Day 4: The Ruluos Group
13th June
I woke up early and spent the morning reading Patrick O'Brian and contemplating the dreary weather. After a late breakfast, and a consultation with Mr Sang (he was of the opinion that the rain had stopped for today), we set off for the Ruluos group.
We must have been the only people crazy enough to try and photograph in the rain. I actually took photos at Lolei and Preah Ko, juggling a camera and poncho, then juggling a camera and umbrella. I've come to the conclusion that all those atmospheric rain shots of Angkor Wat in Jaroslav Poncar's Angkor Revisited and Steve McCurry's Sanctuary require either
(a) extra limbs to hold camera and umnbrella
(b) superb waterproofing for camera
(c) an umrella-wallah to stand over you holding one of those breach umbrellas
or
(d) enough money that you just don't care about getting your cameras wet.
As it was, we enjoyed a nice spell of non-rain at the Bakong. There was a mute girl at Bakong, playing in the rain and the puddles. I remember thinking to myself "What a wonderfully expressive child, such communicative gestures and such an expressive face", then realising that she probably had to be this expressive to make up for not being able to speak.
We climbed to the top of the Bakong, snapped away happily, and in a rare moment of good timing, the first raindrop arrived just as I wound home my last shot for the day and felt the winder stick. Took that as sign that we were done for the day, and chugged home on the tuk-tuk to sleep the afternoon away.
(Now, if I had been shooting on a digital camera, I would probably have spent the afternoon editing merrily away, but as it was, sleeping was the only thing to do)
I woke up early and spent the morning reading Patrick O'Brian and contemplating the dreary weather. After a late breakfast, and a consultation with Mr Sang (he was of the opinion that the rain had stopped for today), we set off for the Ruluos group.
We must have been the only people crazy enough to try and photograph in the rain. I actually took photos at Lolei and Preah Ko, juggling a camera and poncho, then juggling a camera and umbrella. I've come to the conclusion that all those atmospheric rain shots of Angkor Wat in Jaroslav Poncar's Angkor Revisited and Steve McCurry's Sanctuary require either
(a) extra limbs to hold camera and umnbrella
(b) superb waterproofing for camera
(c) an umrella-wallah to stand over you holding one of those breach umbrellas
or
(d) enough money that you just don't care about getting your cameras wet.
As it was, we enjoyed a nice spell of non-rain at the Bakong. There was a mute girl at Bakong, playing in the rain and the puddles. I remember thinking to myself "What a wonderfully expressive child, such communicative gestures and such an expressive face", then realising that she probably had to be this expressive to make up for not being able to speak.
We climbed to the top of the Bakong, snapped away happily, and in a rare moment of good timing, the first raindrop arrived just as I wound home my last shot for the day and felt the winder stick. Took that as sign that we were done for the day, and chugged home on the tuk-tuk to sleep the afternoon away.
(Now, if I had been shooting on a digital camera, I would probably have spent the afternoon editing merrily away, but as it was, sleeping was the only thing to do)
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