2013, Day 40 - Vendor

I took this picture at a small rural market on my way back into Phnom Penh from visiting the killing fields.  It was an odd experience because the killing fields really do catch you off guard.  The site looks like much of the surrounding countryside with beautiful trees but the ground is uneven where there were mass graves and if you look closely at the ground you can see bone fragments rising to the surface.  A scene of peaceful rural life is the site of attempted genocide.

Then, on the way back, I ask the tuk tuk driver to stop at a small market.  It is midday and there are children getting out of school walking past and riding the bikes waving enthusiastically and saying hello.  Some more adventurous individual test their English skills while laughing.  Shy smiles come from all directions and even the ladies sitting in their stalls are chatting and laughing.  It was an amazing testament to the spirit of the Cambodian people; only a few miles away thousands of people were murdered only a few short decades ago and they can still smile and laugh and warmly welcome complete strangers.

Canon 1D X, Canon 24-70/f2.8L Mark II
59mm, f5.6, 1/125 sec @ 1600 ISO