Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Khmer Bokator

Bokator Khmer is an ancient art, predating even the 1000 year-old carvings at Angkor Wat. King Jayavaraman VII, the creator of Angkor Wat is depicted in a stance, with the Khmer short sword, the dao. “Do you know why he was such a good king and why he kept Cambodia safe? It was because he was a martial artist. He knew Bokator Khmer.”
Khmer Bokator is a very complete martial art, which uses strikes, drags, trapping, and locking for both offense and defense. In Khmer Bokator, the entire body is used as a weapon.


Thursday, September 24, 2009

The Giant Ibis Bird

The Giant Ibis is dark with a bald head and neck. Over 250 birds in the world, the Giant Ibis is a CRITICALLY ENDANGERED SPECIES. the Giant Ibis is being displayed on banners and other materials to make the public more aware about this almost-extinct bird.

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Prach Ly Cambodian-American Rapper

Prach Ly, a Cambodian-American rapper from Long Beach, California, in his parents' garage. He didn't have a mixing board––he used a karaoke machine and sampled sound bites from old Khmer Rouge propaganda speeches to create what he calls an "autobiography," reciting stories he'd heard from his refugee family to deliver a blistering history lesson about Cambodia's genocide. He did the artwork himself, He'd become the first hip-hop star of a country he hadn't seen since he was a toddler.

Sunday, September 20, 2009

A Boy and His Snake

A seven-year old boy has a rather unusual best friend. Koun Samang has been spending time with his python, which now weighs 18 stone, since he was born.They are the same age and have hardly been separated in their whole lives.Most parents would be horrified to find their child curled up with such a creature but Samang's father, In the Kandal province, is happy for his son to play with the six-metre-long reptile.

Cambodia's Wrestlers Dreaming

Flipping someone into the air before smacking their backside down on the mat isn't much of a challenge for Cambodia's national wrestling team.
But the growl that is supposed to come after could use a little work.
Vath Cham Roeun, secretary-general of the Cambodian Amateur Wrestling Federation, has begun teaching his best wrestlers the art of US-style professional wrestling-the highly theatrical kind displayed on the popular World Wrestling Entertainment television show "Smackdown."

Tonle Sap Lake

The Tonle Sap is a very large river, which at one point becomes as wide as a lake. Traveling along this river is an interesting way to reach Siam Reap from Pnomh Penh. While the slow boats take a couple of days to make the journey, it is easy to find fast boats which take only half a day. It is preferable to arm oneself with sunscreen and sit on the top of the boat (which will be overcrowded), to get a better view, more fresh air, and improve your chances of survival should the boat capsize
Life on the great lake has always required people to adapt to the strong seasonal fluctuations in water levels and currents.

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Preah Prum Khmer's Paint

In the aftermath of the devastating reign of the Khmer Rouge, many observers feared that Khmer art would be all but lost.
In recent years, however, Cambodian artists has brought about a resurgence of both classical and contemporary Khmer art.