#ericdevries

[chrisyphotoessays]

photography tour in the countryside

A day in the country side near Siem Reap. I booked two tours with photographer Eric de Vries. http://photocambodia.net He is a very tall fellow with a short driver called Kheng. They were in a tuk-tuk. Not a car. Oh! We went south on the national highway towards lake Tonlé Sap. After we left the highway we travelled on red unsealed roads that were not smooth at all. The little tuk-tuks have poor suspensions so it was a painfully bumpy road. The term ‘rough roads’ hardly describes the state of them on this journey. There was very little traffic as we passed by rice paddies and cattle in the flat landscape. My Canon camera was not working properly that day. The shutter seemed to be jamming if I used the aperture priority setting. Bugger. The sky was overcast so the light was bright but soft. We visited a village in Kra Bei Riel Commune in the Pouk district. About 8000 people live in the 12 villages in Kra Bei Riel. Poverty, lack of clean water and access to education are some of the difficulties facing the local people.

[chrisyphotoessays]

Temple in Kra Bei Riel Commune

Temple in Kra Bei Riel Commune. We went to a very small Buddhist temple, where the Hindu influences on the architecture and decorations were evident.  There is a large mural on the back of the building depicting horrific methods of torture. I suppose this is a representation of hell. I cannot bear to use that photograph here. The temple compound was very large and undeveloped. The pond was nearly empty and the water was green. its the dry season now. The three of us had a picnic lunch at this tiny monastery. I was surprised to be offered ham and egg on white bread sandwiches also a pasta salad. I think it was the only western food I had in my 10 weeks travelling. Apart from ice cream.

http://photocambodia.net