Issue 28, Graphically Great.

It's already out folks, 3500 hard copies have been printed this time, or you could just download it by clicking on the link below, enjoy.

Download Issue 28


So this time we have to thank...

Banteay Srey
Blissful Guest House
Blue Bar
Champa Lodge
Ecran
Famous Kampot Jack's
Farm Link
Green House
Indo Bar
Kampoccino
Kampot Car Rental
Kampot Souvenirs & Handicraft
Kampot Pie and Ice Cream Palace
Kampot Riverside Hotel
Keplers Books
Living in Cambodia
Magic Sponge
Mea Culpa
Moon River Lodge
Oh Neils
Rikitikitavi
Senor Sushi
Tic Tik Tours
Tiny Kampot Pillows
Titch's Place
Two Moons



More Importantly we have to thank these wonderful submitters...

Irvin S
Alan HT

Issue 27 hits the Cloud.

Well then, we are off again with a new issue and a new file hosting solution, Ubuntu One, have a go at it from this link...

http://ubuntuone.com/6fwSxQjo1BwZTvgnP3z294



So this time we have to thank...


Blissful Guest House
Bluestar Real Estate
Champa Lodge
Clean Sweep
Ecran
Farm Link
Ganesha Riverside Eco Resort
Gin Palace
Green House
Kampot Pie and Ice Cream Palace
Kampot Riverside Hotel
The Magic Sponge
Mea Culpa
Moon River Lodge
Oh Neils
Rikitikitavi
Senor Sushi
Srey Mom's Cafe
Tic Tik Tours
Tiny Kampot Pillows
Titch's Place



More Importantly we have to thank these wonderful submitters...

Irvin S
Alan HT
Uncle Fran

questions and answers

A - (A little bit about you and the other members of the collective):

1) How long have you lived in Kampot? Were you travelling before?

We, the collective have been living in Kampot for a combine total of over 20 years now. Each and every one of us have extensive travel experience, though none of us appear to have gone very far.

2) Why did you move?

Rumours of movement are greatly exaggerated. In essence the collective has moved to Kampot to protest the manner in which our home countries have disappointed us.

3) What were you doing before?

We have combined expertise in electronics and control systems, psychiatric nursing, oil company procurement, shipping, import export, computer sales and marketing and bar stewardship.

4) What have you been doing since

Perfecting the art of being in Kampot

5) A little bit about the Kampot survival guide - why did you start it? Why is it no more? (boo hoo!)

Rumours of the demise of the KSG are all false and were perpetrated by our publisher (subsequently demoted to paper boy). An executive board meeting revamped the way we do business (if you can in any way call a publication that earns nothing a business), thus insuring the continuation of the Kampot Survival Guide forever or until the collective melts down.

B – (About Kampot province developments):

1) Loved your tongue-in-cheek comments in the last edition of the Survival Guide - but can you tell us exactly what's going on development-wise at the moment? I saw that a big hotel was being built when I was there last - but are there more (grand) plans?

Once more rumours of or collective tongues being in any cheeks are all false. Every last word in the guide is true…really. Without more details we cannot comment on the big hotel, though it might be the Diamond (now open) which is the only building in Kampot with a lift. The other big hotel rests atop Bokor Mountain and has an attached casino (both open).

The Old Market on the front is now brand new and sports a number of virtually 100% Khmer owned shops. Plans are afoot to revamp the old fish market/night club into a riverside seafood restaurant, entertainment venue and recording studio.

Other grand plans include at least 3 golf courses, a floating eco-village downstream, extending the river promenade to the fishing village, and a new boutique hotel on the former site of the Canadia Bank.

We now have freshly resurfaced roads with lines, reflectors and cross walks, all of which are ignored. More surfaced roads are being thrown down at a furious pace, water system improvements, and more government building/refurbishment. The Kamchay dam is struggling to get above 10% of capacity due to dry season low water conditions.

2) How long have these developments been in the making? Who are the initiators? What's the timeframe?

That’s a little like asking how long is a piece of string? We think the Governor and local government are at the heart of the infrastructure developments, while the private sector is investing at a furious rate. In the past three to five years the city has undergone a rather dramatic make-over and is no longer looking like a dowager in need of a facelift. 

 

3) What's the ultimate goal?

Our ultimate goal is not to answer silly questions over and over and over again…thus the Kampot Survival Guide.

4) What are your thoughts about it all? What are the positives and negatives?

We try not to think as we believe thinking destroys brain cells faster than the local beers. Two members of the collective have business’ that benefit from increases in tourism, while two of us are on pensions and think tourism is a dirty word. Regardless, increased tourism, a vibrant Cambodian economy and government promotion of the area, along with publications such as yours. Trip advisor, Facebook et al are having an effect to change Kampot from the undiscovered paradise it once was into something completely different.

5) What do the locals think?

If you are referring to the local Khmer community, they are at best blissfully happy or at least neutral. Barang Sceut, which in essence means crazy foreigner pretty much covers it. We think for the most part that the local Khmer community see the growth of Kampot as a positive thing, providing more employment opportunities than ever.

The ex-pat community on the other hand prefer not to think very hard or too deeply, which explains the number of sure fire business’ that open and close with predictable regularity. The collective are greatly amused by all the ex-pat activity.

6) How do you think it will impact life in Kampot in general? What about your own lives? What do other expats make of this?

We are of the consensual collective opinion that the more things change the stranger it all becomes. How these changes effect the collective is currently up for debate. As long as we can eventually agree on a meeting date we will strive to arrive at a collective opinion that at the very least is not overly disgusting to any of us.

Our own lives are for the most part mundane in the extreme. As long as it is someone else being hauled off in handcuffs and leg irons we stay amused and emotionally distant from it all. We are collectively disinterested in the growth of Kampot, and as long as the price of staples such as beer and cigarettes remains low we really could not care less.

As to other ex-pats we, as a collective have a problem answering this question. We are aware that there are varying ex-pat factions in Kampot, everything from religious zealots bent on converting the Buddhists to NGO types living high off the donor hog, to suspected criminals escaping homeland justice. Obviously no one will have the same outlook.

PS: The KSG collective have voted on this and we have moved and carried the motion that this is a silly question.

7) It seems that at the moment, the whole of the south of Cambodia is being regenerated - Bamboo Island, Koh Rong... Koh Rong in particular has massive plans in place, having been sold by the Cambodian Government to a Cambodian-based investment group called The Millennium Group, who are partnering with a Cambodian company called The Royal Group, in order to build an airport and 'ecological' resort. Do you know anything about this/have any opinion on their plans/collaborations? Is it really going to be 'eco'? Surely they will have to destroy a lot of the natural forest in order to build an airport?

Well, the collective sighs a collective “Duh!” The aforementioned floating eco village on the river is downstream of the city. With a population of around 40,000 and no sewage treatment, how eco can that village be?

Also refer to Bokor Mountain with an estimated population living atop a national park of between thirty and one hundred thousand, entailing the destruction of untold hectares of Alpine forest. The ecology is not the primary factor in the quest for earning tourist revenue. All one has to do is look to Koh Samui in Thailand back in 1987 when the airport opened there. How much consideration to the environment was given when that decision was made?

8) I believe The Royal Group are quite powerful in Cambodia in general - anything you can say about this? Any opinion?

It is wise not to comment on anything containing the word Royal in the name. The collective are guests here in Cambodia and smart enough to know that no comment is the best comment whether that comment is positive or negative.

9) The general word is that investors have been snapping up long-term island leases as fast as they can. Do you know anything about this? Who's buying them? What do you think of it all?

The collective can only assume that these long-term leases, if in fact they are being registered are being penned with people with much deeper pockets than we have. There is an old saying that goes something like, “Make hay while the sun shines.” Wouldn’t you take a long-term lease on a piece of beach paradise if you could? 

 

10) What about Kep and Battambang?

Kep is a great place to read a book. We at the collective recommend that visitors to Kampot make it a day trip that includes the Kep crab market, the caves and a pepper plantation. Unlike Kampot, Kep has no centre replete with restaurants and bars to visit during those long tropical nights.

Battambang is affectionately called Bottombang by we locals and we believe that is enough said, other than it does have a river.

11) According to an article on Travelfish, Kith Meng (the chairman of The Royal Group) has the power to revoke small business leases on a month's notice. Have you heard anything about this? What are your thoughts/general consensus amongst locals and expats?

No doubt this is true and we have no comment for above noted reasons.

12) Is there a danger that the gap between the poor and rich in Cambodia will become even greater? Are there any steps being taken to prevent this?

Again, this being a political question, the collective collectively have no comment. What we can say is that the danger of the wealth gap increasing on a global scale is high and there is no reason to assume that it’s any different here.

13) Is Cambodian infrastructure/the Cambodian people ready for such mass potential tourism on this more upmarket scale?

Our Khmer hosts, despite the horrors of war and ideology run amok are more than capable of building on success. The Khmer are resilient and resourceful people for who we at the collective have the highest respect. At the high end of the market, the Cambodian business community have proven their determination and ability to excel.

14) Do you think the Cambodian government is selling out? Or, was this inevitable in the long run?

Once more, no comment.

15) Is there a danger that certain places in Cambodia will become yet another haven for the mega-rich only?

Not unless they go the way of Bhutan where only high end tour groups are granted visas to visit. The collective, though they disdain the rock bottom backpacking traveller do acknowledge that there is money to be made from all ends of the spectrum. Do the math. One million tourists at $20 each for a one month visa equals twenty million dollars. If each of those tourists then spends only $15 a day, that’s an additional four hundred and fifty million dollars. This four hundred and seventy million is the minimum every million tourists spend. In 2012 over 2.2 billion dollars were spent by over 3.5 million tourists.

16) How do you think this will impact the vibe/the economy/ecology? Won't a lot of natural countryside have to be destroyed in order to build these big resorts?

Yes, yes, yes and yes. The vibe cannot not be affected even if big resorts are not so big and apparently eco-friendly. But don’t forget that as long as the economic model of globalized tourism (or anything) is based on growth, everything will be effected and not always in good ways.

17) Do you see yourselves staying in Kampot? What would make you move on? Where would you go?

The KSG collective have no intention of abandoning Kampot. It is our home, our chosen promised land. We agree that short of war, pestilence, starvation or building a Wal-Mart in the city, we are committed to stay the course. With a combined age of well over two hundred years, we are becoming too feeble to seek out a new place that offers us the same sense of peace and harmony as we find here.

Moving on is only a last ditch option that none of the collective want to think about. The world is becoming a less and less undiscovered land. We would like nothing more than deter too many other’s from coming here and spoiling our way of life. What’s left? Lao, perhaps but have you seen what’s become of Viang Vien?

18) What do you think of the future of Cambodia?

We think that the future is bright for Cambodia and Cambodians. There is a new generation of young people who have not experienced the horrors of war and are beginning to reclaim their nation and their culture. We believe that with minimal interference from the outside world that Cambodia can prosper.

19) Will it still be a place for backpackers/more freewheeling travellers?

Fortunately Kampot has not yet suffered a massive influx of package tourists. We at the collective note that although there are still plenty of gap-year backpackers visiting, often on their way to Vietnam, the demographic is changing. We have flash-packers and retired hippies on the road for the first time since the 70’s. We have old and young folks coming here to live, to set up a business or work for one. We are constantly surprised that year over year more and more people of all ages are discovering Kampot.

... Any other thoughts or comments on anything related (you can include views on related world politics, whatever you like!) would be great!

Other than the fact the collective think the world is going to hell in a hand-basket due to hegemonistic designs the western world has on the developing world, all we can say is don’t wax too poetic about the charms of living by a river with a mountain range in the near distance to give form to magnificent sunsets. There really is nothing to see or do here, so move on. There is malaria in the mountain jungles, sharks and crocodiles in the river, dengue fever in the city and rumours that the sea monster is returning. Let your readers know that there are other, more adventure driven, way more fun places than Kampot in SE Asia.

Sincerely,

The Kampot Survival Guide Collective

Download Issue 26

Due to some sort of prob beyond my control I can't put the download on the right, so download it here...

Issue 26

Centre pages

enjoy... 

Issue 26 is on target

Hi folks, as you can see we are on the rails again and in better shape than the railway.

We have had a major staff re-jig and come up with a compromise that works, basically none of us do sales anymore, we send email and then it's up to the advertisers to supply us with both artwork and money before deadline, its been tough on some but it's working.

So anyway, we are back to three monthly printing, if you want in contact the boys at ksgadsales(at)gmail.com

Copies will be available from April 1st.


So this time we have to thank...

Bart the Boatman
Blissful Guest House
Blue Bar
Bluestar Real Estate
Cambo Eco Tours
Champa Lodge
Copper Pot
Ecran
Farm Link
Full of Beans
Ganesha Riverside Eco Resort
Green House
Home Truths
Kampoccino
Kampot Pie and Ice Cream Palace
Lost Art
Mea Culpa
Oh Neils
Rikitikitavi
Senor Sushi
SHV Guide
Srey Mom's Cafe
Therapeutic Massage
Tic Tik Tours
Tiny Kampot Pillows
Titch's Place



More Importantly we have to thank these wonderful submitters...

Irvin S
Alan HT
Uncle Fran

Issue 26 Deadline

Attn All Kampot Survival Guide Advertisers:

DEADLINE MARCH 15th

_______________________________________

If you do not yet have your advertising copy and payment in to either Tiny Kampot Pillows or Steve at Srey Mum's Cafe (both at the 2000 roundabout) you will be too late to secure a spot in the April 1st issue of the guide. Period.

It is entirely up to YOU to get YOUR act together in time to beat the deadline! There will be no extensions. Period.

For over 5 years the KSG has been Kampot’s single most important publication. It is designed to give up to date information on Kampot AND to drive customers to YOUR door. As the most widely distributed guide in Kampot it is THE one publication you don't want to miss out on for promoting YOUR business.

We will only be printing as many copies of the guide as we receive advertising payment for. ONLY advertisers will get copies to distribute to their customers.

AVOID DISAPPOINTMENT GET YOUR COPY AND PAYMENT IN TODAY...BEFORE YOU FORGET AND MISS OUT ON INCREASED BUSINESS.

REMEMBER if you miss the March 15^th DEADLINE….

Too bad. So sad. No ad.

Sincerely,

The KSG Team 

Advertising With The Kampot Survival Guide (KSG)

When We Print And Deadlines For Advertising

1. The next edition of The Kampot Survival Guide goes to print on the 1^st April.

1. Submission of - and payment for - your advertisement must be received by us no later than March 15^th This is to allow us time to collate the magazine prior to print and ensure that it is distributed punctually.
2. In the event that you submit an advertisement to us but we have not received payment for your advertisement by March 15^th, we will not be able to print your advertisement.
3. In the event that you pay us for advertising space but do not provide us with your advertising graphic or image by March 15th, we will run your advertisement as a plain text ad (no graphic) identifying your business or organisation as the advertiser.
4. We cannot accept any advertisement that is lodged after this date nor can we accept any request for changes to an advertisement after the March 15^th deadline.

What Image Format You Should Use For Your Advertisement

2. Your advertisement can be given to us in either JPEG or PNG formats.

1. We request that you do not submit your advertisement to us in any other format as it may be totally incompatible with our desktop publishing software or require extensive manipulation resulting in a loss of clarity and impact of your advertisement.

Types And Sizes Of Advertising Spaces

3. Advertising spaces in The Kampot Survival Guide are available in either Banner, Portrait or Half Page configurations. A Banner or Portrait equates to a quarter page of advertising space.

1. A Banner size space is Width 138mm x Height 48mm.
2. A Portrait sized space is Width 69mm x Height 97mm.
3. A Half Page is Width 138mm x Height 97mm.
   Note: It is strongly recommended that your advertisement is designed to accurately fit the above sizes and displays well before you give it to us. We will endeavour to resize your advertisement if the size is incorrect however the resizing may once again result in a loss of clarity and impact of your advertisement.

What Your Advertisement Should Look Like Before You Give It To Us

4. You can submit your advertisement to us in colour or in grey-scale (black and white).

1. It is strongly recommended that your advertisement image is of the highest quality possible before you submit it.
2. As a general guide, your advertisement will present best in the hard copy of our magazine if it is crisp, sharp, uncluttered and eye catching when viewed as a grey-scale image.
3. If you give us your advertisement as a colour image, we will convert it to grey-scale for printing in the hard copy of the magazine. Your advertisement will display in colour in the downloadable PDF version.
   Note: the design and creation of your advertisement is your responsibility. We do not have the resources i.e. a graphic design department to create the advertisement for you

Our Fees For Advertising

5. Our costs for Advertising have been simplified. For three months of advertising, the prices are:

1. A Quarter page Banner or Portrait space inside the magazine is $20.
2. A Half Page space is $40
3. A Front Page Banner (quarter page) space is $40
   Note: The Front Page Banner space will be available on a first in – first served basis i.e. the first person, business or organisation to request the space and submit their advertisement to us together with payment.

Note: If you have a preference for where your advertisement appears in the KSG, we will attempt to allocate that space to you. Please be aware that it will not always be possible for us to do this when there are competing demands for a space or the layout of the magazine precludes it.

How To Submit Your Advertisement And Your Payment To Us

6. You can submit your advertisement to us in either of the following ways:

1. Send your advertisement to us as an attachment by e-mail to ksgadsales(at)gmail.com. In your e-mail, please provide a Contact Name, a Contact Phone Number, a Contact E-Mail Address, the Name of Your Business and the Type Of Advertising Space you want – Banner, Portrait or Half Page.
   Note: We will send you a reply e-mail acknowledging that we have received your advertisement and advising you when payment is due for your ad. To pay for your advertisement – see below
2. Place your advertisement on a Flash Drive and drop it off, together with your payment, at the Tiny Kampot Pillows shop at the 2000 traffic roundabout in Kampot. The owner/manager of the shop speaks Khmer and English. The shop is usually open between 10 am and 7 pm. You will be given a form to complete stating Name, Business Name, Contact Phone Number, E-Mail address and the type of Advertising Space you want – Banner, Portrait or Half Page. Your completed form, flash drive and payment will be placed in an envelope for KSG staff to collect. You will be provided with a receipt for your payment.
   Note: When KSG staff have collected your advertisement and payment, we will advise you by e-mail that we have received them and that your advertising space has been booked with us. We will arrange with you for the most convenient way to return your Flash Drive.
   Note: If either of the above methods are not convenient for you, you can e-mail us at ksgadsales(at)gmail.com. to discuss alternatives.

Thank you,

The Kampot Survival Guide

ksgadsales(at)gmail.com.

Issue 25 and beyond...

The long delayed issue 25 is at last rolling again, just some final spelling corrections to be made, proof is printed and final artwork adjustments are under way, expect to see copies within the week.

So this time we have to thank...

Bart the Boatman
Blissful Guest House
Blue Bar
Bluestar Real Estate
Cambo Eco Tours
Champa Lodge
Ecran
Farm Link
Frangipani
Full of Beans
Ganesha Riverside Eco Resort
Green House
Keplers Books
Kampoccino
Kampot Dreamtime Tours
Kampot Pie and Ice Cream Palace
Indochine
Mea Culpa
Naga House
Oh Neils
Rikitikitavi
Sausage Sizzle
Senor Sushi
Srey Mom's Cafe
Teuk Chhou Zoo
Tic Tik Tours
Tiny Kampot Pillows
Titch's Place
Utopia


More Importantly we have to thank these wonderful submitters...

Irvin S
Alan HT
Uncle Fran


Anyway, all that done here's an update on our future.

Recently we temporally lost the facilities of file hosting, what did this mean? Well we lost all of our download files, all copies of the guide and all the maps. We have since been lucky enough to get them back but its a worry. In future we will probably only offer one download option, that way we can easily keep the blog etc updated and recover from any loss with ease.

Down to what we will be offering for download? Well probably just a cut down current issue with all ad's removed, allowing us to pop in as many pics as we want without the need to worry about a page count or advertisers.

It is also very doubtful that we will print large quantities of copies again, the last straw has damaged the camels back and none of us at the KSG want to deal with advertisers or artwork ever again. It's a shame but well...  you got five years of free work out of us and I think our work is done, all you have to do is look around, this place has changed, we have not.

We may however print copies for our own use, i.e. we will print our own and give them to customers, or maybe sell them, possibly even sell in bulk with the old single advert on the front, who knows.

There is still a chance we will produce the e-book version, so you may see QR code flyers appear in places with WIFI.

Nothing is certain except one thing, there is no way we are going to deal with as many advertisers again, its too time consuming to do for free. But as a way of compensation to the many advertisers that used to drive me mad by asking "how long does it run for?" well, this next issue runs for an extended period, a period in theory long enough for us to decide the guides future. So this issue runs for 100 years and 3 months, that equates to advertising costs as little as $0.20 per year, unbeatable!

bye for a bit...