2008-09-25 - Work Stuff

For reasons I don’t really understand, a few people have asked me what I’m doing here work-wise. So that they learn not to ask such questions to an IT person, here’s the answer…..

The brief that ABV had was that the job was to work on CARE Cambodia’s MIS – Management Information System. As usual, nobody actually knows what that means, but after only one day at CARE the interpretation in this case was apparent. The job is three-fold:

Part one is to have a look over their internal IT system, and keep an eye on things while they move that from being outsourced to hiring and starting an internal IT department. There are various deficiencies with the current IT system, and these also need to be found and addressed.

Part 2 is that they spend a lot of time doing “manual handling” of their data – data entry is painful and duplicated, reporting likewise, and a lot of information goes in and never comes out again. Systems aren’t linked, data is stored in lots of different ways, Excel spreadsheets and Access databases everywhere, etc. The job here is thus to link it all together and automate as much of the drudgery as possible.

Part 3 is to dump as much knowledge as possible onto the new IT department as they arrive, so they can carry the torch. I was involved in the interviews for one of the IT staff, and the candidates were mostly fairly good, so that one shouldn’t be too difficult.

This is all quite a lot of work for 1 person in 3 months, but nevertheless good progress is being made. I’ve assembled from scratch the infrastructure of a web-based system that will hopefully talk to the 2 main existing databases, and be a platform for adding other required functionality, and of course integrating the whole lot. Just today interaction with the finance system started happening, and they even have documentation for it that says what data is where. Documentation! Am also getting a handle on how their timesheet system, also to be created, is to run.

The internal IT system has also been given a poke, and while it’s a little wobbly, it should survive until the new IT people appear to tackle the issues present. I could be doing more here, but I think the best contribution I can make is on the joining data together side, and it is better if the new IT people make major system changes themselves, as they are the ones that will have to know what’s where.

The good thing about CARE is that they know fairly well what they want (i.e. requirements exist), they are realistic, they have a practical view of priorities (priority #1 is what is most needed, not what the manager that complains the most wants), there is no bloated and bureaucratic approvals process, and there are no bizarre and ever-changing business processes to try and accommodate in code (no need for sub getPhaseOfMoon()). As far as nerd programming stuff goes, that is about as good as it gets.

Anyway, enough of that. Am off on Saturday down the Mekong, arriving in Ho Chi Minh / Saigon on Tuesday. Hope to then catch the train that runs all the way “up” Vietnam to Hanoi, and then hopefully get back to Phnom Penh in time for work the following Monday. The train is 3 days, so not a lot of spare time in between. So most likely no blog for a while.

PS – dinner tonight was at the Edelweiss German restaurant on the river, where I had a pork schnitzel and tomato salad (and a soy bean drink) – not bad. The Indian just down the street is gaining favour as a favourite though.

2008-09-23 - Beautiful Shoes

On the tour de Phnom weekend a bit ago, one of the stops was a place called Beautiful Shoes, where they measure you up and make custom shoes for you. I signed up for 2 pairs, and today was pickup day. The certainly look snazzy, and fit nicely in the shop, but will do some test driving and see.

Also have another 2 types of street vendor – this time it’s the pan man and the subway man.

Pan is French for bread stick or something like that, and the pan man rides the streets on his pushie with a big basket of fresh bread rolls on the back. It’s even warm when it comes out of the basket, dunno how he achieves that. The pan man in the photo is the manual pan man, who shouts out “oooooooooh pan”, while there is also the automatic pan man, who has a little loudhailer and a looped recorded message which goes for about 15 seconds.

The subway man has a cart with pan and lots of ingredients – you tell him what you want and he makes a bread roll for you. Haven’t tried this one yet – most of the “meat-like” ingredients are foamy cubed stuff that looks a little strange.

Pan man chatting to subway man

Other news is that it’s Pchum Ben here next week, which means festival of the ancestors. Everyone goes back to their province at some point to visit the relos, and also to give food to the monks in the Wats (temples), as the monks can’t leave the Wats during the festival. That means 3 days of official public holiday, and in the case of CARE the office shuts for the whole week. I’ve taken the hint and booked a river tour to Vietnam, starting on Saturday and ending up in Ho Chi Minh on Tuesday. Will then wander around Vietnam for a few days, eventually arriving back in Phnom Penh by that Sunday (hopefully).

2008-09-20 - Shopping Spree

Spent a good part of the day walking to and from the Central Markets (twice), which it turns out are about 20 mins walk from Rue 278. This is the big yellow art deco domed building featured previously.

Procurements included some more pants for work, some Chinese and Khmer-style shirts for work, belts, ties, pair of sandals (Teva-style ones, which are hard to get and overpriced in Oz), a full-sized USB keyboard because programming on the laptop one is killing me, and a bigger backpack to carry it all. Also obtained a custom-made sign for my house back in Oz – see photo. If anyone else wants one, let me know – was US$10.

Final purchase was some big coloured stones that they dig out of the ground here, and cut like diamonds but much bigger. The diameter of these ones was ~10cm, but they come up to about 20cm. IT was also properly sunny for the first time today – up until now it has been cloudy most of the day. Result = sunburnt Lukas.

Coloured stones

Bikkies!

Also, some pics from along the way – a cyclo (another form of public transport) and pedestrian crossing traffic lights (follow at your peril – they are ignored by all) – the top one is a countdown until it changes colours – as the green counts down, the animated moonwalking man goes faster and faster. Finally, two shots from an aquarium shop – fish in a jar (the top of the jar seems smaller than the fish), and lots of little neon fish in plastic tubs.

2008-09-20 - Scenes from the Balcony

You can see a lot of interesting things from the balcony. Some starters:



Straight ahead – another Phnom Penh power pole – cables everywhere, and some mater boxes hanging off it. The power grid was very unreliable post-Khmer Rough, but is now generally quite good, until there’s a storm and the mass of cables makes contact – then there is a blackout for a few hours. No idea how they find where the short is. Note also they don’t actually use the insulators, just hang wires over the arms that hold them.

Liquid and Equinox – two bars across the street that go to all hours.

Looking right – to the base is the garden that surrounds a restaurant with a Balinese hut style atmosphere, and the red thing sticking up just to the right of the 3 palms and in the distance is the top of the independence monument.

Tuk tuks waiting and a processing of peanut-carrying ladies.

Two-basket street vendor – they have a pole with a suspended basket on each end – in this case some bowls and ingredients in the back and more ingredients and possibly a stove in the front. They set up on the side of the road and start cooking if you place an order.

Coconut juice seller – cuts the top off and sticks a straw in for you.

2008-09-20 - Digs

After hassling the people at the guesthouse a bit, I’ve been able to move into Matt and Liane’s room. I was in 304, which is 2nd floor at the back, so you only see rooftops from the balcony. They were in and I am now in 202, which has a balcony overlooking the street, which is much more interesting. The rooms are otherwise pretty much the same, although 202 doesn’t have a pillar right behind the front door, so less things to walk into after a night across the road at Liquid. Moved as soon as I got back from CARE on Friday afternoon, and they were already showing people through 304 as I was moving out, so I guess it’s a popular place.

Kitchen - gas bottle for stove is under bench

Room between kitchen and bedroom - dining room I guess

Bathroom

Something of curiosity is the shower – you get a composite hot/cold flow through one shower head, with the hot water heated in “real time” by an electric thingo on the wall, which also acts as a tap (on or off only). There is a second showerhead connected to a regular tap for cold water only, and that same tap has a second tap head that you turn to get water out of a tap spout. Finally, next to the toilet is a trigger hose that apparently is used in place of toilet paper, if you get my drift. It is good for washing your feet and cleaning the floor too.

Bedroom

2008-09-16 - Pay and Conditions

Have been involved in interviewing for an IT position, and also seeing a little of what Matt & Liane are doing on the HR side, and though I’d share a little as to how the whole pay and conditions thing works in Cambodia. Recall that the main currency is US$, with the local riel used instead of cents – $4,200 riel = US$1.

First of all, the average salary is much lower than in Oz – I think my equivalent pay here would be about US$800 per month. As a guide, some other living costs:

• Basic rent: 1 room + shared amenities: about $80/month
• Fancy rent: swish house: $1,000/month +
• Buy house in inner Phnom Penh: easily over $1 million
• Crappy little 2nd hand car: $5,000
• Roadside stall snack: 2000 riel ($0.50)
• Cheap but good restaurant lunch: $2
• Fancy restaurants: $5
• Tuktuk ride: $1.50

See also previous post re shopping at Luckys.

Wages for white-collar jobs here start at about $60 a month for basic public servants – crap pay, but people actually pay thousands to get PS jobs, because the position allows you to extort bribes / be corrupt.

Foreign organisations, including charities like CARE typically pay better – say $120/month minimum for the lower ranked jobs like security guards, drivers, cleaners. Then it’s up to about $1,000 per month for middle management.

On the benefits side, usually included are:

• Health insurance (local treatment only)
• Allowances for extra-ordinary travel and such
• Khmer new year (“the 13th month” – occurs in April) – extra 1 months pay as a bonus
• Severance pay – also something like 1 months pay (not only for redundancy, also when you resign and possibly even if you get fired – not sure)

Some organisations and companies also seem to do things like:

• (Chinese) Autumn festival – about now – extra 1 months pay
• Bonus if org / company is doing well – up to 2 month’s pay

So, while the pay levels are generally much lower, you can get up to 16 months pay in one calendar year. Of course, this only applies to those working with good firms and charities – the rural and urban poor have no such luck.

Finally, of the NGOs (Non-Govt. Organisations – charities), apparently the UN pays by far the best.

2008-09-14 - Lunch on the River

Started the day with another walk to Lucky Supermarket to get some domestic bits and pieces, but it turns out they aren’t open at 7am on Sunday morning after all. However, the European Asian Bakery across the road from it is. Usually the road – Sihanouk Blvd – is packed with 4 lanes of traffic going each way, and impossible to get across, but Sundays are quiet and my prize was in sight. I will have to bring the camera next time I go there – they have an amazing assortment of cakes that look like animals, cars, etc. They also have the thing where you grab your tray and tongs and help yourself to the individual pastries in the plastic cases. Long story short – US$2 + 2,200 riel gets you 5 things, including an apricot Danish and a choc donut (jam donut but with chocolate – inside and on top). Breakfast of champions.

Anyway, Pheap from CARE picked us up to go to a rural region close to the city for lunch – this was in an area where there are numerous fruit orchards, and a weekend market selling fruit, grilled animals and the likes.

The traditional foods market stall - from left: silkworms (metal platter), ground spiders (yellow), 2 kinds of big bugs (front), sparrows(red)

Looking out from the river bank, huts both in the near and far view

The thing to do then is to take your pick from the stilt houses out on the water, sit down and eat way too much. The stilt houses (no walls, only thin bamboo floor and thatch roof) are built by people, who charge you to use them and pay a lease on the land back to the community council.

On the menu were things like traditional rice pancakes, with beef and pork and eaten with a variety of leafy greens; grilled chicken splayed between 2 bamboo skewers, steamed or grilled rice with sugar and jackfruit, regular jackfruit and lychees. After a few hours lazing around and a quick drive-by of the Angkor brewery, it was back to town, to lie on the floor for a while.

In the hut, looking back towards the shore

Other side of the river

Just as we got back, it started pouring down, which cools things off nicely. Looking out over my little balcony, there was a cat stuck on the roof next door, trying to squish itself into a corner and stay dry.

I think the same cat had a 1/2 hour long domestic with another cat at 4am the next morning, so am not too sympathetic.

2008-09-13 - Phnom Penh 101

Being Matt and Liane’s last weekend in Cambodia, it was time to show Lukas the sights. They had found a tuktuk driver, Sukeat (spelling possibly wrong), that spends his spare time (while waiting for a fare) learning English and reading, rather than just snoozing like the other drivers. He also has a little dog with him (forgot the name sorry), that often comes along for the ride. Sukeat speaks good English, and as we Westerners don’t speak good Khmer, he is the tuktuk driver to call when you want to go places. You hire him for the whole day, paying US$20 for the day, rather than ~$2 per trip, and he waits for you while you go off and do touristy things.

In the tuktuk with Sukeat and his dog.

First stop was at an optometrist near the central markets, where the oldies got measured up for reading glasses. Cost was $36 each I think, for prescription glasses in frames, to be collected that afternoon. Then it was in to the central market.

This is a large yellow concrete building on its own city block, essentially a large dome with four rounded wings, one sticking out each side. Inside the structure are watch and jewellery stores, electronics, a meat section and so on. Attached are many more tarp-covered stalls selling clothing and fabrics, carvings, food and even a nursery section. Picked up a spare battery for the camera for US$12 - probably 40% less if I’d bargained - rather than AU$70.

Central Market main dome

Inside one of the wings of the market

One of the tarp-covered parts of the market

Shampoo, anyone?

Dried fish

Whole stall full of mystery foods

Next stop was Wat Phnom, a temple on a hill in the city, and supposedly the founding point of Phnom Penh.

"For foreigner only, please pay here, 1$ per person" - hooray for foreigner

The wat elephant and handler - gives tourist rides

Liane feeds the elephant - he flaps his (her?) ears a lot when you feed him some very over-priced bananas

One of the monkeys

After that was the Russian market, named after a previous high concentration of Russians living in the area. This is another large market, but more touristy with crafts and pirate DVDs – things that tourists like. Acquired here was a learn Khmer CD and a few obligatory T-shirts.

After that it was a longish tuktuk ride over the Japanese (the donors) bridge to the other side of the river, and out to the peninsula. It was surprising how quickly the relative high standard of the city roads gave way to crappy rural-like roads. There was a long promenade and park against the opposing side of the river bank, built under the direction of the previous governor of the city, but now overgrown and derelict, and being slowly sold off by the corrupt government to their developer mates.

Dredging barge at the junction of the rivers, as seenf rom the peninsula on the other side of the river to Phnom Penh - the dredged material is used to raise land levels in and around the city, to reduce flooding.

Finally it was back into town, to the Foreign Correspondent’s Club (FCC), a local landmark, to sit looking over the river and having over-priced food. Then we toddled off on foot to a Spanish restaurant nearby, for Sangria overlooking the river instead. From there it was a half hour walk home, dodging the night-time traffic on Sihanouk Blvd – just imagine stepping out into 4 lanes of oncoming headlights and hoping they see you.

2008-09-11 - Walking to Work

Part of the deal between ABV and CARE is that CARE offer daily transport to/from work. However, the relatively short distance (~30min walk) and the plentiful supply of good, cheap food encourage walking instead. If it does happen to be raining at going home time (doesn’t usually rain in the early morning it seems), you can try to grab a tuktuk, or just get wet.

Some street scenes:

Building site

Rich person's house

Flowering vine

Walking down Golden St (St 278), about to turn left

Power pole - if you look closely, 2 of the legs at the base are rusted right through

Walking also offers a lot of interesting sights of everyday Phnom Penh life, such as garbage collection routines, the street vendors, construction work and of course the traffic.

Scaffolding - made from large bamboo poles (also being loaded onto truck)

One of the kids working at the construction site - the sacks are used to carry (by hand) materials up and down the building

The walk also takes us through the Boeung Keng Kang market – a covered (sort of) market crammed with locals selling mainly food and clothes. Strangely, the market is below regular street level, so whenever it rains heavily, the place floods. Unlike the bigger and more touristy Russian market, this one is purely for locals.

Entering the market

In the market

Rubbish bin - made from old tyres

Street sign and guard house

Major intersection outside the CARE office - first in, best dressed

Views from the CARE office roof

There is a tuktuk driver (among others) that usually hangs out outside the guest house – he knows Matt and Liane, and used to take them to CARE and other places, but since they started walking to work daily (and telling him no to the offer of a tuktuk ride), he sees them come out and throws up his arms and says “walk, always walk”. Quite funny.

Some sad news too - a fox or such has raided my chook house back in Canberra, killing all 3. I should get some Khmer onto the case - they know how to build a good security fence.