Phnom Penh's Pyongyang Restaurant in slate.com

I noticed a spike in readers visiting my blog post Pyongyang restaurant - about our April 2007 visit to the restaurant in Phnom Penh. Curious.

So I googled and lo and behold, Slate just published a an article on the same restaurant (now in a different location, since the restaurant has moved - but it is still on Monivorng if I am not wrong). I did notice Siem Reap's Pyongyang restaurant had closed last year and Slate offers and explanation:

"A year ago, the Pyongyang restaurants in Cambodia and Thailand suddenly closed their doors, only to reopen again after a six-month hiatus. [Bertil Lintner, author of Great Leader, Dear Leader: Demystifying North Korean Under the Kim Clan] cited an Asian diplomat in Bangkok saying the restaurants, like all "capitalist" enterprises, were hit hard by the global economic crisis, but locals familiar with the establishment in Phnom Penh offered another explanation. One worker at a nearby business said Pyongyang closed after a dispute with a Cambodian customer who tried to take one of its North Korean waitresses out for "drinks" after dinner."

I would not be surprised, especially if that customer was a powerful "niak thom" (literally "big person").

Read full article here. PS: Photo-taking is supposedly prohibited at the restaurant but give credit to Slate for this one!

Steung Meanchey

I accompanied a friend a while back to the Steung Meanchey local police station (called "sangkat" in Khmer), where she was applying for her ID card. The police station was packed with people that weekday morning. To speed things along, my friend paid a bribe. On the spot the local policemen expedited the processing of her case.
I also saw these two boys squatting next to a strange-looking thing, which my friend told me is a musical instrument. The boys were waiting for their ride and my friend urged me to give them money, which I did, because I felt embarrassed.

Steung Meanchey is infamous for the only rubbish dump in Phnom Penh. It is a terrible, terrible place and you can find out more about the people living there from Canadians helping Cambodian youth. If you are really interested, you can google "Steung Meanchey" and you'll find photos of hell on earth. I will not link to any, because I get angry at photographers who see the dump as a photo opportunity, but do nothing once they've taken their "human interest" shots and leave the dump.

But there are good people helping the community at Steung Meanchey Dump, such as Nuon Phymean, who was chosen as a candidate for CNN's Hero 2008. You can vote for her here heroes.cnn.com and visit her organisation here. Photo of Nuon Phymean from mongkol.wordpress.com.

Phnom Penh - second worst historic city to visit

Phnom Penh was voted 2nd worst historic destination in
National Geographic's 2008 "Places Rated" Destination Stewardship survey!

Why am I not surprised...I've met people who have described the place as "a dump", a "shithole" etc etc. However it is not for its pollution or rubbish or cramped streets packed with motorbikes that earned PP the distinction. NatGeo says it is because of "government indifference". That's why we moved from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap after a year and a half, although I think Siem Reap will soon be on the list. Lack of regulation means hotels, guesthouses, restaurants etc are sprouting up everywhere and anywhere.

Number one on the NatGeo survey is Central City, Colorado. I've never been, only to the Grand Canyon in Arizona which is a gorge carved by the Colorado River. It seems casinos have moved in and changed the character of Central City (I'm curious to see how casinos will change Singapore's character when they open next year)

While we are on the topic, I wonder where Dubai stands...

Water Festival

Today my friend Sophon invited Alan and I to join his family at the riverfront to celebrate the Water Festival. The festivities last three days, during which the biggest draw is the boat race. Alan and I had watched the race on TV the day before, the first day of the festival, and we found four Cambodian channels that broadcast the race ‘live’. Sophon tells me a million people from the provinces troop down to Phnom Penh for the festival and to support their teams. The boats represent the different provinces and they train for a year for this race which takes place on the Tonle Sap. Sophon says the boats cost a thousand US dollars each and the military has its own team and apparently so has Prime Minister Hun Sen! We also saw an all-woman team.

The boats are long and reminiscent of the dragon boat race that takes place in Singapore. I counted over 60 people on each boat. They paddle really fast and it was nice to watch the different coloured boats try to outdo each other. I have to say, though, it was not really exciting for me because I had no idea what was going on. There were so many boats (I think there were 400) and I just had no clue who was from where and who was winning. For us (we sat on the roof terrace at the FCC or Foreign Correspondents’ Club), it was just a change because there was some action on the river. As it got dark, the FCC was packed to the brim with mainly tourists and expats. At 5:30pm, 9 boats all lit with brilliant lights started to float pass. They each represent Cambodia’s various government bodies: the king, the senate and national assembly, the ministry of justice, the ministry of defence etc. The last one, however, represented ANZ Bank. We did not stay for that but the very thought that a commercial entity can sponsor a boat which really is out of place is upsetting.

Alan was disappointed because he thought it would be like the Water Festival in Thailand where people actually do something with water (they throw it at you!). Our friend Heng, tells us the festival is to celebrate the Khmer victory over the Champa Muslims many, many years ago. The Champa Muslims used to have their own country but are dispersed now. Sophon tells us the boat race had started out as a race within the Cambodian navy, but then expanded. Sophon also related the tale of the rabbit in the moon (the moon was almost full that night). I can’t remember the story but I had heard a similar one when I was a child in Singapore.

The crowds at the riverfront were amazing. I had never seen so many people in Phnom Penh before! This is the only time when Phnom Penh gets so crowded, because during the other big festivals like Pchum Ben and Khmer New Year, Cambodians return to their provinces.

We had walked from Independence Monument because no vehicles are allowed from there on (but some large SUVs and motos were seen being let through). It was great! I love pedestrian walks where you can walk in peace. What was truly amazing was how Cambodians automatically walked on the right side of the road, so that people heading in one direction stayed on their side of the road. Alan and I were saying this would never happen in Singapore. In Singapore, there would be utter chaos as people walk all over the place in their bid to get to their destination quickly. Perhaps it is because of our notorious kiasu (“afraid to lose” in Hokkien) syndrome. Singaporeans are well-known to be so competitive, we have to win at every little thing. There is even a cartoon, Mr Kiasu, that chronicles how kiasu we are.

Singaporeans’ inability to keep to their side of the path has led to shopping malls in Orchard Road having to hire security guards to ensure we follow the rules. This happened after chaos ensued and a couple of fights broke out in the underpass linking Takashimaya and Wisma Atria on Orchard Road one year during Christmas. I’m laughing as I write this because it’s so silly you just got to laugh.

There are also free concerts in the park everywhere, and Khmer movie stars and singers do their part. Saveth says a Singaporean singer will be participating in the concert held at the Olympic Stadium, but he forgets the name. I am curious and pleased about this singer. On Hun Sen Park near Independence Monument, you can sit on the grass and watch the concerts and buy drinks and snacks from vendors who are everywhere. Saveth says it costs USD100 a day to rent a stall by the river. It is expensive and he says companies do it for advertising, rather than to sell their goods.

For three days, at 4pm, the king comes out of his palace to join in the celebrations. Then at 6pm there are fireworks. We watched the fireworks from our roof terrace yesterday, together with Vee, our new housekeeper and Austin, our International Puppy of Mystery, who has doubled in size. I liked the display and the fact that Cambodians can enjoy fireworks just like the rest of us. Alan says, “bread and circuses, bread and circuses”, the people have to be entertained. He is loathed to think about the cost of the fireworks.

We walked home from the river and stopped by a Khmer-run fast food restaurant that was packed. It was cheap food: hotdog 3000 riels (USD0.75), pizza for one for 4000 riels (USD1) and beef with rice and a fried egg for 6000 riels (USD1.5) and very popular with the locals. By now, at 8pm, it was much harder walking home because the crowds had grown and it became quite stressful. As usual, Alan the white man, attracted much attention, and many Khmers said ‘hello’ or ‘what is your name?’ to him. I sometimes get jealous of the rockstar treatment he gets (I’m Asian and so people aren’t as interested in me).

All in all, it was nice to experience the Water Festival and it was really nice to see how Khmers join each other in having fun—they seem to love the crowds and the bustling atmosphere. For us though, it was too much excitement—we’d probably stay home next year.

What are the rules?

It’s 2:20am. First time I have been up in the middle of the night in a while. Just heard the sound of someone throwing cans about. Must be the Korean restaurant two doors away. It’s such a noisy street during the day it drives me crazy. I’m also constantly worried that Alan will not be able to put up with it especially coming from Scotland, where there’s plenty of personal space and quiet.

During Pchum Ben, some Vietnamese kids and their chaperons somehow decided to start playing badminton on the street just in front of the house. I don’t even know where they came from. For three days they drove me crazy with their screaming. It is easy to identify the Vietnamese language because it is so distinctive. Sunday was the worst and I had to lock myself upstairs in order to stop myself from battling with the noise-makers. I am still unsure about personal space in this country. You often see people playing badminton in the streets in the evening, but don’t they usually play outside their own homes? Or can people play anywhere they want and the rest of us just have to put up with it? What are the rules?

I remember being very miserable that day, wondering how I can live here. Maybe it is just the location. The posh NGO area of BKK1 is probably quiet enough. Thankfully Alan called. He suggested I get Boret the guard to speak to them. Good idea, why didn’t I think of it? Except Boret is back only on Wednesday. I gave him a week off to see his family in Kratie. Everyone tells me it is too much, everyone gets only 3 days at the most and everyone starts work on Monday. It’s the Singaporean in me. I give Boret 2 weeks holiday a year as per Singapore standards. And anyway, he works 7 days a week (if you can call it work, because it mostly entails sleeping!)

There are two types of guards here—the professional ones (MPA is the biggest and most established and rumour has it, has the backing of the government and therefore the Cambodian police) whose guards are on 2-hour shifts, ensuring they are wide awake. It’s relatively pricey to engage their services, about US400 a month, I was told. The big NGOs and restaurants employ them. Then there are the house guards, local men who sleep within the compound of the house (Boret sleeps in the car port). They act mostly as deterrents because none of them has weapons in case of a real break-in. In fact that was our first concern--“Does Boret have a weapon?” I asked Tra, Dr Thadaran’s son. (Dr Thadaran, a dentist, is our landlady and Boret is her stepbrother), “Because I don’t want him to get hurt in an attack.” Tra seemed genuinely surprised by the question. I guess attacks are rare because it’s mostly petty thieving that goes on here. Riverkids just down the road, for instance, lost 2 bicycles and a ladder.

Have barely been here in the hall downstairs for 10 mins and have been bitten to buggery. Damn mozzies. Another thing I dislike about Cambodia. People here just do not have a clue and I can hardly blame them. Even squeaky-clean Singapore has a mosquito problem. Poor Alan and my mom contracted dengue fever last year. I remember feeling so horribly guilty for Alan’s dengue. He would have never got it in Scotland.

The neighbour behind us here has a huge jar that has filled up with rainwater and plastic bags and other litter. Dad went to check and found it full of mosquitoes. What to do? Speak with them and explain how mozzies breed? Or just take a hammer and smash the jar? I don’t know. I want to talk with them but I can just see their expression—it’s just mosquitoes, you dumb barang. Most Cambodians believe adults do not get dengue or malaria and certainly do not die from it. Mozzies are just a minor nuisance. Whenever I complain about mosquitoes, the people who work with me just look at me like I’m mad and making a mountain out of a mozziehill.

I have just been absolutely exhausted. I seem to need a lot of sleep here. My friend Jacq was telling me about some virus making the rounds in Singapore that leaves you exhausted before striking again and repeating the cycle. Sounds exactly like how I feel!

Oh well, time for bed. Will try to get some sleep because tomorrow I have to speak with one of the women who did not turn up for work today and did not inform anyone of her absence. I've had a gut feeling she would be trouble since day one. I still hope I am wrong about her.