—Categories: cambodia, photos

Cambodian Countryside

This photograph was made in a small village at edge of Tonle Sap Lake. It was a sunny afternoon and I was walking with my Cambodian friend along the narrow street that connected practically every house in the village. Houses on both side of the road were built on stilts to make room for rising water levels during the high season. At some point, when the village ended and the vast expanse of Tonle Sap began, the road dipped into the water and disappeared. I was standing at the edge of water and watched the life go by. Children played, ran behind each other and splashed water on their friends. Adults went about their daily transactions – some people conversing leisurely with their neighbours, some bringing in fish for sale, some transporting goods on their motorcycles. The one common thread among all of them was the leisurely pace they did things in. No one was in a hurry, no one was anxious and no one looked like they took anything seriously. Most importantly, no one appeared to be worried about the next day and no faces showed creases on the forehead.

cambodia countryside


At some point, I turned around to look at the road I walked through, and found this charming lady in a saturated orange jacket and a hat riding towards the edge of the water. She, rather her clothes, instantly caught my attention.

Her bike was also of equal interest. The two-wheeler seemed to be counting its days and ready to disintegrate into the earth any moment. And yet, this isn’t the most ramshackle automobile I have seen in Cambodia – they ride bikes in much worse conditions, usually functioning fairly well. Honda Dream is the most popular mode of transport in the country, and perhaps the longevity promised by Japanese automobile companies plays a key role here.

—Categories: cambodia, photos

Rural Cambodia – Rice fields, sugar palms and a colourful sky.

Last year, I spent two weeks travelling in Cambodia during the post-monsoon months. Starting from Siem Reap, I quickly moved on from the well-known temples of Angkor Wat, seeking to understand the everyday life in the country. The quest times took me through some remote places with endless stretch of lush green paddies, and also to floating settlements in Tonle Sap Lake.

This small village, just a short drive north-west of Phnom Penh, was a pleasure to be in. It was an expanse of paddy fields dotted with small hamlets, through which you could keep walking all through the day (or drive, if you so prefer). When the sun was about to set, I went in search of a calm waterbody that reflected cluster of palms. I did not have to go far to find water in these wet landscapes. And the sun smiled for me that evening, generously painting the sky with bright colours.

sunset-rural-cambodia

—Categories: cambodia, photos

Lush Green Paddy Fields of Cambodia

One evening, we were driving on some small roads in countryside Cambodia in Siem Reap Province. I was keen to see the lush paddy fields and palm trees–a feature of the country’s rural landscapes. My friend who drove us took us just to one such place, where I made this image.

Cambodia - Paddy Fields

These boys were searching for crabs and fish in the shallow waters in the field.