Caged hydrant

A fire hydrant in a cage in Rangoon, Burma (Yangon, Myanmar).

A post-rain run

I lived next door to these brothers during part of my fieldwork. This photograph was taken at the end of a torrential downpour. As the sun was setting, a rainbow appeared in the sky. These boys took the break in the rain to run in the garden, slide in the mud, and expend a days's worth of energy.

Harvesting rice

Harvesting rice is labour intensive, backbreaking, hot, and itchy. That did not stop Thavy from posing for a photograph!

Wedding

Weddings are a joyous event in Cambodia, celebrated for three days by family and friends. I was fortunate to be invited to the wedding banquet of the young woman on the right (my research assistant is at the left). The bride is shown here in one of eight outfits she wore for the celebration.

Boat races

The Water Festival is celebrated throughout Cambodia in late October, early November every year. It celebrates not only end of six months of rains, the change in the direction of the Tonle Sap River, and the cooling of temperatures. It also honours the historical strength of the Khmer navy through boat races that take place on the Siem Reap and Mekong Rivers.

West Baray

Sunset on the West Baray.

Water blessing

My research assistant is pictured here receiving a water blessing by a Buddhist monk. She had suffered a series of illnesses and motorbike accidents and a kru hakom (a type of spiritual leader) had a vision that she would suffer another, more serious, affliction in the future. As prophylaxis, she asked the monk to bless her, and cleanse her, with water, after which she felt lighter and less afraid of her future.

Cupping

This image was taken in Siem Reap, Cambodia, where I conducted my PhD fieldwork in medical anthropology. The nun in this image is having cupping, a traditional therapy common in many parts of Asia, performed on her. A flame is passed inside the glass cup to burn the oxygen, allowing the cup to suction onto the skin. The belief is that the cups will draw the illness-inducing heat to the surface of the body, providing relief.