My first rainy season

The rainy season in Cambodia wasn't all that rainy. Occasionally we'd get a storm and I'd have to drive my motorbike through knee-deep water to get home, but all in all it was mild. I considered myself lucky after seeing what happened in China and Pakistan.

Other parts of Southeast Asia weren't so fortunate. Super Typhoon Megi crushed the Phillipines on the the way to the mainland. It was the most powerful storm in this area in two decades and that, my friends, is saying something. A super-typhoon is like a monster category five hurricane. I expected to get rain from the edges of the storm but aside from a light shower here and there we got nothing. Meanwhile, a town in central Vietnam got three feet of rain. From one storm.

But when it rains here, boy, does it ever rain. When it rains the classrooms are empty. You can't blame the students for not coming when the water is two feet deep in the streets. There was a big storm before my 6 pm class one night. Only three of 22 students arrived. I had planned a group activity. We still did it, but there was only one group! Here are intrepid students Samrith (white shirt), Gueak Ly (pink) and Huy Sreang (black).



You can see what look like stains on the back wall. It's water coming through the wall. It was raining so hard that water was seeping through the walls and puddling on the floor. Water seeped in behind the map, soaked through the cardboard backing and ruined it. There are water droplets on the inside of the glass. Here's a closeup of the back wall.


Now the weather is quite cool and pleasant. It gets hot during the day but not oppressively so. On some mornings and evenings when I'm riding my motorbike I actually get a little chilly. It's such a nice change. I remember what it was like when I arrived in April, which is the hottest month. Locals and longterm expats said it was the hottest April they could remember. And again, my friends, that is saying something. I am not looking forward to April...

Merry Christmas, Khmer style

The main roads in Phnom Penh are named after kings: Sihanouk, Norodom, Monivong, etc. Sihanouk and Norodom intersect at the roundabout which encircles the Independence Monument, which is modeled after the towers of Angkor Wat. All of the main thoroughfares and the monument are decorated with Christmas lights.

Shops and restaurants that cater to foreigners are decorated and some even have Christmas trees. Supermarkets sell Christmas decorations. Even businesses which are owned by and cater to Cambodians get into the spirit.

I noticed it in Thailand too. One of the main reasons people go to Bangkok is to shop in their swanky malls. The Christmas decor in the malls is over the top in a way that would shame their American counterparts. It got me thinking...

In America we like to wring our hands about the commercialization of Christmas but it seems everyone loves Christmas, which is (or is supposed to be) a Christian holiday. Which makes the Christmas overload all the more extraordinary in this part of the world. According to the CIA website this is the breakdown of the Cambodian population by religion:

Buddhist 96.4%, Muslim 2.1%, other 1.3%, unspecified 0.2% (1998 census)

Notice anyone missing? People are bonkers for Christmas in a country where, for all intents and purposes, there are no Christians! The numbers are similar for Thailand:

Buddhist 94.6%, Muslim 4.6%, Christian 0.7%, other 0.1% (2000 census)

I think part of the reason is that, whatever complaints we might have about Christmas overload, it really is a fun time of year. Who doesn't like getting gifts? I believe the Buddhist culture of tolerance has much to do with it. I hope I don't step on any toes by pointing out that other religions aren't quite so willing to embrace or even allow other traditions.

The end of war

I don't follow the news as much as I should, so I missed this one. One of the longest-running, bitterly-fought wars in recent memory has apparently come to an end. In a move that will affect virtually every man, woman and child in the world, mortal enemies have made peace.



I bought this at a local supermarket. I'm not sure how this could have happened. I can't imagine Coke and Pepsi both using the same canning plant. You know you're living off the radar, though, when you see things like this.

There isn't a McDonald's in Cambodia. My students have never even heard of it. There are copycat fastfood places like Lucky Burger and BBWorld but the only American fast food chain here is KFC, although there are rumors Burger King is coming.

There isn't a Starbucks here. In fact, it was big news when a Gloria Jean's opened here a few months ago. There are coffee shops aplenty -- I'm sitting in one now! -- but Gloria Jean's is the first American company to set up shop here. In Bangkok, by way of example, there is a Starbuck's approximately every eight feet.

My abiding impression of Bangkok, though, is how many 7-11's there are. You have to see it to believe it. Far more than in any US city. There is an intersection in Silom, the financial district -- where the protests were centered a few months ago -- where there is a 7-11 on all four corners.

There are no copyright laws in Cambodia so shops can freely sell bootleg CDs. Kids walk the streets selling books to tourists that have been photocopied. These are actually impressive operations. Even the color maps and photos inside the books are faithfully reproduced. A Lonely Planet travel guide that would cost you $25 in a bookstore can be bought on the street for three or four dollars.

As I mentioned, KFC is popular here, so popular that it's spawned its own copycats. Someone had the clever idea of opening a Louisiana Fried Chicken here. KFC's lawyers would have the place shut down in about five minutes if they tried to open in the US!

One of the benefits of living in a relatively out-of-the-way country is being relatively beyond the reach of corporate America. In a previous post I wrote about the famous YakDonald's in Kagbeni, Nepal.


You know you're in a remote location when the McDonald's legal machine leaves you alone! While in Nepal you will see North Face gear literally everywhere. Except it's not North Face. There is an official North Face store in Kathmandu, which sells the genuine articles at genuine prices, but the vast majority of it is knockoffs. You can walk down the streets in Kathmandu or Pokhara and see people sitting at sewing machines embroidering the logo onto cheap fleeces, gloves, hats, etc.

On the Annapurna Circuit I spent a night in the North Face lodge in Jagat, which has no affiliation with North Face aside from the faithfully reproduced logo. Which begs the question, why is North Face the knock-off brand of choice? My theory is it's partly name recognition but mostly the simplicity of the logo.


The sans serif font is simple and easy to copy. The geometric design is simple and easy to copy.

I am a dork

The Saturday before Halloween was a big night out in Phnom Penh. Bars and clubs that cater to an expat clientele had parties but few people went out in costume. The girls at my favorite restaurant, Metro, all wore wigs. So did the guys...


Here I am with Ponlok. Normally he is breaking the hearts of tourist girls because he's a fit, good-looking guy who is also happily married with two adorable kids. He didn't break any hearts this night. Except mine, when I saw this photo on facebook!

Afterwards I joined the Metro crew at St Tropez, one of the the more upscale nightclubs in town. One girl showed up in costume. Sort of. She was wearing traditional áo dài, the traditional silk clothes Vietnamese women wear, and a nón lá, the traditional Vietnamese bamboo hat. I don't think a Vietnamese girl wearing Vietnamese clothing qualifies as a costume but, hey, give her points for at least making an effort.

One of my Cambodian friends, Sokim, was modeling the Vietnamese girl's hat for a photo. Kunika and Hengsuch decided they wanted to get in on the action.


You may remember Sokim from a previous post, in which I said she's the most gorgeous girl I have ever seen with my own eyes. Photos don't do her justice. Sure, you can see her perfect bone structure, but you can't get a sense of her poise and elegance.

She's not looking so elegant here. But at least she comes off better than I do. I was sending a text message to a friend making arrangements to meet at another club. Two gorgeous women are pretending to bite the boobs of my dreamgirl and there I am in the background with my nose buried in my celphone.

I am a dork.

ho ho ho

I'm sitting in the airport in Phnom Penh as I type this, waiting for my flight to start boarding. I fly to Seoul, where I will have a 12-hour layover. I've had entire vacations that didn't last that long. Ugh. Part of me thinks it would be fun to take a taxi into the city and explore for a few hours. But more likely I'll find a corner to curl up with a book and watch the minutes crawl by.

I arrive at BWI late Monday night. I'll be in the Balmer area for the holidays. I fly out of Dulles on January 5. I'm looking forward to seeing family and friends, although it will be a bit of a challenge since I will have neither car nor celphone. If you want to see me contact me through email, facebook or call me at my parents' house.

Your eyes do not deceive you

This is an actual photo of nine, count 'em, nine Cambodians on a motorbike. Gotta love the Cambodian child safety seat -- a bucket! I didn't take this photo. The most I have seen is six. I guess I need to look harder.

It was pointed out to me that we can't see what's on the other side, so there could be a whole batch o'baby buckets. I think it's more fun to imagine them holding grandpa like a rolled-up carpet.