Tag Archives: culture
Yesterday’s King Father Procession
Photos from yesterday showing the King Father’s procession passing onto Sotheros Boulevard and later at the Royal Palace as Norodom Sihanouk arrived to lie in state.
Conkers, Minnows and Elastic – Childhood Revisited in Cambodia
Last Friday I sat on the edge of a desk, surrounded by the stench of half-eaten pizzas and sticky pools of splashed Fanta. It was the day of end-of-year parties. The bossiest girls from each class had collected a few…
Poll: How Much Should You Pay for an Engagement Ring for a Cambodian Woman?
A number of months ago, I was reading some kind of “men’s interest” magazine. No, not porn. One of those magazines like GQ or Men’s Journal that teaches you how to tie a bow tie and bait a hook and…
The Phnom Penh Street I Call Home: Rue 444 (2)
Our favourite moto driver is Eng, an old smiling man that takes me to work in the morning and gets to the exact point on 163 before waiting for me to request continuing that way in case I ask to…
The Street I Call Home: Phnom Penh, Rue 444 (1)
I am in no way a hardened traveller; my feet have not trotted this globe. There are so many places I may never see and some that I may, but there is no rush – this is my base, my…
Memoirs of a Grizzled Expat 10: Volunteering Part 2
I’ve been recounting my attempts to ‘make a difference’ through seeking out worthy educational projects that help poor children. One I had immediate reservations about; the other seemed perfect, and in this entry I get rather carried away in my…
Jumping the Line in Cambodia
Cambodia is larded with queuejumpers and they are never the source of much merriment amongst the expat community: white knuckles, clenched fists and gritted teeth are my usual response as the local man, and it’s always a man, muscles his…
Khmer New Year Number 3
After having crossed the calm river on the passenger ferry, and having ridden the dirt tracks past hay houses, slim cows and countryside pagodas we arrive at my partner’s family house in Lovea Aim District, Kandal Province. It is my third Khmer New Year trip here. Continue reading
Prahok: My Secret Addiction to Cambodia’s Infamous Fermented Fish ‘Cheese’
For the past few weeks, I’ve been staying in a guesthouse in Phnom Penh, writing every day in the restaurant downstairs, and trying to get the printed version of my book sorted. It’s a relaxing place, filled with backpackers all…
Memoirs of a Grizzled Expat 17: White Knight Syndrome
18 Comments
As my sweetheart set off for her homeland on New Year’s Day to deliver the final payment to the bent cops who were threatening to evict her parents, she instructed me to visit her workplace to find out the current…