2012, Day 337 - Modern farming

Cambodia is still a largely agricultural country.  When the Khmer Rouge took power part of their plan for independence was to force people out of the cities and make them into farmers.  Sadly, the the decimation of half the population through execution of the seditious or by forced labor, left the country still unable to feed itself.  People were starving and the leaders were too preoccupied with quashing opposition to do anything about it.

Now, decades later, many Cambodians are subsistence farmers and the average annual wage is about $1,500 when measured against the US dollar.  The economy is getting ready to explode but I think one of the big worries is to keep the growth responsible and sustainable.  Despite the opportunities for economic development I doubt we are going to see water buffalo disappear from the agricultural landscape any time soon.

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

2011, Day 221 - Harvest

RAW saves the day!  I always shoot in RAW as a kind of insurance, it gives me more control over the image and allows me to save improper exposures.  This is a perfect example, the EXIF information clearly shows that I had the camera set to shoot in a much different environment and as a result this image came out too bright, I maxed out the shutter speed.  However, with a little work in Photoshop I have an image I really like with great color and contrast.  This is my favorite photograph of work in the rice fields from this trip to Asia so it makes me happy I've made the commitment in time and energy to shoot RAW.

Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 70-200/f2.8L IS
70mm, f2.8, 1/8000 sec @ 800 ISO

2011, Day 105 - Poultry observation

What I love about looking at photos from years past is the little detailed you never noticed at the time. In this case my discovery was the chicken in the doorway. It looks like it is just checking up on the two gentlemen talking on the front steps, maybe even disapproving just a little.


Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 70-200/f2.8L IS
200mm, f5.6, 1/200 sec @ 200 ISO

2011, Day 104 - School commute

When I was in elementary school I rode my bike most days and on the way I stopped to ride with my friend John whose house was on the way. It always seemed like a relatively long bike ride, especially when we were coming home from school in the heat of the California afternoon.

I took this picture on a walking tour of the ride paddys in Ubud. It was early in the morning but the temperatures were already in the 80s and the humidity coming off of the standing water was increasing. We just passed the furtherest point in our loop when we espied these two boys wearing the school uniforms and walking to class. I guess we had it pretty easy but I like their scenery better.


Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 70-200/f2.8L IS
200mm, f2.8, 1/640 sec @ 200 ISO

Day Four in Bali - Three Temples

Today's adventures started at 10am so we had a relaxing morning. Ari picked us up and we headed north to Bali's volcanic area and on the way we stopped at three temples.

The first temple we stopped at was the Elephant Cave, known locally as Pura Goa Gajah. Discovered in the early 20th century by a Dutch archeologist, a elephant shaped naturally occuring rock formation was the foundation about which this temple was built. It is surrounded by running water with seven fountains that pour water into a pool set in the ground and used in holy ceremonies. The holy cave has extensive carving in the stone around it and you enter through the mouth. Unfortunately the little jungle valley where the temple resides is extremely humid and we were soon dripping with sweat as we explored the grounds.






Our second stop was at Pura Gunung Kawi into which we descended on what seemed like a many hundreds of steps. It was the site where the first Balinese king was interred before final burial and the old temple area is distinct from the newer temple and is obvious by its rough and weathered stonework. Along the path down was a man plowing his rice paddy with two cows, an apparent rarity in these days of advanced technology, and two women were working hard to remove all the wild rice from their fields. Given the high humidity you can't help but admire their commitment.




















The final temple, Pura Tirta Empul, was one dedicated to the Hindu god of water as it is not only a temple but the site of a natural spring. Worshippers come here and pray at each of the spouts emptying water from the springs into the lower pool and then allow the water to run over their head and it is reputed to cleanse you of your ailments. This was, to me, the most interesting of the temples today because it was the only in active use at the pools and in the rest of the temple complex.











After leaving the temple we headed to one of the volcanos to have lunch overlooking the volcano and the surrounding valley. You can see where the last eruption in the 1990s took its toll. Nevertheless there are houses throughout the valley because apparently the lake on the northeast side is teaming with fish. It was a nice change in weather as the humidity was significantly less that at lower elevations and there was a nice breeze so Laura and I felt more than a little refreshed.



From lunch we headed back to Ubud and stopped on the way at a spice plantation where they grow coffee, vanilla, pepper, chilies, palms, and innumerable fruits. We were brought a tray of beverages that included coffee, hot cocoa, ginseng tea, lemongrass tea, and one other that I can't remember as I didn't care for it. Laura was in heaven with access to all the fresh culinary components but unfortunately we were low on cash and they weren't equipped to take credit cards so we spent what we had between us and departed for our hotel.


After returning Laura befriended a woman who is also staying at our resort. Apparently Toni, Laura's new friend, has been here for almost a week but has kept herself in seclusion until her boyfriend arrives so that they can discover the wonders of Bali together. While this is a laudable thing to do I don't think that I would spend my vacation trying to keep myself from experiencing anything for half of the trip. Anywho, we ended up having dinner at one of the resort's many restaurant together and spent a nice evening chatting until the mosquitos drove us into our respective rooms and we called it quits for today.

Day Three in Bali - Walking Through a Rice Paddy

Much to Laura's chagrin, we had an early start this morning. She is much more of a relaxed vacationer whereas I like to keep busy so I wasn't at all perturbed by the hour. Ari picked us up at 7:30am to take a walking tour of the rice paddies.

To get out into the country we drove into Ubud's commercial area and from there had to walk down a narrow alleyway past shops fronting homes, residential compounds and some villas that are available for rent until we were on a worn dirt path heading south. As the trees cleared we could see the terraced fields with neatly planted rows of young rice.






Ari explained that because of the climate they can get two crops of rice per year, one every four months. The water they use to irrigate comes down from the mountains and in order to divert water into your fields you must be a member of one of the local temples, otherwise you have no right to the water. Despite looking plentiful we were told that many farmers divert from their neighbor's fields, especially when they've just planted new rice as water is essential for early growth. He also said that late at night after a field has been freshly planted people often come to stalk the eels that get trapped when the field if flooded for the young rice.

Along the way we saw many rough small structures. These are erected by the farmers who spend almost all day watching over and tending their fields and allows them a place to rest and relax, to eat lunch and to get out of the frequent rain. Dotting the fields we saw white herons and heard, but couldn't see, numerous ducks. We also saw how honey is cultivated. While we use bee boxes they use hollowed out trunks of coconut trees suspended twenty feet from the ground. The bees build their nests in the hollows and the farmer can raise and lower them as they need to in order to collect the honey.







A man cutting grass used for making thatched roofs.


Weeding out the wild rice.




In uniform and walking to school.



An artist who lives and sells his work amongst the rice paddies.


Ari took the time to identify local plants such as tapioca, guava, hibiscus, cacao, teak, ebony and more. He also talked to some of the farmers along the way and at one point a farmer offered to climb a tree so we could try fresh coconut. Having had it before I can say that I do not have enough experience to appreciate such an offer and respectfully declined.






We slowly made our way back into town on the looping trail and from there were taken back to our hotel to relax for a few hours before our brief afternoon outing. The temperature had climbed quickly and we were grateful for the respite. Upon our return Laura and I had a little bit of breakfast before returning to our room. I went for a swim which was refreshing and Laura ended up taking a nap.



After resting Ari picked us up once more to take us to Threads of Life. It's a small textile center where they show the weaving process and have a gallery of textiles from all over southeast Asia. There were examples for sale and the proceeds go back to the weavers in order to allow them to make a living and thereby preserve their craft. Some villages had their number of weavers dwindle to only a handful and now have a hundred or more because as modernity came into their part of the world people gave up their crafts and sought other trades that yielded a better living. Now these artisans can make a living creating their beautiful textiles and make more than a mere subsistence living.

Feeling a little better educated Ari took us to the center of Ubud to set us free so that we could wander and explore. Laura and I walked past and through many of the local shops, stopped to pick up something more to drink, made a couple of small purchases, and slowly made our way back to our luxurious resort.

When we arrived a couple men showed us their roosters that they were training for ceremonial fights for the ongoing celebration of the marriage of the resort owner's son. They essentially pounce on each other until one runs away and the last rooster standing is declared the winner. Thankfully they don't do what is done in the United States and attach razors to their spurs so that they can inflict more injuries on one another.








The path to our room was slightly circuitous but the grounds are extensive and it was nice to be able to see more of them. We relaxed poolside and eventually had some dinner before calling it a night.