December 2019
We couldn’t travel halfway around the world and pass up a chance to visit Cambodia while we were there. Although…I was almost forced to take up permanent residence in Thailand since they have this weird process of getting in and out of the country. It’s almost like the subway in Washington DC, where you have to use your ticket to get in AND out. Apparently, at some point in our travels, I was given a “get out of Thailand free” pass, though I had no recollection of such a thing. So when we attempted to go through customs in Krabi, and I no longer had my free pass (and wasn’t quite sure I really ever did) it caused a bit of a stir with the customs men. I’m not sure if it was the “woe is me” puppy dog eyes I gave them or the fact that I clearly did not look like a native that scooted me through because I didn’t understand what the two men were saying to each other when they waved me on. By the time we left Thailand, I was fluent in Thai. As long as conversations consisted of Hello or Thank you. Anything beyond that I was still struggling with.
So my first bit of advice-hang onto weird random pieces of paper because you never know when they might come in handy.
Now, I am often accused of being “high-maintenance”, though everyone familiar with me and the Accuser, knows full well that I am just the fall guy. When my Accuser was researching hotels in Cambodia and saw that one in particular would pick you up from the airport in a vintage Mercedes, he looked no further.
This all sounds super movie star-ish but when I fly, I tend to arrive looking like I flew cargo. I purposely layer on the bulkiest items I brought in an effort to have extra space in my luggage. For this flight, “bulky items” included wearing my sneakers that were still covered in elephant poop from Chiang Mai. More on that later. I felt a little sorry for this lovely, elegant hotel welcoming the likes of me in their fancy car (once owned by the former king), but if they noticed, they were very gracious about it. We were greeted by almost every hotel employee, and immediately made to feel like family (though I was probably that obligatory unwanted family member who is reluctantly invited to Thanksgiving dinner because of a history of showing up with poop on her shoes).
Although this was the most understated hotel of all that we stayed in, it was by far the favorite. It was so pristine that I left my elephant poop covered shoes outside the room, almost like a warning to those who may enter- “Careful….Cargo Traveling Girl within”. When I walked in and saw the private pool in our patio hidden out back, I felt I didn’t need to leave the hotel for the duration of our stay. Angkor Whaaaaat????
“Duration” was only 3 full days, and I happened to notice that our itinerary (carefully crafted by the Accuser) included spending all 3 days with a local photographer. Ummmm, sweetie… is this a mistake?? Do we really need to spend 3 days with this guy? What if we don’t like him? What if we want to do our own thing?? Well let me tell you, 3 days with “this guy” was a lifetime too short. I’m almost reluctant to pass along his name for fear that when we return, and we will, he’ll be too busy to fit us in again.
Régis Binard is kind of who I want to be when I grow up. Imagine following your passion, and your God-given talent to lands beyond, telling stories with your camera and connecting with your fellow human in the process. The photographers I admire most tend to be self-taught; tend to have pursued their passion; tend to have an eye and continuously work towards perfecting it and top it all off by graciously sharing their knowledge with others. Régis is that guy. Régis is from France and speaks English with a beautiful accent. His Khmer probably is spoken with a lovely accent too. His humanitarian work brought him to Cambodia, and a pretty girl got him to stay. As I’ve said to my friend Kellie, if something doesn’t make sense, there’s usually a girl involved.
But our first evening in Cambodia was spent settling in; toasting the newest pushpin on our travel map by listening to live folk music on the rooftop while we sipped a cocktail,
wavering on whether or not to attend the the monk-led meditation, trying out the not-spicy-enough (according to the Accuser) Khmer food in the dining room and considering soaking in the tub filled with lotus blossoms in our room.
I’ve said it before, I’ll say it a million times- the beauty of hiring a local photographer is having access to lesser known places, hidden gems, and being there at the right time of the day. It’s also to learn and grow by seeing things through an expert’s eyes. I truly believe that working with Régis took my photography to a new level. His way of looking for light and contrast was something you can’t study in a book. My only regret was not dedicating some time with him for post-processing. Whereas I typically open all my shadows in post, the drama created by the light and the setting begged for a completely different style of processing than I am accustomed to, and I really could have used some guidance.
The temple ruins in Siem Reap are the perfect place to explore those contrasts. We started early at Ta Prohm to beat the crowds. This is the temple used as the location for the Tomb Raider movie, so it can get pretty jam packed as the day goes on.
Because I don’t really watch TV, I have no interest in these spots made famous by Hollywood, so this was the perfect place for me because the entire temple was a photographer’s dream. I easily kept myself occupied while everyone lined up for their turn to be Lara Croft.
I could have spent all day shooting here, with so many nooks and crannies just waiting to be explored.
Many temples in Siem Reap were abandoned and neglected after the fall of the empire hundreds of years ago. Work to repair and restore them is ongoing, but Ta Prohm will maintain it’s jungle-like feel, with the restoration focusing on stabilizing the structure while permitting access to tourists. The terrain was a little rugged, and Régis quickly learned the correct response to my frequent question-”Are there any snakes here??” (whether or not his response was truthful was a different story).
much prefer the moss covered, tree covered, overgrown ruins of the stone temples in Cambodia over the ornate temples in Thailand. But then again, this coming from someone who wears sneakers covered in elephant poop. Over our three days spent with Régis, we toured temples both on and off the beaten path
visited a market
popped in on life in the monasteries
happened upon blessings
(Not so fun fact- Régis told us that it’s uncommon to see elderly men in Cambodia. The horrific war in the 70’s being the cause. Currently, males over 65 make up only 3% of the population.)
And we caught some spectacular sunsets
We headed to the countryside to rice fields where we slogged through muddy rice paddies in our ill-equipped (though machine washable) shoes (while hoping there were no snakes there). Aside from my elephant poop sneakers, these were the only other shoes I had left.
And saw rice go from harvest to noodles.
We visited basket makers, which is a great job for a stay-at-home-mom
and watched the locals trade alms for blessings by young monks
Our early mornings and late afternoons were spent with Régis. In between, we had the opportunity to head back to the hotel, get a rest in, have some lunch and enjoy the pool. After slogging through the mucky rice fields up to my shins, my cute little recycled bottle Rothys found their place outside the door next to my elephant poop shoes. We would come back sweaty (it was hot!!) and exhausted from waking up so early and take this opportunity to review our photos, catch some zzzz’s, float in the pool and have lunch (and maybe some wine. Who am I kidding??? Of course some wine). On this particular day, as we headed back out to spend the afternoon with Régis I dreaded my two footwear options- stinky, or sopping, muddy wet.
Lo and behold, both pairs of shoes were clean and dry- as if little, magical elves arrived while we were not paying attention. Mr. High Maintenance has opted for some fancy-schmancy hotels in his life, but NO ONE has ever cleaned my shoes. I both hate and love that someone did this for me. This hotel is officially my new favorite. Sadly, I don’t know who did that, but we tipped everyone we laid eyes on after that.
Of all the places and people we visited, by far my favorite place was Kampong Phluk, a floating village built on stilts to accommodate flooding from the overflow from Tonlé Sap during the rainy season. Tonlé Sap is the largest lake in Southeast Asia and sustains the villagers main industry-fishing.
We visited during their winter/dry season and it still looked like a pretty soggy place to live. A long, rural drive out to the river brought us to the equivalent of a taxi stand for long tail boats.
Our ride out to Tonlé Sap along the river was scenic, colorful and eye-opening.
We stopped along the way at a floating restaurant and switched to a canoe for a boat ride through the flooded forest.
And then pulled up to where we could get out and explore the village and meet its inhabitants. I loved this village. It is gradually becoming quite a tourist destination which makes me a bit sad, but how can I say such a thing as a tourist? I was fascinated by the warmth and friendliness of the people who live there.
The children were so playful and loved practicing their few English words and climbing all over us strange looking people.
They had no shoes; their gender was ambiguous; they had bumps and bruises and were covered in the dirt they play in; they seemed to supervise each other; they played with homemade toys
and they were effusively happy. Reminded me so much of my own childhood, and for a minute I felt sad for kids nowadays, who aren’t raised with that kind of freedom. Despite the language barrier, their hearts spoke volumes and their smiles were priceless.
Régis has had the luxury of making many trips to this village throughout the years, forging friendships and watching families grow. We were honored to be included. He’s seen the changes to this village and the increase in tourism. We were welcomed into the home of one of his friends to meet their newest miracle.
On our ride back to the hotel, we were lucky enough to see the fisherman at sunset catching their dinner.
We wrapped up our last day in Cambodia with a final temple, Banteay Kdei
and a sunset visit to Angkor Wat.
Banteay Kdei was probably my favorite temple. We only had a short time to check it out but with a new surprise around every corner, and far from the crowds of all the other temples, this temple ranked highest for me. Another reason to return. I could spend a day here.
I was almost disappointed to head to Angkor Wat. I’m never a fan of the crowded popular locations, and expected it to be just that. Although it was a box that needed to be checked, it lived up to my expectations. Luckily, Régis knows the ins and outs and how best to avoid the craziness of it.
Though most of our time spent in Cambodia was spent with Régis, we did have some down time to relax at our hotel or explore the city. We ate most of our meals at the hotel, enjoyed the quiet of our room and pool and took a few tuk tuk rides to shop or grab dinner.
And before we knew it, the sun set on our brief trip to Angkor Wat.
WHERE WE STAYED: Amansara
WHERE WE ATE: Mostly at the hotel. One night at Embassy Restaurant.
OUR FABULOUS PHOTOGRAPHY GUIDE: Régis Binard Photography