Life Besides Work

My daughter, Thai Sok Huoy

2006-10-09T00:22:00.000-07:00

Here is my daughter, Thai SokHuoy. She will be 8 months old October 18, 2006.

Breaking News: Landmine Kills 13 in Northwest Cambodia

2005-11-16T04:57:00.000-08:00

Nov 16 - A landmine blast has been reported in Oddar Meanchey province, roughly 400 kilometers northwest of Cambodia’s Phnom Penh capital city, killing 13 villagers. These villagers were reportedly returning home from harvesting their rice when their tractor ran over the landmine.

Read all related stories below:
ABC Asia Pacific TV / Radio Australia
Bangkok Post

Cambodians Flock Capital City to Observe Water Festival

2005-11-15T04:01:00.000-08:00

Nov 15 - Hundreds of thousands of Cambodian people from all over the country flock the Phnom Penh capital city to observe the three-day Water Festival, one of the country's largest festivities.

The Water Festival takes place each year in October or November at the time of the full moon. This year, it falls on November 15 - 17, and during these three days, schools, government institutions, NGO offices and companies are closed.

Each day, the festival begins with boat races followed by the floating of illuminated cruises along the river in front of the Royal Palace together with fireworks.

This year, a total of 396 boats participated in the races, a slight decline from last year when there were more than 400 boats.

Thai Sothea's Profile

2005-09-19T02:19:00.000-07:00

Born on May 15, 1980 in one of seasonally-flooded villages of an island commune of Koh Sautin to a farming family of six, Thai Sothea is the only son in the family. His parents have four children: one son and three daughters. Sothea spent his early sixteen years in the province of Kampong Cham where he attended a village’s primary school and district’s high school.

Sothea first set his foot in Phnom Penh city in late 1996 when he finished high school and left the province in pursuit of further education in the city. However, he did not continue study in any university due to his family’s inability to afford the school fee, which was about $400 to $500 per year in 1996. He stayed in the house of his grandfather’s sister learning only one hour of English lesson a day at a nearby private English class. He always spent the rest of his day staying at home and sitting at the desk with English books and dictionaries.

After more than three years of unemployment, Sothea was accepted in 1999 by one of the city’s leading photocopy shop to work as a translator providing translation to the shop’s clients and sharing 50% of the earning with the shop.

With some income from his translation work, Sothea was able to attend English classes at the former Cambodian Academy of Business Studies (CABS), which was, at that time, one of the city’s many private schools providing high quality of English language teaching. Sothea was one of the outstanding students of CABS and was allowed to study free. He was later offered a teaching job of two hours a day teaching pre-intermediate English classes. He spent one year at CABS improving his own English language skills as well as teaching other students.

After spending two years at the photocopy shop, Sothea quitted his translation job at the shop and accepted a full-time employment with a commercial company in early 2001. There, he worked as a translator-cum-assistant to Editor-in-Chief of the Editorial Team of the Khmer-language web portal, http://www.everyday.com.kh/. In his spare time, he also did some translation work for Pyramid Co., Ltd., the largest translation company in Cambodia.

In 2002, Sothea received a scholarship from the New York-based Independent Journalism Foundation (IJF) to attend a three-month International Workshop on Advanced Journalism together with 16 other working journalists from Laos, Vietnam, Burma and Cambodia. This workshop further strengthened Sothea’s journalistic knowledge he learned from his work as an assistant to the editor-in-chief and enabled him to move forward to a consultancy position as Election Information Adviser with The Asia Foundation’s Cambodia Office in mid 2003. There, he worked as a consultant from June 2003 to April 2005. He has then been promoted as a staff member of the Foundation since May 2005.

Sothea got married to IV LEAKHENA, the daughter of an urban average family, on February 21, 2005. All of his sisters have now moved from the province to live with him after they finished high school. Sothea and his wife are very supportive of their sisters in their continued education at university.

Sothea likes reading books and watching TV during his free time. He is also a news addict; he reads newspapers every morning.

In Siem Reap, There Is Much More To Explore Beyond Angkor Wat

2005-09-19T01:39:00.000-07:00

SIEM REAP PROVINCE, Sep 2002– You have to travel quite a long way – some tourists from foreign countries have to fly thousands of kilometers – to reach Siem Reap, the northwestern province globally known as home to hundreds of archeological sites built during the heyday of the ancient Khmer Empire. That’s Angkor Wat complex, one of the most famous World Wonders.

But about 48 kilometers beyond the complex is an exquisite mountainous region of waterfalls, unspoiled forests and streambed carvings that leave visitors of any age in awe – Phnom Kulen.

Therefore, on touring Angkor Water temple, most visitors usually include a trip to Phnom Kulen, the mountaintop pre-Angkor-era archeological site which was not accessible until just a few years ago.

For much of its recent history, Phnom Kulen has been inaccessible thanks to Cambodia’s prolonged war and internal strife. The Khmer Rouge used the mountain as a final stronghold for two decades after losing power in 1979, so it’s only been about five years since visitors have again been able to enjoy the cool waters and artistic treasures.

Only very few travelers would forget to include trips to Phnom Kulen in their schedule. Visitors usually set out at the crack of dawn for the mountains so that they could have longer time to explore as much of natural attractions at the site.

After about an hour drive from town, visitors can see a big wooden sign reading, “Admission charges: 2,000 riels for Cambodians and $20 for foreigners.” And that’s the mountainside where they have to stop and pay for going up the hilltop. Then it takes you another hour driving uphill on a bouncy road to the mountaintop pagoda, which is believed to be the holiest place among the people in the area. The uphill road is bendy and the van crawls up the hill very slowly like a snake. If the van’s doors are open, one can feel the cool air and overlook very exciting views down the valley.

As soon as you reach the hilltop and get off the van, you are warmly greeted by boys and girls selling incenses and flowers. Some of them, who speak some English, Japanese or Thai, come close to you and offer to be your guides escorting you to various places of visit if you choose to follow them.

After almost two hours sitting in the van, you need to do some exercise. Let’s walk up the very top of the hill, where Preah Ang Thom, a Buddhist monastery which history says was built in the 16th century, rests. There, on your left hand side, you see a boulder covered with corrugated roof. And the huge statue of a reclining Buddha is right there on the top of the boulder. You also see couples of Buddhist clergymen sitting at table with a silver-colored bowl of some Riel notes and a loudspeaker on it. Do not misunderstand. They are not begging for money from you, but are doing money drive to support necessary maintenance and renovation of the pagoda.

Go up a narrow stairway now to see how big the reclining Buddha is? Hey, wait a minute! “Please take off your shoes,” a small sign at the base of the stairway reads. Yes, it’s that big! The giant reclining Buddha, about 8 meters long, was carved into the top of a 20-meter tall boulder.

For local visitors, the mountaintop monastery is the most sacred place and they never ever forget to pay homage to the giant Buddha and pray for good luck.

Continue your drive for just couples of minutes and drop by at a log bridge for a glimpse of the River of 1,000 Lingams. Close to a kilometer, according to a local teenage guide and a history book, the streambed was sculpted with hundreds of stone lingams (Hindu phallic symbols), a legacy of 9th century God-kings. Downstream, the carvings culminate at the edge of a magnificent waterfall.

One thing to remember for visitors is that you are not allowed to touch or walk on the carvings even in the water.

“Everybody, aboard please!” one of my fellow travelers called out from the van. “We are going to the waterfalls.”

Nearby the waterfalls, there are dozens of thatch-roofed huts for picnic and food stalls where you can order food and drinks for your relaxing lunch. The food and drinks are at relatively reasonable price, but most of the local visitors like to bring along their own prepared food and just rent the picnic huts.

There are two cascades of waterfalls: one is about 4 meters high and the other is roughly 20 meters high. And most people like to bathe in a pool with water dropping from the second cascade.

Sitting on the hut, looking at surrounding green and unspoiled forests, and listening to the sound of the waterfalls, I felt like I was being with the nature with no one else staying beside and very relaxing that I could get rid of all worries and problems from my mind. But the euphoria did not last for long; the natural sound of waterfalls was occasionally overheard by the sound of people joyfully laughing and calling each other’s name. When hearing that sound of joyful laughter, you may want to go down to see what they are doing.

Walking down the slope towards the sound of laughter, you see several couples of visitors enjoying the cool waterfalls. The water is so cool like you are putting your hands into a goblet of water just taken from the fridge when it is about to freeze. It is believed that the water is holy that local people usually come for ritual bathing with strong belief that it helps rid them of ill luck and gives them well blessings.

Up until now, there remains the notion in the minds of many foreigners that Cambodia is one giant mine field and that Phnom Kulen is more particularly dangerous. But unlike what you may have been told by some guidebooks, trip to this archeological site is pretty safe and Phnom Kulen offers plenty to know. However, there are still landmines left buried during the war times in some parts of the mountain area that are not cleared yet. You may see some places are marked with DANGER SIGNS; those are the places where you are not supposed to go. Always stay on path or with your tour guide to ensure your safety. END

Jerky, But Worthwhile Bussing to Coastal City of Kep

2005-09-14T02:53:00.000-07:00

Sep 2002 -- After about 4-hour jerky ride from Phnom Penh down to the southwest, we have arrived at a small seaside market comprising about 10 seafood stalls. That's the place where visitors drop by to buy fresh crabs and have them cooked for their relaxing lunch at the beach.

Despite a nearly half day bussing on a bumpy national road 3, I did not feel tired or bored at all because snacks from a friend and the landscapes along the road invigorated me. The road was so bumpy like you were riding on an elephant's back down the hill.

Half of the road length from Phnom Penh, the seasonally used-to-be green paddies were yellow and parched due to lack of rainfalls, and in some spots, only cracked fields were seen. The other half through to the provincial town looks cold and wet with greenish newly-planted paddies.

At the seaside market, it was so muddy that your sandals would flick up dots of mud onto the back of your shirt if you were not careful. When visitors got off the van the crab sellers mobbed them and implored them to buy their crabs. Some sellers rushed knee-deep into the water to pick up bamboo-made baskets of live crabs and show the visitors.

A few minutes drive beyond lies the not-so-sandy but windy beach. The beach is almost not visible during this time of the year because the water goes up, so there are not so many people going to Kep. The water is dirty and looks like waste water from the sewers. The beach is half sandy, half muddy in gray color.

Although the water and the beach are not suitable for people to swim, those who go there like to spend at least couple hours having their lunch under shaded thatch-roofed huts with fresh air from the sea. The beach is very windy and the wind itself is so cold that when, if you stand on the water edge, it blasts you the hair on your arms bristles.

That's not all yet! About 4 kilometers from Kampot's provincial town on the way back to Phnom Penh, there is a very nice drop-in place where visitors can enjoy the cool water. It's Toek Chhou, the rocky stream of water cascading from the mountains. The water is very cool like you are taking a shower in the bathroom during late December and early January, the coldest time of the year in Cambodia. The water current is so strong and if you do not tighten your short firmly enough it will go with the water leaving you with only your birthday suit.

"Back home, back home…," a man's voice I heard from the van. Oh God! No choice but back home on the same jerky, bone-breaking road.

Writer's Note: The article was written while I was on a trip to Kampot during the rainy season, but the photos were the archive photos taken during the dry season.

Travel Advice: driving to and from Sihanoukville

2005-09-14T01:29:00.000-07:00

For those who want to go to Sihanoukville, it is advisable to not drive in the dark because it is very dangerous.

Along the National Road No. 4, you will see many container trucks transporting goods to and from Sihanoukville and Phnom Penh. At night, these trucks drive very fast and only few of them have tail lights. Sometimes you will see buffalos cross the road, and these buffalos do not have tail lights or reflectors as well. As it is now in the rainy season, you will expect raining along the road. So, imagine how dangerous it will be to drive in the dark, under the rain with the container trucks or buffalos before you having no tail lights or reflectors.

It is not that SAFE to drive at night on the National Road No. 4. If you can avoid accident it is because you are lucky not because you are a good driver.

Leisure Trip To Sihanoukville

2005-09-09T02:26:00.000-07:00

To congratulate my wife and my sister on their passing high school exams, my family is organizing an excursion to Sihanoukville this weekend. We rent a bus because my car cannot fit the number of people who will be on this trip.

It will be a relaxing time for everyone, particularly myself for I have been stressed out for several weeks with my work. People who will be on this trip include my in-laws, my parents, my wife, my sisters, the grandmother of my wife, the families of my wife's relatives totalling about 20 people. We will stay the night there. I will post the follow-up articles with photos at the beach.

Today's Good News

2005-09-09T01:58:00.000-07:00

Today, I received two good news: one was that my youngest sister passed high school exams with "B," the grade that would allow her to attend a state university free of charge, at least for two years, the other was also good: my wife passed the high school exams too.

My wife considers not continuing study at university for she wants to be a businesswoman, so she will think of following the footsteps of my father-in-law, being a market vendor.

My youngest sister will attend two universities, one of which is the free university from where she received a scholarship, and the other is private university. As she got good grade in her exams, she will have to pay about 50% of the total school fees to attend the private one. The scholarship she applied before taking exams was for Information Technology subject. I think she has made the right choice because she has an A grade in Mathematics. I hope she would become a good programmer. I am now helping her think of the second subject of study that would compliment IT and I have not come up with any decision yet.

I have three sisters, two will be in their third year in university next month. The youngest one has just passed the high school exams. My parents live on a island village in Kampong Cham's Koh Sotin's district. I, my wife, and my three sisters live in Phnom Penh. I work at an international NGO. My wife and I are happy to support my sisters in their studies because we think that their education can help them have jobs in the future to support themselves.

That's all about my good news today.