APAD 149: Garden
… a restful respite for the city dwellers and and an eye-candy to the tired and weary passersby .
An oasis of sorts. A refuge from the hustle and bustle of the city.
How I wish I have a garden like this!
I’d like to think that I have a green thumb. So far, the seeds and seedlings I planted in our little veranda garden have thrived. Mostly I’ve planted flower plants. I also have bitter gourd and bell pepper, and some herbs like Thai basil and lemongrass. If only we have a place with a large space for a garden. Who knows what else I could grow there?
APAD 145: Sambo the Elephant
This is Sambo, Phnom Penh’s resident elephant. He is now 53 years old and, until recently, he has been one of the lovable and enduring figures for visiting tourists and locals.
Finally, Sambo has retired from his “work” at Wat Phnom.
Sambo’s story is one that could be made into a Hollywood movie.
The Story of Sambo starts all the way back in the 1970’s when he was split up from his owners during the civil war and Khmer Rouge takeover and Sin Son. the boy who had raised Sambo had feared him to have perished along with so many others until after surviving the brutal Pol Pot regime he returned to his old village to find his only remaining neighbor who informed that Sambo had survived the Killing Fields but was now across the other side of Cambodia.
You can find more about his story here.
APAD 138: Safe sex
I have this photo taken from the 2007 (or 2008?) during Cambodia’s Independence Day celebration. To those who are not familiar with Cambodia’s history, the country was once a French protectorate for 90years (beginning in 1863) before it gained it’s independence on November 9, 1953.
Every year, colourful celebrations are held , beginning at the lighting the torch at the Vimean Eikareach (Independence Monument) in Norodom Boulevard by His Majesty the Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni and culminating in a huge parade. I particularly enjoy the miles-long parade showcasing floats of the different government ministries, agencies as well as international and local non-government organisations and business establishments in the country.
The photo below was part of the Cambodian Ministry of Health’s contingent.
Signs are very important tools in informing and educating the general public about HIV/AIDS and other sexually-transmitted diseases in Cambodia.
The poster is promoting condoms for safe sex, a protection against HIV/AIDS and other sexually-transmitted diseases.
In 1997, Cambodia had the highest prevalence rate of HIV infection in the region at 3.7 percent. Due to the aggressive 100 percent condom use and education campaigns led by the Cambodian government and supported by various international organisations, the recent prevalence rate is now down to 1.9 percent. National and international agencies hailed Cambodia as one of the few countries who have successfully controlled the HIV epidemic among its general population.
However, despite keeping the HIV prevalence rate at bay, there is still a lot of work to be done.
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