A slightly un-knitty post today but a look into life in Cambodia.  I give you:

The Good

Yesterday was the Royal Ploughing ceremony, my favourite of all Cambodian celebrations!  This is more than good, it’s fantastic:  the annual Royal Ploughing Ceremony.  Each year, the royal oxen are paraded around in front of the king, dignitaries, spectators as they ‘plough’ a small circuit of sand.  They are led by elaborately dressed handlers, surrounded by beautiful girls in glamous costume, accompanied by the full spectrum of traditional instruments and the whole event is televised around the nation.  The ceremony marks the beginning of the rice planting season, but is also watched by farmers attentively for a clue on how the upcoming season is expected to unfold.  During the ceremony, the royal oxen pair are led to 7 plates containing 7 different items like rice, beans, corn and water.  Depending on what they choose to eat, and how much, the royal astrologers predict which crops will fare well in the upcoming year.

This year, expect a lot of corn to be planted around the Kingdom.

The Bad

Last week, the electricity in our office started acting up.  It would switch itself off in a dramatic pop leaving us in sweltering darkness.  I called the landlord, the landlord called the electrician.  The electrician came and said there was a problem and left.  I called the landlord again.  He called the electrician.  He came back and fiddled around.  The electricity came back.  The electrician left.  And then it went off again.  Called the electrician again.  He came and spent two hours going through all the plugs and then concluded that everything was fine. Came back to the office this morning.  No electricity and we couldn’t even turn it on for a few minutes.  Called the electrician and he told us there was a problem.  We said we appreciated that there was indeed a problem.  He proceeded to explain that something was twisted somewhere and that it was now our problem.  He was done with it, and us.

Very hard to find good, reliable service in Cambodia.

The Funny

Just moments ago I watched as all the knitters crowded around the accountant.  He was sitting on a low stool, head hung low and slightly bent forward.  One of the knitters pulled out a small jar of Tiger Balm (no one in Cambodia goes far without it) and then two knitters vigorously rubbed the balm into the back of his head.  Then they proceeded to ‘kos kchool’ him.  This involves taking the lid of the jar and rubbing in into the skin as hard you can, until the skin turns red.  He yelled out but they wouldn’t let him go until he was good and marked up.

Any ailment in Cambodia, from headache to sprains, is best dealt with by ‘kos kchool.’