If you like Japanese food, and you live in Dothan, you've probably heard of Joe Cook.
Joe serves up hibachi with a side of fun almost nightly at Mikata Japanese Steakhouse, delighting customers with his culinary skill, witty banter and crowd-pleasing cooking tricks.
But just like the onions he slices, Joe has layers. Underneath the smiles and jokes, there's a deep guy who wants to help make life better for folks in his native Cambodia. Joe chooses to do this through baseball.
Psst - want to buy a genocidal maniac's used car? Thanks to eBay, this rare claim to fame is now possible. For a mere 35,000 pounds ($72,000) minimum bid, Pol Pot's alleged former stretch limo could be yours.
"Currently on display at the famous French colonial Renakse hotel (Monireth Boulevard) - opposite the Kings' Royal Palace, the car was discovered by a previous editor of the Phnom Penh Post being used to transport water melon's to the Central Market (Psar Thmei) ... The current owner purchased the car in 2001 and has painstakingly restored it to its current glory.", eBay Says.
Nata is an elegant alternative for the urbanite who knows her way around a spa. While the spa offers the usual range of services -- from aromatherapy to traditional Asian bodywork--its specialized treatments are what set the facility apart from the rest of Phnom Penh's offerings. Nata's signature body and facial treatments employ the "Methode Physiodermie," a Swiss brand of spa care that uses lymphatic drainage techniques and prescriptive, aromatic blends to promote detoxification and improve circulation.
Once, Phnom Popay, or Goat Mountain, was a heartland of Cambodia's ethnic Muslim Cham people, who raised hundreds of the creatures in this secluded spot about 50 kilometers from the capital in Kampong Speu province.
The war changed all that, and by 1970, the area was a Khmer Rouge stronghold and all the Cham had fled or been killed. Today, this again a peaceful spot, a beautiful pagoda stands surrounded by forest at the peak of a hill. Down below a stream runs, making it a favorite picnic spot for Phnom Penh people and locals alike.
Congratulations to Pop Cafe, Green Vespa, Angkor Palm and Funky Munky, the four main winners of our 2006 Bar & Restaurant of the Year competition.
From a field of 60 contestants, and with over 5000 ballots cast, these four businesses were voted the winners by their customers. Congratulations also to the category winners: Pacharan, The shop, Freebird, Equinox, Talkin To A Stranger, Salt Lounge, Viroth's, La Residence d'Angkor, Curry Walla, Linga, Banana Leaf and The Warehouse.
It's difficult to miss; a big neon sign marks the spot of one of Siem Reap's most happening afternoon and evening hotspots. Shaded from the heat of the sun, the Angkor Night Market, located just a few blocks from Bar Street, offers an array of wares that could not fail to please any shopper, as well as small eateries selling cold drinks and snacks for time outs.
After a day wandering in the heat of the temples, most exhausted tourists head to the night market to be pampered by a cool night breeze and a relaxed atmosphere world's apart from the crowded Psar Chas or Old Market.
Last month was the observance of World Fair Trade Day and many of the groups working in this area got together at Phnom Penh's National Cultural Center to celebrate it. The crowd included craft producers and the general public, checking out information booths, playing games, watching some performances and sewing a giant kromar together. We posed a few questions to organizers Nina Howard (Artisans Association Cambodia) and Annie Perng (Village Focus International):
It is more than 30 years since the story was last told of the Bayon, the enigmatic state temple of Jayavarman VII, the greatest king of ancient Angkor. Recently, researchers from several disciplines have again been probing the mysteries of this extraordinary monument and its giant face towers. Under an eminent editorial team, Bayon: New Perspectives brings together for the first time leading scholars whose findings and insights challenge, not always in consensus, many of the earlier interpretations of the Bayon's art, architecture and inscriptions.
Cambodia's hoards of tourists marvel at its temples, but shudder after an encounter with its toilets, prompting a recent rescue mission by South Korean-based World Toilet Association (WTA), Tourism Minister Thong Khong said this week.
The minister said chairman of the WTA Assembly, legislator Sim Jae-Duck, had led a recent delegation to Cambodia and extended a warm invitation to the kingdom to join the WTAA meeting in South Korea in November and discuss accession to that body.
The WTA goes by the motto of 'Toilets for health! Toilets for life! Making it happen now'.
Madame Hieng at Shop 9 Central Market is a convincing seller. She has to be. Selling ice to Eskimos has to be easier than selling Christmas trees in predominantly Buddhist Cambodia.
"These trees come from Vietnam," she says. "After Christmas, you can put them in the garden. No need to buy one next year. I guarantee."
Many expatriates find the tacky plastic Christmas trees not only less than authentic or aesthetic but less than environmentally friendly. Now there is a living alternative.