Kampuchea Crossings

Bump to baby on the beaten expat track

Nathalie Abejero

Is it ok to tell people I’m an American now???

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That was hands-down the most amazing party I have ever helped organise! The entire wing of the Foreign Correspondents’ Club (FCC-Phnom Penh) was packed with expatriates, with best guesstimates of around 400 by 9am!
Just as they declared a winner my friend hollered into the microphone: “AMERICAAANS!!! RAISE YOUR HANDS!!!”

…and that’s when the dam broke. Fists shot up through a rain of confetti and the roar of cheers. Expats from various western backgrounds turned, tears of relief flowing, to hug strangers next to them. All the world had reason to celebrate, not just Americans, and to celebrate on several levels.

The greatest part was the turnout of so many Americans! We don’t normally congregate outside of rare embassy events since that’s asking for trouble. Those hands signaled change already occurring, since no expatriate could in his right mind volunteer that s/he’s American for the hostility it invites, no matter how proud to be an American s/he is and no matter how festive an event in a safe environment. Until now.

Remember when people actually looked to us in friendship, with admiration, in our travels? Instead now we’ve had to avoid looking conspicuously American. We honed instincts for keeping a low profile and watching our backs: no talking loudly, no sneakers, no baseball caps, handle the blue passport discreetly, dodge the “where are you from” question and thank you lucky stars I can pass for a non-American.

As Americans living abroad far off the tourist tracks, we rely on a rational approach to global relations. We are the frontlines for the wrath caused by our government’s ill-informed unilateral activities that have intensified threats to America and its expatriates. In meetings, even when my capacity is to represent not USAID but another bilateral, I am targeted for the ire about my government’s policies that I don’t even agree with. Even Keith— who rarely raises his voice or argues— has on occasion had to defend himself against a barrage of assaults and needed his friends’ physical interventions, for the simple fact that his all-American looks makes him a target. We’re reduced to apologists, defending ourselves for being American, alone with no one taking our side, especially in this post-9/11 world where our government squandered the outpouring of goodwill towards us by wanton engagement in war while options still existed, all the while hypocritically preaching “Christian values”.

And we aren’t all tree-hugging development wonks out to rescind the Gag Rule (Mexico City Policy) on abortion either. Our guests included Americans both based here and passing through from different walks of life– businessmen, developers and investors, corporate attorneys for Microsoft and entrepreneurs from Silicon Valley, regional officials from WHO and the UN system including the World Bank, foreign diplomats, pastors, even our US Ambassador to Cambodia joined.

And today, when we woke up, that tender of global goodwill was somehow back. America as an ideal, and America as a country, has defeated a campaign and reign built on cultivating hatred, fear and ignorance. Internet blogs, editorials, and opinion pages from all over the world are swelling with positive energy that includes us now. Strangers stopped to congratulate me and Keith on the streets and in the store when they heard our American accents. Khmer colleagues eagerly debated their rudimentary understanding of US democracy with me. Against all odds, they told me, it happened in America and maybe one day it can happen in our country.

No matter your political inclinations, this event was a triumph of the grassroots that is the foundation of a democracy. Amazingly, the complete and utter absence of southern conservative anti-intellectualism in Obama’s winning formula is a statement that marginalises the under-educated, impoverished, whiter South and bible belt’s centrality to national politics. Even if nothing gets accomplished in the next four years I applaud the hope this outcome has inspired all over the world. And I am glad that now, once again, logic and reason will take its rightful place in governance, even if only for the next four years.

Wow civic participation… Yes America…. YES WE CAN!!!

frequent flier? how to not shrivel up dry in that cabin

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Life is a journey, especially for expatriates. Keep the destinations coming, but traveling takes its toll with dull lifeless hair, skin and nails, after being trapped in a tiny seat with a cabinful of people literally breathing down your neck in recirculated air (especially on our 15++ hours annual leaves, uggh!). Give yourself some TLC in-flight and look glam at the arrivals gate with these quick tips for gals on the go:

DO PRE-FLIGHT
• start / keep a list of must-bring items– in purse, carry-on and checked luggage. save these lists so you don’t leave important things at your destination. it’s also a good record that can help with last-minute shopping when luggage got lost
• ask for and save samples of your fave products for travel
• take vit E or cod-liver / fish oil tablets regularly before flight for skin
• take vit C / supplements for boosting your immunity
• do a hot-oil treatment (eg warm olive oil with essential oils for your hair type) and/or use a leave-in conditioner before your flight to prevent dry hair and breakage
• a hydrating facial day before the flight (not a deep cleansing facial);
• intensify your moisturising routine
• buy foldable boxes (like the IKEA Komplement) for storing / transporting your items neatly (eg between bathroom and bed) when you get to your destination
• toiletries packed inside clear ziplocs or see-through cases have less chance of getting rifled through by security screeners (yuck)

DON’T
• wear nail polish, it chips easy then looks bad; get a buff manicure instead
• drink caffeine, alcohol, soda as they’re dehydrating
• pre-board or get on the boarding line– everyone especially in asia rushes to wait in line. let ’em all on first to minimise both your wait and cabin time.

BRING ONBOARD
For organising your things:
• a hanging toiletries bag for carry-on pampering you tote along and hang in the bathroom, and another for your entertainment (ipod, headset plug converter, notepad, pen, magazine), because there’s never enough storage space but you can always hang something– stow away if not needed

For hydration:
• water, water, water
• your favorite fragrant herbal tea blend; green and black teas are especially high in anti-oxidants and good for fighting those evil free radicals that contribute to ageing and illness!

For pampering / depuffing tired red eyes:
• eye pillows with grains inside for acupressure benefits
• eye gel or pre-moistened eye pads–ask for a glass of ice to cool it before using!
• moisturising eye drops

For keeping nails, skin, scalp and hair moisturised:
• wetwipes for oil-blotting, to moisturise, to clean dirt and make-up, as single-use masks for an in-flight facial
• hydrating mist (water-glycerin mix, hydrosol, aloe juice etc) in a spray bottle with an atomiser top, spray your face often and your hair occasionally
• rich moisturiser such as a chunk of shea or cocoa butter, mild enough for the face but for use on all skin areas prone to dryness
• vitamin E capsules, prick and use on dry lips
• to hydrate nasal passages, line with a bit of vaseline, or a nasal spray also relieves congestion
• ask the flight attendant for plain yogurt (hydrating, natural exfoliant, gentle cleanser) and/or honey (humectant, anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory) and give yourself a facial in the bathroom
• those toilet-seat covers in the bathroom? excellent for blotting oil from face (unused ones)
• essential oils are indispensable (eg lavender, peppermint, rosemary): place a few drops on a tissue and breathe it in to soothe, aid in sleeping, relieve congestion and combat stale air
• aromatherapeutic oil blend gentle enough for the face– treat yourself to a hand massage after washing hands, a facial acupressure session ( on a clean face!), and afterwards as a leave-in conditioner run hands through your hair and lightly massage the scalp; essential oils of lavender, neroli, frankincense, myrrh in a camellia base oil have the added benefit of anti-ageing
• dry shampoo if you tend to get oily hair and scalp, do a dry cleanse before landing
• a good boar bristle brush to keep oils distributed down the hair shaft

(to be published in AsiaLIFE Phnom Penh in Nov 2008)
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… far from roads in rural Kampot

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This 18 year old mother was taking her baby to the health centre. This facility, built just last year with funds from a German NGO (can you tell it’s new?), is relatively far from the primary and secondary roads and can’t be accessed by vehicle.
This is the main transport option in rural areas. You can’t see the motorbike pulling this remorque (it’s basically a wagon that can hold up to 35 Khmer). It’s a horrible bumpy ride (I feel this way and I’m healthy, imagine a pregnant mother about to deliver riding this contraption up to 15km to get to a skilled birth attendant!).
Development efforts –ours and a host of others working in MCH (Maternal and Child Health)– sadly haven’t sufficiently implemented a continuum of care to respond to this access barrier.
Cambodia had the highest Maternal Mortality Rate (31st highest in the world) in 2000 at 450 deaths/100,000 live births. There was no progress by the Cambodian Demographic Health Survey 2005, when it peaked at 473/100,000.

Here’s another form of transport, but only if there’s no rush!

Go to Hanoi for the food and Halong Bay

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I swear everyone is an entrepreneur in Vietnam. There’s a palpable sizzle of business-orientation in the air. If you want to get a vibe of the Asian economy in real-time and see what the emerging markets buzz is all about, come spend some weeks in Vietnam!

That said on the individuals level, overall Hanoi wasn’t as interesting as I expected (granted, I was there for a workshop, and spent just a few days exploring the city). It’s most definitely progressing at a rapid clip, but it remains unapologetically provincial. Old temples and historic sites seem either non-existent or not yet identified, restored and put on the map. It gave the impression of an architecturally simple, culturally uncomplicated and unpretentious city– despite the high energy– almost as if it’s settling for claim as a Halong Bay stopover, totally disinterested in tourists. The North is completely different from the rest of the country, and is completely ok with that.

Give the food trail a shot, it’s worth the effort.

We’re big foodies, and we try as much local fare as is possible whenever we visit a new locale. In Hanoi, the cuisine is more simple and isn’t as spicy (chili hot or tasty good) as the royal cuisine of Central Vietnam or the fusion-ed fares of South Vietnam, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t good in its own right! We found a huge variety of offerings, that we just couldn’t fit enough meals in a day. Actually we had to settle for sampling numerous meals without finishing any one, both of us sharing just one dish! (thank goodness food was cheap!) In the evenings it was a feast: all sorts of food shops open in the tightest of quarters, squeezing as many customers into every crack of open space on the sidewalk.

This is a very popular seafood grill corner. Stacked to the ceiling in one corner are many small plastic seats (like for children) and tables as is possibly needed. The a la carte dining choices are spread out over a large bed of ice. Customers point at the raw seafood preparations and they’re brought to your small plastic table grilled.
This is one of the seafood food shops in the Old Quarter. The food sits on beds of ice all day waiting for customers. One particularly amazing preparation is the oyster. These oysters were at average 8inX6in HUGE. They’re brushed with a special hot vinegar sauce, put on the grill, an egg broken over it, and served with hot sauce and dried garlic and onions. It’s mouthwateringly, amazingly good. In May 2007 one of these was $1.50. We cleaned her out every time we walked by!
Bun-cha is a must-have for any visitor to Hanoi. This very large spread of a meal has such varied textures (soft noodles, crunchy fried spring rolls, tender meats, chopped vegetables..) and flavors (sweet, hot, herbal, vinegary, bitter) tossed together in a curious combination. One of the major bun-cha food shops is listed in the Lonely Plant. It is a Hanoi staple and only available at lunchtimes due to the labor-intensive preparations.
The Vietnamese like their meats– anything that moves is game. Civets, field rats, snakes, bats, they all make it onto the famous grills. No one eats alone. If you’re sitting by yourself, a group will invariably join you. These guys offered a taste of their meals to Keith, who looked on in curiosity as their orders were brought. They were happy to share, and by the time the various attempts at communications arrived at a semblance of understanding, he found out he’d just eaten dog meat.
It is a healthy eating culture. Everyone eats a lot of raw foods– fruits and vegetables. There are fresh vendors everywhere you turn. Sellers who rent a space at markets sell at a higher price than sellers who plant themselves on the sidewalk and spread out their items on the ground. And sellers such as this one, who walk around with a pole and baskets of fruits hanging from each end, often sell for even less.
Markets are one of the first places I love to check out when I’m new to an area. The environment and wares and goods are so telling of a people. Here are some grains sold at the market near Old Quarter, and prepared foods just outside a pagoda near the hotel.

See more photos at Keith Kelly‘s flickr page.
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SHIFT Happens

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Variations of this has been making the email rounds and YouTube for two years now. It’s an oldie but goodie, and still a relevant topic. Three short years in SE Asia has been eye-opening as far as the impact of technology on a society’s development, including its effect on poverty. Worth a watch..


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Vietnam: Halong Bay and Cat Ba Island in three days

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Halong Bay on the Gulf of Tonkin, as with other popular destinations, isn’t without the attendant scams and traps awaiting travelers. Getting the most out of any trip is a matter of arriving with an open mind. Expect to haggle and stay flexible; you’d be surprised how far patience and good humour goes. I normally avoid package tours but it’s unavoidable here, unless you have the luxury of time and nettle to dicker your way onto a private boat with the locals (it’s legally not allowed).

As of May 2007: 2day-1night boat trips ranged the gamut of $30 for a small junk to $180+ for an Emeraude cruise. Know your traveling style and philosophy, as there are benefits to all options. For example, the bare-bones trips offer a glimpse into local life that luxury cruises do a very good job of sheltering patrons from. Being no-frills, guests are allowed to haggle with vendors who float by, towing anything from Oreos to locally-caught seafood from boat to boat. They even have the equipment necessary to make a very tasty local meal for you. Guests can ask for an informal cooking lesson in the galley, request a special itinerary or stops not advertised by the booking agent. This interaction with locals and flexibility is limited with the higher-end cruises. Because they have more offerings, guests are charged for bringing purchases on-board, and the advertised schedule is strictly adhered to. But they also offer more comfort, have better amenities and an array of entertainment options. It’s really quite up to the traveler’s comfort needs.

It was the start of the rainy season in May, but the downpours were predictable and short.

That said, words can’t capture the beauty of Halong Bay.

Interesting activities at dawn…. dynamite fishing. It’s illegal, as it doesn’t just kill fish. The sudden underwater shock indiscriminately pulverises the underlying habitat and destroys the surrounding ecosystem.
Typical of a longer itinerary is a stay overnight at Cat Ba Island. No white sand and surf here, and no entertainment– there’s a floating village, some swimming and short hikes. Getting invited to a meal is great and isn’t hard to do, as locals are all very friendly and eager to meet visitors–as well as earn some extra cash! Otherwise hit up one of the floating restaurants for a seafood treat that isn’t so hard on the wallet.
Birders might find this is a good stop as the fish farms and constant churning of the water from the junks offer easy meals. There were a dozen black kites and red-whiskered bulbuls, some of them in aerial combat over territory. It’s always interesting to watch fierce smaller birds chase off birds of prey ten or more times larger than they are.

These amazing boats look like they’re barely skimming the top of the water, they’re so buoyant. This woman is cutting some bamboo to strips to repair another boat. Doesn’t it look like the boats are floating just right on the surface of the water?

To see more Halong Bay photos see Keith Kelly‘s Flickr page.
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