Cambodia 4 Sale

This is a very interesting read........................

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/apr/26/cambodia?gusrc=rss&feed=worldnews

Buying a Car in The Penh

It's a bloody nightmare out there. Cars here are a hit and miss affair. Most have been hit and few have been missed. Many come out of the US where they were written of and sold for rebirthing and you need to be careful that Landcruiser you are eyeing off isn't one part Corolla and one part Kia Sportage. This must be the only country ion the rold where cars and motorbikes actually Appreciate !

What I would really like is one of these ;

ANZAC DAY 2008 ; Kick Boxing and Beers

Security was tight ; More soldiers than Gallipoli

Having missed the dawn service for the first time in about 10 years, I was determined to salvage what I could of this special day. In the heat of the midday sun I rode the scooter out to CTN TV Studios in Toul Kork and secured two VIP tickets ( $25 ringside and all the Tiger you could drink ) to the International Kick Boxing match featuring 4 Khmers vs 4 New Zealanders. As I arrived they were rolling out the brand new razor wire and fortifying the perimeter and there were throngs of locals buying tiockets out on the streets.

After a hamburger feed and a few beers at Cadillac at 5pm, Paul and I headed out to the studio in a tuk tuk and we were swiftly herded past the restless masses holding our VIP passes aloft like Wayne and Garth and an Alice Cooper concert. After navigating the rolls of wire, the security guards and soldiers, we found ourselves on the elevated VIP stage ringside. We scored a primo table right at the front giving us uninterrupted views and it wasn’t long before the Tiger started flowing and the Okhnas and their bodyguards rolled in to sit at the best seats. All the Aussie expat lads were also there ; The Brocon boys, ANZ, RJ Services etc and we were all hyped in anticipation.

The public seats

Like lambs to the slaughter, the Kiwis marched out to applause and whistles but I couldn’t help but think how unprepared they all looked, Flabby, confused, anxious. “What the hell have I got myself in for this time “looks on their faces. Better them than me I thought. In comparison….. the Khmer lads were hard as all hell, toned and hungry for some lamb on the spit. Luck for me, Paul announced he would take all bets on the Kiwi fighters so I was left no option but to back the local boys. It was to prove a profitable night for me.

For the next few hours we watched as Kiwi after Kiwi was annihilated in the ring. They all went the distance but were clearly outclassed and out of water. In one of the rounds, the Khmer boxer was actually smiling thoughout the entire fight. He was loving it as he rained down non-stop elbows and knees and crouching tiger style kicks and the Kiwi ended up limping off at the end with a savagely beaten leg. The Khmer boys were just too good, too fit and too comfortable with the home crowd behind them.Still, I admier anyone for getting in the ring with those blokes.

Place your bets !

All in all, despite “our” bys getting beaten and the beer running out ( we had to switch to Anchor ….tsk), the night was a great success and we all promised to go to more matches in the future. Paul and I headed out to the bars and the next day I felt like it had been me in the ring.

"Mum................I won ! "

Phnom Penh Police reports for April

April 3: A man was detained and arrested at Calmette hospital in Phnom Penh for allegedly stealing a mobile phone from a patient’s room. The suspected thief was Nop Tuo, 23, the victim Men Phalla, 52, and the mobile phone a Motorola V31, age unknown.

April 3: Mom Phearom, 25, was arrested and the motorbike he was riding seized by police in Kam Peus village, Kandal Steung district, Kandal province, after he and two associates allegedly robbed a traveler of his motorbike 10 minutes earlier, at 5:40pm.

April 3: A suspected member of an infamous group of bandits who arm themselves with AK-47s, Sok Phal, 32, was arrested in Phnom Penh by police from Prey Veng province and the Ministry of Interior. Phal had been tracked to the capital from Prey Veng after a man told police Phal had stolen his motorbike and was intending to sell it in the city, said Phnom Penh deputy chief of police Ham Kunthy.

April 6: A young man was seriously beaten by a large crowd in Phnom Penh after he was seen snatching a necklace from a woman leaving a wedding. The theft and subsequent attack happened at 2:30pm near the Caltex station on Russian Federation Boulevard in Russey Keo. Police said their early intervention probably saved the man’s life. He was identified as Bun Vannarith, 23.

April 6: A man attempted to rape a two-year-old girl in Treuoy Treong Village, Sang district, Kandal province, after an extended drinking session. Tuoch Oy, also known as A Khmao, carried the toddler behind her house at 6:30pm, allegedly to rape her, but was seen by a five-year-old girl who ran to tell the victim’s parents, police said, adding the 26-year-old man was quickly apprehended.

April 7: One of three young men accused of tying wire at head height across a street in Chak Chruok village, Khan Dangkor, Phnom Penh, was arrested after police came across the wire intended to topple motorists by catching them by the neck. Motorbikes, once separated from their rider, could then be taken. Police said Chhean Sopheuon, 19, was captured on the spot at about 10:20pm although his two associates escaped.

April 7: Two men suspected of involvement in the murder and robbery of a woman on October 4, 2007 were captured by police in Battambang province. Police said the woman, 25-year-old Mao Sinath, had been killed for her motorbike, phone and jewelry. They arrested her boyfriend of the time, San Kim Theuon, 28, and his flatmate, Bu Tith, 26, in Andong Chenh village, Ochar commune.

April 7: Police in Kampong Cham province took another shot at suspected murderer Om Lim, 59, sending him to court for a second time after earlier charges against the man for the same murder were rejected by the provincial court. Lim was arrested for a second time following a complaint by a man who said Lim had killed his mother, Dim Mao, 68, in Koktrea Lich, Prey Chhor district, in May 2007. Lim told the Rasmei Kampuchea newspaper the charges were dropped the first time because he paid the court a bribe of $2,400.

April 7: A group of thieves threatened to kill an entire family it had robbed at home in Prek Tnot village, Kam Pot district, Kampot province, if it reported the crime, police said. Mat Yab, 43, said his family was robbed of 4.02 million riel, $2,000, 89.6 grams of gold and 77.6 grams of platinum and one mobile phone at 8:20pm.

April 8: A gold shop in Sam Rong market, Odormean Chey province, was robbed of 600 grams of gold and 1.31kg of platinum, in what police say is the first robbery to take place at the market. Gold trader Seuong Sakhan, 39, and his wife, Sok Balis, 26, were robbed at gold shop #69 at 4:30pm by three men armed with two pistols. No one was hurt during the robbery.

April 8: Phnom Penh resident Khom Haynak, 25, had his head hacked from his body by his machete-wielding cousin Chey On, 28, in a revenge killing, police said. Locals at the scene of the crime in Prek Leap village, Khan Reussey Keo, Phnom Penh, said a small problem had now turned into a big one. Police said apart from being beheaded, Haynak suffered seven other wounds to his body in the frenzied attack. A neighbor said Haynak was killed because of an earlier conflict Haynak had with his cousin’s wife.

April 9: Thirteen suspected drug dealers and drug users, including four women, were arrested in Phnom Penh by police of Khan Daun Penh at #34, Street 174, at 5pm while they were gathering for a presumed smoking session. Neighborhood police chief Yim Socheat said the crackdown netted 80 tablets – not identified – three pieces of a tablet, two “big” packages and three “small” packages of a “white powder,” seven cigarette lighters, one bottle of drinking water and two containers. He did not say what was not seized.

April 10: Six bullets for an AK-47 were lined up outside the home of a Radio Free Asia (RFA) reporter in Vatkor village, Vatkor commune, Battambang province. Police said the bullets, placed inside the compound’s gate, were found at 7am by the daughter of journalist Lim Pisith. Police said Pisith has received many threats over the years because of his job, which frequently addresses issues of corruption and illegal logging, and he usually left the country until matters cooled down. The police chief of Vatkor commune, San Samin, said the bullets could have been placed by “anyone” but admitted it was likely connected to Pisith’s work.

Punting the Cambodian land market.

At some stage every body has had a flutter on something. The Melbourne Cup, the greyhounds, Lotto, the stock market, a house or an apartment and maybe even the US green card lottery! Things go up, things go down and you make or lose money depending on which side of the cycle you are on. Personally I have never been a big “punter”. Yes, I have bet on the Melbourne Cup (lost). Yes, I bought a house in Australia (won).Yes, I have traded the money markets (lost and won). No I have never bet on a dish-licker and no, I am not a Lotto millionaire. I have always yearned for that BIG score but have never really actively or relentlessly sought it out as I am just not that money hungry. Of course I dream about what it might be like to have no financial stresses but in a perverse way I think not having a lot of money keeps you honest and on track.

In the early 1990s I worked for an internet company whose stock went from 0.7c to $6.00 in a year. All my colleagues got Porsche rich and I was left standing at the alter with a 1991 Subaru wagon. Still…..I did not feel too bad when it crashed just as quickly and they were all left holding expensive toys and houses they could not pay for! In the late 1990s I worked for an IT networking company and watched again as everyone got paper rich on the back of the hardware and software boom that came on the back of the internet boom. When that market crashed, again they lost all their toys. I now had a 1999 Subaru wagon. In early 2000 by the time most of my friends were now property millionaires, I finally got around to buying a modest house and it has provided me with a sense of financial security that I had previously no known.

Now I found myself living in yet another emerging market. Cambodia. The place is booming. Everywhere you look apartments are being built, businesses are springing up, fast food chains are arriving and there is a general air of hysteria that reminds me of the halcyon days of Cisco Networks and Netscape. Perhaps the biggest commodity being traded in Cambodia at the moment is Land.Dirt.Paddocks.Rice Fields. All things soil. Hell…even swamps are being traded! Lexus 4WDs are tearing around all over the country with cash laden suitcases and once poor rice farmers are the nouveau riche class. Unlike many other countries, in Cambodia ALL deals are done in cold hard cash. No bank loans, no interest rates and no mortgages. No lengthy processes either- 2 weeks is the usual deal time and in a lot of cases…no greedy solicitors are involved. You can even sell land you don’t really own by simply paying the deposit and then flipping it straight away.

There's gold in them thar hills !

Sounds dangerous right? Well, yeah….this is punting remember. Anything could happen and usually does. Cambodia could go to war with Vietnam tomorrow or the CPP could lose this year’s election and all hell could break loose internally (gulp).A group of rebel farmers could come screaming down from the hills and declare martial law or a drought or tsunami could cause untold hardship. Right now however, land is, I believe, cheap. If you Google South East Asian land prices, Cambodia is at the bottom. Well…Burma is cheaper but you have to deal with the oppressive government. No thanks. If you are a speculator by nature or have a few extra bob that you are happy to part with if it all goes tits up, then Cambodia offers the punter a heady, exciting marketplace where profits in the triple digit percentiles can be made in a matter of days or weeks.

Flippity flippity flippity flip. Let’s just hope it doesn’t dip !

http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=343&Itemid=136

Khmer New Year 2008

Another one has come and gone and we have had a wonderful week of holidays in Kampot and Kep. After a couple of days in Phnom Penh, we headed to Kep in Murray’s RAV4 on Monday. After checking into our room and a quick hello to all the relatives, we loaded up the younger cousins (amazing how many people you can cram in a small 4x4! ) and headed up to Tuk Cheu waterfalls for an afternoon meal. Jesus H Christ. It was packed. 5000 Khmers swimming and washing their hair in the barley flowing water, 5000 Khmers sitting on dining platforms eating $12 chickens and sculling whiskey and 5000 Khmers trying to find car parking. What a nightmare. Never again.

Kep Crab Market in full swing

The following day we drove down to Kep to meet Anthony for lunch and discuss his purchase of land near us in Kep. We had him in mind for a hectare that was going for around $35k and of course he was shattered when we rang only to find out it had been sold. He left deflated and we told him we would take a drive along the road and see what we could find for him. 2 hours later and Marie and Anthony are the proud owners of 2400m2 right next door to Humphrey, Justin and Leakhana. They paid a fair bit more than we did per meter but it is a lovely block and what with Humphrey there as well, we now have an instant Aussie-enclave for future holidays!

We relocated to Kep Lodge on Wednesday and this place is absolutely fabulous. Dan (Swiss German) and his Khmer wife Cheang have turned a hillside acre into an 8 bungalow (pool soon to be finished) retreat that has stunning views of the gulf and a great vibe about it. The staff are great, their little son Alex is gorgeous and their dogs are very friendly. They also make the best damn pizza in Cambodia. We spent the next few days exploring in the car all the way up to the Vietnam border and eating crab and reading and sleeping and generally unwinding. We liked it so much we extended for an extra night.

When exploring...watch out for holes !

Kep Lodge sunset

Our Bungalow

Soon enough we were heading back to Phnom Penh and with an extra day up my sleeve, I accepted an offer to go riding with Jeff and Brady on my last day off (yesterday). We followed the train tracks out of Phnom Penh and then hit the power lines for some of the best single track riding I have ever done. The 400s wailed as we rooster tailed sand and hit berms and whoopdy-dos and I rate it as one of the best day rides I gave had here.

Khmer New Year 2008

Our farm now has corn !

The watermelons have been harvested and now we have gloriously high corn stalks everywhere. The rice is starting to come up too and with it come the lime green hue I love so much.


...................................and we also have a new resident on our other block ;

Hagar ain't horrible !

Well it's not often I give the Happy Clappers a write up but this is well deserved.

I have just stumbled upon the NGO Hagar and their catering operation on St 288. Brilliant.

$3.50 gets you a lunch box DELIVERED ( and then picked up ) to your workplace containing ;


Top LHS - 3 succulent pork skewers on a warm bed of rice noodles and bok choy.

Bottom LHS = Potato cakes

Bottom RHS = A delicious fresh garden salad with red and green peppers,lettuce,onion and a tangy vinaigrette

Top RHS = Watermelon,pineapple , papaya and jack fruit.

Absolutely delicious and you can't tell from the photo but it is a hefty meal...

You can sit down in the very peaceful and well appointed restaurant for a $3.90 all you can eat buffet and they do High Tea from 2-4pm.

I would almost convert for this place !

10/10.

Tonle Sap boat cruise

Yesterday was so bloody hot it was ridiculous. As I ate my Vietnamese pho soup for breakfast at Olympic Stadium, I almost slid off my seat into my own pool of sweat. I should ever have put that chilli in my soup. After breakfast and a brief trip to a cane shop to order Pom Pom jnr a dresser, I retreated to the safety of my AC’d office to send some emails home. It was then home to perform a quick cat rescue for a small kitten that was stuck in our downstairs neighbours’ garage and then I fell in a heap in front of a DVD.

The weather turned nasty but only briefly

At 3pm we met Ang, Paul, Rory, Dan, Davuth, Wendy, Kirsten and Maduranga at the riverfront and boarded a Paris boat for a few hours on the Tonle Sap. No sooner had we boarded than the rain came and for 30 minutes we cruised through torrential rain which was actually quite pleasant a it cooled everything down. Soon enough the rain was gone and the river was still and we had a really nice cruise up the Tonle Sap’s banks.

Mottley Crew

Ultrasound # 4

We have just been to the very swish Royal Rattanak Hospital for our 5 month ultrasound. Little Pom Pom Junior is brewing away nicely. It was absolutely amazing seeing the little baby moving around inside my wife. We could see arms (2) and fingers(10) ,legs (2) and toes ( 10),eyes (2),ears(2) and a nose (1 only ). We saw and heard the heart beating away like a little drummer and the two staff members with us were almost as happy as we were ! We met with our Thai Doctor and got Leakhana's blood results back which show she is all healthy and then we got her a tetanus shot. All in all...things are progressing well and Leakhana is a true champion. Sleeps and eats For the Cambodian Olympic team and there have been 0 episodes of sickness or irrational behaviour.

Construction of The Dragonfly PART 2

Captain Will ( the goofy looking bloke on the left )

The Butterfly is starting to take shape. Cabins have been formed up and sun deck has been extended. I still think they need more support for the roof but the boys wont listen to me. One thing is for sure. It is going to be damn hot downstairs. Hopefully taking her out this weekend.

Side shot

Rear State Cabin

Chirpy little deckhand