FEAST OR FAMINE

Angkor Wat is Cambodia’s biggest tourist attraction, bringing in 2 million visitors a year. In an effort to preserve the site, built between the 9 th and 14 th centuries, Cambodia has joined with Australia to protect the attraction. To limit the damage to the complex network of the city, a website called Angkor Sunset Finder, has been developed (International Herald Tribune, July 8, 2013). The website gives recommendations to tourists in the region on where in the 400 square kilometres of the city (160 square miles) is the best spot to watch the sun set. There are several locations in Angkor Wat where tourists can see the sunset. But the sites are prone to damage by the many tourists. Therefore the website ( www.angkorsunsets.com ) enables visitors to select several criteria to choose alternative perches from a listing of 34 vantage points. The website, Angkor Sunset Finder, is part of the Heritage Management Framework plan initiated in 2008 when tourism increa

Siem Reap in Cambodia’s north is a popular tourist city, complete with hotels, restaurants, and bars. It is the country's second largest city. It is also the site of the famous ancient city, Angkor Wat, and the temples of Angkor Thom. The Cambodian government regulates construction and architecture of new buildings to remain in harmony with the Angkor complex. Most Khmer architecture features the traditional red roofs and maintains a low rise of 65 metres so as not to surpass the temple towers throughout Siem Reap. Angkor Thom, built at the request of King Jayavaram VII in the late 12 th century, was the capital of the Khmer Empire. On a perfect 3-kilometre square stands temples of laterite and sandstone. It is thought that workers used a canal system to transport stones weighing up to 1.6 tons over 30 kilometres from quays to the construction site. In the middle of the Angkor compound is the Bayon, home to 54 towers, each featuring the massive statue of a f

Stay Alive, My Son (1987) is an emotional, yet profound, true account of the authors struggle to stay alive during the Khmer Rouge rule of Cambodia. Currently the general elections of July 28, 2013, have re-instated Prime Minister Hun Sen, for another five years, to extend his 28 year term. But before him was a reign of Khmer Rouge terror. T he novel commences in April 1975 with the fall of Phnom Penh, when Khmer Rouge guerrillas moved into Phnom Penh. In three years, more than two million people died and an ancient culture was stripped bare. The author, Pin Yathay, has a wife and three sons. An engineer with a good education, he was reduced to a labourer in the fields and rice paddies of his district, to join the peasants, the ‘Ancients’. Moving as the Khmer Rouge dictated, he became one of the ‘New People,’ a deported person in the refugee camps of Cambodia—“a lower and despised order … no one complained. We were all paralysed by fear of the Khmer Rouge …”

In a restaurant and bar in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, the sound of “The Three Bs” resonates amid the clinking of wine glasses and low conversations. It is a piano recital in the KWest Brasserie Bar at the Amanjaya Pancam Hotel on riverside, and The Three Bs refers to the classical music of Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms. Gerd Isselhardt, 26-year old student of instrumental music pedagogy at the Peter Cornelius Conservatory of Music in Mainz, Germany, is playing. He began playing the piano at eight years of age, and at the age of 16 he was a prize winner at “Jugend Musiziert” – the competition for youth. He has performed chamber music with the Palatinate State Philharmonic Orchestra, the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Dresdner Philharmonie. Isselhardt commences in chronological order with The Three Bs: Prelude and Fuga No 20 a-minor BWV 889 by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750); 32 variations on an original theme in c-minor, WoO.80 by Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-182

As Cambodians prepare to vote on this Sunday, July 28, in their general elections, many shops, supermarkets, restaurants, and tourist sites will close for the day, although some may decide to open later in the day. Business owners can choose whether to open or shut on the day. The Ministry of Labour has allowed workers up to three days off work, from July 27, to travel to their home locations to vote. T he sale and consumption of alcohol by Cambodians and visitors is not permitted on Saturday July 27 and Sunday July 28 during the weekend of the elections. Cambodia Association of Travel Agents, Ang Kim Eang, said that despite the closures and restrictions on Sunday, it was unlikely to have an impact on the tourism industry. Tourism in Cambodia accounted for 12% of their GDP in 2012. On Friday, large trucks were banned from driving in Phnom Penh from 5:00am to 12:00am to avoid contributing to traffic congestion on the National Assembly’s last day of election campaigning

Hai Phong is situated on the northern coast of Vietnam, 100 kilometres from the capital Hanoi. It is often called the City of Flame Flowers due to the flame trees that line the streets. Most tourists pass by Hai Phong along the way to Halong Bay. However, in Hai Phong there are many Buddhist temples and pagodas, and interesting architecture from the colonial era.

The ancient city of Hanoi—inhabited since 3000BC—the capital of Vietnam lies on the bank of the Red River in the country’s north. In the heart of the city, at August Revolution Square near Hoan Kiem Lake, is the Hanoi Opera House. Its construction commenced in 1901 and was completed in 1911. Designed and construction-managed by the French during the Renaissance period, it has a pitched slate roof and decorated under the eaves with a row of tessellated tiles. Originally built for the performance of Western artists for the elite, Vietnamese performance troupes were able to rent the theatre from 1940. The National Assembly of Vietnam Democratic Republic held key meetings in its rooms in 1946 after the 1945 revolution, and it was here that the first Constitution was passed. The government commenced restoration of the Opera House in 1995 and completed it in 1998 in time for the Summit of Francophone Countries. http://www.hanoioperahouse.org.vn/

For the fourth consecutive year Bangkok has won the World's Best City Award in 2013. Bangkok also received the Best City in Asia Award for the seventh time - from 2005 to 2013 (with the exception of 2009). I am currently in Bangkok, Thailand, as the country’s newspaper, The Nation, announces the awards, organized by the New York based Travel and Leisure magazine (The Nation, Thailand, July 20, 2013). Bangkok’s governor accepted the awards in New York. The magazine ranks countries and presents a list of top-10 countries each year. Criteria include: tourist attractions, culture and customs, food hygiene and taste, shopping availability, hospitality, and value for money (monetary worthiness). Bangkok received 90.4% of votes for the World’s Best City Award, followed by Istanbul, Turkey (89.9%) and Florence, Italy (89.8%). In fourth position was Cape Town in South Africa, followed by Kyoto in Japan (5 th ), Rome in Italy (6 th ), Charleston in South Caroli

The 700-year old city of Chiang Mai, the major centre of the Lanna kingdom, is Thailand’s second largest city. The population of Chiang Mai is about a million in the metropolitan area, with about 160,000 in the Old City. Recently tourist numbers to this northern city have reached five million annually. Visitors enjoy the milder tropical climate, low cost of living, good roads, and green spaces in favour of the country’s capital, Bangkok. The average day time temperatures range from 28-36 degrees Celsius with night time temperatures of 14-24 degrees. This compares with Bangkok which can have temperatures of 40 degrees Celsius during the hot season. The population is less dense and there is magnificent scenery—such as mountains and rivers. Chiang Mai is said to have all the benefits of Bangkok without the challenges, such as traffic, heat, and higher prices. Property prices too are cheaper in Chiang Mai than Bangkok—by half. The city also has 100,000 students attendin

The Royal Thai Ministry of Education requires foreign teachers to undertake training in the Thai language, culture, and social ethics. Foreign teachers who wish to work and obtain a teaching licence in Thailand are required to undertake a 3-day training course accredited by the Teachers’ Council of Thailand. One such provider, the Phranakhon Rajabhat University Language and ASEAN Centre (PLACE) offers training on Thai Language, Culture and Professional Ethics “to train foreigners in various aspects of Thai society and professional ethics so that they will be equipped with knowledge and experience needed to work effectively in Thailand,” said the PLACE director (The Nation, Thailand, July 15, 2013). The training is 20 hours over 3 days in the form of modules. Participants who complete the training receive the Certificate in Thai Language, Culture and Professional Ethics Course for Foreign Teachers which is endorsed and approved by the Teachers’ Council of Thailand. T

Women in the workforce are receiving lots of mentoring in the form of programs and advice. However, they are receiving little support in terms of promotion and recognition. The Financial Times (July 9, 2013) reports that women assume that others in the workforce know their intentions. But they don’t. Women need to be more vocal. Women need to articulate want they want: promotions, extra experience, more challenges, a place on the board, etc. And companies need to encourage sponsorship of women, as well as mentoring programs. Mentoring is a system whereby a person receives advice from a company colleague or external person, an avenue to discuss workplace issues and challenges, and information on business trends, company policies and management strategies. Sponsors, on the other hand, are typically in leadership positions, one or two levels higher than the person being sponsored. A sponsor will speak for, or act on behalf of, a person and advocate for a person’s promo

Cuban Cafe is a Cuban restaurant in the Montparnasse 6 th arrondisment of Paris, close to the famous traditional French restaurants, La Coupole, Le Dome, La Rotonde, and Le Select. Dimly lit, it is decorated with paraphernalia from Cuba—flags, banners, ornaments, and posters. The bar and restaurant on rue Vavin offers lunch, dinner, and cocktails, such as the Cuba Libre cocktail created in 1920 for Ernest Hemingway. The restaurant offers Cuban and Spanish cuisine such as tapas (frias and caliente—cold and hot), picadillo a la habanera (minced Havana), salads, and meat and fish plates. Accompanying the meals are tachinos, chatinos or tostones (fried green bananas), black beans, and congress (rice and bean mixture). It’s authentic and hearty in a no-frills style amid a warm and welcoming atmosphere. Consumerism and entrepreneurship are novel experiences in the country of Cuba. Its four million government workers earn an average salary of $20 a month, and retirees r