Bump to baby on the beaten expat track
I bought these cards at a Women’s International Group (WIG) Christmas Fair a few years ago. On the back of the cards is a copyright for Global Art and Anita Dean who, from a quick google search, is the founder of Global Art, Phnom Penh. I wish they printed the name of the artist too.
Anyway, I hope I’m not breaking any copyright rules by scanning and posting these beautiful cards. If anyone knows who the artist is, please leave a comment!
It’s always nice when work takes you down to the coast. This is our team’s last trip to assess public health facilities. That we were in Kep was much appreciated! Kep is a small seaside province which has been designated a resort area so it is rapidly developing – see some photos of Kep on our Flickr. The crab market (Psar Kdam) is an especially big attraction. There are all manner of seafood on the grill for sale here. Ten squid on a stick cost 20000Riel (US$5). Whole chicken on the grill is around 30000Riel too. Big fish are around 8000-12000Riel each.
Blue crabs are the signature catch for Kep, so we splurged on these for lunch on our last day. For small crabs we were able to haggle 18000Riel/kg (~US$2/lb). For 35000Riel/kg the crabs are bigger and meatier. We got 6kg (13.2lbs) and had them steamed (1000Riel/kg). While waiting, our team made a yummy dipping sauce by pounding together a mix of garlic, chili, lime and some palm sugar. It was really hard to go back to work that afternoon!
I love these popsicles once in a while. They’re one of the few interesting ice cream brands I’ve seen in Cambodia. By interesting I mean the flavors are local, not the typical imported vanilla chocolate strawberry. They carry red bean, sweet yellow corn, durian, taro (this is the least tasty flavor unfortunately), and black glutinous rice. I’ve only ever seen them in the bigger TELA gas station mini-marts or at the Paragon grocery store (behind the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh).
I’ve been asked recently by a few Khmer colleagues about where to go for cervical or breast cancer in Phnom Penh. There is increasing expertise in the private sector, but it’s hard to refer people to those facilities when the reviews of the care is mixed. Below are two health and medical networks that have specialist teams on site who can do screening, diagnostics, counseling and treatment for cervical and breast cancers. They seem to have good reviews from the barang physicians I work with. Check on their website and/or call for more information or for an appointment.
HOPE Worldwide – https://www.hopeww.org There are three facilities depending on income level. There is also some grant funding to cover expenses if cost is an issue.
(1) Community Medical Center – located on Kampuchea Krom (between 169 and 139) (855) 23986609 The facility charges a sliding scale with fees structured according to income level.
(2) Embassy Medical Clinic – No. 18, Street 228 (between 51 and 57, around the corner from SOS), Sangkat Chak Tomouk, Khan Daun Penh (855) 23426091 Services are on the highest end out of the three clinics. Consultation was $15 last year when I took my toddler to the American pediatrician, Sutton Whittaker. (Unfortunately he has since left Cambodia :-(
(3) Sihanouk Hospital Center of HOPE http://www.sihosp.org/ – St. 134, Sangkat Vealvong, Khan 7 Makara Services for the very poor, located at the Center of HOPE hospital; these services are usually reserved for folks from the provinces that have exhausted all other health care options and have no money.
RHAC (Reproductive Health Association of Cambodia) http://www.rhac.org.kh/ They offer family planning, sexual and reproductive health services in 14 provinces in Cambodia. They have many facilities, and have funding to cover expenses for those in need of it.
These coconuts cost 32,000riel (US$8) each at the markets in Battambang town – compared to 2000riel (US$0.50) for a regular coconut. The meat is thick, tender and incredibly sweet. They aren’t in season right now and the seller at the market wouldn’t tell us when that would be (meaning they won’t be so rare thus so expensive). They’re a variety called locally as Dong Ktii and they’re only available in Battambang and Kampot so far as my Khmer colleagues know. Anyone know what kind of coconut these are, and if they’re related or similar to the macapuno variety in the Philippines?
I’m not a big fan of Rambutan (saw-maw in Khmer), mostly because the woody bark of the seed comes off with the meat (I guess it’s added fiber – see the picture below). But it’s incredible how much of this fruit our son can devour in one sitting. So I came home with 5kgs of it from a friend’s local farm and wouldn’t you know, some kid passed around Hand Foot Mouth at his petri dish pre-school and he broke out in rashes sores and blisters. Rambutans are too acidic for his mouth sores so he can only stare at them :-(
