Postcards from Cambodia

Saturday, December 25, 2010
By C.C.

As I am visiting Cambodia, I would like to share some pictures of the scenery of our motherland with those who long to see them.

The Canadia Building and a Hummer H2 Sport Utility vehicle without license plate which uses two lanes to drive on (All Photos: Courtesy of C.C.)

Diamond (Pich) Bridge, looking from the west, where the recent tragic stampede occurred. This bridge could only be crossed from the east, as the two red X signs on overhead gate (not seen) suggested it. The rule was enforced by the police guards who refused me permission to walk across it from the west.

A white BMW crossing the Diamond Bridge against the traffic rule.

The almost dry mouth of the Bassac River near Diamond Bridge. The picture of the floating structure on the far background was sand pumping station to fill Boeung Kak Lake.

A man casting his net under Diamond Bridge.

The Naga Casino’s Building towering over the tiny Buddhist Institute. On the far background, another twin building is being constructed near the Independence Monument.

Mr. Long Hach, a retired government planner who is now working for a private company designing swimming pool for those who could afford such luxury, shows off one of his prolific designs at a gated community in Tuol Kok to a potential client. The white strip underwater was a wall barrier to keep children from going into deeper water. I was honored to have lunch with him and listen to his passionate talk about many architectural designs of swimming pools and their forms and functions.

Children residents of the gated community take a dip in the swimming pool to cool off. Let us dream, like Martin Luther King, Jr., that one day, all Cambodian children will be able to swim in this kind of beautiful swimming pool.