Cambodia — Day 2: Village Stop on my Siem Reap Tour

An uncomfortable experience

September 2015

This was an odd stop on the tour.

During day 2 of my tour around the Siem Reap area, we stopped at a local village to witness ‘village life’. The experience made me feel very uncomfortable.

I went to a house in the village and was introduced to the head of the household. Through my guide, I learnt about life in the village.

The experience made me feel uncomfortable. I felt that I was intruding. It felt awkward. It felt set up. It felt like a human zoo. It reminded me of my visit to the Tegallalang Rice Terraces in Bali, Indonesia.

I took a few photographs around the village and of the family I was visiting, and I asked to leave.

I have decided the only photograph from the visit I will share is of the rice fields. I feel very uncomfortable sharing the photographs of the family I visited, so I have decided not to include them in this post.