Tasty Dog in the Kingdom: This Cambodian Life #46.  So concludes the political series, well, kind of.  We welcome yet another guest, because who doesn’t know more about this than Delilah?  Michael Golding drops by to give his two cents about Cambodian politics and gives a pretty comprehensive overview of what’s going on…. So you’ll hear why the 2008 elections don’t really matter, what was so important about the 1998 elections and a few tips and techniques for intimidating voters.  

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Women of ’72 sung by Sen Sisamuth opens and closes the show.  I think I’ve played this one before, but it does give me a lot of joy, and I thought I’d share.

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom: This Cambodian Life #45.  Delilah Marie continues on with election madness.  She rustles up a Cambodian guest to give his two cents about the campaign and the upcoming elections.  So you get to hear a bit more about this topic, from why he’s not going to vote, but then of course expands to include corruption, the under the table funds and the inevitable land issues.  And you thought it was only me that loves to talk about land.  

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For your listening pleasure, you again get Preap Sovath singing his heart out.  And you even get a little bit of the, shall we say, horn solo, zipped on at the end.  Because I care. 

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom: This Cambodian Life #44.  Delilah teases with just a bit of her personal life…a very simple chronology of how, and why, she got to Cambodia, then since ‘tis the season, she gives but a brief overview – really, very brief – of Cambodian politics from 1993 to the current day, including a light dusting of parties, people and how to say election in Khmer.  You’ll also hear why you still need your earplugs and who is giving out sarongs and hats and money?  

www.tastydoginthekingdom.com or questions/comments to tastydog@gmail.com.

The opening music is Sen Sisamuth.  You missed him, didn’t you?  The title is something like aht nii jah pgoo loan, which means something like missing the thunder.  Magic. 

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom: This Cambodia Life #43.  Delilah covers a bit of this and a bit of that.  She gives you her latest favorite fruit, though thankfully doesn’t talk and eat at the same time because she is a professional.  She also gives a recommendation for a not to miss Phnom Penh bar, discusses a rally, finds a new organization but didn’t ask if they were hiring, then fills in the missing mode of transportation from last week, and you will even hear why it makes her feel anxious and nervous. Also, here’s a website for Cambodian bloggers, as promised: http://www.cambodiablogger.com/

www.tastydoginthekingdom.com or questions/comments to tastydog@gmail.com.

The opening music is from Preap Sovath because I know that you missed him.  And lucky you, I put the intro at the beginning so you have to wait for the end to even get him singing….   I have to be honest, aside from the cheesy horn and other searing instrumentation, I do like his voice.  Is it just me or is it time to leave Cambodia? 

Tasty Dog TV #6:  Delilah has been promising the fun and joy of early evening exercises in the Olympic Stadium forever and now here it is.  You too can pay your 1000 riel and pick one of the dances you like and follow along.  Beware though, some of these young men and women are quite good at shaking it.  And don’t let the people charge you at the gate, saying that for foreigners, there’s a charge, that’s a lie. 

www.tastydoginthekingdom.com or questions/comments to tastydog@gmail.com.

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom: This Cambodian Life #42.  Delilah gives a rundown on some of the vehicles that you will find on your visit to Cambodia.  In this episode, you can hear why you just might want to purchase a double seat in a public taxi, how to hail a mototaxi in Cambodia (the short answer, you don’t really need to, they find you), and how mototaxis are still your friend, even if you are wearing a skirt.   At the end, you get a history of the Japanese Friendship Bridge given by a stewardess on the bus.  

www.tastydoginthekingdom.com or questions/comments to tastydog@gmail.com.

The music is something you’ve heard before, from Cambodia Rocks Volume 1, it’s the Ciclo song, very much in keeping with the transportation theme.  If you listen carefully to his first couple of phrases, you get to hear how to say: Turn Left and Turn Right in Khmer, which is very useful on a motorbike taxi. 

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom: This Cambodian Life #41.  Delilah Marie introduces a couple of things this week, related but by a thread.  She describes some trials and tribulations she’s experienced in her patient and much-thwarted attempt to learn Khmer, recommends a hotel in Siem Reap (www.theonehotelangkor.com and www.hotelbeangkor.com), then visits a newborn baby.  She holds the baby even and doesn’t drop it.  Finally, she kvetches a bit about the taxi driver who so obsequiously angles for a tip he doesn’t deserve, regardless of the huge gold and gemstone ring he is sporting around.  Who needs banks when you have gold?

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The music, with a bit at the beginning AND the end (perhaps a new format!) for your listening pleasure is Ros Sereysothea singing about New Year’s Day from Cambodia Rocks Volume 1. It’s not even near one of the variety of  New Year’s Days but I’m actually happy I found a month without a new year of some sort in it.  

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom: This Cambodian Life #40.  Delilah returns with the predictions for Cambodia’s harvest for 2008.  Do we have weeping widows or skipping children?  The Venerable Somnieng returns and tells us about the life of the playboys that become monks.  He also gives some insight into his childhood and why he became a monk and why he remains a monk to this day.  I swear, I don’t think he has a dark side.  

www.tastydoginthekingdom.com or questions/comments to tastydog@gmail.com.  

The opening music is of the Pinpeat genre from the archives of Cambodia Living Arts (www.cla.org).  Yun Theara, Saom Vanna, Soy Sareth, Proeun Pruon, Nhok Sinat, Chum Prasoeur and Pumtheara Chenda are performing Damneou Khnong.

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom: This Cambodian Life #39.  Cambodia has 25 national holidays, and this week there is Visak Bochea day and then the Royal Ploughing Ceremony.  Delilah also welcomes a guest in orange to the show, the Venerable Somnieng gives an overview of Buddhism, the two traditions of Buddhism and describes how Buddhism is really integrated into Cambodia’s past and present.  You hear about Noble Paths and Noble Truths, though enlightenment isn’t covered.  Nirvana is elusive, isn’t it? 

www.tastydoginthekingdom.com or questions/comments to tastydog@gmail.com.

I think you need some chanting monks to open up this special Buddhism edition. 

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom: This Cambodian Life #38.  Yet another titillating episode of a day in Cambodia awaits you.  Trying to encourage some interactivity among the audience, Delilah encourages you to send your ideas for the new tourism Cambodia campaign to the communication guy at the Ministry of Tourism (marketing@mot.gov.kh).  In her excitement about having garbage collection in Phnom Penh, she also covers the garbage story, and a new, perhaps temporary, law that has some lasting effect on a strange visitor.   

www.tastydoginthekingdom.com or questions/comments to tastydog@gmail.com.  

Your daily fix of Cambodian music is Ros Sereysothea singing about the Night That We Met.  Apparently, it’s also a bit of a folk song from Battambang, but it does make me want to get some white go-go boots.