Lost in the Market

After going through my pictures from my trip it was striking how few pictures I got of actual Cambodian people. There's a good reason for this, which I'll soon explain. First, about these children... I took this picture at the killing fields of these friendly youngsters. Then I had to pay them. These same children later swarmed me in the parking lot outside after multiplying in numbers. This is really common, as there are children everywhere looking to make a buck to take home to their dirt poor families. I'll get further into this in a moment, but first I want to share an anecdote of what happened in the market after lunch in Phnom Penh.

I went to the central market area to look around and see what kind of bargains I could find. Mainly, I was looking for some light clothes since I packed very lightly. I should preface this by saying that it was extremely hot and humid this day, as every day was during my visit. The market was covered and everything was close together. In other words, it was absolutely sweltering. While I was at one particular stand looking at various shirts presented by the vendor, an industrious young boy stood next to me and vigorously waved his fan toward me. Since the killing fields I had grown weary of the children begging me for money, so my instinct was to ignore him until he went away. However, the fanning was greatly appreciated so I figured I'd employ his services. He also guided me through the market and showed me a place where I could find a 5 dollar Rolex. As I followed him, he'd often peer over his shoulder and flash a cute grin of satisfaction and excitement to be employed. While I looked at watches, he continued to fan me and I really wanted to take his picture when I was done. Then it happened...

Another kid caught sight of me tipping the boy and ran up to me and started fanning. Then another one came up, then another. Before I knew it, I was surrounded by children with their hands out, begging me for money. I couldn't convey to them that this boy had performed a service and was rewarded for it. These children literally chased me around the market, and I got lost in the labyrinth. I had to walk out of the market and down the street until they finally stopped following me. In this process I realized that I came out on a completely different side than I walked into and couldn't find my driver. I had to go back into the market and figure out where I came in while avoiding the children. Let me tell you, after the lunch I had this is not what I wanted to be doing. I wandered for a good half hour through the sauna-like market until I finally found my driver. I went straight back to the guest house from there and went straight to my room and had a rest. I was exhausted and overwhelmed by the afternoon, and needed to re-group before the royal palace (last entry).

This incident was indicative of a very unfortunate aspect of the Cambodian tourist industry. Everyone wants a piece of the money, and people are desperate. The rest of the week I never felt comfortable chatting with the locals because they were always trying to sell me something. They're also very aggressive about it. Every time I would arrive at a temple in Siem Reap, for example, there would be rows of vendors yelling: "Sir, cold beverage?", or "Sir, need scarf for your girlfriend?", or something in regards to what they were selling. The most unfortunate aspect of this is that they put the children to work. I wanted to buy things from children, but wouldn't because I would be swarmed by 15 other kids and they wouldn't leave me alone. I realized that I wasn't helping these people by paying children for services, but rather encouraging parents to put their kids to work. Over the course of the week, I must have bumped my head fifty times from keeping my head down to avoid eye contact. Very unfortunate, indeed.

Because of that I didn't take pictures of people. It's considered rude to take pictures of people in this culture without asking permission, but if I asked permission they'd want money and I'd just draw attention to myself and get swarmed. I took a few shots from the back of the tuk tuk, but it's difficult to get a good picture in a moving vehicle which is covered. So, what did I take over 400 pictures of?, you might ask. Mostly temples, is the answer. There will be many pictures to come of Siem Reap and the incredible temples of Angkor. Also, there will be some pictures of traffic, which is an entry in itself.