Culture – Page 17 – Welcome to Cambodia, and…..

Topics: Sun #2

An earlier posting looked at how Cambodian people avoid the sun on their heads. This post today looks at how they avoid the sun on their arms. Click here to see some of their techniques.

The third day of the new year traditionally is focused on honoring statues of Buddha but there was not much sign of that in Phnom Penh. Maybe it was taking place in the provinces. Probably later tonight we will see real traffic jams as the hundreds of thousands of people start returning to the city.

I went out to a convenience store in a neighborhood where there are a lot of expatriate residents and it was open, but most of the other businesses were closed up tight light this car care center. Even the tuk-tuk driver was sleeping on the back seat because of lack of business.

Our street was still blocked–for the fourth day now–by a funeral tent. It is one of the most ridiculous customs allowed here, blocking streets for weddings and funerals. It’s a carryover from the rural past when people put up tents for special celebrations in public places because there were no halls or big rooms. Now there are but they still block streets. Normally a family will block it overnight or for one day. This family will have the tent for at least five days, probably to show that they have the money to do it.

Khmer New Year Day 2

This new year celebration is not like most through the years because two of the three days fall on a weekend. In the past the government would give an extra day for that but they have abolished that practice. One aspect that is the same as previous years is the much emptied city. Here are some pictures of Phnom Penh today.

Khmer New Year Day 1

It’s not only the local Cambodians who have abandoned Phnom Penh. Many, many of the expatriates here have followed the locals on to the highways for a long holiday weekend for the Khmer New Year. Today, the first day of the new year, we saw attendance at our Saturday evening mass down a great deal.

Khmer New Year’s Eve

The official new year celebration starts tomorrow but many (most?) people have already taken off from work and the city has largely emptied out. Still there was plenty to do for the people who stayed behind. Click here to see some of the new year’s eve scenes.

Khmer New Year at DDP

April13-15 is the official Khmer New Year but the deaf people will go to their home provinces then so there was a new year celebration today at the Deaf Development Programme office in Phnom Penh. Click here to see the activities.

Better hot than tanned!

Yesterday it was 93ºF in Phnom Penh, I believe, and this young woman was waiting at the light beside me. Notice the sweatshirt with the hood up under the helmet, the gloves, even socks with her sandals. And all the other women are like her, all bundled up to avoid the sun and dark skin.

A Mixture of Cultures

Cambodia is a mix of cultures in some ways. Look at this street sign. First of all, the modern-type of highway sign for controlled access roads contrasts mightily with the chaos of Phnom Penh streets with their thousands of motorbikes, cars, food carts, bicycles, and pedestrians, each going his own way and doing his own thing. Then there is a mixture of languages on the sign: Khmer script and English language script. And beyond the Charles de Gaulle Blvd name, there is the French spelling of “Tchecoslovaquie” for Czechoslovakia. And then there is the KFC culture imposed over everything else. The Kingdom of Wonder….

Topics: Noise (2)

Mobile noise is a nuisance but at least it moves on, out of range. Some established stores also set up speakers at the front of the store, but again it’s only a short-term irritation because usually the people are moving past the stores. Click here to see some examples of the stores with speakers.

Topics: Noise

Cambodia is a very noisy place, hard for many expats to adjust to. Click here to see one form of noise pollution, the sound trucks that cruise the streets.

Category: Culture