Cambodia

In addition to visiting the Angkor temples, I enjoyed the surrounding areas of Cambodia. Although it has certainly begun its recovery, Cambodia spent a long time suffering due to its long, fairly recent war. As a result, it is much less developed than neighboring Thailand, and really seems to maintain small village life.

Motorcycles and bicycles are far more common than any other sort of transportation. Tourists generally take tuk-tuks, which are motorcycles with a small carriage with open sides attached to the back. I snapped this picture at a red light to give you an idea of what a typical street scene would be. When I see this many motorcycles in the US, it usually means the Harley enthusiasts are out for a massive joy ride.

My friend and I took a boat trip to see the floating village on Tonle Sap lake near Siem Reap. It was very cool to see--everyone lived in floating houses, and got around in boats. Although it seems like a strange idea to those of us who aren't from a culture so connected to water, it really starts to make sense when you think about it--they are as close as possible to everything they need--water, fishing, rice paddies. Plus, I think this area floods like crazy in the wet season.

A floating supermarket.

Boats and houses on the edge of the lake.

Passing through the main thoroughfare of the area.

I've always thought it would be an excellent idea to make a quilt based on the designs I've seen while flying above agricultural areas. I love the way all the geometric shapes interact with one another. This river, near Bangkok, was particularly nice from the air.