Phnom Penh is doing a good job of getting noticed recently, sometimes via shameless self-promotion. So it was no surprise that on an overcast Saturday afternoon in April, more than 1,000 young people gathered at Wat Botom park to try and enter the Guinness Book of World Records by dancing the Madison.

Left foot, right foot, step, step, jump!

The Madison, in case you're wondering, is a line dance from the 1960s which is featured in the movie Hairspray. Think along the lines of the Locomotion or, shudder, the Macarena. While it's now almost unknown in the United States where it originated, Khmers still love the rom Madizone. It's a favourite at Khmer New Year gatherings, and no wedding celebration is complete without it.

The big dance was organised by Loy9, a mass media campaign with TV and radio shows made and presented by young Khmers. Decked out with Loy9 baseball caps, stickers and face stamps, excitable participants took their numbered places, lining up across Wat Botom park.

Wat Botom is a popular place for dusk aerobic dance classes, where instructors set up with boom boxes and punters pay to shake their funky stuff in the name of exercise. The Madison is a cert during these sessions – the left foot, right foot kick, some fancy bits in the middle and a sweep and hop to change direction.

Happy to be here!

More traditional Khmer dancing involves graceful hand movements and careful steps in a circle. Unless you've been schooled since childhood, it can be difficult to get both elements co-ordinated at the same time. The Madison, however, is a little more raucous, with plenty of hand claps and cheers. So long as you start on the left foot and face the same direction as everyone else, it's easy to bluff your way through.

As the previous mass Madison record was a measly 459 dancers, chances are good for the new Cambodian record, as soon as video footage and witness reports have been verified by the judges at Guinness. “I just wanted to be a part of it,” said Ros Sophy, her face covered with stickers. “It's amazing – we've done something to prove to the world that Cambodia has some talent.”

"Madizone is my favourite dance. I learnt it by watching at weddings and every Khmer New Year,” said Channarath Soum. “The moves are nice and I'm excited to be here. When there's a world record attempt in your own city, it's rude not to join in!”

It's to be hoped that the few brave barang who joined in didn't scupper the record attempt by not being as fleet of foot as the Cambodian teenagers. But they'll be a lot more confident at the next wedding when guests start lining up to rom Madizone.

Tags: The Madison, Wat Botom, world records

This week a contemporary art exhibition, Five Years of Meta House: Continuing Conversations, opened at Meta House in Phnom Penh featuring work from their permanent collection. While I have previously only mentioned Meta House as a place to see a movie, they've also been exhibiting art from Khmer and foreign artists for the past five years in the gallery downstairs.

Exploring how art intersects with haircut signs.

Continuing Conversations, curated by Australian Roger Nelson, features the work of 18 artists, 10 of whom are Khmer. It features leading figures in the Cambodia art world including Sopheap Pich, Leang Seckon, and the late Svay Ken, as well as up-and-comers Khvay Samnang and Veasna Tith.

"Cambodian art is as enthralling, original, and swiftly changing as every other aspect of this nation's development. Artists today work in a wide range of media, with an increasing number adopting photography, video, performance and new media technologies. They make work relating to the nation's ancient and recent past, its complex and contradictory present, and its uncertain and exciting future," said Nelson, who previously ran a non-profit art gallery in Melbourne and is now undertaking a residency in Phnom Penh.

Continuing Conversations explores the intersections and overlaps between the pieces, the patriarchs of the Cambodian art scene and its rising stars, as well as with Meta House itself. For example, one of the pieces uses Meta House's first movie screen as its canvas and another, by Sokuntevy Oeur, which explores the artist's relationship with her parents, was created while the artist was living on the old Meta House premises after leaving her parents' home.

Don't call him the puppet master, he's the curator.

"Despite the extraordinary range and quality of Khmer artists' work, Cambodia has been arguably the last Southeast Asian country to attract an international appreciation and market for its contemporary art," Nelson said."In the five years since Meta House was established, that has begun to change. This exhibition hopes to open up new ways to appreciate the richness of contemporary art in Cambodia."

The show is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10:00 to 22:00. The show will run for between two and four weeks (to be decided). Admission is free.

Tags: art, Meta House

While many visitors to Phnom Penh find themselves immersed in the many nightlife options the city has to offer, never fear, that's not all there is to do on a Thursday evening! Why not take in a show of traditional Khmer dance, instead?

They make it look easy...

Cambodian Living Arts sponsors dance performances every Thursday night until the end of March in front of the National Museum. I saw the show recently, and highly recommend it to visitors or locals looking to gain a deeper understanding of traditional Khmer culture or just enjoy a visually stimulating and highly entertaining evening while the weather is still pleasant-ish.

Led by Master Ieng Sithul, one of Cambodia’s most famous traditional singers and performers, each hour-long dance performance features seven traditional and Khmer folk dances representing Khmer life, from apsara dancers in elaborate costumes to a number of dances from minority groups around the country. The colourful costumes and big smiles (and Sovann Machha dance where dancers act like monkeys) mean that kids will enjoy the show as well.

The Children of Bassac are a dance troupe of young people between the ages of 17 and 22 from the Bassac community, a slum area of Phnom Penh. Many of the dancers are former street children, the the programme offers them an opportunity to earn a decent salary and make a better life for themselves. All of the proceeds from the show go to the performers, who are also eligible for scholarships for further education.

Kickin' it with the Children of Bassac.

"We give the performers the opportunity to earn a living through the arts and build capacity," Marion Gommard from Cambodian Living Arts told me. "We are creating a future for these young artists -- the idea is to create a sustainable model for regular cultural performances in Phnom Penh."

The performance offers an alternative to orphanage tourism or giving money to street kids in that it helps lift a group of hard-working, underprivileged young people out of poverty, but in a sustainable way that offers them the real chance of a better life while at the same time preserving traditional Khmer culture.

Shows are every Thursday at 19:00 until April in front of the National Museum, St 178 and St 13, Phnom Penh. Arrive a few minutes early to purchase a ticket.

Tickets cost $18/person, $15/person for 10 or more, $10/person for children under 12 or $40 for families (2 adults and up to 3 children).

Cambodian Living Arts
T: (017) 998 570
cambodianlivingarts.org

Tags: Cambodia Living Arts, Children of Bassac, traditional dance

Until the end of February, the Bophana Centre in Phnom Penh is showing an exhibition of Elizabeth Becker's photographs and artifacts from her epic 1978 trip to Cambodia, "A Reporter's Dangerous Guided Tour Through Democratic Kampuchea".

At least he had a nice smile.

Elizabeth Becker, an American, was one of only two Western journalists allowed into Cambodia while it was known as Democratic Kampuchea. In this multimedia exhibit, her guided tour of the country by the Khmer Rouge is presented, including recordings of her interview with Pol Pot, in which she explains that he was hoping that NATO would come help protect the Khmer Rouge against the Vietnamese forces. Becker compared this conversation to watching a Twilight Zone episode, it was so bizarre.

The exhibit comes at a timely moment in history, just days after Duch's appeal was dismissed. "It may seem like I planned this exhibit to coincide with Duch's verdict and Case 002 -- I didn't," Becker said at the opening. "It's a wonderful coincidence." Becker is the author of When the War Was Over, a 1986 book about the modern history of Cambodia and the Khmer Rouge.

The exhibit features photographs that Becker took to show the Cambodia that was presented to her by the Khmer Rouge; she and another journalist and a British professor who had been invited on the trip were kept under virtual house arrest and only allowed out with Khmer Rouge chaperones.

As a result, her photos show the version of Democratic Kampuchea that the Khmer Rouge wanted the world to see: a smiling Pol Pot, Cambodians harvesting rice near Angkor, happy women lugging giant bags of rice, children in the now-infamous black uniforms and kramas helping with the bountiful harvest. What is most striking about these pictures, Becker points out, is what is missing: schools, markets, monks, people worshipping at pagodas.

On the last night of her trip, a Khmer Rouge gunman entered the visitors' guesthouse and after pointing a gun at Becker, shot and killed the British professor with whom she was travelling. "For one brief night," she said "I had a small understanding of what Cambodians went through during the four years of the Khmer Rouge."

"A Reporter's Dangerous Guided Tour Through Democratic Kampuchea" runs through February 29 at the Bophana Centre. Entry is free.

Bophana Centre
64 Street 200, Phnom Penh
T: (023) 992 174

Tags: Bophana Center, Elizabeth Becker, Khmer Rouge, Pol Pot

Proving that London's got nothing on Phnom Penh, two expat Aussies have been making music and filming performers as they careen around the city in the back of a tuk tuk. Allan Soutaris and Rory Hunter originally got the idea while drunkenly singing the The Beatles Two of Us on the way home from Zeppelin Bar, and decided to record such musical performances a la the UK's Black Cab Sessions.

How many musicians can you fit in a tuk tuk? Photo courtesy of the Tuk Tuk Sessions.

The Cambodia incarnation, called the Tuk Tuk Sessions, feature expat and local performers with the motto "One song, one take, one tuk tuk." They've recorded more than 30 sessions, including international bands such as Dengue Fever, local favourites Grass Snake Union and of course, themselves.

I caught up with Allan Soutaris and got to ask him a few questions about the Tuk Tuk Sessions.

Who have been some of your favourite sessions so far?

I really enjoyed one of the latest ones called Why I Write by Kosal Khiev, that one is really cool. He's a Khmerican. He was imprisoned for attempted murder for 16 years, then when he was released he was sent back here. I just read an article about him today that said he was in solitary confinement for a year and that's when he started doing his spoken word stuff.

His performance is a spoken word piece -- really passionate and really cool. It was different to what we usually do but it sort of highlights another aspect of Phnom Penh that you wouldn't normally see if you're an expat jumping in the back of a tuk tuk playing guitar, so that was interesting.

What's the Cambodian reaction to this project?

Everyone that I've spoken to or showed it to, they really love it. The biggest reaction is from people on the street who see us filming and the tuk tuk drivers who drive us around. When we drive through crowded areas people clap and wave and yell out. I was little bit worried about how it would be taken or that people would think we were taking the piss out of them or be offended, but they love it. One of the reasons we continue to do it is to show the street life in Phnom Penh so it's really pleasing that they like it.

What's the future of the Tuk Tuk Sessions? Anything interesting in the works?

We want to get a lot more Khmer artists. We're meant to have a couple of guys from Tiny Toones on soon. We also want to get some sessions in the provinces so we can show rural life as well as Phnom Penh. We have a few upcoming from Laos, in Vientiane, from friends of Rory's who recorded a few sessions there. In the future, it would be pretty cool to get videos from neighboring countries like Thailand and Vietnam.

Watch all of the Tuk Tuk Sessions here.

Tags: Tuk Tuk Sessions, tuk tuks

For the last 30 years, Sambo the elephant has been entertaining tourists at Wat Phnom in Phnom Penh. At 51 years of age Sambo is the only living elephant in Phnom Penh. She works seven days a week and now, the Elephant Asia Rescue and Survival Foundation (EARS) say that it's time for her retirement.

Sambo the elephant. Photo courtesy of the Elephant Asia Rescue and Survival Foundation.

Tourists and locals are familiar with Sambo's daily morning and sunset walk along Sisowath Quay, but most do not know her story. Sambo was born in 1960 in Kampong Speu province and captured when she was eight years old. In 1977 she was taken and abused by the Khmer Rouge, who evacuated her to Pursat province. Unlike her fellow elephant buddies, Sambo survived the ordeal and was eventually reunited with her original owner, Sin Sorn. In 1982, they moved to Phnom Penh where Sambo gives rides to tourists at Wat Phnom.

At the end of October Sin Sorn allowed EARS to conduct a medical examination of Sambo, for which they flew in veterinarians from Hong Kong. The doctors agreed that Sambo's condition is fragile -- she suffers from lameness and painful abscesses in her feet that are exacerbated by her long walk to Wat Phnom and her daily work of carrying tourists on her back.

"She has a deep black abscess in the sole of her right foot and we believe could soon collapse if she is not fully retired and given urgent medical treatment," Louise Rogerson, the director of EARS and the woman who is working to get Sambo the medical care that she needs, told me by email. "The main reason explaining the limb lesions is the lifestyle of the animal which involves walking on hard ground on damaged feet."

EARS has a petition to retire Sambo. They are offering to fund Sambo's entire medical treatment and give her a comfortable place to live if Sambo's owner is willing to retire her; given that Sambo is how Sin Sorn earns his income, retirement presumably presents a financial difficulty for him.

If you'd like to help Sambo, Louise has a few suggestions in addition to signing the petition. She asks that tourists do not pay to take a tourist ride on Sambo around the temple as this will only add to her suffering. "If you visit the temple, please voice your concern to Sambo's owner about the horrifying condition of her feet, making it very clear that he is abusing his elephant by forcing her to work," she said. "We are also worried that should Sambo collapse whilst a tourist is riding in the chair, it could lead to an accident to both the tourist and the elephant."

If you would like to interact with elephants in Cambodia, Louise recommends visiting one of two rescue centres: Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Centre (PTWRC), which is one hour from Phnom Penh and the Elephant Valley Project (EVP) in Mondulkiri. "Visitors can enjoy a close up interaction with rescued elephants whilst also helping to protect them," Louise added.

Tags: animals, Elephant Asia Rescue and Survival Foundation, elephants, Sambo the elephant

Each year the streets of Phnom Penh -- a predominantly Buddhist town -- have increasingly more Christmas decorations as Cambodians use the day as an excuse to dress their children up like Santa Claus and wish you a Happy Merry Christmas. Here are a few Christmas scenes from Phnom Penh. And if you're on your way there for Christmas 2011, don't forget we've got your feast covered here.

Santa hats cost a mere 2,500 riel, but the Cambodia Christmas memories they provide are priceless.

A Christmas miracle: I got back the correct change from my purchase.

A Korean cosmetics store sets themselves apart with a tree made of white feathers. Oh la la!

This is just how I remember the Santa of my childhood.

Shopping for child-sized Santa costumes in Phnom Penh.

Pine trees might be hard to come by in Cambodia, but plastic is everywhere.

He's going to find out who's naughty and nice.

Even the hostess bars have the Christmas spirit.

It's hard not to love Santa, even for Buddhists.

If your child isn't dressed as Santa, it's definitely not Christmas.

Tags: Christmas, photos

I've already covered international clothing labels available in Phnom Penh, but did you know there are local designers, too?

Yes, there is fashion in Cambodia!

There are a number of Cambodian designers and Cambodians raised abroad who have come back to Cambodia and are now designers: SCT (Sar Chantho) is a Cambodian designer based in Phnom Penh outfitting locals and expats; Lady Penh Designs on Sisowath Quay offer a selection of casual cotton dresses, tops and handbags; and Romy Daketh, who runs Ambre, is a favourite among well-heeled Khmers and expats.

Also jostling for position in the market are a number of foreign-born designers now based in Cambodia and working with Cambodian artisans and textiles to create their unique styles. KeoK'jay's fashion-forward designs compliment their green business practices and goal to offer employment to women living with HIV. Wanderlust features brightly-coloured cotton dresses, casual tops and shirt-dresses; while they're Siem Reap-based, they do have a store on Street 240 in Phnom Penh. Madagascar-born designer, Eric Raisina, has been based in Cambodia for 10 years, creating "haute texture" out of Cambodian silk.

Work it. Photo courtesy of Cambodia Fashion Week.

If you're interested in learning more about the Cambodian fashion industry, and not just the part that takes place in garment factories, consider attending Cambodia Fashion Week's Fashion Exhibition. Taking place on November 5 and 6, the fashion exhibition will feature Cambodian designers from abroad as well as expat designers based in Cambodia (designers Ambre and Wanderlust mentioned above will not be featured, but all other designers listed will be.)

Featured designers will be: Remy Hou (USA), Coco Wellington and Two Wonders (New Zealand), and La’Or (Australia) as well as Cambodia-based designers Jasmine Boutique and Sentosa Silk.

I talked to Caitlin Padgett, the producer of the event. "I'm really excited about the exhibition because it provides the opportunity for people in Phnom Penh to access designers that don't usually have retail spaces here. Some will actually be selling their collections from the fashion shows, a whole season early," Padgett said. "The exhibition brings a really interesting and innovative group of designers together in one space, and includes runway shows that feature more accessible day wear and ready-to-wear looks."

Cambodia Fashion Week... where pyjamas go to die.

And while Cambodia Fashion Week might be a polarising event -- some think it's in poor taste and not representative of "true" Cambodian fashion, which favours bold prints and pyjama-like pieces over couture -- even the skeptics will appreciate the fact that CFW's Fashion Exhibition will feature a showcase of items from Cambodia-based socially responsible businesses and NGOs, including Friends International, Good Krama, Push Pull Cambodia, Keok'Jay and La'Or.

"The ethical fashion showcase merges fashion and socially responsible designs and production," Padgett said. "These designers maintain the importance of preserving traditional techniques in interesting and modern fusion fashion."

The two-day event will feature runway shows, music, canapes and champagne.

Cambodia Fashion Week Fashion Exhibition
November 5, 10:00-17:00
November 6, 11:00-18:00
Canadia Tower, 6th Floor
St 110 and Monivong Blvd, Phnom Penh
Entrance fees are $15 for one day, or $25 for both days.

Tags: Ambre, Cambodia Fashion Week, Eric Raisina, fashion designers, Jasmine Boutique, KeoK'jay, Lady Penh Designs, Sentosa Silk, silk, Wanderlust

A new campaign launched by Friends International today encourages travellers to stop visiting orphanages in Cambodia. The campaign asks tourists to take photos of Friends' posters around Cambodia and post them with a link to the Friends' website on Twitter and Facebook to warn other travellers of the damage such visits can cause. We asked Friends' Executive Director Sebastien Marot a few questions about the background to the campaign.

Now this is a sight to see.

What triggered the campaign's introduction today?

As this campaign is aimed at travellers, we timed our campaign to launch just prior to one of the main tourist seasons in Cambodia.

Is it true to say that even calling the places kids are being institutionalised in Cambodia orphanages is incorrect, given about three-quarters of the children still have living parents?

Technically these are all temporary residential care centres. Orphanages is a term generally used and often (mis)understood by the public. Although many of the children do have a living parent or parents, their situation is much the same as a ‘true’ orphan, in that they have been physically removed from their family and community for social or other reasons.

In Thailand we understand that it's not unusual for poor families to put their children into such institutions for a few years, but the understanding is that the children will return home when they can afford to look after them. Is there a similar situation in Cambodia?

Do you know which research has taken place on this situation in Thailand? We would be grateful if you could share with us. [Ed: No research, but heard this repeatedly anecdotally in the 2000s.]

The alternative care continuum in Cambodia does allow for this, but one difficulty is the current model of residential care in Cambodia is still very much based on the needs that were prevalent in the immediate post Khmer Rouge/conflict years, and does not reflect Cambodia as it is in the 21st century.

What is being done at the government level, if anything, to encourage families to keep their children with them rather than put them into institutions? Outside the government, are many NGOs working on this?

The Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC) issued minimum standards for care in 2008. In 2010 a draft praka regarding alternative care was adopted by the RGC.

At the moment a core group of organisations are involved in implementing this, as the roll out gathers momentum then more will become involved.

We see from your figures that the number of orphanages in Cambodia has grown by 65% since 2005, correlating to the rise in tourism. Do you believe there is direct causation? Are other factors at play as well, such as women relocating to urban centres to work in the garment sector in order to support their families?

This is an interesting trend, however at this time no firm evidence exists to indicate that there is direct correlation. However, given the development progress made in Cambodia this century, what is the justification for this increase? It would suggest that there is indeed a link.

How does having children in these institutions harm their development and emotional well-being?

Please visit our website for more information. Many global studies have also highlighted the impact of institutionalisation upon young people. Please see for instance this from Save the Children.

Once people have spread the word about the perils of visiting orphanages, what can they do if they want to help keep families together while on their travels, or afterwards?

Our suggestion is to support organisations who invest time and energy in strengthening families and communities, allowing children to remain with the family rather than being placed into residential care. Our campaign website gives some information on organisations like these.

Tags: Friends International, orphanage tourism, orphanages

Phnom Penh is a city that is falling all over itself to develop as quickly as possible. You can't turn around without seeing another skyscraper being thrown up and bigger, fancier cars with fake Louis Vuitton pillows blocking the windows driving into one another. But despite the rampant development, much of Phnom Penh remains the same as it was decades ago.

Hand-painted signage is far more popular in the provinces, where businesses have less access to high-tech sign-making technology, but on the sidestreets of Phnom Penh you'll see these retro signs advertising haircuts, car washes and horror movies.

If only the young men of Cambodia would take this sign to heart and go back to the haircuts of the 90s!

Warning! If you look at this one too closely, you'll get dizzy.

An idealised version of the proprietress of this store (a decade or three ago).

Need your moto washed?

My personal favourite: "Lucky Lina".

Hot tocs for everyone!

Time for a re-paint, methinks.

Looking smooooooth.

"Please save community forest for our future and keep bright life."

Technically this last one is not from Phnom Penh, but I liked it too much to not include it. It's from outside of Koh Kong.

Tags: hand-painted signs