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Missing an arm and a leg might make some people weigh in a bit light, but the UK’s Chris Moon has more than enough heart to tip any scales in his direction with admirable force.
He lost his arm and leg while clearing landmines in Mozambique … that would be the hard way, I’m thinking … and is now riding a bike from Thailand’s border with Cambodia to Sihanoukville, raising money for The Cambodia Trust so the organization can give prosthetic limbs, wheelchairs, hopes and fulfilled dreams to Cambodian kids disabled by landmines and disease.
This is far from his first tough personal challenge for the cause … he ran 300 miles across Death Valley a while back.
Check out the Trust’s blog for more information and updates.
There’s road work going on in Cambodia, all in the name of protecting some ancient byways that shouldn’t be forced to stand up to the rigors of modern traffic.
In the area near Siem Reap, ten bypasses are being built around what are thought of as “minor ancient bridges” diverting traffic away from structures like the 800-year-old Kampong Kdei Bridge, “one of the dry-jointed laterite block construction engineering wonders along NR6″.
The Earth Times has a report on the death toll to date from the dengue fever outbreak that’s been plaguing Cambodia, and all of Southeast Asia, since almost the first moments of this year’s rainy season.
So far, 365 people have died, the vast majority children under the age of fifteen.
An urban construction boom combined with climatic changes which have caused heavy monsoon rains to be broken up by unusually warm spells have created ideal breeding conditions for the day-biting Aedes mosquito which spreads the disease, according to experts.
According to one Swiss doctor who runs a children’s hospital, the death toll may be higher than necessary due to under-qualified doctors administering poor initial treatment.
Ethical Traveler, an organization working to turn travel into a force for good in the world, has announced a campaign to fight child sex trafficking in Cambodia.
There’s an interview with the group’s executive director at the link.
And speaking of campaigns, a few organizations — Cambodian Ministry of Women’s Affairs and some NGOs, including ILO Better Factories Cambodia and Garment Manufacturers’ Association in Cambodia (GMAC) — have joined together and announced a nationwide competition meant to honor Cambodian garment workers. It’s called “I am precious”, which is too.
And for all the high-flyers out there, you can now hop around Cambodia by helicopter.
Sokha will cover six routes daily, including Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville, Phnom Penh to Siem Reap town, Phnom Penh to Battambang town, Phnom Penh to Poipet, Phnom Penh to Bavet and Phnom Penh to Bokor.
One way flights from Phnom Penh to Poipet cost 1,100 U.S. dollars per passenger, while to Bokor Mountain it costs 2,536 U.S. dollars, and Sihanoukville 700 U.S. dollars.
Hey! Sign me up.
And in another sign that things are changing fast, KFC is coming to Cambodia.
Pizza Hut, another franchise under the same corporate umbrella, may follow.
Great. Or not.
Whatever people say, it’s amazing how Colonel Harland Sanders brought KFC to a multi national organization … you can find an article on him here.