FACES & PLACES
PHOTO AND TEXT BY JONATHAN FEKET
For a foreigner travelling through Asia, every corner one turns offers the potential of a new experience or an encounter that could leave a lasting memory. But crossing overland into Cambodia made an impression on me altogether very different from that created by any other country I'd ever been to. The buildings and streets of Poipet have a war-torn feel to them and everything seems to be covered in a thin layer of red dust from the unsealed, laterite roads. Thailand was less than 300 metres from where I stood, yet the transformation was shocking.
I was quickly made aware of the presence of children - so many children, both vendors and beggars. They are relentless in their attempts to get money out of you. I wondered how they'd become so aggressive. Maybe they have spent their entire childhoods pressing foreigners for spare change. And to where does the cash they earn go? How many times are they told to get back to work by some adult standing in the shadows?
As they gave what I thought were very genuine smiles for the camera, maybe they were able to act like children again; to reclaim, even if just for a short moment in time, a childhood free from worry.
I created a black-and-white background using Photoshop because I felt that this best amplified the moment rather than the chaos surrounding these children - the chaos that is their life. I hope that they will all get the same chances that I have had, the opportunity to grow up and live a full and successful life. But I feel that the odds are stacked against them, somehow.
- Meeting locals makes your travels even more enriching. If you have interesting photos of such people and a memorable experience to share with other readers, email them to pongpetm@bangkokpost.co.th.
The photos must be sent as jpeg files (at least 1MB in size), and the text as document files.
Horizons reserves the right to select and publish the photographs.
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