👨🌾 Pramaoy People 👩🏭 Cambodian Photography From A Parked Tuk-Tuk 🛺
While waiting in the tuk-tuk for my wife to exit from the market in Pramaoy I decided to hold the camera steady and take pictures of the action passing by.
The Real Cambodia 🚛
Most Cambodians live a life outside urban areas, and this country is still very agricultural. Pramaoy is the nearest "town" with a "market," but still a 45km drive for us, so it's usually once a week we visit here, the place where we rented a room for 6 months while we scouted for affordable on the outer reaches of Cambodian civilization.
Monkey-B needed a tooth extraction from an unlicensed dentist, we needed some veggies, and although we'd normally wait until the weekend, Monkey-B's tooth hurt so bad that she wanted to go ASAP. The market entrance had a rope up on this day to prevent things larger than motos from entering, so we weren't able to drive down and load the tuk-tuk as usual.
Content Doesn't Have To Be Complicated 🤷♂️
While waiting in the tuk-tuk with Monkey-B I decided to snap shots from a fixed angle while locals passed by on motos and bicycles. There was only a one second window for shots, so many of them didn't turn out well, but the ones that did were very interesting images. I think Cambodians are their truest selves in the morning on the way to and from the market, especially where fashion is concerned.
High-heels and silk Mickey Mouse pajamas, scrubs mixed with camouflage, all kinds of interesting fashion statements were being made, and unless you've been living under a rock you'd know that rayon is king of Cambodian fabrics.
Natural Shots Are Hard 📸
Usually it's hard for me to get natural shots of the Cambodian public, mostly because I'm a foreign ginger with a beard and turban, and this alone is enough to make most people that don't personally know stare at me for up to 30 seconds without breaking eye contact. This used to be completely awkward years ago, but I've learned to embrace the stare and hold the gaze until the starer gives up.
When I am stationary for several minutes, the people in the vicinity eventually lose interest in me, and if I stay hidden enough I can actually capture natural images. The guy in the thumbnail was parked when I arrived, and had been staring at me for about 20 minutes when he departed. I was surprised he was able to drive straight without ever once looking at the alley.
A Few Last Errands 🛍️
Pov returned with a light haul because this was a mid-week trip, so we weren't completely out of produce yet. With our market trip complete and the dentistry done, we stopped at the 2,500 riel store to grab some clothing for my in-law construction crew.
I was very tempted by these denim leg sheathes adorned with powerful English words and phrases such as "Syrla," "to the frontier," "Genesis," "History Maker," and so much more. When Cambodian fashion combines with random English text, unforgettable clothing is produced. I almost bought these to take back to the USA where a random hipster would probably pay a lot of money to wear these pantalones ironically.
A Score For Srey-Yuu 👟
Srey-Yuu loves the color black, and recently she showed me some pics of Vans shoes, a popular skate shoe that the hippest kids wore when I was young. I have a keen understanding of Srey-Yuu's fashion sense, and although my wife finds some killer deals online, the things she buys without Srey-Yuu's consent rarely get worn. When I saw some Vans clones at the shop they were made of decent rubber, I gave Srey-Yuu a call and let her give a "yes" or "no" via a FaceTime call. She wears a 39, but the seller only had a 40, so Srey-Yuu decided to roll the dice and have us grab them for her.
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She wear 39? That's a full adult male size yo! Think this girl is going to grow really tall!
That pair of vans looks quite legit.
I think our era Vans was less significant compared to Maui. In the 90s, I think the more hardcore ones are stüssy. Oh wait. I'm at the other side of the world 😅
That pair of jeans, looks pretty epic. Still, won't pay anything more than $5
She does have some massive feet for a Cambodian girl, already as big as her mom's feet and not yet the same height. I remember wanting a pair of Vans in my skater days, but ended up with some Airwalks, a slightly inferior shoe that kind of failed and is now owned by Payless Shoes, a place where middle-aged women do their shopping.
If I'd had some sweet jeans like that back in my skating days, everyone would've been jealous of sweet skate moves and educational denim.
Translated and formatted with Hive Translator by @noakmilo.
Thanks my friend for the support.
Agricultural areas is very perfect as for me. I can be able to plant any kinds of vegetables that can be sell to the Market.
On the other hand, taking more pictures of the object moving needs a little bit tricky and fucos. Great photoshoot of yours Sir.
I agree, the rural areas are my preferred places to live here. I love staying still and trying to catch action ass it passes by.
monkey B is she in good health.
All better now, her new tooth is already starting to come in.
The distance is quite far from your home to the market. But I think it's a worthwhile journey.
So far, but hopefully some day the border with Thailand will open because there is already a space for fresh produce market on the border.
Vans™ weren't a thing when I was growing up. I think they gained nationwide popularity when I was in my 30s or 40s. I grew up wearing Keds™ and my brother had Converse™ All Stars sneakers. I loved my Keds™ because they were so comfy and cute, much lighter weight than the heavier sneakers they make nowadays. They still make Keds™ now, but they're $40-and-up, a far cry from the $5/pair at K-Mart back in the 60s and 70s. I still have one pair of my Keds™, probably 70s or 80s vintage, a little worn, but I still wear them sometimes when doing yard work. 😂
The sneakers you got SreyYuu look great, and will pair with her school uniform nicely! And I like your photo series of the passers-by while you waited at the market!
Is looking away before they do considered a sign of weakness? Or are you just showing them how it feels? 😜
Haha, lots of nostalgia in this comment. I experience a variety of shoes and brands thanks to being the youngest of all the siblings. I didn't get new stuff very often, but I certainly had quantity in the form of hand-me-downs. I definitely rocked a pair of white Keds at some point, think they were my stepsister's. Converse I once had in the form of Larry Bird shoes, definitely one of the least popular basketball shoes ever. Vans shoes I only saw in magazines, always assumed you had to visit a skate shop in a big city for that.
The good ole' Cambodian stare-down, lots of reasons people do it I think , but mostly I think curiosity. Most people know it's rude to stare because they never do it with each other, but it mighty be your only chance to stare at a foreigner or person with a disability, so best to hold the gaze as long as possible and lock in the memory.
Most parents don't put in the time and effort with their children to teach them things like this, and there is definitely a good amount of xenophobia intertwined in the culture here. I can remember from a young age my parents correcting me when I looked at something or someone too long.
Awesomse pics!
I read in @Srey-Yuu 's post about you wanting her to wear closed shoes ( when driving ) and I can't help but wonder, looking at the above photos, that no one wears a helmet and everyone wears open shoes. Is it mere stupidity, is it poverty or do most people think helmets and closed shoes are too warm so they don't bother?
It is just good ole stupidity and laziness. I can't even get my wife to properly secure her helmet chinstrap when we ride the moto, she doesn't want to experience discomfort. I on the other hand have a background in motorcross racing, and I know all too well how easily a helmet can be ripped off your head if improperly worn.
We gave our neighbor girl a $30 full-face helmet (I didn't want to do this, it was my wife's helmet that I bought for her), and she only uses it on occasion. After living here this long, I've realized there are a lot space cadets here, literally living on another galaxy. Our neighbor comes to hang out with us for an hour, talks at an unreasonable volume for an hour solid, and cuts you off halfway through your sentence if you even try to add anything to the one-way dialogue. Nobody has ever corrected this woman on her lack of social awareness, and most of the time when I chat with people here, I see eyes that say "I am just waiting for you to stop talking so I can say what I want to say."
For this reason I've only ever made two or three close Khmer friends despite having hundreds of acquaintances and knowing the language, being socially active, etc. In a way it's what makes life interesting to live here, it's as frustrating as it is intriguing.