ADVENTUROUS SPIRIT PHOTOGRAPHY, THE WORK OF PEPPER K. ETTERS

Asia: Cambodia

Emerging from the ashes of its recent past, Cambodia has proven to be an incredible country. While it is difficult to escape the horrors, it is impossible not to be awed by the vibrant life that has emerged from such a dark period. As the country fights to regain lost time and traditions, an ancient energy beats through everyday life, deeply resonating with the memories of a flourishing past and fueling a realization that life is to be cherished.

Angkor Wat is lit dramatically as workers ready lights for December festivities.
   
A cheerful young Khmer girl plays her bamboo flute in an attempt to make a quick sale. It worked.
  
The houses of this fishing village are built on stilts over the river, highlighting their inhabitants' dependence upon the waters for survival.
     
  
A displaced Vietnamese woman makes the evening commute through a floating village on the Tonle Sap Lake.
   
Two monks rest in front of a small pond beneath the towers of Angkor Wat.
   
Over the years the carvings of Angkor have survived the elements, the Khmer Rouge and vandals, but numerous priceless statues have had to be repaired or replaced thanks to greedy thieves.
     
  
Two young girls avoid the mid-day heat outside the Bayon Temple.
   
Boat races are a key part of the Ban Om Touk Water Festival which celebrates the important reversal of the Tonle Sap River's flow. Here a team practices in the early morning for the upcoming events.
  
A local dog enjoys the last rays of light in a floating village on the Tonle Sap Lake.
     
  
A man rests in the early morning in a boat near Stung Treng.
   
A young monk enjoys a cool refreshment as the sun sets over Angkor Wat.
   
A few hilltribe children from a village outside Ban Lung rest in the doorway of their family's portion of a communal longhouse.
     
  
A pair of children paddle a makeshift raft across a small lake in Phnom Phen.
   
An elderly lady rests in the shade of her small hut outside of Ban Lung.
   
A trio of monks rests atop the steps of one of Angkor Wat's smaller temples.
     
  
The multiple heads of the Bayon, one of the Angkor Complex's most impressive sights, are said to be likenesses of King Jayaverman VII and the Budha.
  
A buddhist monk walks down an empty corridor at Angkor Wat.
   
This buddhist nun tends to one of many sacred shrine's scattered throughout the bayon and the rest of Angkor Wat's impressive temples.
     
  
Two young monks rest in the afternoon light beneath the towers of Angkor Wat.
   
A khmer man who fell victim to the countless mines littering the Cambodian countryside plays traditional music in an attempt to sustain himself.
  
A young boy surveys the scene from the safety of his threshold while his sister plays on a traditional elephant saddle in this small hill tribe village.
     
  
Remnants of Cambodia's painful past, guns and explosives have now become a tourist attraction. Here a hand grenade is passed over to an inexperienced tourist for a small price at a shooting range outside the capital, Phnom Phen.