Groceries

We do a lot of our food shopping at the local markets, but we really appreciate the fact that Phnom Penh has a few Western style supermarkets, primarily stocked with goods imported from other countries. There are a lot of Thai products.

For example, this baby powder. I sweat like crazy when I'm outside.  Sometimes sweat is streaming off me when I don't even feel that hot, so I thought I'd experiment and see if dousing myself in baby powder would help. The closest supermarket had several varieties of baby powder, including a small bottle of an American brand for $5. But the clear choice was "Babi Mild." For $1.50 I got a huge bottle of powder fortified with "double milk protein plus" and "beautimin C from mixed berries." What girl couldn't use a dash of beautimin C?  

Here is another berry-themed Thai product that I enjoy, though Matt isn't a fan. Blueberry Ice cream Oreos. "Ice cream" because the filling contains menthol to make your mouth feel cold.  Pretty great if you ask me.

Landmines

Matt took this picture while we waited at a bus station in Phnom Penh.  This man was playing a traditional Cambodian musical instrument called a "troo" and collecting tips.  I don't know how they are usually made, but his was made with a tin can, a wooden neck, and two strings.  I asked if he would give me a short lesson if I paid him and he agreed.  I was horrible.  Since I used to play the violin and this was a bow and string instrument, I thought maybe I could make a nice sound come out, but I made a horrible screeching noise.  When he played, it was fantastic.  He was really talented.

All of the people I've seen so far playing this instrument on the streets for money have been physically disabled in some way.  This man was missing a limb.  Another man I met was blind and had suffered some sort of facial trauma.  A little boy was leading him around while he played.  His music was amazing also.

I've read that Cambodia has one of the highest amputee ratios in the world.  Around 50,000 people who have lost a limb due to landmines planted during the decades of war.  A third of landmine victims are children. There are still millions of unexploded landmines remaining in Cambodia.  They are so insidious because they harm innocent people for decades after fighting has stopped.  There is an international campaign to ban the use of landmines in war, and so far 160 countries have signed a land-mine treaty.  The United States is one of a few hold outs.  I really wish our country would participate.