Sunset at the Kep pier.
When I first came to Cambodia, I–like many expats–didn’t know a soul. I met Caitlin through a mutual friend, and a few weeks after I arrived she dragged me to Kep for a quiet weekend where we did very little other than laze around, eating seafood. I took this photo of Caitlin and the Kep pier at sunset. I wish I could remember what she was pointing at.
We’ve been doing expat Q&As for a while now, but this week’s is the first in an upcoming series of Q&As with expats that have been living in Cambodia for years and years. The old timers of the expat scene have the best stories to tell, so we’re delighted to feature them here, starting with Ken Cramer.
An Australian soldier about to board an UNTAC helicopter. Phnom Penh, 1993.
Ken originally visited Cambodia briefly in 1993 in the wake of the UNTAC-sponsored elections. He returned in mid-1994 and has been living in Cambodia for 19 years, now with his wife and two children. He worked as a teacher in Sihanoukville in the mid-1990s, an election observer in the eastern provinces in three national elections, has done occasional work in human rights and has been the publisher at Canby Publications since 1997.
MTC: How has Cambodia changed since you moved here 19 years ago?
KC: “Cambodia is a wholly different country from the one I knew when I first arrived.
When I taxied into Phnom Penh mid-1994, there was no street lighting or traffic control lights, motos and cyclos were ubiquitous, cars were few and tuk tuks unknown. Electricity outages were a regular occurrence lasting hours or days at a time, and monsoon flooding in the city was a given. Nights were dead quiet in the city save the occasional barking dog or report of a gun.
An Indonesian UN soldier guarding the entrance to UNTAC Headquarters in Phnom Penh.
The wars were still on, soldiers were everywhere and the Khmer Rouge regime was depressingly fresh in people’s minds. The national routes were all but impassable due to broken pavement and military checkpoints. The sound of gunfire (whether in anger or fun or to stop the rain) was a constant presence in the Phnom Penh night. Brothels operated openly across the city and ganja was sold by the bale at Phsar Chas.
Cambodia had a very military, very male, smuggler’s cove-feel to the whole country. Still, in the post-election glow of the 1993 polls hope was high amongst the Khmers and the few international businessmen here, but actual improvement and real investment would be slow to come.
As an expat back then, city services and supplies were extremely limited. Lucky Market, the only real international market in town, was there on Sihanouk just as now, but much smaller and the selection very narrow. Most shopping was done at the traditional markets. We used to ask friends to bring niceties like antiperspirant, candy bars and disposable razors from Thailand. Some hotels and bars had satellite TV, but for everyone else television was limited to a few local broadcast channels and bootleg VCR tapes.
An Irish police officer directing traffic in Phnom Penh, 1993.
There was no Internet, landlines were a semi-functional few and cell phones only just introduced. I used to get my news listening to BBC on the shortwave. There were no international flights to Siem Reap, and Sihanoukville had but one western bar and two backpacker guesthouses. There were a few foreigner-oriented bars and restaurants in Phnom Penh, but just a few–the Heart of Darkness, the FCC, the Cathouse, No Problem Cafe, Bert’s Books and maybe half a dozen others.
Things remained that way for the next few years.
The factional fighting of July, 1997 marked a minor turning point. Controls were tightened a bit and things felt a little less anarchic, but the business environment remained dismal and the Cambodian ‘Wild West’ carried on. The elections of 1998, formation of an internationally acceptable government and eventual defeat of the Khmer Rouge marked major normalizing change. Local investment and improvements picked up, in-country travel became easier and the Phnom Penh restaurant/bar scene expanded slightly, but the business and the expat scene did not start to take on its current form until the early 2000s.
Across from the main post office, Phnom Penh.
Post-2003, after the elections, is when real investment began as well as an explosion of restaurants, bars and shopping across Phnom Penh. The old brothel scene began to dry up in earnest, the choice of boutiques and finer restaurants expanded, bars multiplied like bacteria, not only the necessities but some of the niceties became available, more female expats began to arrive and things took on a comparatively more genteel, more varied, slightly more sophisticated atmosphere.
Cambodia for the expat, at least in the major cities, is now a wholly different place than back in the naughty nineties. There are now fashion boutiques and gallery showings, fusion restaurants and international discos, wine shops and single malts, tuk tuks and taxies, supermarkets and malls, credit cards and ATMs, the roads in the cities are smooth and fast and full of SUVs and new motos, everybody’s got a cell phone and WiFi is common–differences as stark as night and day. (Granted, it is not yet as developed as Thailand…and thank goodness for that.)
The old days of the Cambodian Wild West–of brothel villages, RPG-toting soldiers and total lawlessness are dead and gone, regardless of what the international press and parachute journalists may occasionally write to sell newspapers or push some cause.
Ken’s daughter exploring an Angkorian temple.
For the new expat I have a few recommendations and survival tips:
Don’t imagine you know about Cambodia from what you’ve read in the international media, NGO reports or seen on some magazine show back in the west. Listen and learn from the Cambodians here and from what you see and experience on the ground. Get a bit more in-depth by reading the likes of Chandler and Osborn, the local English language press and maybe even learn some Khmer. Regardless of what you may find lacking by comparison to your home country, have some appreciation for how far this country has come in the past two decades–literally from near zero to all that you see now.
While there are certainly lines to be drawn, do not try to impose your imagined superior ways or remain rigidly fixed to the norms and values of your culture. That is a recipe for frustration and burnout. Bend like the reed or break like an oak in the wind. And lastly, beware to take care of yourself. A product of the Khmer ‘live and let live’ way, this country will do nothing to protect you from your excesses, and may even encourage them. There is no nanny state to step in and save you. You need to self-regulate and to exercise self-control and prudence. The only thing standing between you and destruction is you.”
It’s not often you see a Cambodia-based company show up on Kickstarter, so when we did, and it was basik 855, we were delighted. We’ve been admiring basik 855‘s collection of bags, scarves and pillows made from gorgeous Cambodian textiles for a while now, so we took this opportunity to catch up with Leigh Morlock, the company’s creative director.
basik 855’s heathered scarf is one of the rewards you can get via their Kickstarter campaign.
MTC: Can you tell me a little bit about yourself and how you ended up in Cambodia?
LM: Of course! I’m a Jersey girl who studied Theater Arts & Political Science at Drew University. I always dreamed of becoming a theater director, until I found myself working as a creative coordinator at a fashion handbag brand in New York City. I found myself in a new industry using the same creative skills I’d honed in regional theaters in the Northeast.
As I learned more about designing prints and patterns, choosing colors, and identifying key styles for the fashion accessories industry, I found myself more and more at home.
During the very beginning of the recession in 2008, I lost my job, which turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Nine months later, when my mentor called to tell me about a job opening in Cambodia, I had no obligations keeping me from saying yes. In late 2009, I moved to Cambodia to incubate a small textile weaving business, which over the years has evolved from Push Pull Cambodia into basik 855.
One of basik 855’s local weavers in Takeo, Cambodia.
What’s the idea behind basik 855?
Our weavers and artisans inspired our business. When we first visited Takeo, we were struck by the poverty in a region where nearly everyone is trained in an intricate and complex art form.
The initial challenge was to see if we could connect our artisans, who are masters at what they do, with a global market. Luckily, we received an order very early into our exploration that proved we could market and sell Cambodian ikat textiles and products.
basik 855 isn’t a souvenir company. We make fashionable, everyday accessories for women who appreciate the detail and care that goes into handcrafted items. Our approach utilizes the talents that have been passed from generation to generation of weavers while also imparting our patterns with a modern, global aesthetic. Each season we take into account the newest and most exciting design trends and colors; because of this, our product is equally at home on the streets of New York and Los Angeles as they are in Phnom Penh and Sydney.
The basik 855 weavers are paid a living wage for their skilled work on the looms.
How is basik 855 different from Cambodian garment factories?
Our weaving center is based in Takeo, Cambodia, the hub of Cambodian weaving and the homeland of most ikat artisans.
The biggest difference would be that our artisans are paid a living wage and provided an extensive benefits package that includes medical reimbursements, annual ophthalmology exams and glasses, paid time off, and maternity leave.
Compared to traditional garment factories, our weaving center also operates on an intentionally smaller scale. This fosters a more creative and open environment, which helps our design team sketch on their own schedule and enables us to hold bi-weekly status meetings with our employees.
One of the basik 855 weavers creating a spindle.
What is ikat and what is its significance in Cambodia?
Making ikat is not fast, nor is it simple. It is intricate, time-intensive, and an art unto itself. The process involves dyeing individual cotton threads, which are eventually woven on traditional looms into full bolts of fabric.
Ikat has been practiced in Cambodia for over 800 years and is easily recognized today in the sampot hol skirt that women wear to ceremonies and as pidan, tapestries that decorate pagodas.
After the Khmer Rouge, the knowledge of weaving ikat was nearly lost in Cambodia. basik 855 hopes to revive the industry and show the world that our artisans are masters at what they do. Their skilled hands tell a story with each bolt of fabric and infuse our items with both personality and tradition.
Made in Cambodia, but stylish enough for New York.
Why are you doing a Kickstarter campaign and how can we help?
Our company is young. We’re small. We’re also innovative. Crowdfunding is a great way to raise capital; however, it’s also a way to create a sense of community and forge connections with like-minded people. We need both – funding and a basik community – in order to expand our business.
There are three very important ways that you can help. First, visit our project on Kickstarter, all incoming traffic inches us closer to becoming a popular project and ultimately a Staff Pick. Secondly, if any of our gorgeous rewards appeal to you, then please back our project. Third, will you share this campaign with … everyone you know?
You can see more of basik 855’s products on their website, or learn more about their Kickstarter campaign (and help fund it!)
The floor show at Pyongyang, a North Korean restaurant in Phnom Penh.
It’s no secret that Cambodia is on good terms with North Korea. So I guess it’s no surprise that there are North Korean restaurants in Cambodia. There are several, but the most famous in Phnom Penh is Pyongyang, which is said to be run by the North Korean government as a means of producing hard currency for the regime.
Every night the waitresses do a floor show that involves singing traditional Korean songs, playing instruments and dancing. They also walk around and talk to the South Korean patrons that mostly fill the place, and occasionally try and talk to the Western customers, too. One of the waitresses told me that the weather is always good in North Korea, at least, better than in Cambodia.
Today we have a post from Max Harland and André Ruys, who both have a serious case of Cambodia jungle fever. They run small group tours of the Cambodian countryside and jungle and have shared some of their favorite spots with Move to Cambodia.
Chi Phat in Kong Kong Province is becoming one of Cambodia’s premier ecotourism destination.
So here you are, living in Cambodia and (hopefully) enjoying every minute of it. Angkor Wat is your second home, Phnom Penh your playground, and Sihanoukville your favorite spot for weekend trips. But maybe you’re looking for a change of scenery… How about the jungle? For those with an adventurous spirit, you’ll find our top recommendations below.
Ratanakiri is filled with trekking options and stunning views.
Getting to Ratanakiri, the northeastern-most province in Cambodia, is quite a journey. Allow 10 to 12 hours by bus (a little less if you get a cab) to get from Phnom Penh to Banlung, the main town in Ratanakiri. A long trip indeed, but definitely worth it. Trekking in Ratanakiri is outstanding, and there are many different options. Here are our suggestions:
Go for a dip with the locals in Bou Sra Waterfall in Mondulkiri.
Tai Tai Waterfall in Koh Kong is especially impressive during rainy season.
Once very hard to reach from the rest of Cambodia, the Koh Kong Province is now easily accessible thanks to the newly-paved road that leads to it. Koh Kong home to the Cardamom mountains, a 300km mountain range that goes up to Thailand. The region has been badly hit by illegal logging and hunting, but things are slowly starting to change as ecotourism and myriad activities for tourists are being developed in the region. Here’s our selection of things to do there:
Mountain biking in Chi Phat.
These remote Cambodian regions are definitely worth a visit, and will allow you to discover a different side of the Kingdom of Wonder. What you’ll bring home after a trip to the Cambodian wilderness? Sore legs, a few bruises and scratches… and priceless memories!
Max and André both work for Triple A Cambodia. While Max is still relatively new to Cambodia (he’s been here for less than a year), he’s already explored all of the least visited northern regions of the country. André, on the other hand, has been living and working in Cambodia for 13 years and has been pretty much everywhere in the Kingdom. Their goal with Triple A is to show short-term visitors a different side of the country by taking them to the provinces and letting them meet the locals.
Cambodian cyclo driver in Phnom Penh.
This photograph was taken in 2010 of a Cambodian cyclo driver in front of the Phnom Penh post office. The post office itself is one of the most beautiful French colonial buildings in town, but the buildings it faces are decrepit and falling apart. To me, this photograph represents the Phnom Penh that is quickly disappearing.
Most cyclo drivers have given up this old fashioned form of transportation, trading in their trusty cyclos for motos. The ones who are left are mostly older–like this one–and have nothing else they can do. At night, they gather together so they can sleep in their cyclos near one another to keep each other safe.
A floating village in Kandal province, Cambodia.
I visited this island in Kandal province in late 2010. I was with a loan office for a microfinance organization and he pointed out the floating village next to the island.
“Vietnamese,” he said. “They can’t afford land.”
Today we have a post from Rachel Band about an area she specializes in, activities and things to do for young children in Siem Reap. Rachel has lived in Cambodia for 8 years and is the mother of a two-year-old and an almost-four-year-old. She also co-owns Rosy Guesthouse, a kid-friendly accommodation in Siem Reap.
Kids love playing miniature golf at Angkor Wat Putt.
RB: “I didn’t move to Cambodia with children, but now after eight years in the Kingdom and two kids later, my priorities now are firmly focused on activities to entertain my children, who are both under five. I was champing at the bit to find some classes to enrol the kids in once they started playschool/school, and disappointingly–but perhaps not unsurprisingly–found that the majority of the after-school activities offered by the international schools are for children aged five or six and over. I have since however found several locally-based activities for my little ones that keep them, and us, more than occupied.
With the virtual guarantee of good weather year round (even during the rainy season months the mornings are normally clear and dry) swimming is a popular and obvious choice for those with children, and something that we try to fit in once a week as a family. My oldest has recently started group swimming lessons with Siem Reap Swimming Academy (SRSA), run by a British swimming instructor with five years experience. Affordable private and group classes with a maximum of six students per group are available for children from four years old, with some of the classes being run through international schools. Swimming lesson day has become the best day of my daughter’s week, and I can see her confidence and technique improving with each class.
Swimming is a great activities for all ages in Siem Reap.
Many hotels and restaurants with swimming pools will allow outside guests to use them for a day fee or with money spent on the menu. Our favourite is the aptly named River Garden which has a salt water splash pool with waterfall at one end and a deep plunge pool at the other surrounded by a dense garden setting and sun loungers or shaded seating options. Entrance is free with any food or drink order from their mouth watering menu; Western-style swimwear is requested, noodle floating aids and floats are available and towels are available for hire.
Similarly, Kanell Restaurant offers free use of their chlorinated garden swimming pool with $5 spent on the menu, the burgers and Khmer curries are recommended. Even at midday shade is provided by the trees surrounding the pool and there are again sun loungers and shared daybed seating options and towels are provided. Both The River Garden and Kanell have other water features in their gardens so young children will need to be supervised both in and out of the pool.
The Angkor Era Hotel pool is one of the biggest in Siem Reap, and kid friendly.
A popular hotel pool, and one of the largest in Siem Reap, is the womb-shaped pool at Angkor Era Hotel; I kid you not, check their website. For US$8 ($2 for under 12s) you can make use of their pool, sauna and steam room, and gym. The price for adults also includes a one-hour Khmer massage. While the hotel is popular with Asian tour groups, the pool is normally quiet midweek in the daytime, just don’t think of the womb shape while you’re swimming!
All children love bouncy castles, and Happy Hop Playground has five of them conveniently located on the same grounds as Angkor Wat Putt, a 14-hole mini golf course through miniature replicas of the Angkor temples. For the modest sum of US$2 (expats get a reduced rate of $1), children have unlimited use of the Happy Hop bouncy castles and other playground equipment all underneath a shade cloth to keep them cool. My children enjoy jumping and playing on the bouncy castles when we go, with the Thomas the Tank Engine bouncer being a favourite with my two-year-old son. The bouncy castles are also available for private hire off site and are a popular choice for children’s birthday parties.
Miniature golfing through Angkorian temples? Yes, please.
Angkor Wat Putt itself is fun for the whole family. They have golf clubs in three different sizes (our two had no problem using the smallest size when they played) and their staff will gladly assist children to play, if needed. Children’s attention will be held by the differing ways to navigate the ball around each golf “hole”; through tubes; between posts; around corners and even avoiding water; be prepared for delighted splashes! The garden at Angkor Wat Putt is still in its infancy so shade is not in great supply and midday mini golf is not recommended. There is a central covered seating area for little legs to rest in the shade or with a cool drink if needed; a free drink is offered for every “hole in one” scored, however I wouldn’t press this too much on your children’s first visit.
Angkor Wat Putt has drinks and snacks for sale but allow customers to bring outside food and drink as well. Our children loved the mini golf when we went but neither made it through all 14 holes. I’m sure with our planned regular visits they will both become quite adept at it, and if their interest does wane there is always the Happy Hop bouncers to jump on while the rest of the family finishes off their game. Angkor Wat Putt is US$5 for adults, US$4 for children 3-12 years and free under 3 years old. Expats get a discounted rate of $4 and $2 for adults and kids 3-12 respectively.
One of the only purpose-designed activities for children in Siem Reap is Jungle Junction, a house of fun for kids with an outdoors playground, sand pit, large bouncy castle and trampoline, all with added shade. Outside shaded seating is in ample supply too. Indoors they have a soft play room with ball pit and a cinema room with seats specifically made for little bottoms. Spend $10 per table and children can play for free, otherwise child entrance is $2 each. What sets Jungle Junction apart as a children’s centre in Siem Reap for our family is the availability of baby changing units in both upstairs and downstairs bathrooms (downstairs offers more room), it makes a huge difference to changing our son on the floor or when still seated at the table as we normally have to when out and about.
While no high chairs are currently available, Jungle Junction has a children’s menu (the Pink Panther pepperoni pizza and Spider Man spaghetti bolognaise are our kid’s favourites). All kids menu items come with a milkshake and dessert). Adults are more than catered for too on their menu with recommended ribs and a popular Sunday roast. Jungle Junction can organise children’s parties on site, taking the hassle out of planning and clearing up at your own house.
Horse and pony rides are a fun option for kids in Siem Reap.
We recently went to The Happy Ranch for a 30 minute lead ride for our oldest, who is just shy of 4 years old, to see if it’s an activity she would like to take up and an opportunity for our younger child to spend time with some of the 46 horses and ponies at the Ranch to develop his confidence around the as-yet-unfamiliar animals. Children from approximately three years old can enjoy lead rides US$14 for 30 minutes, small size horse riding helmets are available. Our son was desperate to get on the horse too after seeing his big sister do it, and we were advised that if he’s confident around the horses and is able to sit on the saddle solo then there is no reason for him not to try too. He will be getting a lead ride next time we go, although I’m sure mum or dad will be walking alongside the horse too, just in case.
Horse riding lessons are not currently offered at The Happy Ranch due to no one currently working there being a fully qualified instructor, however any of the international staff will be happy to offer advice and direction for correct posture and sitting position whilst on the horses, which we were told will set the stage for lessons in the future. While it’s not a cheap option in Siem Reap, this is an activity that would be price prohibitive in our home country, and if it’s something that our children enjoy I see this as one of the many advantages to growing up in Cambodia.
One activity that has unfortunately finished but I’m seriously considering actively campaigning for a return of, is kids yoga at the Peace Cafe. In March this year the Peace Cafe ran a short series of midweek and weekend kids yoga classes with a visiting yoga teacher which was very well received. The Peace Cafe have suggested that this may resume later this year…our fingers are firmly crossed.”
Siem Reap Swimming Academy (SRSA)
T: 089 66 42 66
srsacambodia@hotmail.com
The River Garden
West River Road, North of National Road 6, Siem Reap
T: 063 963 400; 089 351 571
www.therivergarden.info
Kanell Restaurant
7 Makara Road, (High School Road), Siem Reap
T: 077 20 71 00; 099 630 644
Open daily, 10:00-22:00
www.kanellrestaurant.com
Angkor Era Hotel
T: 063 968 968
National Road 6, Siem Reap
www.angkorera.com
Happy Hop Playground
7 Makara Road, (High School Road)
T: 097 640 4268
Open Monday to Saturday, 16:00- 20:00
Open Sundays and holidays, 8:00-20:00
www.angkorwatputt.com
Angkor Wat Putt
7 Makara Road, (High School Road)
T: 012 302 330
Open daily, 7:30-23:00
www.angkorwatputt.com
The Happy Ranch
Group 4, Svay Dangkum
T: 012 920 002; 016 920 002
www.thehappyranch.com
Jungle Junction
7 Makara Road, (High School Road)
T: 098 293 400
Open daily, 8:00-23:00
www.junglejunctionsiemreap.com
Peace Cafe
Street 26, Off East River Road
T: 063 965 210; 092 177 127
Open daily, 7:00 to 21:00
www.peacecafeangkor.org