The Lonely Old Reprobate

Sam So and Theavy had picked me up from my apartment at 10:30am, they were taking me to a paint shop wholesalers, at least that was the arrangement. But in true Sam So and Theavy fashion, it was so much more.

I was driven to an old district of Siem Reap where tradition still flourishes, where cultural heritage is still in practise, around West Baray, a man made lake measuring 7.8km by 2.1 km which was constructed during the 11th Century, most likely under King Suryavarman I and completed under King Udayadityavarman II around 1010 -1060 AD.

There you can see age old trades still practised, boatbuilders sheds and yards, and a bustling community of traders working from what to Western eyes, appear to be shacks.

Children play everywhere, spilling onto the roads with their bicycles, chasing each other and laughing as only children can.

The roads are busy, but nothing like busy in a Western sense. Here, any traffic moves slowly. Here, the laws of the Highway exist in name only, priority belongs to whomever arrives first. 

Because of the apparent lawlessness, people move slowly, expecting the unexpected. I used to love driving, but I wouldn’t dare to under the circumstances here.

This photo shows me holding a Lotus flower pod, the small buds are the seeds. You remove them, peel the skin from them and eat the kernel which lowers high blood pressure. Theavy had popped out of the car to buy them from one of the traders. No need for Western medications here folks.

A simple street scene in Siem Reap. As the rainy season draws to its close, there are still occasional downpours such as the one clearly visible in this photo.

Sam So and Theavy traded me to a traditional Khmer luncheon, ‘fish head soup with Khmer noodles and vegetables. I sat with them and ate with chopsticks.

Before coming to live in Cambodia, the idea of eating fish head would never have appealed to me, but it was absolutely delicious. 

A small cat appeared between my feet as I sat eating with Sam So, and Theavy, I guess he could smell my cat Khan, and would not budge.

Across the street, between the trees, you might just be able to see a building. It is Wat Thmei Pagoda.

I was shocked to learn the Wat Thmei is the resting place of the bones from the killing fields of Siem Reap, from during the Pol Pot, Khmer Rouge regime.

It was haunting to know that the remains of so many lost people remain there. 1.7 to 2 MILLION Cambodian people lost their lives during that time, a quarter, to a third of the entire population. 

A lot of them killed by disease, children armed with AK47’s, or suffocated with plastic bags, worked, or starved to death. Up to 90% of the intellectuals were murdered. 

The Khmer Rouge specifically targeted anyone perceived as educated or Western influenced. — teachers, doctors, engineers, monks, artists, and even people who simply wore glasses or spoke a foreign language.   

Little wonder that the people of Cambodia wanted no part of a war with their neighbour recently.

 Eventually, we did get around to visiting a. Couple of stores selling art supplies. The first reminded me of Woolworths, where I bought a sketchbook, some graphite pencils, and a craft knife. But I wasn’t impressed.

The second store we visited was different though. There they had every paint from household emulsion, to artist grade oils. I’m not sure about the quality of the paints, they are produced in China. But they have a good selection of brushes, pallet knives, and pallets at a fraction of the prices on offer in the UK.

As for canvasses, they are built to order, and I have yet to discover what I need to know regarding costs and where to buy them. But I know now I will soon be able to start working again.

Most of the artwork I have seen seems to be aimed primarily at the tourist market, so I don’t know how my work will be received when I do start producing my own, so initially I will be working solely for my own entertainment.

Wish me luck, cheers,

Toni