The Enchanted Forest of Kampong Phlouk

Seeing that my task here in Cambodia is to research how tourism can benefit more Cambodians and what can be done to keep tourists a bit longer than two nights and three days in Siem Reap - and actually have them discover different parts of the country, I investigated some of the nearby options once you get sick of temples...


A 20 minute drive from Siem Reap, the floating village of Chong Kneas on the Tonlé Sap (South-East Asia's biggest lake) is definitely an option. The village has everything from floating stores, to a floating gas station and a floating school - including two gymnasiums for kids to play soccer or basketball.


And for those who need their little prayer every day, there's even a floating church. It's unusual, but actually very interesting and wonderful for sunset. Unfortunately, it's not really off the beaten track. Quite the contrary, nowadays it seems to be a "must see" on every Angkor tour, drawing between 2000 and 3000 tourists every single day... bumper to bumper boat...


The enchanted forest of Kampong Phlouk is more difficult to reach, but much more rewarding. After a two hour rocky boat trip on the Tonlé Sap, we get a first glimpse of the tiny fishing village. The village is entirely build on stilts - about 6 to 7 meters high - as the Tonlé Sap can rise up to 10 meters during the wet season.


Right now, it's the dry season - so the village looks a bit surreal. The wooden houses, perched up high, are empty these days, as all the action of day to day living such as cooking and socializing happens underneath the houses - or along the dusty main road. From November to April the fishing season is slower. Over this time villagers repair the fishing boats or work on their nets.


In the dry season, raising crocodiles in cages along the shore is a very lucrative business (that only rich families can afford). A nice big crocodile can be sold for almost $2,000. Drying shrimps in the middle of the village road is also an option, albeit not as financially rewarding...


On the village's one and only main road playing volleyball is very popular.



And then there's also the Ecotourism project that was set up in Kampong Phluk by UNDP and other NGOS a few months ago. But after having had lunch there, I spoke to the villagers and soon realised that the so-called "community based tourism project" does not really benefit the wider community, as the team-leader was claiming in an interview just minutes before. It seems only a few women, from selected families, have so far been asked to cook onboard the floating tourist restaurant. But maybe this will change in the future? It maybe too soon to judge as the project only started three months ago.


My day ended with a magnificent paddle tour through the flooded forest of Kampong Phlouk. A local fisherman took me on his traditional wooden (and very shaky) boat. Why do the people here call it the "enchanted forest"? If you ever come to Kampong Phlouk... you will find out why!

Sunrise at Angkor Wat

5.45 AM

The place is already packed with tourists.



Everyone is eagerly awaiting the sunrise... flashs are going off everywhere... the Japanese tourists are overly represented here this morning. My guide Mr Sorn says this is normal Japanese just simply love the sunrise at Angkor Wat - Cambodians prefer the sunset, he tells me. It's all a question of taste.

6.15 AM



7.10 AM



7.25 AM

I'm off to the Temple of Ta Prom. But I'll definitely come back, as I have to check out the sunset.

Cambodian 101

Heute habe ich meinen Kambodschanischen Wortschatz erweitert:

Tschom Reap Sour - Hallo!
Sus Dei - Guten Tag!
Knom Schmor Barbara - Ich heiße Barbara
Okun (Tschea) - Danke (sehr)
Tschom Reap Lear - Tschüß!

Kilim und Perser kriegen Konkurrenz

Kilim und Perser - klar alles wunderschöne Teppiche aus dem Iran, Afghanistan und anderen Ländern aus dem Mittleren Osten. Aber schon was vom "Kandal" gehört? Wohl noch nicht, aber das könnte sich bald ändern... denn die deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) hat vor kurzem in der Kandal-Region, nordwestlich von Phnom Penh, ein neues Entwicklungsprojekt gestartet.

Worum geht's?



Um diesen typischen kambodschanischen gewebten Teppich - auch "Kandal" genannt. In der Kandal-Region weben Frauen, getreu einer alten Tradition, diese farbenfrohen Teppiche. Für viele dieser Weberinnen und ihre Familien ist es die einzige Einnahmequelle.



Am Tag weben die Frauen im Durchschnitt drei solche Teppiche. Ihr Lohn dafür ist selten mehr als ein Dollar.

Mit dem "Kandal"-Projekt wollen die Experten der GTZ helfen, die Qualität dieser Teppiche und ihre Vermarktung - auch nach Europa - zu verbessern, und so die Einkommen der angesprochenen Familien anzuheben.

Anfang Januar ist die erste Phase der Projektes angelaufen: im Entwicklungsjargon heißt sie "Analyse der Wertschöpfungskette", das heißt die verschiedenen beteiligten Akteure werden von GTZ-Mitarbeitern interviewt.



So sollen Schwachstellen identifiziert werden, aber auch Potentiale. Die beteiligten Akteure sind in diesem Fall:

1. Die Bauern, die die Seggen produzieren aus denen die Teppiche gewebt werden



2. Die Frauen und Weberinnen



3. Die Händler, von denen die Frauen meist abhängig sind, denn diese stellen ihnen häufig die Seggen für die Produktion der Teppiche zu Verfügung und auch die Webkämme und anderen Geräte, die sie zum Weben benötigen. Auf die Preise haben die Frauen in den seltensten Fällen wirklichen Einfluss.



4. Die Verkäufer, die die Teppiche in größere Provinzstädte oder nach Phnom Penh auf den Markt bringen.



Ein wichtiges Anliegen des Projektes ist, die Weberinnen und Händler zu motivieren, sich in Genossenschaften zusammenzuschließen und ihre Interessen gemeinsam zu vertreten. Diese Phase jedoch, so schätzten die Mitarbeiter der GTZ, dürfte besonders schwer sein. Zu groß ist die Angst vor Kooperativen, zu stark die Skepsis gegenüber jeglicher Authorität. Zu tief sitzt das Misstrauen aus der Vergangenheit - besonders seit den dunklen Jahren der Khmer Rouge Terrorherrschaft.

Doch die GTZ ist zuversichtlich: das Projekt birgt großes Potential. Mit dem "Kandal" könnte der Durchbruch auf den internationalen Markt gelingen - und wer weiss, vielleicht gehört der "Kandal"-Teppich in Zukunft genauso in das Ikea-Repertoire wie der "Poäng"-Stuhl oder der "Pax"-Schrank...

First Field Trip

I've been in touch with the German Development Agency GTZ since my arrival in Phnom Penh. They suggested I join two of their teams for a field trip to get a first impression of rural life in Cambodia and to visit their latest private sector promotion project involving the "Kandal" carpet. But before getting into the nitty gritty of this Cambodian woven carpet -- here are a few snapshots of my first ferry trip:







Crossing the Tonlé Sap River.



Do I need to say anything? Trust me, I tried to hitch a ride with them! It's the cheapest way to get around in Cambodia... I guess it's much the same for these poor ducks:





They're still alive... though probably somewhat dizzy...

How do I get to 39 street 528?

Or, how to make it on time for an interview appointment in Phnom Penh rush hour...



It's mad, really mad! No matter what mode of transport you choose. With a 4WD and a driver, a well paid expat might be comfy and cool but your car is way too big to push through the crazy rush hour traffic pouring onto the streets of Phnom Penh shortly after 5pm.



The Tuk Tuk has charm, but even this mode of locomotion is too big to sneak right, left and center of the bumper to bumper cars.

So there's still the choice between a cyclo and a moto - I've done the cyclo once and felt terribly bad, that a skinny Khmer driver half my size (and weight) would have to peddal hard to get me to my destination - my choice of transport is the moto.



It's quick, cheap, and whilst sometimes lifethreatening always an adventure. Turning left onto a main boulevard one first drives on the wrong side because there's no way to cross the three lanes to the other side in one go - and waiting is never an option, even not at most red lights... motos are coming from all sides, overtaking from left and right, squeezing through any tiny spot between cars, trucks and busses. Entire families, colourful bulky goods or life stocks are transported this way. I even spotted a party of five. Wearing a mask is not unusual... it first made me think of SARS, but when the pollution hits you it actually makes sense.

So, I had my interview appointment at 5.30. Half an hour earlier and Phnom Penh not being really big I thought half an hour would get me there way too early... My driver didn't really know where street 528 was, but he seemed confident - and so was I. After all, I thought, numbering the streets instead of having names was pretty straight forward. Well, think again, we're not in the US here... every district has its own numbers - and I had no clue in which district Dr. Koma was waiting for me. Too bad, we ended up at one end of Phnom Penh, unfortunately the wrong one. For a change my mobile was not working, so I had to borrow one from a little girl, soon drawing the attention (and laughter) of a dozen people as I unpacked my laptop to extract Dr. Koma's mobile number... grhhhh... he was waiting for me at the other end of town. So I hopped back on the moto -- off into another round traffic nightmare. I did end up getting to 39 street 528 half an hour late... the tour was all the bit worthwhile, as I learnt everything about agriculture and rice production. And why Cambodian farmers take it easier than their Vietamese neighbours. But more about that another day!

Why "Fish Amok"? Cambodians would know...

My first "working" day in Cambodia had to end with Fish Amok - the country's popular national dish and my all time Khmer favourite. Back in Germany a few months ago I had disastrously failed to cook it for some friends, dropping the fish and the coconut concoction in the boiling water of the bain marie... In future, I promised myself I would only have the "real stuff"...

So, tonight I caught a moto to Café Amok on 2 street 278. If anyone, they should get it right. Amok here refers to the specific Khmer way of cooking with curry sauce and has nothing to do with fish running wild - though your taste buds might!



The cook in the kitchen refused to share her secrets with me, but waiter Chay did:

- choose a nice freshwater fish filet
- marinate in coconut curry sauce
- add limes leaves and sweet basil
- wrap in banana leaf or coconut
- boil in a bain marie until it's ready to melt in your mouth



This Fish Amok was good, but I missed the banana leaf and it could have been a wee bit more spicey.

** out of *****. For me the verdict is still out.

So, what's my plan?

Why am I spending six weeks in Cambodia? The average tourist spends 3.2 days in Cambodia - that's much less than in neighbouring Thailand, Vietnam and even Laos. I'm interested to find out what is being done to change this. Can the entire country benefit from the rising numbers of tourists and not only the popular destinations of Angkor Wat?

More than 1,5 Million tourists visited the historic Khmer temples last year, and yet Siem Reap is still the third poorest region of Cambodia. Fruits and vegetables consumed in Siem Reap's many hotels and most handicraft bought by tourists are not produced locally but imported from neighbouring Thailand and Vietnam. What is being done to change that? What positive potentials does Cambodia's booming tourism industry have? But also, what are its dangers? How can Cambodia develop a sustainable, environment and social friendly tourism that benefits a large segment of its population? Those are some of the questions I would like to address on the road that will take me from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap, Kompong Thom, Ratanakiri, Mondulkiri and Sihanoukville.

Welcome to Phnom Penh

It's my second trip to Cambodia. Last year I was well organised and had arranged my visa in advance with the Cambodian embassy in Berlin. This time I thought I'd get it at the airport.

With no special "VISA" signs and no one really speaking English I figured I'd stand in line with most of the other foreigners... A grim looking officer took my passport and pointed towards the left... I was not quite sure what he was trying to tell me or what I was supposed to do, so I waited with a few other startled tourists... five minutes later and 20 meters further down another officer suddenly waved my passport into the air with one hand, holding the other one out in return for cash. Still no spoken word.

At the passport control same speechless procedure. The purpose of my trip is to research tourism development in Cambodia. The welcome at the airport has certainly room for improvement. But having picked up my luggage and made it past another round of grumpy customs officials - I saw a huge sign saying GRUBER and my driver "James Bond" boasting the biggest smile. Welcome to the land of the smile!