We were told that we would be going to the market first and he wanted us to take a photo of someone, show them the photo and attempt to engage with them in order to get better shots!
We were also to take note of the backgrounds and any relevant detail, such as what they were selling and if they were preparing the food etc. he promised he would keep a watchful eye on us all and that we would be fine!!
Easier said than done!
As a nation the Brits are not particularly pushy and it felt awkward to deliberately (and obviously) take a photo of a stranger and hope that they wouldn't mind. The market was absolutely heaving with people, stalls, smells, motorbikes, live fish (which flapped out of their baskets onto the path) weird vegetables and chickens! But we tried and after a while when we realised that actually they quite liked having their photo taken and it was all a bit of a laugh ( oh how they laughed) things became a whole lot better, even if it was still rather bizarre!
We moved from the market to a pagoda, a place of religous contemplation, (which also housed glue sniffers) where we were able to photograph one of the monks and go inside to view the Buddha and paintings. From there we went onto the White Building, which was anything but white, (being marked down for regeneration) and housed many poorer people of the city whose enchanting children were only too happy to pose for us.
After lunch it was time for the visit to the Tuol Sleng genocide museum which, although interesting, was also quite painful. The reminders of the Khmer Rouge Regime and what actually happened to thousands of Cambodians was all very evident and real. Both Joanne and I felt uncomfortable photographing some areas of what used to be the prison but, as we left, one of only two survivors of that time was in the compound and he personally signed a copy of his book for Joanne.
A quick walk around the cremation shrine of the late King and we were on our way for a well earned beer and then back to our hotel.
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