By J.D. Kindle
East Oregonian
It’s not often that one gets to celebrate his birthday in a foreign country. Since Brian and I were in Cambodia for mine, our attitude was to try to pack it with as much as we possibly could.
My birthday ended up falling on our first day in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. Our tuk-tuk driver Chomm, whom we had arranged for the previous evening, met us at the cafe in front of our guesthouse in the morning. I asked him what Cambodians do to celebrate their birthday, to which he replied the standard of cake and presents. When I informed him it was my birthday he became giddy and claimed he could take us out for the evening to where his friends could sing me “Happy Birthday,” but in the meantime we would take in some of the major sights and activities in the city.
Sold.
Our first stop was the shooting range. Cambodia has become somewhat notorious for the proliferation of shooting ranges created by leftover weapons from years of civil war and lax government oversight. Travelers who want to play Rambo for a day can try their hand at an array of assault rifles, machine guns and even hand grenades.
Since it was my birthday, I had to treat myself to a hand grenade. The director of the shooting range led me over to a large pond. He picked up a handful of rocks from the ground and tossed them into the pond in order to show me the the correct throwing distance. After I made a few correct practice throws myself, he stuffed a grenade in my hand and pulled the pin. It’s hard to keep your cool knowing you're holding a device that could obliterate your presence on earth, which is seconds away from exploding, so I frantically tossed it in the pond like a hot potato. The ensuing explosion in the water was impressive.
Apparently thrill seekers were once allowed to toss grenades on the bare ground, but the government felt that it was too dangerous a practice and now restrict it to the ponds. It’s nice to know the Cambodian government has some say in how munitions are discharged around here...
Getting the excess out of our system, our next stop was a more sober affair: viewing The Killing Fields near Phnom Penh. Though there are many killing field sites around Cambodia, the one near Phnom Penh was the most prolific, where an estimated 20,000 people were murdered by the Khmer Rouge. The visit was enough to put us especially after viewing the memorial stupa containing bones and pieces of clothing from bodies excavated from the site.
After a brief rest in the afternoon, we met back up with Chomm for a night out. Our first stop was one of the many beer gardens spread throughout the city.
Whereas most American beer companies utilize sexual displays of women in their advertising arsenal to sell alcohol to potential customers, beer makers in Cambodia push it one step farther. Instead of a bartender serving your drinks, there are many “beer girls,” each one representing a different brand. If you are in the mood drink a particular brand then you should seek the corresponding beer girl out, otherwise you should just pick a beer girl that seems the most charming because chances are she will invite herself to sit at your table, partake in whatever beer you just ordered, possibly flirt with you, then coerce you into buying another round.
As a beer-selling strategy, it works quite well and at $2 per jug, it doesn't hurt your pocket book that much either.
Later we migrated to a Cambodian discothèque. Brian and I came across as novelties in the club being the only Westerners there, but the young club-goers seemed to enjoy our presence, smiling at us the entire time and offering us plenty of toasts. After a while, the typical international blend of electronic music subsided, and the DJ played a set of more contemporary Cambodian folk-pop. The style of dance shifted from a free-form style to the crowd slowly stepping around in a mass circular pattern while making expressive movements with their hands. Some of the younger dancers even had choreographed steps and hand movements that were as impressive as any kind of Western line dancing back home.
I feel like I made a college try at the Cambodian dance style. Chomm told me I was dancing just with the best of them. Of course he could have just been trying to make me feel good.
It was certainly not an average birthday and one that won't be forgotten anytime soon.
James Dean Kindle is a local musician and an infrequent (but frequently enough of a) world traveler. When not abroad he is busy making music with his band The Eastern Oregon Playboys and working as a GIS technician in Pendleton.
East Oregonian
It’s not often that one gets to celebrate his birthday in a foreign country. Since Brian and I were in Cambodia for mine, our attitude was to try to pack it with as much as we possibly could.
My birthday ended up falling on our first day in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. Our tuk-tuk driver Chomm, whom we had arranged for the previous evening, met us at the cafe in front of our guesthouse in the morning. I asked him what Cambodians do to celebrate their birthday, to which he replied the standard of cake and presents. When I informed him it was my birthday he became giddy and claimed he could take us out for the evening to where his friends could sing me “Happy Birthday,” but in the meantime we would take in some of the major sights and activities in the city.
Sold.
Our first stop was the shooting range. Cambodia has become somewhat notorious for the proliferation of shooting ranges created by leftover weapons from years of civil war and lax government oversight. Travelers who want to play Rambo for a day can try their hand at an array of assault rifles, machine guns and even hand grenades.
Since it was my birthday, I had to treat myself to a hand grenade. The director of the shooting range led me over to a large pond. He picked up a handful of rocks from the ground and tossed them into the pond in order to show me the the correct throwing distance. After I made a few correct practice throws myself, he stuffed a grenade in my hand and pulled the pin. It’s hard to keep your cool knowing you're holding a device that could obliterate your presence on earth, which is seconds away from exploding, so I frantically tossed it in the pond like a hot potato. The ensuing explosion in the water was impressive.
Apparently thrill seekers were once allowed to toss grenades on the bare ground, but the government felt that it was too dangerous a practice and now restrict it to the ponds. It’s nice to know the Cambodian government has some say in how munitions are discharged around here...
Getting the excess out of our system, our next stop was a more sober affair: viewing The Killing Fields near Phnom Penh. Though there are many killing field sites around Cambodia, the one near Phnom Penh was the most prolific, where an estimated 20,000 people were murdered by the Khmer Rouge. The visit was enough to put us especially after viewing the memorial stupa containing bones and pieces of clothing from bodies excavated from the site.
After a brief rest in the afternoon, we met back up with Chomm for a night out. Our first stop was one of the many beer gardens spread throughout the city.
Whereas most American beer companies utilize sexual displays of women in their advertising arsenal to sell alcohol to potential customers, beer makers in Cambodia push it one step farther. Instead of a bartender serving your drinks, there are many “beer girls,” each one representing a different brand. If you are in the mood drink a particular brand then you should seek the corresponding beer girl out, otherwise you should just pick a beer girl that seems the most charming because chances are she will invite herself to sit at your table, partake in whatever beer you just ordered, possibly flirt with you, then coerce you into buying another round.
As a beer-selling strategy, it works quite well and at $2 per jug, it doesn't hurt your pocket book that much either.
Later we migrated to a Cambodian discothèque. Brian and I came across as novelties in the club being the only Westerners there, but the young club-goers seemed to enjoy our presence, smiling at us the entire time and offering us plenty of toasts. After a while, the typical international blend of electronic music subsided, and the DJ played a set of more contemporary Cambodian folk-pop. The style of dance shifted from a free-form style to the crowd slowly stepping around in a mass circular pattern while making expressive movements with their hands. Some of the younger dancers even had choreographed steps and hand movements that were as impressive as any kind of Western line dancing back home.
I feel like I made a college try at the Cambodian dance style. Chomm told me I was dancing just with the best of them. Of course he could have just been trying to make me feel good.
It was certainly not an average birthday and one that won't be forgotten anytime soon.
James Dean Kindle is a local musician and an infrequent (but frequently enough of a) world traveler. When not abroad he is busy making music with his band The Eastern Oregon Playboys and working as a GIS technician in Pendleton.
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