In the spotlight... Cambodia

When King Sihanouk died in October last year, it put Cambodia in the spotlight. I spoke to Mora Gibbings - a survivor of the Pol Pot regime - about escaping the killing fields, post-Khmer Rouge poverty and the King's legacy for Prime Minister Hun Sen. 

 

Bustling around to find her glasses, she puts the thin black frames on her wide, open face before sitting down. It's a bright, early morning. Mora Gibbings tells me how she heard about the King's death: "I was in the office and my husband sent me an email, 'Did you know that King Sihanouk passed away?' and I just started to cry. I always loved Cambodia. I still want to go back."

King Norodom Sihanouk died in Beijing in October 2012 aged 89. His legacy is mixed: part anti-colonial hero who secured his country's independence from France, part political opportunist who disastrously supported the Khmer Rouge to get back into power - but always to his people 'Papa King'. Mora was nine-years old when the King was toppled from power in 1970; but she loved and respected him. She is not alone. Huge crowds lined the streets to watch the gilded float carry his coffin back to the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh from China. Hundreds of thousands turned out for his funeral in February.

Tears form even now as she talks of his death. "He was a very exciting king for Cambodia and Cambodians." Mora talks of her country with affection - her eyes almost disappearing as she smiles. Wearing a plain black t-shirt, no adornments, Mora - now 51 - looks like a regular working mum. She lives in Melbourne with her two daughters and husband, Paul, an Englishman she met in Cambodia before settling in Australia. Even while recounting the horror of Pol Pot, and the desperate poverty that followed, she giggles at moments of absurdity in her life. 

Most of her family died under Pol Pot; she and her two younger sisters survived. Like most young people she was separated from her family in Phnom Penh and taken to live in army teams where they ate meagre food rations and were forced to work in the fields. Mora was not allowed to see her family - family relationships under the Khmer Rouge were considered as bad as class ties and had to be severed - she didn't know her mother had died until 1988 when she returned to the village where they had been sent. "People disappeared all the time then. I used to share a room with nine cousins. All of them are gone except me," she adds, "No-one can describe the fear."

Sitting in her large, cream-coloured kitchen the kettle gurgles in the background as her husband makes breakfast: "Did you know that I was engaged to be married? I don't think I even told Paul before that I ran away from my own wedding," she says, smiling at this long-forgotten episode. After the Pol Pot regime was thrown out in 1978 by a Vietnamese invasion, she and her sisters went to live with their only surviving aunt who had eight children of her own. "It was too much for her to have us too. So she arranged for me to get married. I was only 17."

"I came from Phnom Penh, the city where my parents were educated. He couldn't read or write in Khmer - I really couldn't marry him. So two days before the wedding I ran away." Her family were left to deal with the rumours that she had had an affair with a Vietnamese soldier. 

Mora joined the Socialist Women's Movement against the Vietnamese. She admits she had no interest in politics but with no home, and no way to get food, joining the group was the only way to survive. She spent the next two years with them in the forest living with villagers who fed and hid them from Vietnamese forces. 

If life was precarious under Pol Pot it was no better after. Social structures were destroyed by the regime and rebuilding was difficult as the international community refused to recognise the Vietnamese-backed government. Deciding to return to the capital, Mora found one of the women from the Movement, now married to a powerful man in Prime Minister Hun Sen's government. She helped Mora to get a job as a secretary in the Education Ministry - by pretending that she was her cousin. 

She tells me how she learnt to read and write in English. The Minister for Education wanted Mora to study Marx so she could join the Young Communists - "the Soviet Union sponsored students to study there and in East Germany. When they came back they were so cool and trendy!" - but Mora wasn't interested. Instead, she persuaded the Minister to write to Phnom Penh University where a Quaker NGO was training Cambodians to be English teachers. What was her English like at the time? "I had none whatsoever! When the classes started, I couldn't speak at all," she says leaning back and laughing at her audacity; "The teacher was so angry; he accused me of corruption in getting a place because I worked in the Ministry. He said the training was meant for poor people." But Mora was poor. At the Ministry everyone was given two pens a month for work - Mora kept one for her studies: "And I stole two pieces of A4 paper a week for my studies - two sheets."

Mora loves her country, despite the tragedy she went through, and talks keenly of returning. I ask her what the King's death means for Cambodia and Hun Sen's strongman government: "I don't think his death will change politics in Cambodia; the King lost power a long time ago. Cambodians put up with Hun Sen because of what they suffered under Pol Pot."

President Obama visited Cambodia in November 2012 as it hosted the ASEAN and East Asia summits. His visit raised questions about political prisoners and the government's violent evictions and suppression of protests against land grabs. It stands in contrast to the King's legacy: "He was one of us," Mora explains, "The King went to the farms and saw the people. We are grateful to Hun Sen for going to China and bringing his body back; he will be more popular for this gesture." As memories of the horrors of Pol Pot begin to fade, and opposition protests grow, the Prime Minister may need more gestures like these. 

Travel in... Kyrgyzstan

Apart from a map of where it is (between China and Kazakhstan), five tips for the Switzerland of Central Asia

The Silk Road - the ancient series of trade routes between China and Europe - passed through Kyrgyzstan

1.  Pack a torch for those trips to the loo (not just at night). Kyrgyzstan is a country of yurts, yaks and yoghurt - all of which combine on the breathtaking high mountain pastures (or jailoo) that are the reason most visitors come to the country. The best way to appreciate the jailoos is to stay in a yurt, a traditional round felt dwelling nomads use while grazing their cattle, sheep and - you guessed it - yaks. The yurts are almost unchanged from their original construction: some may boast a solar-powered light inside, but other than that there are no mod-cons. Toilets are hole-in-the-ground outhouses some distance from the yurt. Outside of the capital, Bishkek, Soviet-era legacy electrical wiring may mean the torch comes in handy in the cities too. 

2. Take a break from being vegetarian. Local cuisine reflects the traditional Kyrgyz nomadic culture: boiled carbs served with carbs, lots of fatty meat and bread. Examples include manti (meat-filled dumplings), beshbarmak (noodles with five types of meat) and shashlyk (grilled kebabs, where one chunk can be pure fat). Food originating from the Uzbek community - like dimlama (boiled meat, potatoes, cabbage and onion) and plov (fried rice) - has vegetables, but meat is still an essential ingredient. If you're invited to a local host's house, often the honoured guest will be given the meat bone to finish off. Refusing such an honour is irredeemably rude. 

A big bowl of plov - everyone digs in

In the summer months, however, the markets are full of delicious in-season fruits like cherries and watermelon. There are also no end of dairy-based products - most have a salty, sour taste. No trip to Kyrgyzstan is complete with trying the slightly alcoholic kymys, fermented mare's milk. Sip it. You have been warned.

3. Bring sunscreen. While it may feel deceptively balmy during the summer months up in the mountains, the sun is strong and you'll need protection while you're out in it enjoying all that trekking. Kyrgyzstan may not have the abundant oil and gas resources of its much larger neighbour to the north, but it does have exceptionally beautiful scenery. This makes it an ideal destination for hiking and horse-trekking in the summer and skiing in the winter. You can do a three day hike from near the capital to the high mountain pasture Lake Song-Kul or go horse-trekking near Lake Issyk-Kul. There's a reason they call it the Switzerland of Central Asia. 

4. Wear a wedding ring - if you look younger than 24 years old. And that's a Central Asian 24; women here tend to age faster as they take on domestic chores and lots of child-rearing (abortion is the preferred method of birth control). Bride kidnapping is thankfully getting rarer, but most women are expected to be married by 24. Although the Soviets introduced education for women, a woman's lot is still tough. Even in the cities, women are expected to move in with their in-laws and do all the domestic chores for the whole family. A (demonstrably, daily) clean house means she is a good daughter-in-law and she will be expected to prepare and serve feasts and tea for guests to the house. Be prepared for questions about your husband and kids. 

A park in Osh - the second largest city

5. Take a Russian phrasebook, or a friend who speaks Russian and can read cyrillic. The younger, educated generation are learning English, but Kyrgyzstan remains in the Russian sphere of influence (Kyrgyzstan is the only country to host both American and Russian military bases). The country has Kyrgyz, Uzbek and Tajik communities - they'll most likely speak Russian to each other. In the western areas of the country, near the Uzbek border, deadly riots have taken place between Kyrgyz and Uzbek communities; it is wise to speak Russian rather than each of those languages to avoid giving offence or be seen to take sides.

Travel in... Colombia

Enjoy the Latin American spirit that stretches from the Andes to the Caribbean

 

Zona Cafetera - but the best coffee goes for export

1. Dust off your Spanish  With over 193 million Spanish speakers in the South American neighbourhood, it's no wonder that penetration of the English language hasn't got too far in Colombia. Apart from the returning emigres from the US, the level of English is quite low even in some of the main cities. Basic phrases will help you appreciate the hospitality and warmth of the Colombian welcome. The exception is Cartagena, where the locals are used to American cruise ships plying the Caribbean routes, and you will be greeted like an old friend. 

2. Bring patience, bus journeys are long  and prone to delays. Colombia is vast and its varied climates will make you want to travel to all the different regions - from the hot highlands of Cali and the lush Zona Cafetera (coffee region), down to the Caribbean coast. Getting around them all, however, is challenging. Be prepared for long coach journeys: take snacks and plenty of water and good humour - essential for when winding, mountain roads become impassable as trucks snarl up the only (single carriageway) roads between the main towns. Beware of travelling by bus or coach in rainy season when flooding is common and 7 hour journey times can easily double. Consider taking the deluxe coaches - you'll be grateful for the toilet facilities if you get stuck, or take the cheap internal flights if your budget will stretch. 

3. Take your push-up bra if you want to blend in! Like Brazil and Venezuela, surgical enhancement is common and inexpensive. To avoid feelings of inadequacy when next to ladies with perfectly shaped posteriors or back-straining boobs, take your push-up bra and shake it like a local at the salsotecas. Then just relax and admire their confidence, even if Colombia boasts about being home to the world's most beautiful women. 

No chicken fillets here

4. Pack your walking shoes  Not only are there plenty of walks across the country, including the awe-inspiring and eerie Cocora Valley cloud forests, but you'll also want to walk off all those carbs. The variety of cuisines in the cities is not matched outside them: culinary choices tend to be heavy and delivered in generous portions of grilled meat and rice. Examples include the arepa - a bland, maize-based dough that can be baked or fried (sometimes filled with an egg for breakfast, cheese or meat); and the bandeja paisa, from the Andean region - an overload of fried beans, rice, plantain, arepa, avocado, egg, chorizo and beef or pork. Despite the country's fame for quality coffee, most of the good stuff goes for export and you may be disappointed to find yourself staring at a cup of Nescafe.

5. See Colombia, old and new  The old haunts of the notorious drug lord Pablo Escobar are now firmly on the tourist route: you can take a tour of one of his derelict mansions near Guatape and there's a theme park based at Escobar's former private zoo. A reminder that someone is still benefiting from the drugs trade is present in the new, palatial narco-mansions built on one side of the steep valley surrounding the city of Medellin (once the heart of Escobar's drugs cartel). For modern Medellin at play, drive to the high vantage points on the outskirts of the city at dusk for a vista of the city lights and views of hordes of teenagers re-creating "The Fast and the Furious". You'll see young Colombians on their motorbikes racing each other and drinking and socialising - with lookouts posted for police patrols. But for a sign of how much things have changed, note the reckless youths arrive wearing thin jackets with numbers clearly printed on them - their motorbike licence numbers. Not so rebellious after all.

Work in... Mozambique

Travel advice for what to wear to work, where to stay and what to eat on work trips to Maputo in Mozambique.

listen to ‘Work in Mozambique’ on Audioboo

Work in... Dubai

Five top tips on how to dress for work in the UAE's party town

Makes getting dressed in the morning much easier

1. Stay stylish, but modest  In general, Dubai residents - including expats - favour stylish outfits whatever the occasion. Office work-wear in the emirate is no different: you'll see slick skirt suits, well-tailored trousers and blouses, dresses and chic jackets. While it may all seem familiar, expat residents favour the trouser suit, or dresses and skirts below the knee with sleeves down to the elbow, to get a different reception. Which brings us to...

2. ...No need to wear a head scarf... unless you visit a mosque. Local women and Arab nationals take their fashion very seriously. Abeyas (the black head-to-toe covering) can be beautifully embellished and embroidered; head scarves can be boldly patterned and worn with plenty of matching accessories. You'll see the modesty warnings at the entrance to malls - be sensible and avoid wearing beachwear or hotpants or the like. 

3. Pack a pair of heels  Whether peeking out from underneath an abeya or teamed with a sharp suit, high-heeled court shoes are de rigeur for professional women. The combination of not having to walk anywhere or run for a bus plus the city's glamorous image means Dubai is a high heel friendly place. But exercise caution: the very shiny marble floors in most buildings are deceptively slippery and leave the 6-inch tottering shoes to the sun-seeking tourists. 

4. Beware the ubiquitous air con  Summer temperatures frequently pass the 40 degree Celsius mark in summer and rarely drop below 20 degrees during the daytime in winter. All buildings are air conditioned throughout the year and while this provides relief from the heat outside, many offices over compensate by blasting you with freezing cold air. If you're sitting at a desk all day and not moving around much, a cardigan or light jacket will sort you out. 

5. Consider wearing a wedding ring  Even for expats, being married (or looking like you are) provides benefits. There are plenty of single female expats, but wearing a wedding ring look-a-like can help save you from awkward moments when doing business in the Gulf if you're working with non-multinational companies. It's also helpful when just out and about: many workers from the sub-continent or the rest of the region haven't seen their wives in years; wearing a ring can help put down a marker and encourage wandering eyes to shift their attention elsewhere.

Travel in ... Burma (Myanmar)

Rose tells us her experience and advice for what to wear, food, trains and monks in Yangon (Rangoon) and Mandalay, Burma. 

listen to ‘Travel in Burma’ on Audioboo

Work in ... Ethiopia

Five top tips for living (well, working) the high life

Sophie, who works for an international development consultancy, provides her insight on working in the country best known for eccentric emperors and ancient Christian history

1. Stay hydrated and take it slow at the gym!  Many travellers take Ethiopia's impressive altitude for granted: Addis Ababa is the second highest capital in the world at 2,300 metres above sea level. It's harder to get to sleep, even climbing the stairs can take it out of you and a vigorous gym session will be more challenging than usual - take it easy! Drinks lots of water and don't overdo the workouts. 

2. Be on time and don't interrupt  Ethiopians are punctual in business matters and very polite in initial meetings. There is a protocol for who should speak when - people take turns and the person you're speaking to may pause before answering your question. Don't be alarmed or tempted to jump in - speak clearly and carefully wait for your colleague to respond. 

3. Drink coffee, but not too much...  Coffee is a staple of Ethiopian culture and in most meetings you will likely be offered one. Machiatto is often the most popular; it's delicious but beware - it's strong enough to make your heart race! Try alternating coffees with milky tea - shai ba wotet - to keep your heart steady. 

Getting around can be fun, but expensive

4.  Check taxi rates with local hotel staff  The little blue and white ladas, the typical Ethiopian taxis, are cute and fun but beware: as in many countries you can be charged extortionate rates as a foreigner. Hotel staff are usually happy to advise how much you should pay for a given journey. Check in advance to get the best out of your negotiations!

5. Plan internal travel ahead of time and get security advice  Addis has a good airport and road system and is safe for a capital city. But other parts of Ethiopia can be more unpredictable and internal flights often get booked up a week in advance. Plan your itinerary well ahead of time and get up to date advice from your embassy on modes of transport and where it's safe to stay in more remote locations.