Scott G Trenorden

I took a long wander through the area south of the river from where I’m staying, very much the ‘burbs for the locals.

It was an interesting walk, accented by the fact that everyone smiled and nodded as I passed. No stares or dark looks, no “What are you doing here?” vibes.

The ever-present heat weighed heavily, and I stopped occasionally to rest in the shade. The more I did so, the more I looked around, the more I noticed the intricacies of the environment surrounding me.

To the south, the streets were dominated by rather lavish houses and old French colonial villas. As you progressed north, these villas gave way to nicely constructed wooden housing (similar perhaps to what we’d regard a nice wooden cabin back home) adorned with good cars and playing children.
But as you look further into the distance, across the river, down the alleyways, you are jolted back into reality by the poverty in the distance.

The harshness of the existence for the local people is never too far away, but can be easily forgotten by the market hopping, temple trampling tourist due to the tall villas that surround and hide the slums.

[Photography note: This photo and the one above it were taken from the same spot; the top photo shot facing south east, and then turning north and photographing the bottom photo up the alleyway. The slums are visible at the end of the alleyway, with a lovely walled and gated mansion running down most of the alleyway leading to the slums. On the right were two of the above-mentioned wood cabins.]

I few slum houses are immediately viewable on the water’s edge, and I am thinking they have been left there to remind visiting people of how poor this country really is.

I continued my walk and came across a sight that was both interesting and depressing.

I watched as a father and two boys bathed in the flowing waters of the river, artificially churned up by the vents below the bridge I was standing on.

They were laughing and singing, washing their clothing, throwing each other into the water.

They seemed happy and carefree, happy to escape the head of the day submerged in the flowing water.

I waved hello, to which they replied in kind, and I then moved to the other side of the bridge (ok, dodged. The drivers here aren’t known for giving way to pedestrians, let alone swerving to avoid them..!).

As I looked over the bridge railing I was rather shocked to see what lay below. I walked to the river’s edge to better capture the mess atop the water.
The photograph doesn’t do the situation justice. The water stank of god knows what and rubbish floated submerged in the water. Several meters upstream a dead dog bobbed, bloated, in the sun.

I thought of the father and his boys, playing nearby in the very same water; of the pollution continuing downstream; of the dog carcass left to rot in the water.

It was then that I contemplated the issue of encroachment versus advancement.

Slowly the slums are giving way to elaborate housing and pricey cars, and people with little to nothing will be forced to move on. To where? Only the government and locals would know that (I should go back and ask).

Is this encroachment on the slums, and their obliteration, an advancement and necessity? Will it mean cleaner waterways? What drives a people to accept these sorts of living conditions?

It will be interesting to revisit these same places in ten years to see how things have changed.
I wonder if I will even recognise the place?

***

Beyond this blog story, an update on things here.

I have been finding it very hard to get things moving in regards to getting involved beyond the tourism side of things.

I spent an evening chatting with the Trailblazer guys, which was extremely interesting, but I don’t know that it will result in any sort of field work.

I have visited a couple of places in town where NGOs have information displayed, but nothing seems to lean towards assistant-based experiences.

I have a contact within Sacred Childhoods (www.sacredchildhoods.org), currently working in Bali, and I will be following that up. I will begin fund-raising soon in order to finance a trip to Bali to join the SC team for an extended period of time, so if you, or anyone you know of, would be interested in contributing, please do not hesitate to let me know.

For now I will do a couple of ‘cultural experience’ tours around the Siem Reap area over the next couple of days and will then consider where to head from here.

I am in no real rush to be anywhere in particular!

I think for my next blog post I will just upload a few random photos from different wanders, with no real story to tie them together.

I am starting to find myself more one of the ex-pat locals in regards to how the Khmer locals approach me. I rarely get hassled for tuk-tuks or ‘massages’ any more. I am not sure why. Perhaps they recognise my big camera now. Perhaps I walk more like someone who knows where they are going.

I have written a couple of potential blog posts in my journal in regards to living here beyond this trip; how people get drawn into the vacuum that is Siem Reap. Perhaps I will post one some day (and hopefully not offend any one in the process!)

Photographically, I am finding that although I am carrying my camera everywhere, I am taking less and less shots each day, which is hardly surprising seeing as I am in the same area most of the time (I took one frame today!).

I guess too, though, I am finding some potential shots to be uninspired; such as the “old man pushing a food cart” shot that would often be taken.

I guess I look more for inspiration in places like ‘Smokey Mountain’ near Phnom Phen, a huge dump/tip site where children sort through the rubbish which is constantly burning; inspiration which requires travel. But for now I will extend myself to the areas around Siem Reap and plan for further travels the beyond this week.

All in good time.

Until the next post,

Let’s all spare a thought and dollar for our fellow Australians in Victoria.

Scott

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