2014, Day 59 - Salted earth

When my traveling companions and I went out in search of the salt fields we didn't have much luck initially.  They only work them after the rice harvest which was not quite ready but we were able to explore the fields they fill with saltwater from which the salt is harvested.  The summer sun bakes the earth and when the water evaporates the salt is harvested and stored is massive shed that are filled to the ceiling.  All the farmers work the salt flats once the harvest is in.  Soon this dead shrub will be covered in the thickening brine waiting for the salt to be harvested again.

Canon 1D X, Canon 70-200/f2.8L IS Mark II
200mm, f2.8, 1/1250 sec @ 100 ISO

2013, Day 129 - Business as usual

While visiting the small temple at the top of Bokor we discovered a couple monkeys relaxing on a stone wall.  They were grooming each other when we came upon them but, as they started to attract a crowd, the pressure to perform increased.  Soon they were riffling through the back of a pickup for sugarcane and, when chased away by the owner, they mounted a scooter.  There they two monkeys opened up the storage compartments, checked themselves out in the mirrors and generally had a great time.  Such curious creatures and while they delighted most of the onlookers I am sure they can be destructive forces of nature.

Canon 1D X, Canon 70-200/f2.8L IS Mark II
180mm, f4, 1/400 sec @ 200 ISO

2013, Day 62 - Chill

While taking a walk through the countryside with Francene and Araceli, I espied this cat watching us.  It was a warm afternoon and there was some cloud cover than only intensified the humidity.  All living things with sense were relaxing and waiting for the worst of it to pass except for the three of us.  To be fair, Araceli didn't really want to go on the walk, she just didn't want to be left out.  I think Mister Kitty was judging us as we wandered past and I can't deny I was a little envious of his comfortable perch.

Canon 1D X, Canon 70-200/f2.8L IS Mark II
200mm, f4, 1/320 sec @ 100 ISO

2013, Day 61 - Building 3

This is one of the large sheds were salt, once dried, is stored.  They are packed, literally, to the rafters and in the afternoon sun are like ovens.  Yet men toil away inside bagging and weighing salt to be sent all over the world.  When this picture was taken it was almost time to harvest the rice and the only work being done on the fields was maintenance.  Once the harvest was completed the farmers would have sent to work on the salt fields and soon the daytime highs would rise and salt production would be enormous.

Canon 1D X, Canon 24-70/f2.8L Mark II
24mm, f2.8, 1/5000 sec @ 100 ISO

2013, Day 43 - Dragon

I found this monster lazing in a bush outside the tower room that I was sharing with Francene and Araceli in Kampot.  The downside to the location was how far from town it was but the upside was the proximity to nature.  Butterflies danced on the breeze, chickens wandered freely, dogs dozed in the share, fish jumped in the river, and lizards hid in plain sight.  At first I didn't notice him but as I moved close to the bush to investigate the flowers I caught a little motion out of the corner of my eye.  He allowed me to approach slowly and I managed a few good pictures before he beat a hasty retreat.

Canon 1D X, Canon 70-200/f2.8L IS Mark II
70mm, f4, 1/320 sec @ 800 ISO

2013, Day 17 - Rusted sky

Cambodia was good to me in so many ways; the generous people, the beautiful countryside, the delicious food, and the amazing sunsets.  Almost every night we had a spectacular display and our last night in Kampot was particularly impressive.  As the sky faded to a rich orange our surroundings reflected the light and the city seemed to turn to gold all around us.

Canon 1D X, Canon 24-70/f2.8L Mark II
24mm, f4, 1/400 sec @ 100 ISO

2013, Day 15 - Delivered fresh

One of the things I will always miss about Asia is how fresh the food is.  It is brought to the market daily and the produce is picked ripe so the flavors a richer than what we are accustomed to.  While in Kampot in our rather remote lodgings we happened upon this woman loading up her boat to head into town.  The temperature was climbing but there was a little air movement along the river that seemed almost refreshing.

Canon 1D X, Canon 24-70/f2.8L Mark II
38mm, f4, 1/250 sec @ 200 ISO

2012, Day 364 - Salt sauna

This is one of the work crew we met when we went out to the salt fields in Kampot.  Near the roads adjacent to large open fields are rough wooden sheds.  Each is filled to the rafters with salt and when orders are placed a crew is sent to start bagging.  There were about a dozen men working when we arrived to fill what we were told was a small order; one thousand fifty kilogram bags.  That is over one hundred thousand pounds and the bagging was supposed to be finished in a single day.

As if that wasn't bad enough the sun was beating down on the corrugated steel roof making the shed like a sauna.  It was nice to see I wasn't the only one sweating but everyone else was working a lot harder than me.  All I could think as I watched the men work was that the salt must be sucking the moisture out of them and if they aren't careful they are all going to end up empty husks.

Canon 1D X, Canon 24-70/f2.8L Mark II
70mm, f2.8, 1/160 sec @ 250 ISO

2012, Day 342 - Glory restored

One of the many amazing things that I did on my recent trip to Cambodia was visit Preah Monivong National Park where the old site of Bokor Hill Station is located.  Built as a resort town beginning in 1921 by the French to escape the heat and humidity the centerpiece was the Bokor Palace Hotel.  More recently the Khmer Rouge used the hotel as a stronghold when fighting the Vietnamese and because of the prolonged conflict, occupation, and subsequent abandonment the building has fallen into disrepair.

More recently the site of the old Bokor Hill Station has been under development.  A new hotel and casino are being built with a planned opening in the spring of 2013.  Sadly it looks like a monstrosity, it lacks style and elegance.  The Bokor Palace is not being ignored.  We were able to wander the site and while it is under construction it is still early days.  Bullet holes and broken sections of the exterior wall have been repaired and some work has been carried out on the interior but there is much left to do.  In another year I suspect it won't be open to the wanderings of curious tourists.  Although it is a skeleton now its current state speaks to its history and I find it hard to believe that the restoration will truly do justice to the original majesty of the hotel when the French reigned in Cambodia.  It is history before our eyes and soon it will be whitewashed and the importance of the Bokor will be harder to appreciate.

Canon 1D X, Canon 16-35/f2.8L Mark II
16mm, f8, HDR of 1/20, 1/10, 1/5, 0.4, and 0.8 sec @ 100 ISO

2012, Day 324 - Friendship

This morning we had to get our collective acts together to get out of Phnom Penh before the President of the United States arrived.  Apparently the Cambodian government is very excited about his visit and will be closing down just about every street in the city because of his presence.  That would certainly make it difficult to leave town.  So we rushed across the street for a quick breakfast before finalizing our packing and meeting our driver, Mr. Tech.

Once our bags had been safely stowed in the SUV we made a mad dash out of the city.  Fortunately the road closures seemed not to have started yet and the traffic wasn't bad at all, probably because the prime minister had declared today and tomorrow national holidays in celebration of the ASEAN conference.  As we bumped along the sometimes rutted road out into the country buildings gave way to green and yellow fields of rice.  Those that had turned yellow were ready for harvest and we saw a number of people out beginning the harvest of the early crops.

It took less time that we thought to get to Kampot as we found ourselves just outside the main market about two and a half hours from our departure time.  We had expected somewhere closer to four hours but traffic was light and we made good time.  It took some doing but with the help of the hotel owners we were able to find the narrow dirt track that leads to our new accommodations.

As we navigated the winding path we passed homes on stilts, children playing in yards, and field after field of rice.  We even saw some water buffalo grazing idly in the fields.  There were times when the car could bare make it between trees and buildings but eventually we arrived at our hotel.  It is a collection of thatched and stone buildings along the Kampot River sandwiched between two small villages.  Because we always travel in style I hard reserved the three story tower.  The first floor is the living room, the second is the sleeping quarters with two large beds, and the third sports a seating area with table and chairs, four hammocks, and a three hundred and sixty degree view of the farms and jungles below.  Perhaps the finish is a little rustic and the plumbing works only with the assistance of gravity but it is really nice and totally peaceful.

Once we had settled in we decided to go for a walk around the countryside.  It had rained the night before and the dirt roads were made mostly of mud but the views were beautiful.  The rice is almost chest-high and there was a slight breeze that started the waves of green.  Children rode their bikes past us as we wandered shouting greetings the whole time and waving with enthusiasm.  The people we passed looked up and, when they saw who was making so much noise, smiled.  Homes out here might be a little humble but the people are so patient with all of us foreigners who invade their space and photograph their daily lives.

Along the way we discovered a small graveyard with tall thin markers.  They seemed impossibly close together but it was a nice little yard.  More water buffalo watched us as we wandered by and dragonflies flitted overhead marking the path in front of us.  There were a couple small villages that we walked through where more children waved and tried their basic English skills which far outstrip our ability to speak Khmer.  At the end of our walk the path became soft mud but we pressed on because we could see our tower in the distance.  I think Araceli didn't want to get muddy but Francene and I quickly gave in to the inevitable and just slogged through the soft thick warm muck.

When we arrived back at our tower we took turns trying to free the mud from our legs and shoes.  No one wants to smell the way we did for very long if they can possibly help it.  Cleanish and hungry we decided to eat at the little restaurant that is part of our hotel.  The food was decent, not exciting, but enough so that when we climbed back into the tower all three of us dozed in the hammocks on the third floor.

We hard to forcibly rouse ourselves when it was time for dinner.  Only feeling slightly rested and still groggy from fighting sleep we climbed into the SUV and headed into Kampot.  The busiest part of town is along the Kampot River and as we were about to turn down the road that runs parallel to it I asked the driver to stop and all three of us jumped out to photograph the sunset.  The sky hard stunning shades of pink, orange, and yellow surrounded by a sea of blue.  As the light began to fade we got back in the car and Mr. Tech took us to the center of all the action.

I don't think any of us was feeling particularly picky and the first restaurant, Riki Tiki Tavi, had a decent menu so we agreed to dine there.  It was a hot day and our hotel has no air-conditioning, just a couple of fans, so I think we were all ready for cold beverages and I cannot say I was disappointed; they were tall, cold, and plentiful.  The food was tasty, Francene and I split a curry and a sandwich, and I ordered a couple more drinks to capitalize on all the fresh fruit.

Full of fruit drinks and curry we headed back to our country tower.  I decided to sleep in a hammock on the third floor while the ladies wanted the comfort and safety of a normal bed with mosquito netting.  So I write this as I look at my swaying hammock anxious to get to bed.

Canon 1D X, Canon 70-200/f2.8L IS Mark II
200mm, f4, 1/400 sec @ 100 ISO