Comments on: Sunrise at Angkor Wat

By: Kevin

Kevin — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 04:53:24 +0000

@bruce Thanks so much bruce, it was a real pleasure meeting you as well. If I'm not mistaken you are in PP until the 20th or something, right? Well, we are back in PP ourselves for a bit while I am doing some research on a few volunteer opportunities. How about a drink at Blue Chili?

By: Kevin

Kevin — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 04:52:13 +0000

@CJH
it’s hard to know indeed, buddy. I’m spending a lot of time trying to gain a better understanding of just what the hell is going on around here. Cambodia has gotten under my skin. I have to say this isn’t a place I “love,” or even a place I would describe as beautiful. But, it’s a place I know is going to stick with me for a long time, and I feel like I need to be a part of something bigger than myself here. You know, like….help.

TV here has two channels: Karaoke, and game shows where people dance and sing in weird costumes and throw smelly things on each other. It’s weird.

I haven’t yet discovered to many pop artists here or whatnot. It’s mostly karaoke stuff. Like you will hear a song from America but then realize it’s being performed by someone else who doesn’t speak that great of English. Strange. Or, you will hear a pop/electro song and realize it’s basically a bunch of different samples from britney and lincoln park thrown together (not a mashup though, much worse than that). People LOVE lincoln park here. A LOT. I’ll keep an ear open, but really I think what you might get in to some thai pop…the scene there is a lot more advanced and it doesn’t seem so much like a bunch of copies.

I need your number, I’d like to call you.

By: Kevin

Kevin — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 04:45:21 +0000

@mary
ahh…but if I write a book that means I would have to do things like…you know….work hard and edit everything. Yuck, right?

By: bruce

bruce — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 05:03:42 +0000

Hi Guys, it was a real pleasure meeting you in Phnom Penh at Blue Chili. I’m sorry there wasn’t more time, but your emphasis is not on meeting expats!!! Anyway, just want to say that I have really enjoyed reading back about your travels both the written and the pictures. Your toughtfulness about this entire experience is really wonderful.

I wanted to add an observation about the financial disparities. I love it that you are giving people food and realized that in San Francisco I would have done that over money. The poor in the Cambodian countryside usually have enough food, but the urban poor dilemma is something entirely different. I hadn’t thought about giving people food here, there is something about giving money that related to the Cambodian Buddhist concept of merit, but it is still difficult….troubling. I’ll have to try giving food here, thanks for the idea.

In terms of businesses, especially the foreign owned, it’s always more complicated than it seems. It’s what I think of as a grey area of development. A foreigner here will be paid more than a Cambodian even if they are doing the same job, for a bunchy of different reasons…doesn’t make it right, but it’s heated discussion. It kind of unnerves me to spend more on a meal than I realize the person serving me might make in a week. Places like Blue Chili which is Cambodian/Thai owned still only clear about $500 in profit each month and employee 4-5 people.

Anyway, just some thoughts……keep enjoying your travels and I look forward to more insights!

By: CJH

CJH — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 00:28:20 +0000

Sorry to hear that things got heavy – it’s hard to know what to think about that kind of stuff. Like, presumably there is a lot of poverty in areas where there is no tourism and things are pretty rough there. And all the money made off of tourists is probably enriching the locals to some extent. But then again maybe all the tourism is disrupting their society and making things worse while a few people get filthy rich. Who knows?
Anyway, really beautiful pictures from Angkor Wat – I went through all of them on Flickr and really enjoyed it. I noticed a picture of you watching tv in one pic – have you gotten a sense for what kind of stuff is on there? Any game shows? Also, I’d love to hear whatever Thai/Laotian/Cambodian music is popular right now (besides Jason Mraz or whatever). I realize that you probably can’t lug any CDs back, but if you get any recommendations maybe you could post those in the blog and I can start looking on the internets for it.
And where are you replacing all these cameras?

Ok, glad to see that you’re alive and bloggin’!

By: mary

mary — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 16:07:56 +0000

I’m glad your okay, and back to writing. I think you should seriously consider, using this to write a book about your trip, when you are done.