cambodia

Early explorations (2011)

Wat Bo Bridge. Used to cross this back and forth multiple times a day (I lived a couple of blocks over the river, the main 'downtown' was a block from where this pic was snapped). The 'river road' - there used to be a couple of bars and restaurants just out of shot where we'd spend many an evening. Pub Street. The infamous and self-explanatory heart of the nightlife in my era. The kind of scene I had to acclimate myself to from the get-go. This sewage canal would flood every time it rained, making these streets much fun to navigate during rainy season. Life on the Tonle Sap. I rarely take images of people (power dynamics + voyeurism + ethics = grossly uncomfortable), but this was very early on in my life with a camera before I'd set my standards... Fishermen on the Tonle Sap Tonle Sap Tonle Sap Floating village Floating village Floating village Crocs! Was wandering around the planks above these guys and was bemused as to why there were a bunch of life-sized plastic crocodiles beneath my feet. Turns out, they weren't plastic at all... Sunset over the Tonle Sap Scenes from the countryside surrounding town One of the main thoroughfares into/out of Siem Reap An approaching storm, which ended up stranding our minivan in this field after said storm flooded everything around us. Much fun! Tuol Sleng genocide museum in Phnom Penh Jarring. An apt word for many of my sensations during my first couple of years in Cambodia. Kampong Phluk aka the 'flooded forest' Kampong Phluk Kampong Phluk Kampong Phluk Incredible skies over the boat terminal at Kampong Phluk The National Museum in Phnom Penh A view from Phnom Bakheng (I think); my very first experience with the famed temples of Angkor. Phnom Bakheng Phnom Bakheng Phnom Bakheng Angkor Wat, pre-sunrise Angkor Wat A luscious sunrise at Angkor Wat Angkor Wat Angkor Wat Angkor Wat Angkor Wat Angkor Wat Angkor Wat Ta Prohm Bayon Bayon Beng Mealea Beng Mealea Beng Mealea Beng Mealea Beng Mealea Beng Mealea Bakong Preah Ko, where I was disturbingly propositioned by a child behind the trees. Cambodia in a nutshell during that time: spectacular, albeit decaying ruins from bygone glories nestling alongside the many, many deep-rooted traumas of the present day.

Battambang (2011)

A random pic, perhaps, but massages were such a part of life in Cambodia back then, and 'blind' massages were the most renowned! I have vague recollections of actually going in at some point. Another random image (bunch of foreigners in sleepy Battambang, ha), but again, this shuttered storefront is *so* typical of Cambodia back then. The building style, the patio, the benches... I miss it all so much. And these people too (mostly colleagues from my school). Took a little excursion up to Phnom Sampeau, a beloved 'mountain' (it's 100m high lol) that has a Killing Fields memorial and a temple up top. Biggest selling point for me was the views of the surrounding area that you get. I imagine it looks very different nowadays. Idiot on a 'mountain' More views from up top. Miss these people, and this whole era. Happy to say that I've seen three of them since leaving Cambodia. The views of the surrounding rice paddies are quite something. Again, I wonder what it looks like now... IIRC there are caves in this mountain where the Khmer Rouge used to dump corpses. This may have been what we were exploring at the time. Fairly sure this led down to a cave of some sort. Both eerie and sobering to be in a site of such historical trauma. My understanding is that this wasn't one of the 'killing caves', but it's where they decided to set up a memorial to those that lost their lives here. A closer look at what I *think* is the memorial... Wat Sampeau, 'wat' being the Khmer word for temple. More spectacular rice paddy views. Wat Sampeau Wat Sampeau again And Wat Sampeau viewed from a distance. The highlight of the excursion. Every sunset, EIGHTEEN MILLION bats stream out of the caves and into the evening sky. It's an incredible spectacle. Miss these guys. Only today do I notice the random kid in the background lol. Another common sight at this time. Another seemingly random pic, but I'm including it as a tribute to how sleepy the town was back then. There were only two 'bars' that stayed open past 11pm. This was one of them. We were their only customers. Such a different world. Bats aside, this was the other highlight of the trip. The BAMBOO TRAIN! The 'train' is actually a 'norry', a weird platform that runs along the old colonial railroad tracks. I don't think this is still extant according to Wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norry The old railroad tracks... Miss these times. The countryside surrounding the bamboo train is lush. Can't remember how long we 'rode' for but I remember having a blast. Interesting to get a glimpse into local lives around here as well. For all the foreigners living it up and having a good time, you were often surrounded by such visible hardship in Cambodia back then. A few more glimpses from the nearby village. I have such love for this country. Not sure what this was being used for, but it's not an uncommon scene in the Cambo countryside. Once again, I wonder what this area looks like toady. I'll end with this. It was my fave pic-featuring-me for the longest time afterwards. I loved it so much that I had it printed out and placed on the wall in my little Siem Reap shack. Such a beautiful day, a beautiful time, and beautiful people. Much love.

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