Cambodia — Two decades ago Ian “Snow” Woodford, an Australian, came to Cambodia on a whim and has been watching the country recover from isolated madness ever since. He’s gotten an eyeful.

He saw firefights on the streets in late 1990s as political factions battled for power, while Cambodia was gasping for air after the Khmer Rouge's murderous reign. Later he saw the destruction of French colonial buildings, and the mass evictions of locals to make room for one new modern development after another.

Now, as developers continue to clamor for space in Phnom Penh, Snow has witnessed the end of another era. His business, Maxine's Bar on the River, more often called Snow's, has seen its final days, at least for now.

Tucked into a quiet, remote location across the river from the bustle of the capital, it was the only expat-run bar on the east bank of the Tonle Sap, and hence the favored spot for unwinding with a Beer Lao and watching the sun set over the city. The New York Times touted its authentic feel and National Geographic and the celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain used it as a backdrop.

But as construction recovers from a recession, his bar in its original location, like many local institutions in Cambodia's fast-changing capital, came to an end late last month. A "beautification project," as the government calls it, has demolished Snow's and more than 100 homes that line that road leading to an unfinished hotel project.

    “It's a kick in the head, you know what I mean? It happens to a lot of people in Cambodia.”

~Anthony "Snow" Woodford, bar owner

"Nothing lasts forever. I did know that because this place is on the river, it would come. But it's a little too quick," said Snow, a thin and tanned former miner with a toothy smile and a crew cut. "This will never be the same. You'll never recreate this. The view on the river. The breeze."

It is one of the latest in a series of evictions as investment dollars change the cityscape to make room for the new.

City Hall has already evicted about 3,000 residents near Boeng Kak lake, as a ruling-party aligned company continues to fill in most of the 133-hectare water body for a controversial development project that has uprooted lives and businesses of Cambodians and foreigners.

There are also plans for a $3 billion project, dubbed “Chruy Changva, City of the Future,” just north of Snow’s that would create a stadium, residential areas and hotels, displacing an undetermined amount of people.

Across the Tonle Sap river from the more developed side of the riverfront Snow's was a sleepy oasis away from the capital's hazardous traffic, dust and diesel fumes and oppressive heat.

Its relaxed country feel attracted everyone from senior bank officials and private equity fund managers to aid workers, directors, journalists, tourists and English teachers.

Housed in a traditional Khmer wooden home, the bar was a long and bumpy ride from the city center. Down a winding dark road, visited by cattle, the bar wasn't even known by its actual name. You'd never find it on your own.

Hundreds of bells, hanging from the rafters, chimed and red paper lanterns swung in the wind. Silver painted vases and Buddha statuettes sparkled with the setting sun. Snow's own paintings shined in yellow, red and orange.

“It had no pretensions. It didn’t try to be what it wasn’t,” said John Brinsden, vice president of Acleda Bank and a regular Snow’s customer. “You can’t say it was an art gallery. You can’t say it was museum, you can’t say it was art shop or bar, it was something quite different.”


That uniqueness, the comfort of the breeze, the view of sunset, Snow’s taste in old school rock and a friendly, low-key atmosphere made Snow’s popular and memorable, he said.

Snow's wasn't just a destination for those within the confines of the capital