The Weekly - Phnom Penh (February 4)

7/25/2019 The Weekly - Phnom Penh (February 4)

1/12

A New Age

For Wellness

WEEKLYThe

THURSDAY - FEBRUARY 4, 2016

Vol: 01 | Issue: 22


2/12

8,000+copies every week

600+locations in Cambodia

REGULARS

Around Town

The best listings in townPAGES 8 & 9

FILMS, EXHIBITIONS & EVENTS

Capturing AngkorA review of Jim Mizerskis new book on

early photography in Cambodia.

PAGE 3

Chinese HouseThe mainstay continues to

reinvent itself.

PAGES 11

PUBLISHER

T. Mohan

EDITOR:

James Reddick

[email protected]

CONTRIBUTINGWRITERS:

Maddy Crowell, Jonathan Cox, Michael

Light, Mia Savage, Claire Baker-Munton

ARTDIRECTION:

Khiev Chanthara, Aim Valinda

096 217 7770 | 012 244 982

[email protected]@khmertimeskh.com

ADVERTISINGSALES:

Mary Shelistilyn Clavel

[email protected]

010 678 324

NEWSROOM:

No. 7 Street 252

Khan Daun Penh

Phnom Penh 12302

Kingdom of Cambodia

023 221 660

PRINTER:TST Printing House

DISTRIBUTION:

Kim Steven Yoro

016 869 302

[email protected]

AVAILABLE AT:

Monument Books

No. 53 Street 426

Phnom Penh

[email protected]

023 217 6177

The Weekly is published 48 times a year

in Phnom Penh. No content may be

reproduced in any form without prior

consent of the publisher..

Cover Photo:Fabien Mouret

PAGE 4

Thats part of a healthcareworkers job. Not just savinglives but caring for those whoare dying.

Mekong ReviewIn conversation with the creators of

the new literary journal.PAGE 5

New HeightsThe countrys burgeoning rock

climbing scene

PAGE 6 & 7

Wellness WeekendA mini-guide to the free

wellness bonanzaPAGE 10

Setting up Chinese lanterns inMin Sheng Pagoda on PreahSisowath Quay in Phnom Penh.

FabienMouret

Supplied

Hip-hop@Sharky Bar, 126 Street 130, 8:30 PM

The rock institution changes it up this week with a

hip-hop showcase featuring DJ Niko Yu (Denmark)and live performances by Kidomatic (US) and MCSang Sok Serey (Cambodia)

THURSDAY

The monthly stand-up comedy showcase,beneting Elephant Asia Rescue and SurvivalFoundation. This month, it features Dave Ale in themidst of his Southeast Asia tour, as well as PuleMapacpac, of The Philippines, and James Atkinson,of Ireland.

Verbal High

@Meta House, #37 Sothearos Boulevard, 8:30

FRIDAY

Rewriting RabiesFinal ActPAGE 4

Not to Miss:

THISWEEKWEEKLY

the

Phnom Penh

THURSDAYFEBRUARY 04, 2016

2 WEEKLYthe

Phnom Penh


3/12

Jim Mizerskis new exploration of theKingdoms early photographers

Capturing Angkor

Although he has worked

as a Naval officer,

electrical engineer

and, most recently,

a photographer, Jim Mizerskis

most recent book is the work of

a historian. Cambodia Captured

aims to be a presentation of theirst photographs captured at

Angkor Wat in 1866, but ends up

ess of an exhibition of pictures

han an exploration of those who

ook them and why. The book

primarily follows the stories

of three men, photographers

ohn Thomas and Emile Gsell,

and French naval officer and

By Michael Light

A Cambodian princess circa 1866

EmileGsell

explorer Ernest Marc Louis

de Gonzague Doudart de

Lagree on their separate but

interconnected expeditions to

Cambodia.

De Lagree, Frances first

representative to Phnom Penh

and the namesake of the street

that is now known as Norodom

Boulevard, was responsible

both for bringing Gsell to, andThomas from, Angkor in 1866. In

Mizerskys book, he acts as a kind

of uniting figure, tying the two

mens work together. Perhaps

it is this central importance, or

maybe his shared profession

with the author, both men of

the sea, that drew Mizersky to

de Lagree. Although he found

the photographic exploits of

Gsell and Thomas interesting

and worth study, it is with de

Lagree that Mizersky would

become most fascinated during

his research for Captured.

De Lagree would die in 1868

in Northern China during an

expedition from Cambodia up

the Mekong. Thomas would go

on to become one of the mostcelebrated travel photographers

of his generation, while Gsell

would create an extensive

portfolio of work in Southeast

Asia without leaving so much as

a trace about his personal life.

Mizerskys book is made up

in part of historical expositions,

which in places stretch on

for pages, but is mostly

constituted of examples

of photographs that bear

the marks of the time they

were taken.In Gsell and Thomass

time, photographers

relied on expensive and

cumbersome wood-built

wet plate collodation

cameras, which captured

pictures on heavy glass

negatives that then had

to be transferred via

chemical process to

albumen paper. Under

normal circumstances,

taking a photo in this

manner required great

skill, preparation andpatiencethe exposure

time required was 15

seconds to multiple

minutes, and anything

that moved within the

frame in that time would

show up in the final

picture as an ethereal

blur.

Because of this, their

pictures in Cambodia

are for the most part

landscapes spare of

bystanders. Mizersky said

that at one point Thomashad to abandon a shot of

a temple because there

were too many monkeys

in the frame, and they

simply wouldnt hold still.

One of the advantages

the photographers had,

however, was their

setting. The book featuresphotos by both men of

Angkors most famous

sites, as well as more

tucked-away close-ups of

the buildingss artwork

and tertiary rooms. That

said, even with the aid

of reference points and

proper angling, Gsell

and Thomas struggled

as much as modern day

photographers to pack

the ruins thousands

of years of history into

single images. One ofthe most challenging

aspects of photographing

Angkor, Mizersky says, is

capturing its scale.

There are also pictures

taken of Angkors

surrounding villages in

Mizerskys book, as well

as of a version of Phnom

Penh that is nearly

unrecognizable; there

was, for instance, once

a small island directly

off the shore near the

citys Royal Palace. Thewaterway between it has

since been artificially

filled in, and now looks no

different than the rest of

the riverfront.

Besides these photos

of places, Mizersky

includes a few portraits

as supplement. Whilesome are of unremarkable

people striking regular

poses, there are a few

little-seen pictures of

King Norodom himself

in the book. The 30-year-

old king is seen dressed

in traditional garb as well

as military regalia, sword

at the hip, ornate jacket

buttoned up to his throat.

Its tough to say exactly

what to make of the once-

ruler. Are his eyes unsure?

Defiant?These sorts of

questions linger as the

pages of Cambodia

Capturedturn. But that is

perhaps the most amazing

thing about them. We can

jump on a bus and be at

Angkors steps in under

six hours, seeing the same

things and standing on

the same ground as

Thomas, Gsell and de

Lagree. But 150 years later

we can only imagine what

went on in theirphotographs exact 15

seconds, as the light of

them poured through

their apertures.

3WEEKLYthe

Phnom Penh


Books


4/12

A

n Assyrian inscription

from the 21st century

BCE, written as a

conversation betweenthe healer and a god, gives a

grim lesson on the futility of

trying to save someone who

has contracted rabies. Oh

my father, the healer says,

concerning a man whom a...

rabid dog attacks, and to whom

it passes its venom... I do not

know what I shall do for him.

Oh, my son, the god

replies, ...what can I [do] for

him?

4,000 years later, doctors

are still as powerless as their

ancient Assyrian counterpartsto treat this disease, which

kills hundreds in Cambodia

every year. Though the disease

is preventable with timely

treatment, once victims show

symptoms they have no chance

of survival. With rabies, people

die, 100 percent of the time,

said Dr. Arnaud Tarantola, head

of the epidemiology department

and the rabies prevention clinic

at the Pasteur Institute.

The disease kills more than

60,000 people worldwide

more than double the numberof people killed by last years

Ebola outbreak. An estimated

850 people die of it each year in

RewritingRabies Final ActArnaudTarantola

There are four million dogs inCambodiaone for every three

peopleand very few are vaccinated.

Cambodian rabies victims often die in agony, turned away from hospitals by doctors who know their disease is untreatable. These patients lives may be past saving, buta new policy could help them die with dignity.

By Jonathan [email protected] Cambodia one of the highest

rates of rabies deaths per capita

of any country in the world.

There are few treatment centers

offering rabies vaccines for bite

victims, and almost none of thecountrys estimated four million

dogs are vaccinated.

Rabies deaths are ugly. The

disease can cause hydrophobia

fear of water meaning that

many victims die of thirst, even if

they have water in front of them.

Victims suffer from convulsions

and fever, but remain fully

aware of their surroundings.

Yet despite the agonies of a

rabies death, many patients

like 52-year-old Chan Sovann,

who died of rabies last year

are turned away from hospitals

when they go there for treatment

after showing symptoms.

Sovann was bitten by her

dog in Battambang province

in January 2015. The local

health center was out of rabiesvaccines, so she didnt receive

any post-exposure treatment.

Five months later, her 22-year-

old son Chet Vannak said, she

became feverish. She was even

afraid of getting in the shower,

a sign of hydrophobia, the tell-

tale symptom of rabies.

Then [her condition]became serious, Vannak

continued, so we brought

her to Calmette Hospital in

Phnom Penh at 1 am. But the

doctors there denied giving her

treatment, saying that she was

in the last stage of the disease.

I felt so down about this, that

she was not being treated. We

brought her back home and she

died.

Sovanns case is not an

exception. We saw rabies

in unvaccinated children

and adults who hadnt been

admitted to a hospital, Pasteur

Institutes Tarantola said.

The admissions personnel at

hospitals know how to recognize

rabies symptoms, and know that

nothing can be done to treat thediseases victims.

The Pasteur Institute and the

Ministry of Health are working to

change the treatment of rabies

victims in the country. Although

nothing can be done to save the

lives of victims, medication can

make their deaths less painful.

The proposed policy says thatno rabies victim is too far-gone

to receive care.

Tarantola is advocating

adding a section about palliative

care to the upcoming rabies

national policy, currently under

discussion in the Ministry of

Health. Along with a plan to

vaccinate the countrys dogs and

spread awareness about rabies,

the new approach would help

hospitals provide care to rabies

patients instead of turning them

away.

This would make Cambodiathe first country in the world

to include palliative care for

victims in its national rabies

plan. Doctors would receive

training about how to reduce

the suffering of people who are

infected.

With proper medication, a

death from rabies can be more

peaceful, instead of agonizing

and painful. We can at least

hydrate them through their

veins, Tarantola said. We can

make sure that they dont die of

thirst. We can give them anti-convulsion treatment.

The drugs that can help

people suffering from rabies

are not expensive or hard

to find, and in fact those

selected by Tarantola and his

colleagues are all on the World

Health Organizations list of

essential medicines. Alongwith rehydrating patients

intravenously, doctors can give

them drugs to reduce their fever,

and diazepam to ease their

anxiety and convulsions. The

last pictures you want to take

away of your child or spouse

is not one of them screaming

and foaming at the mouth,

said Tarantola. You want them

appeased.

The hospitals can also give

some drugs to the family of the

rabies victim, so they can take

their loved one home to die,while giving them the care they

need. Most people believe that

when a doctor declares this is

rabies, they would like to bring

their patient home [to die], said

Sovann. They know the fatality

rate is 100 percent.

Efforts to eliminate rabies in

the country through mass

vaccinations of dogs could take

decades. But while rabies cases

continue to occur, Tarantola

said doctors can provide care

and support to help the dying.

Thats part of a healthcareworkers job, he said, not just

saving lives but caring for those

who are dying.

Thats part of a healthcareworkers job, he said, notjust saving lives but caringfor those who are dying.

4 WEEKLYthe

Phnom Penh


Innovation


5/12

Q: MC: How did the

magazine get started?

Rupert Winchester: MinhBui Jones, the editor-in-chief

whos Vietnames e-Australian,

ived [in Cambodia] for a

ong time. He set up several

magazines, like The Diplomat

n Australia, so hes got a good

rack record in publishing. And

he had been tossing around this

dea of doing something literary

and cultural in Cambodia. He

used to live on the banks of the

Mekong, and he thought, why

not bring it all in?

Get every country through

which the Mekong flows. Therewas the Kampot Readers and

Writers Festival in November

of last year, and Min wanted

o do something with it. In six

weeks we pulled the whole thing

ogether.

Q:Does the magazine have

a theme?

OC: Art, history, culture,

poetry, fiction, essays, reviews

RW: Its a mix of academic

tuff with lighter things. But

think we see it as a place for

people to have a conversation

about culture here. Wevecertainly got our eye on the

New York Review of Books, the

London Review of Books, and

we thought there ought to be

something equivalent to that in

this region.OC: Were encouraging a

reading culture as well. A lot of

the times now mobile devices

have created what we call a lean-

to experience because youre

leaning to reading the news on

your iPad or telephone, whereas

with a literary publication

youre meant to take your time,

sit back, relax and enjoy it.

Q:And you want to keep it

as a print publication?

RW: [Print] is certainly

different in this day and age.

Were hoping itll make us standout a bit, but were also getting

back to the virtues of sitting back

and quietly reading something

on paper.

OC: Statistics from the

last [World Association

of Newspaper Publishers

Conference] found that

print readership is declining

worldwide while in Asia its

increasing. I think that has to do

with the rise of education and

having more access to it, so its a

great opportunity for us as well.

Q: Do you feel that theresmore of a print market

here than there is for some

Western literary publications?

RW: I think maybe theres a

chance here to circumvent the

mass headlong rush towardsgoing electronic. Im not sure if

were right or not, but its worth

a shot.

Q: Whos your audience?

RW: [Laughs] Who is our

audience?

OC: Id say were targeting

more the middle to affluent

classes, those with an interest in

art, history, literature, etc. Not

just expats but locals as well. So

your audience is much larger

than Cambodia.

RW:Yeah, its all the big five

countries through which theriver flows.

OC: Weve also had a large

number of subscribers from

America, Australia, I taly, and in

academic libraries.

Q:But the theme is still

strictly the Mekong

region? Would you publish a

review on David Foster Wallace,

for example?

RW: Unless there was

some connection to here, no,

I dont think David Foster

Wallace would necessarily be

in our purview, as it were. Butif we find and discover the

next Cambodian David Foster

Wallace then, you know, well

go after that.

Q: And have you?

RW: Not yet, no. Butwere looking.

Q:How do you find your

writers?

RW: Just using our contacts

really. Min has a lot of very good

contacts around the world and

I know some people because

Ive been involved with books

and literature for a long time,

so weve been calling in a lot of

favors at the moment.

We really want to find writers

and poets and dramatists and

architects and all sorts of things

make a space for them todiscuss what they want to be

able to do.

Q:Are you trying to rec ruit

more SE Asian writers

or are you just looking for

people who have something to

say?

RW: I think wed love it in

a few years time if everyone

were o f Sout heast Asian origi n.

If theyve got something to say,

then this is the place to say

it. There were lots of barangs

to start off with but thats

certainly not the aim. Its aboutstarting the conversation and

trying to draw as many people

as we can into it.

Q:Is the language barrier a

difficulty for you are

there writers out there inCambodia or other ASEAN

countries who are writing really

well, theyre just not writing in

English?

RW: Language is always

a barrier, certainly. [Tararith

Kho], who we put up this year,

actually lives in Massachusetts

and teaches Khmer to people

over there. There are lots of

people writing, but Westerners

arent going to see it.

Q:Is there a market for

Cambodian literature?

RW:The publishing industrydoesnt exist here. Its a

photocopy industry. So theres

not a lot of incentive for people

to write. Very few can make a

living writing for Cambodians at

this stage. I think it can only get

better.

Q:Any grand visions for the

future?

RW:Well Im working towards

a gold-plated swimming pool.

[Laughs] No, I mean its fun to

just watch it take its own form.

We dont stick to a formula; if it

feels good, well put it in.

[This interview has been

edited for clarity and length.]

Supplied

A NEW VOICE FORTHE MEKONG Designer Robert Starkweather with MinhBui Jones, the founder and editor-in-chief,commercial director Oliver Cahalan and

Associate Editor Rupert Winchester.

The Weeklys Maddy Crowell sat down with Editor Rupert Winchester and Business Director Oliver Cahalan this week to discuss the recent launch of The Mekong Review,

a literary magazine covering all of Southeast Asia, the climate for Southeast Asian literature, and the search for Cambodias David Foster Wallace. The Mekong Review

launched its first issue in November at the Kampot Writers and Readers Festival and publishes quarterly features, poetry, prose and reviews from the Mekong

region. The second issue will hit the st reets on Wednesday.

5WEEKLYthe

Phnom Penh



6/12

If you have the

opportunity to go

outdoors, you shouldtake it, Christoph Lthy

tells me when we meet at his

Phnom Climb Community Gym

on Street 460 in Russian Market.

My climbing experience is

virtually nil but something about

the 2.5 metre-high bouldering

wall being scaled by intrepid

spider-like forms, the buzz of

intent, amicable conversation

on the ground, and Lthys

impassioned rhetoric move me.

Before I know it, I'm signing up

for Phnom Climb's first outdoor

trip.Lthy, a Swiss native,

founded the gym just over

three months ago. His wife a

passionate climber, the couple

had been visiting the small

bouldering wall at Olympic

Stadium on a daily basis. We

thought we needed something

here... and originally we wanted

to build something small, but

what came out was a little bit

bigger.

Asked about the difference

between climbing outdoors

and indoors, Luthy says: Itslike two different pairs of shoes.

Outdoor climbing is something

unto itself. Thats one reason

why the gym is now leading

Climbing to NewHeights in Cambodia

Channy Cho climbs inKampong Cham Province.

VanessaHerranzMuoz

trips: to enable climbers to

get a taste of real rock beneath

their fingers. And somehow I

too would be along for a trip to

a well-known climbing spot in

Kampong Cham province.Kampong Cham offers a

flavor of rock climbing unique in

Cambodia. By contrast, all other

climbing available in-country is

exclusively on limestone, with

the majority clustered around

coastal areas in Kampot and

Sihanoukville. This site is a

cool natural anomaly, Sam

Whitley, a climbing enthusiast

and regular at Cambodia's first

indoor climbing gym, says. I

don't know how it got there but

it's great.

Following in the footstepsof Ryan Sinclair, an American

who 'set' the first climbs in

the area back in 2004 and

2005, Cambodian climbing

instructor Mam Sotharin of

Phnom Penh Fun Climbers, a

186-strong group for climbing

fans of all ages, has been slowly

discovering more walls to

scale throughout the country.

There is Phnom Kulen near

Siem Reap, Lthy tells me, and

Mam and Whitley both praise

a wall in Banteay Neang near

Battambang and another inTakeo Province. It's a lovely

caving and climbing spot but

it takes two hours to trek to,'

Whitley said of the Takeo wall.

Despite access issues, Mam is

firm in his belief that there are

more sites yet undiscovered.

'I am searching for other

places with friends in the North.

They are very difficult to findthere. I think the Kampot area

has more mountains, and we

need to explore there.

* * * * *

At 6 AM on a Saturday

morning in January,

11 climbers of varying

abilities, from six

countries, accompanied by

Mam and two other instructors,

set out from the capital armed

with specialized equipment

and an invaluable copy of

Rock Climbing in Cambodiaby Benjamin Tipton, the only

comprehensive guidebook on

outdoor climbing in the country,

published in 2007.

Located 50 km north of

Phnom Penh and just as

far from Kampong Cham's

provincial capital off National

Highway 6, the site is perhaps

Cambodia's most frequented

outdoor climbing spot, ideally

situated for a day out on the

rocks. And it doesn't fail to

deliver on its exceptional

geological promise: flanked onall sides by a manifold tapestry

of rice paddies, the three rocks

(nicknamed by Tipton 'Broken

Pot,' 'Tiered Rock' and 'No More

Monks') rise enigmatically from

their surroundings. It's no small

wonder that locals revere the

cave within No More Monks,

or Phnom Oh Lok, believing it to

be home to spirits.I tread a path with Mam to

the top of the rock, from which

he expertly secures safety rope

systems at one route's peak.

He attaches his 'gear' to one

of the existing bolts (small

steel O-rings, the threads of

which are drill ed into the

rock), for which he has Sinclair

and his contemporaries to

thank, before rappelling

down to declare the route

open to the expectant group

below. Meanwhile, instructor

Channy Cho opens up another

route from bottom to top,

free climbing from one bolt

to the next, clipping his gear

to carabiners as he goes, an

impressive if death-defying

feat to which there is noalternative; the route ends

some way down the rock-face.

Safety is of utmost

importance to Lthy.

There are no authorities to

check us, just us, but we don't

want anything to happen. He

assures me that they have taken

pains to 'load test' all anchors

in the lead wall to comply with

world safety standards. Despite

feeling in safe hands, my palms

are sweating profusely when I

peer over the edge, a telltale sign

of an age-old fear that I want to

By Claire Baker-Munton


In Depth

6 WEEKLYthe

Phnom Penh


7/12

VanessaHerranzMuoz

Instructor Sotharin Mam prepares for the climb.

eave behind.

Three of us step forward to

attempt the first ascent on the

newly-strung ropes, finding

our footing tentatively at first,

hen with the greater resolve

demanded by heady heights.Meanwhile avid climber,

Lakhna Sophan (La- to her

riends) recounts the story of

her first climb at this very spot

with her ex-partner: halfway up

vertigo got the better of her but,

having come so far, he wouldnt

et her descend, despite her

errified cries.

Confronting her trepidation

head-on, she battled upwards,

emerging at the top triumphant.

She still suffers vertigo but says

he wants to face her fear.

And she does so with deft ease,practically strolling up one

of the most challenging of all

he routes at Kampong Cham,

dubbed the 'Chicken in the

Kitchen.'

As Rock Climbing in

Cambodia warns, the start of

chicken is a doozy, forcing the

climber to clamber in amongst

the branches of a tree at it's

base, directly above which there

are few suitable holds. 'It's hard

at first but then easy, La says

nonchalantly.

The camaraderie in the

group grows as more peoplesummit the wall. One climber

encourages another: 'You will

feel great at the top!'

This spirit is in tune with

Lthy's goal for Phnom Climb:

It's a community gym, so I

hope that people will climb

together, he says. We see

it happening already. People

come in, hang out, get to

know one another. It's very

satisfactory to see.

As for me? I completed

'Sus-Sa-Die', an aptly named

initiatory route friendly tobeginners, haltingly at first as

I struggled to face my vertigo,

then more dexterously on the

second attempt, due in great

part to Mam's coaching. The

experience was exhilarating,

and the journey worthwhile

if only for the views of the

patchwork of greens and greys

of fields, trees and rooftops

scattering the areanot to

mention the birds eye view of

Highway 6.

Lthy says that he hopes

to make these trips a regular

thing.Weve got big ambitions,

he says. We hope that climbing

is something that people are

excited about, and not only

expats.

At the day's end, after being

transfixed by the skills of some of

the crew ascending mercilessly

sheer granite, talk turns to more

mundane things: everyday life

in Phnom Penh. La admits to

not going out much anymore,

saving herself for loftier pursuits.

''I don't party much but I rock it

every weekend!Phnom Climb Community

Gyms lead climbing wall is now

open, with an extended soft launch

entry price of $5. It will be open on

Saturday mornings 7-11am from

February 6, with a hard launch

scheduled for February 20. See

www.phnomclimb.com for more

information.


7WEEKLYthe

Phnom Penh


8/12

Jamaican singer-songwriterwith films, music and food(jerk chicken, meat pat-ties, rice & peas). Recipessupplied by a real Jamaicanmomma and cooked by aJamaican expat (for film list-ings see next page).

DJ PARTY with WAT-A-GWAAN REGGAE COLLEC-TIVE feat. KAZTET D. andfriends at 9:00 PM

SATURDAY TECH LOUNGE

@Pontoon Pulse, 80 Street 172,DJ Flo & Special Guestsplaying House, Tech House& Techno

CHINESE NEW YEAR SEAFOOD

BUFFET

@Himawari Hotel Apartments

Oyster Restaurant, 6 PM-10 PM

Fresh seafood, barbequedmeats, local Khmer delightsand international favourites.Includes complimentary Yu

Sheng and 1 glass of ApsaraGold craft beer. $23++ foradult, $11.50++ for child be-low 12 years old. For reser-vations call 016 871766/016871 756 or email [email protected]

Sunday, February 7DRINK N DRAW@ Show Box Bar, #11 Street 330

HOUSE SENSATION

@Pontoon Pulse, 80 Street 172

DJ Shaman playing deepfunky house music


BUFFET



Fresh seafood, barbequed-meats, local Khmer delightsand international favourites.Includes complimentary YuSheng and 1 glass of ApsaraGold craft beer. $23++ foradult, $11.50++ for child be-low 12 years old. For reser-vations call 016 871766/016871 756 or email [email protected]

Monday, February 8PULSATION

@Pontoon Pulse, 80 Street 172,

12 AM 3 AM

Rob Bianche playing TechFunk & Breaks

Tuesday, February 9SOUL SONIC GROOVE


12 AM 3 AM

Alan Ritchie playing Soul,Funk, Hip Hop & Breaks

Wednesday, February 10 SUPER SMASH BROS WII

TOURNAMENT

@Eluvium Lounge, 205A Street

19, 7 PM warm ups, 8 PMtour-nament

EXHIBITIONS

ONGOING:

IN/VISIBLE

@Meta House, Meta House, #37

EVENTS

Thursday, February 4THURSDAYCHILL

@The Room, 10 Street 246, 8 PM

DJ Nora Haidee, mixture of

deep house, tech, minimal &techno

ACOUSTICS ON THE ALLEY@Artillery, #82eo Street 244

Live music with Miss Sar-awan and Joe Wrigley

HIP-HOP@Sharky Bar, 126 Street 130,

8:30 PM

DJ Niko Yu (Denmark) andlive performances by Kidf-lomatic (US) and MC SangSok Serey (Cambodia)

NO PROBLEM DISCO@Pontoon Pulse, 80 Street 172,

11 PM 3 AM

Jack Malipan playing Disco

House

TRIPPY THURSDAYS DJ PARTY

@Meta House, #37 Sothearos

Boulevard, 9 PM

DJ NICOMATIC & FRIENDS!Expect an eclectic mix oftrippy minimal analoguetechno, trance, house, duband ambient.

KARAOKE NIGHT


19, 6 PM

Get a free beer or soda forhopping on state. Happyhour cocktails at $2 until 8PM.

PUB QUIZ@Show Box, 8 PM

ITALIAN AFTERWORK@Il Forno, 11 Street 302, 6:00

PM-9:00 PM

The monthly event w/ freetapas and pizza and DJ WahWah

Friday, February 5

DISCO NIGHT@The Room, 10 Street 246, 8 PM

Dr. Wah Wah

LIVE MUSIC W/ ROAD TO MAN-

DALAY@ Show Box Bar, #11 Street 330,

7:30 PM

With influences rangingfrom Blondie, Foo Fighters,Fugazi & many others, Roadto Mandalay brings a uniqueblend of heavy alternativerock music to the Cambodiamusic scene

VERBAL HIGH


Boulevard, 8:30 PM, $3

The monthly stand-up com-edy showcase, benefitingElephant Asia Rescue andSurvival Foundation.

DJ & LIVE MUSIC PARTY


Boulevard, 10:00 PMDJ WEZ T joins forces withtrombone player AlexandreScarpatti, for a mixture ofdeep n jazzy house + mini-mal techno.

PULSE THE HOUSE


11 PM 3 AM

DJ Shaman, Alan Ritchie& special guests playing

the best in House, Techno,Disco Edits 11 - 5am


BUFFET



Fresh seafood, barbequedmeats, local Khmer delightsand international favourites.Includes complimentary YuSheng and 1 glass of Apsara

Gold craft beer. $23++ foradult, $11.50++ for child be-low 12 years old. For reser-vations call 016 871766/016871 756 or email [email protected]

Saturday, February 6BACK TO THE 50S, 60S, 70S, 80S


19, 8 PM-10 PM:

Favorite songs and romanticballads from the 50s, 60s,70s and 80s, the golden ageof the music industry.

THE JOURNEY

@The Room, 10 Street 246, 8 PM

DJ Sequence, Drum andBass/Jungle

SOUNDTREK PROJECT

@Cloud, 32Eo Street 9, 8:30 PM

Soundtrek Project is astudent brass band/fanfarefrom Ecole Centrale Parisinvolved in a solidarity proj-ect in Benin, Mauritius andCambodia for 6 month.

LIVE MUSIC W/ EUAN GREY

TRIO

@Bassac LanePlaying funky acoustic origi-nals on the popular bar lane

BOB MARLEY BIRTHDAY PARTY


Boulevard, 4:00 PM CloseMeta House celebrates thelegacy of the unforgettable

DO WE HAVE YOPlease email all details to James.redd

BLUE DRAGON, 391 STREET 84(ACROSS FROM ROYAL PALACE

Considering its proximity to theRoyal Palace, which you can seefrom out the front door, you mightexpect Blue Dragon to be exorbi-tantly expensive and packed withtourists. Whats inside is a pleas-ant surprise. On a recent Tuesday

night, the tables were empty, butthe barstools were full of a di-verse cast of customers in happyconversationa telltale sign of acrowd of regulars familiar witheach others company. A gentledog named Bingo roamed theroom seeking attention. Frenchowned, Blue Dragon has a dis-tinctly European vibe despite the

American jazz age era art on thewalls. Its classy but unpreten-tious, smoky but not suffocat-ing. A tasty house red will setyou back $4, a standard cocktail$3.50, while the signature cock-tails are $5. Local beer is $2 andKronenbourg wheat is $3. One ofthe best bars in Phnom Penh fora relaxed evening.

Hot Spot

A still from Kem and Nit, a lm directed by Norodom Sihanoukplaying at Bophana Center on Saturday

8 WEEKLYthe

Phnom Penh

Around TownTHURSDAYFEBRUARY 04, 2016


9/12

VENT LISTED?mertimeskh.com by Monday at 5pm

Ingredients

Johnny Walker Black Lime juice

Peach juice Simple syrup Garnish with cherry and

orange slice

Its not every day that a

writer gets to drink like

an okhna, the honor-

ific used for members

of the Cambodian elite

who have donated

more than $100,000 to

a cause. At Battbong,

a new speakeasy style

joint hidden behind

what looks like the door

to a 1950s Coca-Cola

fridge, Johnny Walker

Black seems to be the

spirit of choice and

the Okhna Walker the

house specialty. At $7,

for those not within the

okhna range, its a sp-

endy drink but a tasty

concoction. The peach

and lime together cut

the scotchs smoke,

giving it a tropical

flavor.

The Okhna Walker @ Battbong, Down the

alleyway across from Street 51 & Street 288

KROENGSROVOENG

Khmer for Alcohol

Sothearos Boulevard,Photographer Ann-ChristineWoehrl focuses on acidattack victims from Ban-gladesh, Nepal, Cambodia,Pakistan, Uganda and India.The venue will also screenfilms about acid victims fromCambodia and other coun-tries.

DOMINIQUE TRICOIRE

@The Mansion, 363 Sisowath

Quay, exhibit until February 17

ROAM!The Plantation, #28 Street 184,

until March 5:

A collection of 15 charcoaldrawings on craft paper,depicting the impromptuparties held by moonlight inthe Cambodian countryside,near Kampot, where VincentBroustet lives.

THE DISAPPEARANCE, FREE

Java Cafe,56 SihanoukBoulevard, until February 28

The Disappearance is abody of work by Nicolas C.Grey using pen, ink, col-lage and found photographsand objects. The exhibitionhas been composed as aninstallation each work isexperienced in relation tothe other.

LANDSCAPE OF TIME

Sa Sa Bassac, #18ED2Sot-

hearos Boulevard, until Febru-

ary 6

ORCHIDS AND TATTOOS

The Insider Gallery at Inter-

Continental Phnom Penh, 296

Mao Tse Toung Boulevard, until

February 7, 2016

French artist Thomas-Pierrepresents a series in whichorchids are the leitmotif of

the compositions. The artistcombines colors and tattoographics.

FILMS

Thursday, February 4@Meta House, #37 Sothearos

Boulevard

Bomb Harvest (2007, 55 mins),

4 PM:

The film explores the conse-quences of war in Laos as itfollows an Australian bomb

disposal specialist.A River Changes Course (2013,

83 mins), 7 PM:

The story of three fami-lies living in contemporaryCambodia as they face hardchoices forced by rapiddevelopment and struggleto maintain their traditionalways of life as the modernworld closes in around them.

Friday, February 5@Cloud, 32Eo Street 9:

Graphic Novels! Melbourne!

(2012, 72 mins), 7:00 PM

About the long-form com-ics work of Nicki Greenberg,Mandy Ord, Pat Grant andBruce Mutard. This docu-mentary takes us on a tourof the fascinating world ofcomics in Australia.


Boulevard

Shanghai Ghetto (2002, 97

mins), 4 PM:

The stories of German Jewswho were able to escapeNazi Germany in the 1930sby taking advantage of aloophole in passport opera-tions in Japanese-occupiedChina.

@French Institute, 216 Street 184

Ange et Gabrielle (2015, 91

mins, FR & KH), 6:30 PM

Gabrielle is a single motherand raises her daughter

Claire alone. Claireis 17, and pregnant, and asSimon, her boyfriend, re-fuses to help her, Gabriellegoes to his father for help.

Saturday, February 6@Bophana Center, 200 Oknha Men

Kem and Nit (1994, 76 mins, KH

with EN subtitles), 5:00 PM

Directed by Norodom Siha-nouk, the film portrays twoorphans living in a villagewhen Khmer Rouge com-mandos arrive.

Sunday, February 7@Bophana Center, 200 Oknha Men

The Girl on the Train (2008,105 mins, FR with EN sub-titles), 2:00 PM:Based on the true story ofa young girl who stunned

France when she falselyclaimed to be the target ofan Anti-Semitic attack.


Boulevard

In the Absence of the Sun(2014, 94 min), 4 PM: Atender, melancholic nightis experienced through theeyes of three women fromdifferent parts of society asthey struggle to find them-selves in this ever-changingjungle of Indonesias capitalJakarta.

Actors Tall & Feature Film w/

Tilo Prckner, 7 PM:

Tilo Prckner is a Ger-man actor. His career hasspanned five decades andmore than 100 films. Hewill speak at Meta House,followed by the screening ofthe Finnish-Australian-Ger-man science fiction comedyIRON SKY (2012, 94 min).

@French Institute, 216 Street 184

Belle and Sebastian (2013, 104

mins, FR and EN), 10:00 AM

In a small town lost in theAlps during the Second

World War, in 1943,orphan boy Sebastian tamesan abandoned dog. He callsit Belle, whilethe shepherds suspect it ofattacking their sheeps andname it the beast.

Tuesday, February 9Bangkok Girl (2005, 50 mins), 4 PM:

A glimpse of Thailands sextourism told through theeyes of a 19-year-old bargirl.

K2 and the Invisible Foot-men (2015, 52 mins), 7 PMand Meru (2015, 87 mins):Chronicling the lives of bothPakistani porters and Nepal-ese sherpas.

Wednesday, February10Happy (2011, 76 mins), 4 PM:

Taking us from the bayousof Louisiana to the deserts ofNamibia, from the beaches ofBrazil to the villages of Oki-nawa, Happy explores thesecrets behind our most valuedemotion.

Where Have all the Fish Gone?

(2013, 25 mins) and Great

Gamble on the Mekong (2014,

30 mins) and Mekong (2012, 52

mins):

Documentary night on thecascade of dams being builton the Mekong river.

9WEEKLYthe

Phnom Penh

AroundTownTHURSDAYFEBRUARY 04, 2016


10/12

Bringing the 'Wellness'Community Together

Participants at International Day of Yoga on June 21,2015, in front of Royal Palace in Phnom Penh.

FabienMouret

Wellness services

are well

e s t a b l i s h e din the culture

of Phnom Penh. Walk down

almost any street in the

neighborhood of Boeung Keng

Kang and youll pass by a

massage studio. Perhaps you

have noticed the distinctive

circular marks on the backs

of those having recently been

treated with traditional Chinese

medicine cupping therapy.

Wander into Wat Langka one

evening and you might see

students sitting at the pagodas

free meditation course. Butbusinesses catering to wellness,

defined rather abstractly by

The National Wellness Institute

in the United States as a

conscious, self-directed and

evolving process of achieving

full potential, are blossoming

in the Cambodian capital. Yoga

studios, organic produce stores,

and cafs offering western-style

vegetarian and vegan food,

though relatively new to the

Phnom Penh scene, are growing

in popularity.

The first yoga studio inPhnom Penh, Nataraj Yoga,

opened its doors in 2004.

Today, yoga is offered at three

dedicated studios as well as

By Mia Savage gyms and hotels around the

city. With little effort, you

can pop into your choice of

organic vegetable shops along

Street 63, then feast on plant-

based food and raw dessertsat the vegetarian restaurants

scattered around Phnom

Penh. Qualified counselors,

physical therapists, and fitness

instructors offer their services

around the city. Yet, despite

its vibrancy, Phnom Penhs

wellness community remains

disconnected, a shortcoming

that Emma Fountain, a certified

raw chef and nutritionist who is

also the brains behind ARTillery

and the Backyard Caf, hopes to

address.

That is why she organizedthe citys first ever Wellness

Weekend, a three-day long free

event showcasing the citys

offerings. Fountain wants to give

back to the wellness community

in Phnom Penh, a city she has

had a connection with for the

last six years.

The whole idea behind the

Wellness Weekend is that it

becomes a regular event across

Cambodia for both expats and

locals who want to come

together with like-minded

people to share ideas, resourcesand knowledge, she said. This

free event, which is the first of

its kind in Phnom Penh, aims

to highlight to curious locals

and expats alike what there is

on offer from the health and

wellness community, and allows

practitioners to meet and share

experiences in healthier ways of

living. The Wellness Weekendwill be hosted at the Backyard

Caf on St. 246 near Sothearos

Boulevard.

Twenty-two local specialists

representing 17 different Phnom

Penh-based organizations will

be volunteering their time to

present on food and nutrition,

mindfulness, physical activities

and natural living. The event

will open on Friday evening

with a yoga class and close

Sunday night with a gathering

for women to meditate and

honor the first new moon of thelunar year (Full disclosure: I will

help lead the latter workshop, as

well as one other).

The full schedule gives you a

choice of 26 different workshops

and classes to attend. With this

many options, theres bound to

be something for everyone.

Overwhelmed by all the

choices? The Weekly enlisted

the help of Emma Fountain to

highlight some picks for the

weekend.

FRIDAY

Begin your weekend in a

gentle flow yoga class on Friday

at 6:15pm, where you will

play and sweat in a class that

emphasizes moving from yoga

posture to yoga posture with

fluidity and grace. Sign up for

this and the other pop-up yoga

classes to avoid disappointment.Meet at the Backyard Caf where

a free tuk-tuk will take you to the

yoga studio.

If you havent pre-booked,

not to worry - yoga classes will

also be held at the Backyard

Caf.

SATURDAY

Workshops start at the

Backyard Caf on Saturday at

11 am. Opt for just one, such as

Reiki and Energy Healing at 6pm,

in which Munira Lam of SamataHealth and Wellness will explain

a healing technique based on

the principle of channeling

energy through touch. Or, fill

your day from start to finish with

workshops titled Wild Yoga,

Wild Heart, Slowing Urban

Momentum by Cultivating

Curiosity, Osteopathy and

Physiotherapy Focused on Back

Pain Management, and simply,

Meditation.

SUNDAY

Sunday boasts another full

day of talks, again beginning

at 11 am. A presentation on

natural beauty products at

11:30 am by Sally of Saari may

give you some easy tips to bring

home with you. Other workshop

titles range from Aromatherapy

and Massage Therapy with

Jean Claude at noon, Living anAuthentic Life with Jodi Chee

at 2:00 pm, The Art of Jiu-Jitsu

with JJB Cambodia at 3:30 pm,

and Zumba and Fitness with

Mabel Tejada at 6 pm. A popular

option is Sundays Fly Fit Yoga

session with Alison Hawkins of

Yoga! Phnom Penh, in which

you can explore backbends and

inversions with the support of

a yoga swing, a yoga prop that

looks like a large hammock. Due

to popular demand this class

now has a second session and

at the time of writing is almostfully booked up.

Wondering where you

might eat? The Backyard Caf

will be offering discounts for

participants of the Wellness

Weekend. Munch on free

samples of their menu fare as

you choose from a wide range of

fresh, wholesome, healthy foods

at the self-described home of

healthy food in Cambodia.

With the range of wellness

topics represented, delicious

eats at a discount, and free

admission, this event is not to bemissed. Learn more about the

Wellness Weekend on Facebook

at https://www.facebook.com/

events/533719680142986/.

10 WEEKLYthe

Phnom Penh



11/12

GLOB

AL

INFLUEN

CES

KEE

PI

T

FRESHA

T

CH

INESE

HOUS

E

Chinese House may

seem removed from

the rest of PhnomPenh it sits north

of the city in a mustard yellow

building behind the quiet foliage

of trees off Preah Sisowath Quay

but that certainly doesnt

deter crowds from finding it.

The name Chinese House

comes from the buildings

heritage: it was constructed in

904 as a warehouse for Chinese

merchants.

Ive been living in Asia a

ong time, and the first time I saw

Chinese House I fell in love with

t, said Benjamin Thomalla,a South African expat who is

currently the general manager

or Chinese House. Then an

opportunity came up.

By Maddy Crowell Last year was the 111th

anniversary for the building a

golden, airy French-design held

up by ancient white Chinese

pillars and roofing embedded in

a fern garden.111 is an important symbol

in Chinese numerology, so we

decided to do a major renovation

this year to celebrate, Thomalla

said. We scraped these walls for

two inches until we found the

right style.

The interior of the building

looks like the inside of a Vogue

catalogue, and fosters the sort

of cultural hodgepodge the

building has witnessed since

its inception. The floor is tiled

with blue fleur-de-lis plaits and

wooden French windows, whilebright Chinese paintings line

the antique walls. In the back,

a wine cellar quietly houses

imported bottles that start at

$20 and reach astronomical

prices. And its all inside one of

the most ambient factories Ive

ever visited.

We wanted to make the

building very family-oriented,with family-style dining. Its a

pretty unique space, and were

constantly renovating to keep

it fresh, as the clich goes,

Thomalla said as we took a

tour of the building. Upstairs

held long rows of white-clothed

tables and a more private room

overlooking the river.

Before Thomalla took over in

September 2015, the restaurant

served South American food.

Prior to 2011, however, the

space existed as a bar and gallery

to showcase local and regional

musicians. Thomalla has tried

to preserve the Houses history

and music culture, bringing in a

live orchestra every Wednesday

and a DJ on Fridays, but the

space is primarily a restaurant and one in which head chef

Amy Baard has taken a creative

license for experimental dishes.

The name Chinese House

protects the Houses heritage,

but the restaurant is hardly

Chinese the menu is a creative

fusion of pan-Asian pacific

cuisine.

Chef Amy uses bold flavors

and colors, Thomalla added.

That includes specials like the

Special Bubba Gump a

kilo of prawns made with salt-

pepper lime, kim chi aioli, roast

garlic mayo, ginger soy, chili and

wasabi. Special creative tapas

are served for brunch. And thisweek features a special 5-course

set menu in honor of the

Chinese New Year: egg-noodle

wonton soup, steamed egg

custard, Peking duck pancakes,

braised beef brisket and mango

custard.

Ive been living around

Southeast Asia for five years,

and I try to put my South African

roots on it. The food is playful,

energetic, bright, young. I found

that South African cuisine works

well with Asian cuisine because

of the Malay trade route in SouthAfrica, Baard explained.

Theres a lot of sweet mixed

with spice, and I add a little

Indian influence too!

Ive beenliving aroundSoutheastAsia for five

years, and I try to putmy South African rootson it.

FabienMouret

Amy Baard (right) withBenjaminThomalla (left)

11WEEKLYthe

Phnom Penh



12/12

Documents

The Weekly - Phnom Penh (February 4)