Chiang Mai

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On the eve of our second trip to Thailand, it occurred to me that I never told you about our FIRST trip to Thailand way back in November.  Subsequently, we’ve also been to Angkor Wat and to the beach (Sihanoukville).  Phew, lots to catch up on!

In November, Cambodia celebrates its annual Water Festival which is for giving thanks for all that the rivers do to sustain life.  It’s typically celebrated by having people flock from the provinces to Phnom Penh to join the revelry on the riverside with dragon boat races (although these were cancelled this year due to a fatal stampede that killed over 300 people in 2010).  Many things close down as well for the Festival (which is about 3 days long), so in addition to the crowds, makes for a good excuse to hit the road.

Coincidentally, our chosen destination, Thailand, also has its own water festival around the same time, but not nearly as chaotic as the one in Cambodia.  Our original itinerary consisted of visiting Bangkok and Chiang Mai, but sadly, the flooding in Bangkok made us change our plans to Chiang Mai only.

Chiang Mai is the largest city in northern Thailand, situated in the mountains.  Compared to muggy Phnom Penh, the weather was amazing.  Cool in mornings and evenings (I even got to wear a jacket!) and pleasantly warm during the day.  For being in the mountains, the terrain of the city is basically flat (we systematically measured this while doing a bike tour which involved very little gear shifting!), but surround by tall (Appalachian tall, not Rockies tall), green mountains.  We actually chose Chiang Mai for this time of year not because of the weather but because of a special twist on Thai Water Festival (Loi Kratong) that they only do in Chiang Mai, which is the release of thousands of floating lanterns into the sky (Yi Peng).

I like to think of ourselves as culturally higher-browed than a children’s Disney movie, but truth be told, we wanted to see the floating lanterns just like Rapunzel!  And it was indeed incredible.

I only wish I took the picture above, but luckily I got to see it first hand.

Check out our pictures below (you can click on each one for full view):

Tomorrow, Bangkok!

Morale Boost or Opiate?

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I have been sitting on this post for a few weeks months as more and more coverage, even international, has emerged about the state of garment factories in Cambodia.  I think I read an article every day about either occupational health standards or wages for the workers.  I’m not one to typically climb up on soap boxes and beseech readers to change their ways.  But I found this one article interesting and decided to dust off my anthropology degree and see what kind of insights I could extract.  (Spoiler alert: none).

Image: Phnom Penh Post, Pha Lina

Fainting spells are becoming a disturbingly ever-so common phenomenon in Cambodia’s garment factories.  It is usually due to poor ventilation, excessive heat, sanitation and/or the concentration of chemical fumes on the factory floor or in the case of December’s spell, hysteria.  Such episodes are always followed by promises from factory operators to improve conditions and yaddayaddayadda.  But what caught my eye was how one factory chose to perform, for lack of a better word, a Buddhist exorcism as a way to reassure workers that it was safe to return to the factory floor after 200 women fainted there in one day.

The fainting was caused by fumes from insecticide that is used to treat the textiles so as to repel any bugs that might want to destroy your skinny jeans as they makes their way across the Pacific to your local H&M.  First off, insecticide?! Really?!  Consider me blinded by my Banana Republic hoodie, but I thought garment manufacturing had evolved beyond those kinds of practices.

Labor officials shut the factory down for a few days but, presumably, once ventilation was improved, the factory reopened.  And as a way to restore confidence in their 1,000 strong labor force, the factory owners arranged to have four Buddhist monks come and perform a ceremony to rid the factory of evil spirits.  I don’t get it.

On the one hand I think its pretty cool that the owners would allow for such a morale boosting activity.  Knowing that they’ve taken the [minimum] steps to reach compliance by improving ventilation, I want to offer them a fist bump for acknowledging and indulging the deep spirituality of their workers to restore their confidence.

But on the other hand, don’t the workers know that it wasn’t evil spirits that caused the fainting?  Not to appear as though I’m criticizing their belief system, but the inadequate conditions at the garment factories are so commonly in the news, I just HAVE to assume that even the workers themselves are aware of it, and likely onsite witnesses.  I only read about it in the paper and hear about it from Bono and yet even I’d probably insist on a chemical body suit before setting foot back in the factory. Heck, I walk out my front door and feel like I need a detoxification shower.

So I just can’t help but feel as though they’re having the wool pulled over their eyes and The Man is using religion to mask bigger problems (not to get all Marxist on you).  Clearly I know nothing about factory operations and even less about Cambodian/Buddhist culture, so I can’t really criticize too harshly.  Moreover, my brain is branded with Western ideologies that keep church out of the workplace.  Nevertheless the skeptic in me just can’t help but feel unsettled by this practice and as though people are being duped.

Moral Quandries

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Can you tell the difference between these books? That’s right, one is missing a white border.  Anything else?

The book on the left is a photocopy of the book on the right.  Last week I strayed into dubious moral territory when I found out five members of my book club weren’t able to acquire a copy of the awesome book I selected for this month.

We have a pretty decent book shop here that sells a good variety of English books.  I have a Nook (Barnes & Noble e-reader) so I am not limited by the availability of titles at Monument Books.  But not all members of the book club have such a device so the book selection always has to come from one of the in-stock titles.  Lucky for me, they had the 2010 Pulitzer Prize winning book for fiction.  Check me out.

One woman was finished reading her copy so I offered to PHOTOCOPY it for the others who didn’t have a chance to acquire a copy.  Not photocopy it myself, but rather take it to the equivalent of a Cambodian Kinko’s and have them do it.  It took them one day to make all five.  They charged me $12 for all five.  The original from the book shop cost $13.

To say I felt a tad guilty about the infringement I was committing would be accurate.  As I stood under the fan in the photocopy shop, and watched 15 young Cambodians hover monotonously over their respective Xerox machine, and spotted academic textbooks being copied, I wondered, how long had Jennifer Egan spent imagining, writing and editing her work of fiction?  How many years had she spent cultivating her craft?  How much of an investment had her publisher made to publicize and distribute the book only to have it end up in a hot photocopy shop near the Mekong River being copied for the benefit of Westerners that can afford an original copy!  But by the same token, however, where were these photocopy shops *cough* fifteen years ago when I was in college paying $500 a semester for textbooks?

Media piracy is everywhere in Phnom Penh (and presumably throughout the country).  DVD shops selling pirated copies of movies, tv shows and even films that are currently out in theaters in US populate this city like a bad case of acne.  Typically, people find their “supplier” and are faithful to them.  In exchange, they always give you “good price” and tell you whether or not the quality of the copy is at its best.  And yes, they’ve received our patronage many times over (can you say, West Wing box set???).

Nevertheless, in some weird way, buying pirated DVD’s doesn’t feel as sinful or unethical as Xeroxing a book.  Maybe it’s because I can appreciate how long it takes to compose a simple blog post, so I can’t even imagine what it takes to keep a reader entertained for 300 pages!  Plus actors in Hollywood are overpaid anyway and that’s why I have to pay $20 to see a movie on DVD.

Needless to say, enforcement of copyrights is not a priority here (much like road safety!).  True, the government and humanitarian agencies are dealing with much bigger fish (like at the moment tragic flooding) so I don’t necessarily fault them. Moreover, do you think book publishers and movie producers take into account the potential revenue they’ll generate from the up-and-coming SE Asian market?  I’d say, they’re lucky they even sell a crate full of their books/movies to this region.  If copyright WAS rigidly enforced, they probably wouldn’t be selling ANY of their wares ’round here because no one could afford to buy them.

But you know what I say?  I say more power to the pirates!  While authors, publishers and movie companies might not be receiving the royalties they’re legally and morally entitled to, they are, albeit unwillingly, making their crafts accessible to those that would otherwise not ever see them.  To put textbooks, how-to manuals, literature, tv shows and movies in the hands of a population that is lacking in these resources is a good thing.  Sure, we view them as entertainment (gotta love curling up with a Intro to Accounting book on a Saturday night!) but just think of the inspiration and learning to be had by being in possession of these kinds of treasures! Moreover, the stores that are selling the DVD’s and photocopy services are by Cambodian standards legitimate businesses, presumably paying rent and even taxes.

My in-house legal eagle, Roger, reminded me of a little kernel of information that I actually learned about in grad school while studying international trade policy.  It’s called TRIPS – trade related intellectual property – and it’s an international convention governing abuses to intellectual property, such as copyright infringement.  Phasing-in and (eventually) adherence to the TRIPS agreement is one of the criteria for World Trade Organization membership.  Cambodia joined the WTO in 2004 and was given until 2007 to incorporate TRIPS mandates.  Ooops.

I still believe people should be rewarded for their academic, artistic, literary and technological achievements (especially if I am ever one).  I would definitely not be happy if someone started ripping off my hummus and selling it for a fraction of the cost!  But what is the true injury of making your product accessible to all income brackets?  You still get your big Hollywood paycheck (footed by Westerners who can afford the $10 ticket price).  As high minded as this might sound, I reluctantly support media piracy that bridges the knowledge gap between income levels, even if the bridge is only a wobbly stack of rocks across a raging river.

Since I’m likely not to stop and desist this morally dubious behavior any time soon (esp with the movies), I tell myself things like this.  It is again, another case of my Western virtues colliding with daily life in a developing country.  But what do you think?  Honestly.

 

 

Tax Collection & Evasion

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It’s no secret that bribes and corruption are active and functional institutions here in Cambodia (and many other countries for that matter).  The policemen here will pull you over for insignificant violations such as stopping the car in the crosswalk at a red light (guilty as charged!) in order to elicit “money for beer” (no really, that is what they’ll tell you) yet allow you to drive down the opposite lane of traffic with nary a slap on the wrist. Moreover, the money they collect in “penalty fees” has to be shared with the other policemen on the corner as well as their superiors back at the precinct.  Effectively, they “rent” the corners from their bosses.  Like real estate, busier intersections command higher rent.  Disgusted yet?

Policemen earn somewhere around $45 per month.  Public servants charged with enforcing the laws are paid the equivalent of dinner for two in the US.

Can you support your family on that kind of income?  And why in the world would you choose that profession in the first place?  You could earn four times that much as a housekeeper or being a driver for a wealthy family (not that this is always an option).

In my American self-righteousness I want to be outraged.  Then, I watch as policemen pull over moto’s making a right on red (illegal here) or running a yellow light and how the moto driver will slow down and imitate pulling over, only to gun the engine just as the policeman makes his way over from the street to the curb.  When this happens, the policeman’s face registers no outrage or disappointment, but rather indifference – all in a days work.  I watch this scene happen over and over when stopped at red lights and I start to feel sympathetic for the cop.  Where is this guys power and authority?

In all honesty, the above-the-law sentiment is infectious.  I’m an expat.  I have diplomatic plates on my car.  My husband has a diplomatic passport.  I am immune.  And if I am not immune, the ten bucks in my pocket says this can go away.  In Arusha, I once paid $12 to a questionably-legal towing operation that booted my car for parking “illegally.”  Selective enforcement of these unwritten parking laws bit me in the rear.   They said the fine to remove the boot was $30, but for $12 I’d have to understand that they “couldn’t write me a receipt for that amount.”  I was cool with that.  Whatever got me my car back and helped the situation not devolve into jacking me and my wallet around.

Of course I’d never pull a trick like that back in the US.  The reason why is likely obvious to you, my law-abiding readers.  There is recourse and accountability.  The channels for “making this go away” are clear and codified and enforceable.  I do the crime, I pay the fine.

A fellow American expat, who has been here almost 20 years, pointed out that attitudes towards this type of corruption and bribery are different in Cambodia than they are in America.  Not necessarily forgiving or accepting (they still call it bribery and corruption) but without alternative.  The government is incapable of levying taxes and redistributing it throughout its various public services, so the public servants do it themselves!  Necessity is the mother of invention right? A very good anthropological spin on a situation that rankles my Western sensibilities and principles.

Nevertheless, they’re collecting “taxes” but providing what public service exactly? The road conditions here are, close your eyes Mom, a public health danger.  People drive recklessly, especially on the motobikes which allow agile swerving in and out of lanes.  You know how we’re taught to drive defensively, here they seem to be taught to drive obliviously as if they’re the only ones on the road.  The police men can pull you over at an intersection for infractions that do nothing to reduce accidents – turning right on red, driving with headlights on during the day (only permissible by the royal family) and/or having improper documentation – yet someone exceeding the speed limit or cutting off drivers remains at-large because the cops don’t even have vehicles for pulling people over!

Sigh.

This is heading down a road that highlights bigger problems having to do with rule of law and education – foundational pillars, in my opinion, of economic progress.  Maybe for another post at another time.

 

 

Kep, Cambodia

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Now that I have managed to get the sand out of my bathing suit, I can tell you about our trip to Kep!  A nearly three hour drive took us past rice fields, pagodas and rice fields which eventually gave way to the sandy sea side and the final port of entry for the Kep crabs (the principle industry).  We stayed at a hotel called The Verandah Natural Resort which was built on a small hill at the base of Kep National Park with private bungalows and shared villas.  It had a massive pool, a restaurant overlooking the sleepy town of Kep, an in-house bakery serving up all kinds of goodness to my hips and a, you’re never gonna guess, a verandah!  We had great views of the Gulf of Thailand from the restaurant, pool and verandah, but were not in walking distance.  No matter, the pool kept us plenty busy particularly since it was the place where Millie managed to discover her gills, i.e. start swimming under water! [pause for proud parent moment].

We had left an overcast Phnom Penh behind us which had been hovering the past few days in the chilly lower 80′s only to arrive at the coast to more clouds and even chillier temps.  Weird, but a welcome respite nonetheless.  We spent the first afternoon pretty much exclusively in the pool with our only breaks being for french fries, warm drinks and eventually dinner.

The next day, with the clouds still gray, we dusted off the croissant crumbs from breakfast and hopped into a tuktuk down to the sea side to watch the fisherman bring in the days catch of crabs.  Once they were weighed, they were purchased and then cooked right before your eyes to be enjoyed later in the day mere feet from where they were caught (we didn’t do this though).  The crab port of entry gave way to a small market where other fresh fish and shrimp were being grilled and served with rice and noodles.  Millie made a traumatic realization from the safety of Roger’s arms while observing the fish filleted over charcols – “fish don’t go back into water no more.”  (note, take Finding Nemo out of the rotation).

After the crab market, we tuktuk’d our way over to the dock and arranged for a motorized fishing boat to take us to a nearby island called Rabbit Island.  Since it was Millie’s first boat ride, we had to contextualize it for her by singing endless rounds of Row, Row, Row Your Boat.  Thirty minutes later, we splashed onto the beach and staked out some beach chairs.  The island is very small and has a population of seven families.  It was not the white sandy beach and crystal clear water I was hoping for, but the rustic surrounding certainly stirred the forever 25 year old in me that would have jumped at that kind of accommodation.  Now with a child in tow, its pool AND a/c or BUST!  Millie seemed to view it with a healthy dose of skepticism (hmm, I can’t see to the bottom of that water and there are no jungle gyms, why do my parents think this will be fun?) but she eventually gave way when we put a basketball-sized coconut in front of her with a straw and said ‘drink!’  Drinking and eating coconuts eventually gave way to playing in the sand and a modest dip in the water for Roger.We had been told upon boarding the boat that sometimes the boat cannot return precisely when you want due to weather.  We were ok with that, and within a couple hours of dropping us off, we saw our boat, and all the other small fishing boats, pull out from the beach.  Roger managed to communicate with our boat driver through hand signals that led us to believe the boat would return to the beach once the waters calmed.  The actual translation of that communication was to be revealed to us a few hours later.

Miraculously, Millie was able to conk out in my arms for a respectable hour long nap so we no longer had that worry hanging over our head.  We ordered lunch (fried fish and egg fried rice) and tucked in while simultaneously praying for no food poisoning (we’d heard stories).  Some more sand castles, a little swimming for Roger (Millie and I weren’t too keen on the kelp-y water) and finally the sunshine had us happy as clams.  The restaurant owner casually mentioned that whenever we were ready, he would show us where the boat was waiting for us.

We were pointed in the direction of the interior of the island and to turn left.  With our trusty $2 flip flops on our feet and bags and 2 yr olds in our hands, we set off onto a boggy, muddy path.  Twenty feet onto the path, the mud defeated Roger’s flip flops.  Mine survived, but had to be removed for better traction so we opted for an au naturel mud exfoliation for our feet.  Or let’s just hope it was only mud exfoliating our feet and not any other brown matter.  Many curse mutterings later (and about 10 min), we arrived at the cove where our boat was waiting.  The water was pretty choppy so the ride back was like going down the log flume at the amusement park for 30 min straight.  In my mighty mama’ness, I sat in front of Millie and Roger and took the heft of the splashing.

The next day started optimistically with thoughts and even out-loud conversations about visiting the national park just up the road.  A few pastries later we found ourselves lazing about on the verandah of The Verandah sighing blissfully as Millie made friends with the kids of another family and we managed to read actual grown-up books.  By this point the sun was out full strength so any physical activity that didn’t involve water was out of the question in our minds.  We rallied and ventured down the hill to a little shop called Lili Perles where you can make your own necklaces, bracelets and earrings using the artisanal beads from all over the world.  I didn’t realize that the jewelry was sold by weight, so yikes!  Twenty five bucks later, it was back up the hill for more swimming (but can you really put a price on the happiness of a 2 yr old? C’mon!).

We managed to eat some famous crab from Kep that night for dinner (cooked with the region’s equally famous Kampot pepper), but that was the last stop for fun times in vacationland.  That night, Roger came down with food poisoning (which we think was from a tuna sandwich) and Millie came down with a cold thus there would be very little sleep for the family that night.  The next day, after a speedy packing job, we hit the road back to Phnom Penh so we could recover in our Asian McMansion.

Hanging up my shingle, again!

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One of the first things I looked for here on the shelves of grocery stores was chick peas and tahini.  While simultaneously trying to stock a pantry with basics like salt, flour and Tanqueray, I was also wondering, will I be able to start up my dips biz, Sophia’s, again.

Polepole (‘slowly slowly’, as they say in Swahili) I have been finding what’s available and what’s not and testing out new recipes using local ingredients and flavors.  I’m excited to announce that Sophia’s Specialty Foods, Phnom Penh branch, will be opening for business once again this week!

Actually, I don’t even have a food processor yet but I already have a customer.  An American friend of mine here is opening a soft pretzel shop in town and asked me to create a cheese dip and a sweet dip to go with her pretzels (she’ll also be selling fry bread and eventually even proper bagels). The sweet dips I came up with are Sweet Cinnamon and Toasted Coconut.

As for the cheese-y dip, I basically failed miserably and confessed to her that she doesn’t need to pay me to melt cheese for her when you can buy a gallon of nacho cheese here at the grocery store (can you believe that?!).  But instead of a traditional cheese dip to go with the pretzels, I came up with some alternatives flavors that she could consider down the road once the pretzel business was up and running.  Lo and behold, she considered them right away and ordered all of them:

  • Mustard Dip
  • Kampot Pepper (grown locally in a province nearby)
  • Kimchi Dip (yes, the Korean condiment!)
  • Ranch Dip (with homemade ranch dressing)

Hopefully supplying the pretzel shop will provide a steady customer stream, but I plan to get my dips and hummus back on the shelves regardless.  It’ll be good to get some feedback from the pretzel consumers and see if I’m reaching the flavor profiles of the locals (Cambodians & expats).