Photography In Easy Breezy Gender Confused Kampot, Cambodia

June 27th, 2008

I took a gamble on Kampot, the pepper capital of Cambodia not knowing if this quiet town would have enough to inspire me.
The results of just showing up in places which are without “much to see” have swung both ways in the past.

The riverside was relaxing and the views were very nice, I have not been in a town during this trip which had a constant cool sea breeze like Kampot.

The bus ride from Phnom Penh was very bumpy at times seemingly there is no money or interest in investing in the infrastructure even though Kampot and the nearby Kep is on the tourist map. This was not just a road to Kampot phenomena, streets as close to Phnom Penh as in front of the international airport were horrible.

Kampot itself was almost in shambles obviously war torn with a bit out of sight out of mind feel to it.
During a couple conversations with locals the same subject came up: widespread government corruption seems to be a major issue here.

The most pleasant spot was the riverbank, a popular gathering place with trees providing cool shade during the day and the colors of sunsets entertaining during the evening hours.

Across the river I spotted two areas which had travel photography potential. Houses on stilts usually mean many kids playing around and families relaxing in the shade which provides some of the best lighting conditions:

A Wat (pagoda) besides the obvious Buddhist photographic subject matters may have curious monks wanting to practice English:

So I headed to the other side of the river passing by this house which was quite colorful even with Southeast Asian standards:

Kids playing a popular game with marbles in front of houses on stilts:

After I took the above photo I noticed a shoe in the dirt; reading the brand name “Milan Model Shoes” was very bizarre and completely out of place considering the poverty stricken location:

In the shade of a house on stilts kids were filling up a soccer ball with white sand which was cut in half. The two kids sitting down were more or less busy with playing but the girl in the red outfit was clearly giving me the stink eye:

This little girl nicely posed for me on a bicycle and also let me take some portraits of her. When I was done (I suppose her father) approached with a smile on his face. Then to my biggest surprise he pulled down the kids pants (common joke in Southeast Asia) proving that I have been photographing a boy:

Intruding on kids having lunch:

Common site in Cambodia not so much in Vietnam; kids walking around town with heavy large platic sacks going through trash looking for plastic bottles.
Sadly they are not in school because they have to contribute to their families’ income:

Poverty is never easy to photograph; I asked this kid if I can take his picture while I was sitting at Kampot’s main roundabout. I thanked him and gave him $1 for roughly 15 photos and 45 seconds of his time:

I just purchased a tasty treat from this lady - sticky rice rolled up in a banana leaf, roasted on grill with a banana in the middle. Beats Power Bar:

I find his picture very funny and in stark contrast with standards of western childcare. Kids are playing with and around a wide variety of sharp, dangerous objects: a machete, a knife, an ax and a saw!
The props in this photo could not have been arranged better (perhaps a loaded gun, matches and a stick of dynamite are missing):

Life is simple in Kampot, three kids whacking a fourth one with branches on the grounds of a pagoda is a perfectly acceptable way to pass time:

This is bordering suspenseful action in Kampot:

Monks collecting food donations from the neighborhood. Mealtimes for monks are at early morning and noon only. Notice the living conditions in the background: