Songs from the Noir

There is a musical group based in Phnom Penh that is doing some interesting music in both English and Khmer. It is minimalist stuff, almost a coffee house vibe from the 60s, but getting in some sense of Velvet Underground. The band is called Krom and they've just released a CD. I don't know the people, but I liked this video they did. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HgmcSZlhE8  There is good footage of life in the city and you can hear how they sound..

Their website is  http://www.themekongsessions.com/

Krom: Songs from the Noir

“Songs from the Noir” is now available for download via CD baby at the following link: http://cdbaby.com/cd/krom12

A visit to Phnom Penh

The name Phnom Penh literally means "Penh's hill", but the city is rather flat and quite walkable. Our neighbors in Kampot suggested we try a guest house owned by friends of theirs. The name was inauspicious. The Lone Star Saloon does not conjure up images of the pearl of the orient. Still a reference is a reference and these folks are usually pretty good, so we gave it a try. Our regular taxi driver, Mr Mao, took us right to the door in time for lunch.

Our trips to the city are infrequent and usually based around the need for things not available in the provinces. Our favorite way to shop is to hire a tuk tuk for the morning and take advantage of the local knowledge as well as transportation.

Here are some tuk tuks outside the wat that is just at the end of 23rd Street where the Lone Star is located.

They actually seem to do a brisk business ferrying monks back and forth from where ever monks go to when they aren't at the wat.

By the way, The Lone Star was great. Most of the folks working there are Khmer, although the lady who owns it admits to having been to Texas. Her husband is from Texas and the sentiments are his. The rooms were comfortable and quiet and good value. The location is perfect for prowling the city, regardless of what you are prowling for.

Visiting Phnom Penh

The capital of Cambodia is a city that has been through more than its fair share of turmoil, but it has proven resilient. If commerce and hustle are valid markers for the health of a city, it seems to be thriving. Markets are everywhere and the low rise skyline is gradually lifting to meet the aspirations of foreign investors who seem to want buildings tall.

That doesn't mean that you can get all that you might want there. It is small as capital cities go. That makes it more manageable and friendly, but it also means you don't always get what you want. But you can get a clean, air-conditioned hotel room for $25 and good food in a variety of cuisines.

In some of the markets you really have to want to shop. This was taken early in the morning at the food market near the guest house we stayed in. It is just a couple of blocks from the riverfront.

Of course Asia means temples and the city grows up around them. 

We go to the city mostly to shop for things that don't make it to the provinces on their own. Although I have a rather iffy relationship with cities at the best of times, I can enjoy PP for a few days and the more khmer I learn, the more I enjoy it, which you'd expect.