Charlie Dittmeier's Home Page
They may seem redundant in age in which almost everyone has a smartphone with a camera, but Phnom Penh has street photographers around some tourist attractions who can give a printed picture fast enough for tourists who need to get back on the tour bus. Click here to see some of the operators.
Sidewalks in Cambodia are basically used for anything and everything except walking. Click here to see the sidewalk as showroom.
Every Sunday there are a couple people who put down a tarp on a riverside sidewalk and then arrange a display of trinkets for people to peruse and buy. They may make a little money but they also provide a drop-in center for people to come and admire and chat and enjoy a Sunday morning. Click here to see some Sunday photos.
It’s not only western movies and fast food and snacks that are making inroads into Cambodia. In the last couple years more and more western-style advertising has been noticeable. Click here to see some examples.
Cambodia has its tourism industry and its garment factories but a majority of the people make their living by farming and with small businesses they set up at home or on the street. Those handling the small businesses spend a lot of time sitting and watching for customers. Click here to see some of the people waiting.
An obvious part of daily life in Cambodia are the orange plastic coolers used throughout the country to keep things cool where there is no electricity and refrigeration. Click here to see the first part of series about Cambodia’s coolers!
Every morning Phnom Penh gets ready for a new day of business. Here is how a street selling medical supplies is transformed each day. Click here to see the change.
One street that I travel in the early morning has a series of appliance shops and every morning they set up walls of appliance boxes out on the sidewalk. Click here to see more.
Money changers are a fact of life in Cambodia where the U.S. dollar is legal currency along with the Cambodian riel. Many workers, e.g., the Deaf Development Programme staff, are paid in dollars and then will change some or all of that to riel for small transactions. The rates change daily and one must be observant to choose a money changer that gives a good rate. Click here to look at the process.
Every culture has its traditions and rituals and so does Cambodia. Cambodia’s morning rituals may be a little more obvious, though, because so much of Cambodian life is lived on the streets, not inside houses or behind closed doors. Click here to see some early morning activities as the sun rises.