If that was a week in Sihanoukville, then I guess I’ve had it! Today I start the journey home in time for work on Monday afternoon. Partly to have some down time and partly to avoid the seediness and desperation in the tourist areas, we chose to stay near the private beach of our basic … More When the War Was Over
After spending more than ten years in the same job – which I loved very much – I was well and truly ready for a change. But being slightly older, settled and happy made for a very cozy comfort zone. One friend jogged me into action. Prompted by regular ambiguous references to my imminent Long … More From Comfort Zone to Coconut Mission
The other night we went to Sandan Restaurant in Sihanoukville for dinner. Very young apprentice waiters and waitresses, many quite hesitant and nervous, served us under the watchful eye of a slightly older, more confident and experienced young supervisor. Occasionally the apprentices would approach us independently and occasionally the supervisor would accompany them to our … More Templed Out
The roads leading out of Phnom Penh are chaotic with many traffic sights. Traveling south on the bus I had my camera ready and snapped many pictures, occasionally noticed by subjects who happened to realise what I was up to through the bus window and who without fail responded with an amused smile from their … More A Parable From Paradise
Yesterday four of us (2 Australian, 1 French and 1 Slovakian) cycled a 70km journey through the Cambodian countryside. We had two aims. First, to experience the fairytale scenic villages along the shores of Kampong Cham, including a visit to a beautiful temple complex. Second, to visit a young patient who was sent home from … More Cycling in the Countryside
When it’s time to plant and grow the rice, it’s time for Barang to take a lot of photographs ~ Me, July 2014 Our current pre-language-class routine happens at the end of three work days per week. One, two or three of us meet three of our young students at the office, wander past another location to … More Rice and Resistance
In Cambodia alone there are thousands of hammocks slung between trees on the shores of the Mekong. I see them all the time, many positioned in fairytale-worthy locations. But there’s always poverty. I am sure it gets boring hearing this from the First World where I am well aware how difficult it is to envisage … More Hammocks on the Mekong
When Minnie picked me up at Dili Airport in October 2012 and drove me to their home near the centre of the East Timorese capital I was agape the whole way, at the sights of overcrowded vehicles, casual road rules, animals in traffic, etc. I kept pointing things out to her in case she hadn’t … More Being Barang
In stark contrast to the realities of desperation in poverty, I read this article in the New Yorker which is also worth sharing. Moaning Moguls James Surowiecki July 7, 2014 The past few years have been very good to Stephen Schwarzman, the chairman and C.E.O. of the Blackstone Group, the giant private-equity firm. His industry, … More Moaning Moguls
The amount of unaffordable debt that I hear about here, is staggering. Very many Cambodian families go into debt in order to pay for health care, which is usually unavailable unless the charges can be paid, but with so many people living on or under the poverty line, paying bills is not possible unless a … More Vulnerability
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