Author: Charles Dittmeier

Catching up

The Pchum Ben holidays are officially over now and society is starting to catch up–slowly. Yesterday, a Friday, was technically a post-holiday work day but probably 99% of the workers took leave to round off a full-week of holidays. One group of workers who had to come back are the garbage crews. As you can see above, there are piles of rubbish along each block of each street because the sanitation workers took off like everyone else.

With all the shops closed for the holidays, you might think there would be little garbage to pick up, but remember Phnom Penhers live in shophouses–buildings one room wide and three or four stories tall–where the first floor is a shop and the rest living quarters. The people are still living there even if the shop is closed so there’s still trash.

One of the areas where Cambodia and Phnom Penh have not caught up with the developed world is trash management. Can you imagine a capital city with no rules or regulations about setting out trash for collection. Everyone just makes a pile on the curb.

Pchum Ben in a pandemic

Pchum Ben is a fifteen-day religious celebration, the Khmer equivalent of All Souls Day for Christians. After thousands of people flocked to the pagodas initially–and the Covid-19 infection rate shot up, the government suspended all ceremonies. Four or five people at a time were allowed into special areas set up at the gates of the pagodas, as seen in this photo from a week ago.

Yesterday was a different story. It was the last day of the holiday and people jammed up at the pagodas. At least they’re wearing masks. Everyone is waiting now to see what those who traveled to the provinces to commemorate with their relatives bring back with them. A surge in Covid-19 infections is expected.

Pchum Ben Holidays

Today is the first day of the three-day holiday for Pchum Ben, the Khmer equivalent of All Souls Day. Hundreds of thousands of Phnom Penh residents left the city to return to their home villages for scaled-down ceremonies honoring their ancestors. Most shops are closed. But for the people remaining in Phnom Penh—you still need bread!





And bananas!

Priorities

We’re in the rainy season now and getting fairly heavy rains every day. Yesterday this was thinking ahead and brought his rain poncho. But he used it to cover the beer he was carrying and keep it dry rather than keep himself dry.

But people still need to eat…

It’s a Monday morning. It’s the Monday before a three-day Pchum Ben holiday so most people are taking Monday–and Friday–off also. And it’s raining. But this woman figures there are still some people going to work today and they will want to eat so she’s out in front of a closed school selling some box meals to take with you.

Not being transparent and open

For the past week the number of new Covid-19 infections each day in Cambodia was more than 800. Three days ago it was closer to 1,000. Then suddenly the graph dropped sharply to below 200. The pandemic situation has not improved but rather the newspaper is talking about the government reducing the testing being done. That gives lower numbers but the situation is still just as bad. The government has also stopped giving numbers of infections in the individual provinces so it is very difficult now to know what is actually happening and where.