AsiaLIFE

A man of many talents, Ian ‘Snowy’ Woodford hosts one of the best sunsets in the capital at his bar, while enjoying the stress-free life of Cambodia. Words by Nora Lindstrom.

“Life’s not boring in Phnom Penh, unless you are,” declares Ian Woodford, or Snowy as he is generally known as. The chatty Australian is almost as iconic to Phnom Penh as the Japanese Bridge that customers travel across to reach his bar, Maxine’s in Chroy Changvar. Recently turned 51, Snowy arrived in Cambodia in August 1993, initially to work as a contractor for the UN. His perilous, but ultimately successful, assignment was to move 150 UN vehicles through Khmer Rouge dominated areas from Stung Treng to Kratie.  “After the job was done I decided to stay, hang around and have a look, because the place was, well, definitely different,” he explains. “I was a bit overwhelmed by Cambodia, so after the job I went back to Australia, but I had to come back to see what was going to happen here. And then I got wound up in it.”

Snowy, whose nickname stems from the Snowy Mountains outside Sydney, initially spent his time in typical Phnom Penh expat-style doing all sorts, including teaching English and creating art. “The 90s were pretty rough,” he says. “But there was a lot of work available and there were few people here.”

Sundowners on the Sap

In 2005, Snowy opened Maxine’s bar, named after his daughter. “I was getting bored with the bars in Phnom Penh, so I decided to set one up myself,” he explains. “When I opened the bar across the river, it was considered a bit of a joke really. I knew I had to do something out of the ordinary with the bar, to get customers to go across that bridge, so I put a lot of energy into creating something special.” Though he didn’t create the scenic sunset over the Tonle Sap visible from the bar’s balcony, Snowy did decorate the place with 600 painted brass bells, other curious memorabilia, as well as his own artwork, making the bar truly unique.

With experience in different sectors of the ‘alcohol industry’ down under, Snowy says that he knew what he was doing all along. Four years on, it’s clear his efforts have paid off, as the bar has a regular following and loyal clientele. “People are addicted to it,” he says, adding that most patrons are local expats, though more and more Khmers and Chinese are also finding the place. “I prefer expats to tourists, they’re much easier to deal with. They know what they want.”

From a wealth of stories and intriguing encounters, one of Snowy’s favourite memories is when Khmer-American band Dengue Fever decided to play at Maxine’s a few years ago. “They came to Phnom Penh and had set gigs to do, but then they came to my bar, loved it, and decided they wanted to play here first,” he explains. “I didn’t know them, but my friend did and he pushed me to have the gig. We only had one day to advertise, and on the night at 8.30pm we only had about 15 people in the bar, but by 9 o’clock when they started the whole road was jammed and the bar packed. The building was actually undulating. The police came, but when Chhom Nimol started to sing they just looked on, and Khmers in the neighbourhood also joined the crowd.”  

Spots and Sparkle

Running a bar is not the only dish on Snowy’s plate. He devotes a significant amount of time to his chosen art form – pointillism. “I’ve been doing art for years and years, but really only got into it here because I had time,” he explains. “Initially, I was drawing, but then I came up with the dots.” Influenced by Australian aboriginal art, and inspired by Khmer motifs and culture, Snowy then went on to perfect the dots, and create the imaginative artwork that lines the walls of the bar. He has also exhibited his art at Raffles Hotel Le Royal, and regularly sends artwork back to Australia for sale.

However, Snowy the artist is currently on hold as he puts his energy into revamping Maxine’s. “At the moment I’m just concentrating on the bar, and once I get that done I’ll get back to the art, and once I’ve done that for a while I’ll come back to the bar and change it again,” he says.

Having spent 15 years in the Penh, Snowy has seen some big changes in the city – for the better according to him. “I’ve seen a complete flip,” he says. It’s paradise now, you couldn’t have it better than this.” The easiness of life in Cambodia, as well as Phnom Penh’s small town feel, keeps the lanky Australian here and he doubts he’ll return to Sydney any time soon.  “I haven’t cooked a meal, washed a car, done laundry for 15 years, so I think I might find going back a bit difficult,” he smiles.