. It was a two-hour long, painfully boring ceremony--even though translation was not simultaneous (it was made after each statement or group of statements), they turned down the microphones on those speaking English so that the Khmer in the audience would focus more on the Khmer translation. I cannot understand the Khmer, and could barely hear the English.

From left, Nicole Seguy, WHO who works at NCHADS; Dr. Mean-Chhi Vun, Director of NCHADS; Lizzie Smith, the head of health programs in Cambodia for DFID, the British Gov's development agency; Dr. Mambun Heng, Secretary of State for Health; Jonathan Ross, Director of health programs for USAID in Cambodia; Tony Lisle, Country Director for UNAIDS; and a man from the CDC.

A celebration for the grand opening of a guesthouse. This is on a street about 2.5 blocks from my apartment now. Similar tents are set up for many occasions--grand openings, weddings, and celebrations to gather offerings and donations for pagodas. They block off half of or whole streets, depending on the number of guests invited. All are colorful, with ornate and bright decorations, flowers, ribbons, and food.

Bats, or an Update on Khmer Cuisine

I’ve been having a bit of a bat problem at my apartment. And no, neither baseballs nor cricket balls nor shuttlecocks have been flying through my window. I’m talking about the most feared of mammals, the disease vector that we call bat.

It’s been a learning process trying to figure out exactly what they are doing and how long they are spending on my walkway. Luckily, they are not on the inside of the apartment. My landlord and I realized that they aren’t living there, because it’s too light during the day, and they would not be able to sleep. We know that they are fruit bats, because I find new, 3-in diameter fruit seeds on my walkway every morning, next to a pile of guano. What we don’t know, however, is how to get rid of them.

Bats can primarily give you two diseases. One is rabies. Most rabies cases in the US each year are caused by bats. I am not too afraid of rabies from the bats, because the only times I’ve been able to catch a glimpse them, it has been at night, and they flew away as soon as they felt the vibrations emanating from my footsteps.

The infection I am worried about, however, is Histoplasmosis. According to the Yolo County, California, Animal Control website, histoplasmosis is “a fungal infection causing a flu-like respiratory disease. It is contracted by breathing dust stirred up from areas where bat or bird droppings accumulate. The symptoms of histoplasmosis can become severe, and if left untreated can lead to death.” Anyway, histoplasmosis doesn’t occur in California, but in hot, humid climates that also happen to be dusty—CAMBODIA, on my unpaved street, especially as we are going into the dry season.

When you do a google search for “bat eradication” (I’m sure all of you have searched for this!), sites come up talking about the “humane” way of getting rid of them, creating a one-way door out of tarp. The problem is, they are not inside my house. Also, all we want to do is kill them! I bought two bottles of Raid and had my landlord’s helper spray it on all the surfaces we expected the bats to be living on, but the Raid dissipated too quickly and the bats are still here. Does anybody have any ideas????

Since the bat problem was not resolved, my landlord tried to convince me that there was no reason to worry. He said that our helper saw them, and that they in fact were not bats but “Chreung,” and that chreung were harmless. He said he couldn’t explain the difference, but that I should ask my Cambodian colleagues. So I did.

Response from my friend and colleague Sonyouth:

“Bats and chreung are the same. But one lives only in the provinces, I don’t remember which.”

Response from Seng, the IT guy at the office:

“They are similar to each other, but you cannot eat bats. You can eat chreung.”

Great! Then I shant worry about chreung because I can eat them! They must be as healthy as a well-fed cheetah!

Either way, we should kill them so we can eat them, Eating chreung is probably a safer bet than tarantulas, actually.

Anyway, Sonyouth followed up on the chreung dilemma for me. He text-messaged me today, writing that the direct translation of Chreung was “Big Bat.” In fact, these bats have a wingspan that is about a meter in diameter, much larger than most small bats I’ve ever seen. This also explains the size of the fruit pits they were eating.

I’m still trying to figure out a way to either make them fly away permanently, or kill them and have a grand-olde barbeque this weekend for Water Festival.

A Quasi-Thorough Report on Khmer Cuisine

Cambodia is a place that is both delectable and treacherous for my gastronomical needs. Khmer cuisine, for the most part, is succulent, vibrant, with a burst of divergent flavors in every bite—sweet basil, chilli, peanuts, fish, mint……all in one salad I ate today! I would describe Khmer cuisine as a mix between Chinese and Thai, not quite as spicy or satisfying as Thai food, but every meal I’ve had has been enjoyable. The delight of eating Asian food is sharing many dishes. Unfortunately, because I’ve eaten most meals alone, I’ve been quite limited in how many different dishes I have tried. Last night, for the first time, I ate Khmer food with two people, and in comparison it was a veritable feast—spicy papaya salad, a pumpkin and mushroom stir-fry with tamarind, basil, and chili, and the Khmer Specialty Fish Amok (but we had Tofu Amok). Amok is a thick coconut milk/peanut curry, wrapped in banana leaves and steamed. Truly incredible.

So the treacherous part—my allergies. Khmer cuisine uses egg in many, many dishes, but I haven’t had a problem avoiding this. Either way, my newfound egg allergies aren’t life-threatening. My worry is that Khmer cuisine is noted for the use of prahok, a type of fermented fish paste, in many dishes as a flavoring. When prahok is not used, it is likely to be kapik instead, a kind of fermented shrimp paste. I have not eaten any shellfish yet, but I’m constantly scared that kapik will be inserted into a dish of mine and I will die on the table. I always ask if there is any shrimp or shrimp paste, but the rest of my Khmer is so rudimentary that the possibility of a slip-up on my pronunciation or our mutual understanding is always in the back of my mind.

The one night I went out with my Cambodian colleague a week ago, I told him that I was allergic to shellfish, but his friends wanted to go to a seafood restaurant so away we went. I sat there while they ate fried rice with shrimp, roasted crabs, and other shellfish. At one point, they told me, “Stop staring at the stars [ie get your head out of the clouds] and start eating because soon the food will all be gone.” I wasn't daydreaming, only thinking about whether even being in such close vicinity to it was fine. Whether someone’s sumptuous bite into a juicy shrimp would squirt into my mouth and I would go into anaphylactic shock. Ok, I was being neurotic, but whatever. Well, I was fine, I ate some nice roasted fish and plain rice, drank my first ever grass jelly drink (a brown-black drink with jelly/bubble-tea-esque clumps at the bottom).

At dinner that night, people from the street came into the restaurant hawking various food products to supplement the meal—you could choose from snails, insects, or roasted tarantulas (a delicacy here). I've been wondering whether I can eat insects and tarantulas, because, like crustaceans, they are arthropods--maybe I should just hold off.

I know, you're saying "OH MY GOD HOW COULD YOU NOT EAT TARANTULAS?!?!?!?!” So it goes.

Up and Running!

Welcome to my new blog documenting all the crazy, difficult, trifling and exciting details of my life in Cambodia!