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?

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

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.