Author: Charles Dittmeier

Not like the old days….

Squat toilets are not unusual in Cambodia—in fact, they’re the norm–but a squat toilet with a water tank for flushing! Now that’s unusual. I don’t ever recall seeing a squat toilet with a tank for flushing before. Usually there is just a barrel of water or a reservoir for scooping pans of water to flush everything down by hand. Another different feature of this squat toilet is its height. Because it has to accommodate the incoming water pipe for flushing, it stands eight or ten inches above ground instead of being flush with the floor.

Where have the trees gone?

This is the street in Kampot town where we were waiting for the van back to Phnom Penh. It was sad to see the stumps of seven huge trees across the street from us. I hope there was a REALLY good reason for cutting the trees down and it wasn’t just to make money for someone.

Notable Quotes

“This is a person out of control…He is the Chief Law Enforcement Officer of the land. He encouraged people to lie for him.  He lied. I think he obstructed justice. I think there’s a compelling case…that [it] would be better for him to leave office than stay in office. ”

~ Republican Senator Lindsey Graham (1999)