And… we’re back!
Been quite a while, I know. Doin’ some traveling, seeing some of Southeast Asia, you know how it is.
But seriously, it’s taken me quite some time to go through our thousands (not a joke) of photos taken over the past month or so, trying to pare them down to a manageable number. I couldn’t do that, though, so I figured I’d post them all. Har!
Photos of the more typical sights/sites will come soon—tomorrow, perhaps—but as a little amuse œil, please enjoy this selection of photos, all of which were taken from the back of a moving tuk-tuk. What is a tuk-tuk, you ask? It is one of these:
We did all of our motorized travel in Cambodia in a tuk-tuk, because (1) they are great fun, even when it seems all but certain you are about to perish; and (2) they are cheap. The lack of separation between passenger and world is really fantastic, even though it means you have a substantial layer of dust, diesel fumes, and who-knows-what-else coating you at the end of the day.
But it permits some great photos of “real” Cambodia, or at least rural, roadside Cambodia. All of these were taken in and around Siem Reap, the town closest to Angkor Wat and hundreds of other temples. They were really taken from a moving vehicle often on bumpy roads, so please forgive the occasional lack of focus or composition.
Behold!
Unforbidding City 
These remind me of my experiences riding in becaks in indonesia – the world goes by at a different speed…this would make a nice slide show with some Cambodian music behind it. Let me know if you’d like links to some of that.
Definitely, Jeff!
OK – there’s a multidisc set called “Music of Cambodia” produced by David Parsons that’s very good and covers a wide range of what might be called “classical” Cambodian music – various kinds of ensembles, music for dance, temple music, etc. Cambodia also has a thriving pop music culture. There’s a band called Dengue Fever that you might find interesting. Or check out Sarikakeo by Savy Ouch (or Ouch Savy to put her last name first) – i actually know her. And one of my teachers did a 2-disc series, Cambodia: Traditional Music, but frankly, the Parsons discs cover the same ground and are easier to find. All this stuff is on Amazon, much in downloadable formats.
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