Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Vietnamese troops, and ended up in a massive
countrywide bombing campaign to support the
pro-American Lon Nol government against the
Khmer Rouge.
Unexploded ordnance
(UXO), or
explosive remnants of war (ERW), remains a risk in
rural areas, with the southeast, centre and
northeast of the country particularly affected; in
the countryside it's foolish to pick up or kick any
unidentified metal objects.
Among the many
Khmer radio stations
, just a
couple carry English programmes. The principal
local station favoured by foreigners is Love FM on
97.5 FM
, featuring a mix of Western pop, news
stories and phone-ins.
Festivals and
events
Cambodians are always celebrating a
festival of some sort, heading out to
the pagoda with family and friends or
taking off for the provinces; unsurpris-
ingly, festivals are the busiest times for
shopping and travelling. For details
of public holidays, consult the “Travel
essentials” (see p.44).
The most significant
festival
of the year is
Bonn
Chaul Chhnam
(Khmer New Year; April 13 or 14),
when families get together, homes are spring-
cleaned and people flock to the temples with
elaborate offerings.
Bonn Pchum Ben
(late Sept), or
“Ancestors' Day”, is another key date on the festive
calendar. Families make offerings to their ancestors
in the fifteen days leading up to it, and celebrations
take place in temples on the day itself.
Marking the start of the planting season in May,
the ceremony of
Bonn Chroat Preah Nongkoal
(Royal Ploughing Ceremony), held at Lean Preah
Sre park in Phnom Penh, combines animism,
Buddhism and plenty of pomp. It begins with
chanting monks asking the earth spirits for permis-
sion to plough. Then ceremonial furrows are
drawn, rice is scattered and offerings are made to
the divinities. The most important part of the
ceremony, however, is what the Royal Bulls choose
when offered rice, grain, grass, water and wine.
Rice or grain augur well; water signifies rain; grass is
a sign that crops will be devastated by insects; and
wine, that there will be drought.
Though it has been cancelled for the last few
years, the
Bonn Om Toeuk
(early Nov) water
festival has traditionally been celebrated when
the current of the Tonle Sap River, which swells so
much during the rainy season that it actually
pushes water upstream, reverses and flows back
into the Mekong. The centre of festivities is
Phnom Penh's riverbank, where everyone gathers
to watch boat racing, an illuminated boat parade
and fireworks.
Buddhist
offering days
(exact dates vary
according to the lunar calendar) are also colourful
The media
Much of Cambodia's media is sponsored
by the country's political parties, and
though the prime minister has declared
his support for press freedom, the media
continues to be subject to the govern-
ment's whims.
Newspapers and magazines
Cambodia has around seven daily
Khmer-
language newspapers
. The two main dailies are
Rasmei Kampuchea
(
Light of Cambodia
) and
Koh
Santepheap
, both of which are pro-government.
Cambodia's two
English-language newspapers
- the
Cambodia Daily
(
W
cambodiadaily.com;
published daily except Sun) and the
Phnom Penh
Post
(
W
phnompenhpost.com; Mon-Fri) - can be
found at newsstands in larger cities. It's also worth
looking out for the several English-language
magazines
.
Asia Life
(
W
asialifemagazine.com; free
from cafés and restaurants) is the
Time Out
of
Phnom Penh with a host of articles related to new
things happening in the city.
Bayon Pearnik
(
W
bayonpearnik.com), a free satirical monthly,
available in Western restaurants and bars in Phnom
Penh, includes travel features and news of bar and
club launches.
Television and radio
Cambodia's seven
Khmer TV stations
broadcast a
mix of political coverage, game shows, concerts,
cartoons, sport - kick-boxing is a huge favourite -
and Thai soaps dubbed into Khmer. The state
broadcaster, TVK, is owned by the ruling CPP, who
also have influence with most of the other
channels. Guesthouses and hotels usually offer
cable
and, increasingly,
satellite TV
stations,
enabling you to watch a vast selection of foreign
channels, typically including BBC World, CNN, CNBC,
HBO, National Geographic and Star Sport.
