Pay Day

Well, I got paid today - $250 USD in cold hard cash.  It's quite a novel experience for me as most of the IT consultancy work i've done here for NGO's has been voluntary.  I really don't mind working for free in Cambodia, the IT industry is very immature and typically NGO's are crying out for help with their infrastructure with little or no IT budget available to them, and they truly do a wonderful job which is worth supporting.  But, getting paid did get me thinking about the vast disparity in wealth here.  I was paid $25 USD / day for my IT consultancy (IT is not valued very highly here).  Not much, I here you say, well my meagre $25 would be a very good Cambodian middle-class wage.  Here are a few comparisons, and remember that ~20% of Cambodians live on less than $1 USD per day ie: below the poverty line.

Policeman                         $1 / day (+ "traffic fines" bonus)
Tuk Tuk Driver                   $2 - $10 / day (depending on season)
NGO staff (Cambodian)    $10 - $100 / day (depending on experience)
NGO staff (International)   $100 - $1000 / day (depending on experience)

Although my rate has jumped to the lofty heights of $65 / day for my next 3 week contract, it's lucky that Em is able to support us both this year (there's no doubt that my sporadic paid foray's into IT wouldn't even pay the rent !)

Pete's Spirit Animal

Flicking through a nature book at the Rainbow Lodge I came across this incredible animal which is apparently indigenous to Cambodia and neighbouring countries - the Lesser Mouse Deer (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lesser_Mouse-deer).  It's the smallest hoofed mammal in the world and grows to a magnificent 45cm long, weighing approximately 2kg.  It looks like it would be scared of it's own shadow and as a result we didn't see any in the Cardamom's.  It's not really my spirit animal (i'm a tiger grrr), but I did find it really intriguing.

Rainbow Lodge, Koh Kong

Last weekend we visited the Cardamom Mountains in South-West Cambodia with Dave & Gaye.  This place was a complete surprise - lush, green, mountainous - a great change from the typical flat and dusty Cambodian interior and incredibly beautiful.  We spent 4 days at Rainbow Lodge http://www.rainbowlodgecambodia.com which is an eco-resort in the jungle.  We had a fantastic time thanks to the owner, Janet, and her staff.  The lodge runs on solar power resulting in occasional power cuts, and the cabins are fairly basic by 'resort' standards.  So, I can imagine the experience wouldn't be for everyone, but we loved it and you have to remember you're in the middle of the jungle.  Anyway, here is a selection of photo's, including our leech infested jungle trek, swimming at the waterfall, and kayaking on the river.

A Family Visit

Em's dad Dave and his partner Gaye have been visiting us for a couple of weeks.  It's been really great to see them.  We managed a couple of weekend's away to Sihanoukville (where I did my first Scuba diving thanks to Gaye's encouragement) and to Koh Kong which is on the edge of the Cardamom Mountains - one of Cambodia's few remaining wilderness areas.  More on Koh Kong later.  It was also great fun showing them around town in Phnom Penh, including taking part in our local pub quiz where we came 3rd thanks to Dave & Gaye's contributions on cooking and history respectively !  Here's a couple of pictures, the second is enjoying a cocktail at the very fine Elephant Bar at Raffles Hotel.