I was visiting Phnom Penh, Cambodia, last week and stayed in the city for four days. Everyday, I was surprised how much this city resembled Bangalore–the city of my residence–in many ways. Back home, I decided it is worth making a list of things that I found very similar in both the cities. They are not necessarily nice things, but similar, nevertheless. Here they are.
1. Tree lined avenues. Both cities have many tree lined avenues, and there has been an attempt to continue the tradition. Bangalore was once famous for its trees which are slowly getting the axe, thanks to growing traffic and subsequent widening of roads. Nevertheless, you can still see saplings on both sides of the road in new localities and new roads. Thankfully, the trees in Phnom Penh continue to stand tall. But they are seen more in numbers in older areas near the Royal Palace and closer to the river. I have seen saplings planted along the road in some newer parts as well. In both cities, trees also frequently dominate the footpaths and force the pedestrians into the road.
2. A traffic dominated by two-wheelers, and chaos. Two wheelers make up for a significant part of the traffic on the roads in Phnom Penh as well as Bangalore. As in Bangalore, drivers and riders of Phnom Penh strongly believe that road rules are meant for other people. The best way to cross a road is to continuously watch out in all directions. Never make the mistake of believing that traffic in certain direction sticks to certain side of the road (left in Bangalore, right in Phnom Penh). Bangalore’s traffic these days is increasingly seeing more four wheelers, but not so much in Phnom Penh. Another dominating feature of Bangalore is the auto-rickshaws, whereas remorks (tuk-tuk) takes that position in Phnom Penh. Whatever constitutes the traffic on either cities, you are assured of chaos.
Sunrise over the well-known Angkor Wat temple is a much photographed spectacle. On a morning when the air is still–it typically is–the spires of the temple reflect perfectly on a tank overlooking the edifice. If the clouds add to the drama, a superb show can be expected from the morning sun.
The photographer who first made this image and put an effort to publicize this must be a proud man. Every day, especially in the peak season, a thousand people land up in front of the lake with a hope to see and photograph the sunrise. When I was in Cambodia last week, I dutifully joined the crowds in putting my stamp on this much-photographed, much-visited and much-appreciated image of sunrise over Angkor. Cliched it may be, but can’t be missed or ignored.
Here is a collage of three images of reflection of Angkor Wat’s temple spires. First one was made well before sunrise, when a few stars were still flickering in the sky. The second one was just before sunrise, and the third one during sunset hours when you don’t have to jostle with 999 more photographers to claim your space.
And here is a photograph that might just discourage you from trying this morning adventure! Remember, this photograph only shows people to the right of me. To the left is an equally strong crowd waiting for the sun to show up.
The sunrise hour is so popular with visitors that a few restaurateurs nearby now offer chairs to people who arrive early. You can buy a coffee and get the chair complementary, or just pay for the chair! Enterprising!!
Happy Diwali everyone! May the days ahead be filled with high quality light to all of you!
I just got back from a month of travelling in South East Asia, and it is good to be back home in time for the festivities.
The first ten days of of my trip was spent on the photography tour to Myanmar, after which I was in Cambodia, exploring the country for two weeks. Those two weeks in Cambodia were full of surprises, a lot of luck in terms of photography and a few choices made that led me to pots of gold.
These choices were part accidental and part through meticulous planning. Making much deliberations before departure, I had decided to engage the services of a local photographer for two days in Cambodia. It was going to cost me equivalent of ten days of four-star accommodation in the country.
But reflecting on those two days, the places I saw and people I met contributed to such high quality experiences that I would call that price a heavy discount. Of course, very satisfying images followed from those visits and experiences. Reflecting further on the way my traveling has evolved from a decade-long wanderings, I also realized that I wouldn’t have engaged this photographer ten years ago. I once travelled in search of deeply personal experiences, almost always searching for the finest natural beauty in complete solitude and never wanting anyone to interfere in this. Over the years, I understood how people contribute to the journeys, how interactions enrich the experiences and people with expertise can add a great value. And all this, without really compromising the deeply personal nature of the experiences.
How these change occurred are perhaps worth a much longer story, so let’s put that aside now. Here’s is one of the images made on the first of those two days, at a monastery. In the few hours we spent at this place, we also had many conversations with this monk, with our photographer friend playing interpreter’s role. This monk had recently come back from a long pilgrimage across India, trying to understand and interpret many traditions in Cambodia that originated from the cultural influence from India that Cambodia has had for nearly a millennium. Only a few minutes into our conversation, I realized that this monk understood and interpreted many traditions and practices in India better than me, perhaps better than most of us.
The luck part came later. Outside the main tourist areas, in smaller and remote provinces of Cambodia, I ended up meeting some very fine tuk-tuk drivers who were able to take me to places that offered gem of experiences. In the process, I learnt a great deal about many crafts and traditional occupations in the Cambodian countryside.
It’s at the end of my trip that I realized how rich and offbeat were my experience. Speaking to a British expat over a meeting at Phnom Penh at the end of my trip, we were discussing about all things beautiful in Cambodia and he spoke about things he knew from two years of his living in the country. He also went about suggesting me about the best experiences of the country. When I told him about where I was and what I saw in my two weeks, he suddenly became thoughtful, retracted a bit and deeply appreciated everything I talked about. It took me by surprise.
Image details: A monk throwing water on a lady as part of a blessing ceremony. The lady was at the monastery to rid herself of bad dreams that were troubling her.