shutter to think

praying for rain

At a buddhist temple near the waterfront of Phnom Penh, a monk leads a chant to encourage rain to come for agriculture in front of an alter of grains and fruit.

and then the rain came...

sausage links in phnom penh

food is everywhere in phnom penh and it smells so good. during the water festival the street venders were out, of course, selling food all night long to the millions that flocked to the capital for the largest celebration next to new years.

last days in PP

Here are a few images from my last couple days in Cambodia. I really enjoyed my time there, especially because I had made a friend, and without her, I wouldn't have been able to see and capture so much of city life. I didnt' get a chance to visit the Killing Fields, but will visit the next time I'm there.

Tuol Sleng Museum - Pol Pot's secret prison in a former high school. One building was so eerie (the second pic) that I couldn't even walk in. If you don't know the country's history, you should. The Khmer have only been free of war for 10 years, and more recently, the shadow of the past looms during war tribunal's of the Khmer Rouge officials. Here's a link to a brief history and timeline -  http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/refugee/war_cambodia.html

 

 

Apsara, traditional Khmer dance -  This 71-year-old woman, who danced since she was 5 year old for the Royal Palace, teaches traditional dance to youth.

 

And last, my on-going series of cockfighters.

 

food & travel

Phnom Penh, Cambodia...there is food everywhere in this city. i swear one can never starve! Well i'm currently in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, and a few days behind in my blog postings...much to share and show but the past week i've been out shooting all around that by the time i get back i'm just exhausted. anyway, here's a couple quick pix to share on food and travel...a slight detour from the journalism style of my photography.

Steamed banana with coconut and a bundle of medicinal herbs for sinus problems.

 

chicken feet from the market.

 

the "food court" in the market...hmm soup.

 

rice with beans and coconut stuffed in a sugar cane stalk and little coconut desert wrapped in banana leaves

 

monks in a wat (temple)..wats area amazing places btw.

 

festival ribbons and Buddha!

part deux of my cockfighters series

We drove 20 minutes outside of the capital in search of local cockfighters. While the sport is legal, gambling, like in Mexico, is not. The light was falling quickly but luckily we (my local friends) and I were able to find a couple of people willing to be photographed. The country is also cracking down on cockfighting, although a tradition, because of the gambling.

So on our way, we drove past a new development for Cambodia: the suburbs, with a rent to own concept. With a rising middle class, some Cambodians who are career professionals may be able to afford something like this. There are new developments springing up everywhere in Phnom Penh, usually where the poorest of the poor live in slums, forcing them to relocate perhaps even farther from the city, or onto the streets.

We then continued onward, passing a old traditional Khmer village for tourists (for both Khmer and foreign) and a pond.

 

 

Phnom Penh and water festival

Well in my previous post i didn't mention the water festival where the city nearly doubles in population and the streets are jammed pack with tuk tuks and motorbikes for three days. its basically a frenzy of the two and its just crazy! the water festival highlights the reversal of the river  but i can't remember which way it goes, but i think after the rainy season, the lake gets so full that the water shifts direction and returns to the lake, or something. anyway, they celebrate with boat races and festivals.

Below are pictures at the start of the races and also of the other side of the river where people live and fish on boats.

Phnom Penh

Greetings from Cambodia...here are some pix of my first couple days in the capital: street life, night life, food, etc