I'm back in Honolulu having taken four days to get back here and then a couple of days flat on my back trying to recover from jet lag. I'm down to my last $20 and so I'm not doing much other than eating ramen and reminiscing about Cambodia.

My favorite souvenir this time has been the Cambodian krama. I've been giving them away by the dozens. They are the work-a-day all purpose bandana, head covering, carry all woven clot h that every Cambodian has at least one of (most have more than four or five of them actually.)

In this picture the bird vendor has one on her head to help her balance the cage. (Click on the picture to see a full size version and check out the cloth on her head as well as the swallows she's selling.


Krama are so quitessentially Khmer that Cambodians going abroad take them as souvenir gifts to their hosts. If you have read anything about the Khmer Rouge (the ruthless totalitarian proletarians who ruled the country from 1975-1979) you have seen pictures of field workers wearing black pants and shirts with krama as their only decoration. They were and are the symbol of all that is proletarian about Cambodia. Here this charcoal vendor wears krama as her hide-a-bad-hair-day ornament. Folks from the provinces who work all day outside wear krama to protect their heads from the hot, hot sun.

Others use the two foot by three foots checkered cloths as slings as others would use purses or bookbags. When office workers get home from the office they use krama as a swimsuit/bathing suit substitute as they shower outdoors. Often you will find fifty-something men wearing krama aroudn their waists as sarongs.


This vendor wears her krama not only as a head protection, but also to identify where her wares come from. The checkered patterns of kramas are specific to the provinces where they are woven. Families who weave kramas even have patterns unique to their own families. Most kramas are made of cotton and have a fringe. These days with so many people living in Phnom Penh needing a quick and easy head covering, many krama are woven in some kind of polyester. Come over to my place in Manoa to see how krama can be used as window decorations or even window curtains.

When I went to Siem Reap to visit my friend Kong I used krama as a faux bandage to cover up the raw parts of my heat rash inflicted arms so that people would n't get too concerned.



One of the best uses for krama is as a dish cloth. They are so sturdy that they can endure just about anything. There are certain patterns of krama that are four foot by five foot and are perfect for lava-lava or sarongs for both men and women. Plus they serve as perfect table coverings for picnics and outings.