Temples, tuktuks and Siem Reap

I’ve been in Cambodia for less than a week and seen only a small part of the country, around Siem Reap and the Tonle Sap Lake, yet am amazed by the richness and variety of life here . Floating villages, bustling markets, vibrant loud festivals, lush green countryside and the inevitable temples. It’s exotic, bright, colourful, run down, lush, green, ripe and quite intoxicating. I love it! There’s Floating villages Lotus farms and Rice Paddies and bustling villages all along the back roads.

Trying to capture such variety in a few photographs is really hard; traveling light and constantly on the move. So I’m posting a selection from each day and the people I’ve been lucky enough to meet.

DAY1

Daily contrasts. Heat, bright sun and lashing monsoon downpours.
Daily life for the local people is very hard. Poverty is everywhere, yet you are greeted by beautiful smiling and incredibly friendly people wherever you are. An obsession to try and get the perfect ‘fisherman’ shot has begun…..

DAY 2

In the markets you can buy anything and everything that crawls, walks, hops or scuttles, slithers; all eaten with relish …..the freshest and most delicious fruit, veg and incredible selection of fragrant herbs. Palm sugar makers at the side of the road, plus rice wine (not wine but a potent distillation at 40+% – (with cobra please! Nice!), rice noodles and rice paper makers. I found a fantastic brick factory, where loads of smily kids were hard at work…

DAY 3

Currency is in dollars and fistfulls of local Riel…4000 to one dollar. Great wads of notes from £2 to 2p.
I’ve learnt to keep a load of the small ones in a sepperate pocket to hand out to the needy. I’ve started a new obsession with the roadside petrol stops. Any old bottle, although Johnnie Walker is quite a popular (glass) option. Plastic is no problem too…..

DAY 4