A Special Day

  This morning started out relatively normal with breakfast at the hotel around 6:30. We were on the road by 7:30 to the temple Preah Khan (meaning sacred sword). It had some interesting features including a long corridor of successive doorways to a central shrine. There we found a 73 year old Buddhist nun keeping vigil over the shrine, a duty she performs on a daily basis.  She recognized Nathan and agreed to pose for us while performing her religious rituals. We got amazing pictures. I will upload a few of mine as soon as I can get to an Internet cafe or somewhere else that I can use a computer. After taking several shots we all went out into an open area where we made a donation to her shrine. She then individually tied a string bracelet around each of our wrists and said a blessing.
When the other tourists had taken their pictures she lead us to a tiny, almost secret shrine in the complex. Just she and the four of us (no outside tourists as in the previous setting). It was a fantastic

setting and the lighting coming in a small opening in the wall was perfect. After letting us take several pictures she again blessed each of us individually. As we bowed before her she said the blessing as she ran her hands along our sides from head to foot and at the last minute made a gesture similar to throwing something away. Perhaps that was to dispell any evil spirit. Later she asked to see our pictures. She seemed pleased but at the same time embarrassed because of her toothless smile. She was a real sweetheart.
  We took some other pictures in the temple. Particularly interesting was a structure that looked like a miniature Parthenon with round versus square or rectangular columns. Apparently this is very unusual for Khmer architecture.
  Departing Preah Khan., we drove to Ta Som another temple, with a huge and very distinctive tree root overgrowing a stone doorway. After taking some

pictures I purchased a book from a one armed man, a victim of the pervasive minefields left by the Khmer Rouge. This made him very happy.  Apparently there is no public assistance program for these folks and they earn a living any way the can.
  Heading back to the hotel, we had a couple of hours free before Nathan's Lightroom class. We ran out to one last temple to get some sunset shots before going out to dinner and watching (and photographing, of course) some local folk dances. For dinner we shared a morning glory salad and I had chicken curry, beer and a hot, sweet pumpkin soup with tapioca. My bill including tip was $9.

Wat I came for

Deb 9th -Wat I Came For
Up at 3:30 am, couldn't sleep anyway. 4:30 we are loading into our van and heading into the dark, moist morning. Insect repellent has been applied and we are checking camera settings. Temple passes! Chris doesn't have his so we circle back to the hotel. Fortunately we have only gone a few blocks. While he goes to get his pass I run to my room to get my laptop's power supply, which I suspect has failed. Hopefully we can find a replacement later today.
  Arriving at the entrance to Angkor Wat, it's still pitch dark, but there are a couple of tour buses there also and Nathan runs ahead to secure the best location for us on the edge of the reflecting pool. We   follow as quickly as possible, armed with our "torches" (flashlights to you colonists) to keep from stumbling on the undulating stones of the causeway leading to the recording pool. The authentic jungle sounds add to the mood of the place. Joining Nathan we set up our cameras on tripods and recheck camera settings per Nathan's suggestions. Auto ISO, fluorescent white balance, aperture full open and self timer to trigger the shutter. It is still nearly pitch dark, no moon. But by the starlight one can just make out the outline of the largest religious complex in the world, Angkor Wat!

  We now become aware of other folks arriving to photograph and are glad we got here we we did. We take a few shots in what appears to be nearly total darkness and are surprised at the detail, granted it's noisy, that we get.  Nathan demonstrates light painting on lotus blossoms in front of us as the light pollution from other arrivals begins to make it very difficult to get a clean shot of the scene.  The only thing you can do is keep shooting. As the sun starts to brighten the sky we stop down out lenses to get sharper images of the imposing silhouette. The air is permeated with sound of clicking shutters. Turning around for a second I'm amazed at the number of people and cameras
behind us.

  Finally the sun makes it's appearance, becoming a bright red globe as it rises above the temple. A few more shots and we take breakfast as the majority of the crowd disappears onto the temple grounds. I have chicken noodle soup at Nathan's suggestion. Very tasty.
  After breakfast we photograph folks cleaning the reflecting pool of algae. Showing the workers their pictures, they are visibly delighted and laugh at us, with us, I'm not sure.  The strategy has been to allow most of the crowd to enter the temple ahead of us and then

we would have a better chance of photographing without a bunch of tourists in the way.
  Nathan has arranged to have a couple of young monks to meet us and go into the temple where they would pose for our photos.  We set up photo shoots at a number of locations on site that he knows will work while and we shoot away. Of course we attract attention and some folks come over and take photos of "our" monks. In most cases they are not obnoxious about it and shoot from behind us. But one particularly obnoxious "frog" is tapping me on the shoulder because I am in the way of HIS shot. Deliberately, now, placing myself between him and the monks he starts yelling at me and Nathan comes over. They have few words and the guy leaves. Anyway we get some great shots, but it is really hot and the monks have been great. We make donations to each and bid them "adieu". Actually, we say "suk so dai". Not sure of the spelling but that is kind of the phonetic version of the Cambodian wish for your good health and good fortune. Then it's back to the hotel for a nice shower and a nap.
  At 3 pm we leave the hotel, pick up a couple of more monks and head out to the ancient city, Angkor Thom (meaning big city), once inhabited by over a million people in the 12th century and surrounded by a moat 8 miles in circumference.  Peggy gets in the back of the van with Nathan and the monks get in next to me because the are not supposed to have physical contact with a female  After several location shoots at Angkor Thom we move on to Bayon a temple central to Angkor Thom and the first state temple dedicated to the Buddha. More location shoots with our monk friends. Finally we stop once again at Ta Prohm, which we were at yesterday. Nathan has never shot this location with monks before and so we get some more great location shots. These guys have been great and I really enjoyed talking to them. One of them has family nearby and we drop them off there. We stop at a computer store to see if they have a replacement power supply for me, but no luck.
  Back at the hotel, quick shower (God knows we all needed it) and downtown for dinner. I elect to have pizza bolognaise. Not bad!  Then we all go for a foot massage. In no time Chris and I are snorring away and the Cambodians are having a good chuckle over it. back to the hotel. It's already 10:30. That bed looks wonderful!

On the road to Siem Reap

   Feb 8th at 7:30 am checked out of th Golden Gate Hotel in Phnom Penh and boarded our van for the long ride ot Siem Reap, gateway to Angkor Wat and many other temples in that area. Leaving the capitol we were quickly immersed in the quite poverty stricken rural area of Cambodia. Most of the homes, built on stilts persumably to avoid flooding during the rainy season were pretty mean structures. Still, in front of nearly every one there was at least a modest Buddhist shrine, many with some sort of offering. The atmosphere was filled with a dusty haze and along the road there were often small pools dank water with water lilies growing in them supporting beautiful lotus flowers. We passes several large school yards, with front yards that looked overrun with bicycles, presumably that's how the students get to school. In a separate area there was a collection of motor scooters, probably the teacher's parking lot.

  About two hours into the trip we stopped at a cross road town, Skun, famous for its fried spiders, a food choice impressed upon the local Cambodians during the reign of the Khmer Rouge, when food was so scarce that people were forced to eat pretty much anything that moved and could be captured,

just to get some form of protein. It seems the taste for fried spiders lingers on as the young ladies selling them have large piles of the crispy critters on tray atop their heads. And for those of you who must know, yes I tried one, here's the picture to prove it. It was spicy and crunchy, and probably the last spider I will eat!  Admittedly, I only ate some legs. The thought of eating the fat little body was too much, and I immediately bought a can of Coke to wash it
down. Then we spent some time photographing in the local market before continuing on our way. It's remarkable how everywhere we go the people are so friendly and seem pretty happy in spite of how little they have in the way of material possessions.

   We stopped for our real lunch at a nice restaurant on a small lake. We had chicken soup with pickled lemons in it, rice, fish and soybeans, chicken and ginger and an Angkor beer. Very nice and excellent service. The bill came to $14 US including the tip. Oh, and that was not per person, that was the total bill for all four of us!

  Finally arriving at our hotel, Casa Angkor, at around 3 pm we quickly checked in and then departed for the first of the area temples we would visit during out four night stay in Siem Reap, Ta Prohm. This temple is especially interesting because so little reconstruction has been done, so it is in kind of a ruined state.

Phnom Penh Day Two

   Right after breakfast the four of us, Nathan (our mentoring photographer), Peggy, Christopher and I jumped into a tuktuk and proceeded to the Royal Palace.  BTW I was wrong about the tuktuk, when I described it in a previous post. The motor cycle does have a rear tire that drives the vehicle. At the rear of the motor cycle they have mounted a knuckle joint like you see on some of these big pickup
trucks at home that haul these large horse trailers, a coupling something like on a tractor trailer rig. Anyway we arrived at the palace right at opening time to try to beat the hordes of tourists. You know, those folks that always seem to walk into your pictures just after you have lined up a really nice shot. So we had to work fast.

   One of the difficulties for me, photographing as site like this, is that it initially can be so overwhelming. The palace grounds are immense with many special buildings such as the coronation building and numerous elaborate
temples. I have found that what I really enjoy photographing is people (but not intrusive tourists), so I looked for people doing something on the palace grounds  I found this young man hosing down the tile floor in front of an ancient mural. I took several pictures and he finally turned and gave me a smile. A little later, as I was taking a series of shots of a stone stairway leading to a small
golden Buddha, this delightful little sprite in red came bounding down the steps and quickly disappeared.Then I discovered a couple of what looked like large bird baths with water and water lilies growing in them. This reflections in these mini-pools gave me a new perspective for photographing the surrounding temples.

  Exiting the palace we walked to a local market. What a hubbub of activity! People, food, clothing, every where. And folks were driving their motor scooters through the market proper. In fact many of them had shopping baskets full of food, etc, mounted on the front of their scooters. I was really impressed how friendly and patient everyone was. Most were not the least bit camera shy. And they would be delighted when you showed them their picture on the
LCD panel on the back of your camera.

  After the market, Nathan arranged for us to be transported back to his place in single passenger

bicycle cabs. You see these in New York now, but usually they can carry two passengers. At Nathan's he continued his photography presentation from the previous day. It has been perfect for me because the newer of my cameras, the Nikon D700, is one of the main cameras he uses so I have gotten a lot of good information and instruction on its use. And we got to spend a little time with his beautiful, little two and a half year old daughter, Amy. What a bundle of energy she is! After the presentation we broke for lunch and enjoyed more great Thai/Cambodian cuisine.

   After lunch we visited S21, a former school that was used by the Kymer Rouge, under Pol Pot to torture and eliminate tens of thousands of Cambodians who posed even the slightest possibility of being a threat to their regime. It very much reminded me of Auschwitz, with its haunting gallery of pictures of the victims. Fortunately that part of their history is behind them and the country has made great progress in the past thirty years.

  From there we went to the National Library to photograph this impressive structure as it was back lit

by the setting sun. And then to a delightful roof top bar for a glass of Angkor beer. Dinner was at a typical Cambodian restaurant, where the locals go, not a a place catering to westerners. Dinner consisted of a shrimp dish, beef, calamari, and rice. Excellent!

   Tomorrow is a early departure and a long car ride to Siemreap, gateway to Angkor Wat!

Phnom Penh Day One

   Had a great first day! Breakfast at the hotel. Normal fried eggs, toast, etc. Will try something more adventurous tomorrow.

   Then with a clash of cymbals and beating of drums my attention was drawn outside. My balcony faces the street so I threw open the sash and... oops, wrong story. I ran out on the balcony and saw this group of kids in gold and red uniforms riding on top of a truck and causing the commotion. They
stopped right in front of my hotel and started to offload all this equipment and costumes. It was obviously for some celebration or show. Maybe like a Chinese Opera. I remember a lot of the same kind of "music" during those in Taiwan, right down the street when I was trying to sleep!

When I saw the costumes it became apparent they were doing some kind of Dragon Dance, probably

in celebration of Chinese New Year. I took a few pictures and then wandered down the street to what appeared to be a local monastery, since it was going to be a while before the kids were set up for their show.  The monastery was a pleasantly quiet place with friendly looking folks. In the center was a large temple. I found the entrance but didn't go in as I wasn't sure of protocol and didn't want to offend or cause a commotion. I can't put all the pictures I took on this blog so will have to upload them to a Picasa Web Album that I will post a link to later.

   After wandering around a bit I was stopped by a monk and asked, in perfect English, where I was from and why I had come to Cambodia. I told him New York and his face lit up. Even after I
explained it was not New York City, he kept smiling and then I told him I was going to see Angkor Wat. He smiled and said he had been there many times. I think he was quite proud of it.

   About this time I headed back to the hotel to see and hear what was going on. A large crowd had gathered to see the show. It now became obvious that the fancy pilings the group had erected were going to be the performance platform. And what a show it was. I hope the following pictures gives you some idea of the dangerous feats these young men performed as each two man team made its "Dragon" jump and dance its way across the pilings and back. I don't even want to think about the consequences of a missed step!

After the show I went inside and met the pro photographer, Nathan Horton, who will be our instructor/leader on this trip and the other participants. But, since it is already past midnight here I will go into more detail on those subject tomorrow.

Phnom Penh Arrival

  Good landing, not greased on  like the one in Seoul, but still a nice touch down. I've seen worse. I've done a lot worse!  I still get sick thinking of the one I planted on the runway at JFK with the "Young Presidents" club on board. I really should have written that up as a "hard landing". But I digress.
  Filled out the customs form on the plane and already had my visa so was able to bypass that queue and was one of the first through immigration. Next the wait at the baggage carousel and ... lordy, lordy, there's my bag. OK. Now I head to customs and I see the guy is making people open bags and lift them and stuff. Damn. But he just takes my customs (nothing to declare) form and waves me through. I guess they only hassle their own.
  Walking out the exit I see a throng of people looking for relatives, friends, whatever. A few are holding signs with names on them. I desperately look for mine. Actually, that's a bit dramatic. I have faith in the guys that arranged my pick up. I mean it's a fellow tour operator and they're Brits to boot, so what could go wrong? Well, I reach the back of the crowd and don't see anyone, so I circle around back to front and find my driver. Yea!! He grabs my suitcase, I handle the camera "bag" and we walk out to the parking lot where he has a waiting taxi. On the way we pass a tour bus with "Apex Travel - Cambodia" on the side. Now is that a good omen or what?
  Shree ( think that's his name) drives me to the hotel. We chit chat a bit. Normal stuff, where I'm from. Been here before (I didn't go into any war stories). How long am I staying, etc. It's 11 pm and of course dark out but there are quite a few folks out and it's fun to see what is going on. Leaving the airport area in this taxi (A/C greatly appreciated as it's 80 degrees our and I'm not dressed for it)  I see someone who was on my flight. Slim, blond haired male wearing his sunglasses on top of his head is in a vehicle that looks like a small carriage that is powered by a motorcycle. Driver is mounted on the motorcycle seat and then directly behind him is the two wheeled carriage that looks like it could carry four small adults. The engine must drive the two rear wheels as there is no normal rear wheel that you have with just the motorcycle. In the carriage is Blondy and I would guess, his Cambodian girlfriend. Next we pass a motor scooter, like you might see in Italy. But this has four young Cambodian males (teens or so) all in tandem on it. Tail end Charlie is hanging on for dear life and they are all laughing and have a great time. Helmets? I don't think they know what they are, and, YIKES they are wearing flip flops.
  It seems like a long ride to the hotel. Didn't realize the size of the city. Finally arrive and get checked in. This is not the Ritz, but looks comfortable enough. Room has A/C, TV, Fridge with water and cans of Coke and private bath. Breakfast at 6:30 Here's a link if you want to see what the place looks like. http://www.goldengatehotels.com/  Some folks said they have been trying to leave comments but were not able. I will look into that and see if I can post a solution as you should be able to comment on the postings.
  Tomorrow I will get some pics and try to upload.

Seoul Layover

  Well, during the short layover at Seoul airport I was able to upload the posting I wrote on the first flight and check email, courtesy of the free airport wifi. Got news from "Daughter-in-the-Water" and her husband that there was fighting going on somewhere in Cambodia. Checked CNN and found out the Thais and
Cambodians are at it again over some thousand year old temple that's in dispute because it sits right on the border between the two countries.Supposedly artillery shells have been flying in both directions and there have been a few casualties. That's it boys, way to preserve a "world heritage" site! Doubt we will be near that particular site but will check with the pro leading this gaggle tomorrow.
  Second flight (Seoul to Phnom Penh) was aboard a 737. Many more"round eyes" on this one. Apparently a lot of Americans going to Cambodia. Noticed several college age kids as well as folks closer to my age. Was going to use a more colorful euphemism for us "seniors", but not sure who all is reading this.
  Food on this flight was more typical of airline food although the spicy beef was good. All packaging was in Korean so not sure what it all was. Side dish of something resembling a white custard had absolutely no flavor, so I opened the packet of sauce that came with it and put that on top. Not what I expected! The sauce was hot and spicy. Well, I guess that was NOT meant to be dessert!
  Always found it a bit disconcerting when I see people with surgical masks board a plane, or any where else for that matter.Wonder if they are contagious or just cautious. But that might just be an Asian thing, as you seem to see it a lot more in this part of the world. Kind of like Italians bundling up when it isn't even cold outside.
  This flight a little bumpier. Smaller plane and I seem to remember flying over the South China Sea and Gulf of Tonkin was always a little choppy. It's been a long time. I have a lot of memories of Phnom Penh airport from the days I used to fly for Uncle Sam's "no frills" airlines. Now I'll actually get to see more than just the airport.
  Well, it's going to be nearly 11 pm when I arrive in Phnom Penh and God only knows what time my body is going to think it is,so I'm going to get some shuteye. Will upload this after I arrive. Good night!