Extreme Khmer

Interview with a Cambodian pilot who flies for Bangkok Airways, and the story of a Thai baby who survived a 1996 plane crash in Cambodia.

An interview with the only woman motorcylce taxi driver (that we know of!) in Phnom Penh.

A tour of some different facets of Wat Phnom, including its connections to the mythical founding of Phnom Penh.

Ethnic Khmers in Thailand: their language and how they function in Thai society.

Interviews with comic artists working for an organization to promote comics in Cambodia today, plus a comic artist from the 1980s.

Interview with three of my former Khmer students from SEASSI 2002, about what they're doing with their Khmer language skills now in Phnom Penh.

Part One of a special two-part episode about a famous Khmer folk tale. You'll hear the tale discussed by a Khmer scholar and told by a fortune teller, and see clips from a 2003 movie version of the legend and doll stop-animation scenes from the tale created by studykhmer.com.

The thrilling--and heart-rending--conclusion of our telling of this important Khmer legend, which touches on historical events, Khmer identity, geography and environmental issues.

The title says it all. If you enjoyed the closing credits music, by Khmer rapper A-Ping, check out http://www.boeungkaplhaok.com/ . This is the last Extreme Khmer episode before we go on summer vacation. See you all in September with more fun-filled adventures!

In this episode, the first of several in Season Two about the Khmers who live in Surin province in present-day Thailand, we visit a school started by a Khmer Sisaket man to teach Khmer reading and writing to Surin Khmers.

Microbreweries are common in the US and elsewhere, but in this episode we take you on a tour of the absolute first one in Cambodia, Man Han Lou restaurant in Phnom Penh. Just to keep things interesting, the brewmeister is Chinese and speaks no Khmer, but never fear, we've got that covered...

This episode is the first in a two-part series on contemporary young artists in Phnom Penh. We'll meet several artists and look at their work, plus look at organizations that support them. Make sure to check out the full-length versions of interviews which appear in this episode in the "Culture and History" section of "Khmer Ephemera" on studykhmer.com

This episode is the second in a two-part series on contemporary young artists in Phnom Penh. We'll learn a little about the history of modern art in Cambodia, and attend a workshop with the young women's art group, Selapak Neary. Make sure to check out the full-length versions of my interview with their mentor Linda Saphan (none of which appears in this episode, although she herself does) in the "Culture and History" section of "Khmer Ephemera" on studykhmer.com

In this episode we travel to Surin to interview Nam Pheung Muang Surin, a famous singer of both traditional and contemporary Kantreum, the unique, highly rhythmic music of the "Northern Khmers". Don't forget to check out the full-length versions of several of Nam Pheung's live concert songs featured in this episode, in the "Culture and History" section of "Khmer Ephemera" on studykhmer.com

This month we give you a "snapshot" of the religion and culture of two very different Cham (Cambodian Islam) communities in Cambodia: one in Oudong and the other south of Phnom Penh. Be sure to check out the Podcast section at studykhmer.com for extras.

The Kuy speak a language related to Khmer and are close friends of the Khmer, especially in Surin in Thailand. for centuries, the Kuy have trapped and trained elephants in the forests of present-day Thailand, Laos and Cambodia. In this episode, we interview an 80-year-old Kuy man (in Khmer) about his experience working with elephants. Be sure to check out the Podcast section at studykhmer.com for extras.

In October, 2007, I attended a book fair in Phnom Penh and interviewed both booksellers and readers. Here are the results. See the episode "extras" at studykhmer.com for contact info for selected publishers from the book fair.

In this episode, we learn about a spirit shrine on the riverfront in Phnom Penh with an unusual name and a mysterious history.

In this episode, we talk to the head monk of all Surin Province in Thailand, who is Khmer, and take a brief tour of his temple grounds. We also find out how Khmer script is used for magical inscriptions in Thailand, and how the Thais reconcile that fact with their view of modern Khmers.

In this episode, we accompany writer and Khmer refugee Teeda Butt (author of one of the original "Khmer Rouge survivor narratives,"To Destroy You is No Loss") on one of her trips back to Phnom Penh, as she reminisces about her childhood and talks about the changes in Phnom Penh over the past three decades.

In the last episode of Season Three, we travel to Kampong Cham to get to the bottom of a popular Cambodian legend, about a mountain-building contest between men and women.

A little something different this episode, it's a Nek Kruu Sokhary tour-de-force. First she presents with a short tale of cross-cultural interaction, then I have people watch it in on iPod in both Siem Reap and Phnom Penh and give their opinions on it. In the end, Nek Kruu provides us with her final analysis. Illustrations by artist Linda Saphan.

An interview with a construction worker working on a temple building in the provincial capital of Surin.

An interview with Khmer newspaper journalist and the author of Blue Lady Blog, the energetic and insightful Kounila Keo.