Cambodia Over Time

So I had the pleasure of returning to Siem Reap and Angkor Wat last month for a few days.  Took my dad.  His first time.  This was my second trip to Cambodia this year.  I went for nearly a month in January/February.  For him, it was an amazing trip as the temples there are truly stunning.  But things are changing at Angkor and changing fast.

I first visited Cambodia in 1999 with Savvy.  There were about 180,000 intrepid visitors to the country that year, most sporting backpacks.  Fast forward to 2007 and that number topped 2 million.  And they are all going to the temples at Angkor and most will visit between November and the end of February.  With the added visitors come restrictions (you can no longer climb the steep stairs to the top of Angkor Wat), crowd control measures (much of Banteay Srei is roped off)  and large groups from Korea, Japan, China, Europe and North America.  Consequently, I find myself drawn to less popular destinations such as smaller temples and the walls around Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom.  I enjoy the quiet solitude, even if there is less to photograph.

In 2002/2003, I lived in Cambodia for six months.  Though based in the capital, Phnom Penh, for two months I traveled to nine other provinces as a consultant for the Red Cross.  Those experiences galvanized my love for Cambodia and the Cambodian people.  Since then, my work with the Foundation for Global Leadership and personal excursions have taken me back at least once each year.  

There is something rewarding about photographing a subject repeatedly over time, whether that is for a week, a month, or even years.  Cambodia may not be a huge country, but it is a large subject to try and capture; much more than just the temples around Angkor.  With that in mind, I'll put up another album soon of other images not associated with the temples.

Happy holidays to everyone.