The foreign population of Phnom Penh is constantly turning over. We see that in our parish community where we need to recruit new ministers every four or five months because so many are rotated out or reassigned. And it’s the same with the buildings here. Places that I pass often have been family homes, a restaurant, a crocodile farm, a bar and brothel in quick succession. One group moves out and the other moves in with the least bit of disruption.
An illustration is the house in these pictures. Just a year and a half ago, it was a residence for high-ranking US Embassy personnel. I was often there for meetings, dinners, birthdays, etc., with the family with four children who lived there. Yesterday it opened as some sort of high-end coffee shop!
