10-Day Photography Workshop, Cambodia

Workshop Cambodia – 3 July to 12 July
- 5 days in Phnom Penh, 2 days in Kampot, Kep and the Bocor and 3 days in Siam Reap

Cost: 1150 euros. The conditions of the workshop in Cambodia are exactly the same as those in Vietnam.

The workshop in Cambodia will be as follows:
5 days in Phnom Penh
3 days in Angkor and Siem Reap
2 days in Kampot, Kep and Bocor

21 to 30 January 2009 Photo workshop Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon):
10 days during the vietnam Tet (happy new year) 

Participants will be staying in double rooms at the Number One Hotel. This three-star hotel is located in the old part of the city – the heart of Saigon – in the midst of French colonial architecture, the Notre Dame Cathedral, and the Palace of Reunification. The district is very calm and surrounded by gardens – it was used as the setting for The Lover; a movie written by Marguerite Duras.
An ideal place to rest after a long day of exploring and photographing, there is a large roof garden with view of the city at your disposal. Each room has an ADSL connection that is very easy to use with your notebook, and allows you to work as well as remain in touch with friends and family back home. The rooms are spacious and very comfortable, with a generous breakfast served each morning.

In Phnom Penh, participants will be housed in a very nice three-star hotel with swimming pool, a quiet and safe place. It is located in the center of town, very near the Royal Palace, and only 500 meters from Riverside – one of the most important places of our photographic tour. We will travel from Phnom Penh to Angkor Wat by boat – a 5 hour trip along the Bassac river (a tributary of the Mae Kong), arriving at Tonle Sap lake and heading to Siem Reap (10 kilometers by road). Guests will be spending 3 days in Siem Reap city. The range of photography sites include Angkor Wat, rice plantations, countryside around various local temples, pagodas with monks, floating fishing villages on Tonle Sap lake, and the small colonial city of Siem Reap. Please note that the entrance fee for Angkor Wat is 60 dollars for a 3 day pass. This is a relatively high price, but largely rewarded by the beauty of the temples hidden in the jungle, covered with vines and vegetation. The trip from Phnom Penh to Kampot will be made by taxi, the trip takes approximately 3 hours. Participants will stay in Kep for three days in a simple, but very clean seaside hotel. We will spend 2 days on site between the city of Kampot and Kep. 60 years ago, Kep was the Saint Tropez of Cambodia, today it is a small abandoned town hidden away between the South China sea and an endless ocean of rice fields.The trip to the Bocor will be made by 4x4 jeeps, it is a 5 hour round trip to Kampot city. The road to Bocor is 33 kilometers of dense jungle, the landscape is savage and the scenery is really fantastic. The Bocor is an old French casino stuck in the middle of the jungle, in the past it was the site of many battles between Cambodian and Vietnamese soldiers. Now it is safe to explore as there has been no violence since 1998, but it still has a very mysterious atmosphere that creates a fascinating feeling. Life in Cambodia is very affordable, essentially the same costs as Vietnam.

There is a risk of malaria in the countryside, in particular on the riversides and/or near water sources and during the rainy season. There is no anti-malaria vaccine; good shoes or hiking boots are essential as are mosquito repellant and paracetamol. It is advised not to take any drug with Lariam or Novocain before coming to Cambodia as you risk fatigue, fever and faintness upon arrival. It is a good idea to cover your feet both day and night, and to sleep with a mosquito net. Then, if you eat properly and wash yourself regularly as a extra precautions, the risk of malaria is practically zero.

Temperatures in Cambodia are the same as Vietnam: it is hot all during the year. The dry and unbearable months are February, March and April, so for this reason no workshops are scheduled during this period. Monsoon season runs from May to October, but during this time the landscapes of the countryside (rice plantations...) are at their most beautiful, and colors are sublime.

The airline companies that service Cambodia are the same as those that go to Vietnam (see the methods of Vietnam trip). They all pass through Bangkok, and many flights have a connection to Phnom Penh each day – Thai Airways, Bangkok Airways, Air Asia, One Two Go all have this option. Malaysia Airlines has a flight with a two hour stop-over in Kuala Lampur each day from Europe landing in Phnom Penh – this option often has discount fares as well.

Like Vietnam, a visa is required to enter Cambodia and is valid for 30 days. It can be acquired upon arrival at the airport in Phnom Penh. You will be asked for 4 ID photographs, and 30 US dollars.

Nicolas Pascarel was born in Paris in 1966 and worked as a photographic reporter for over twenty years. Since the early 90’s, he has been spending most of his time in Naples and Havana, but has decided to return to his first passion – South East Asia – with the intention of remaining to work in the region for years to come. Nicolas did numerous workshops in 2000 and 2002 for the Royal Academy of the Fine Arts School of Phnom Penh; in 2002, 2003, 2006, 2007 and 2008 in the city of Chiang Rai in Northern Thailand; as well as in the city of Ho Chi Minh in Vietnam in 2005 and 2006. He often collaborates with a Cambodian NGO taking care of street children in Phnom Penh. He has exhibited his works in galleries across France, Italy, Germany, Holland, Spain, Cuba, Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia and China. He also created a documentary about Cambodia called “Durant la Pluie” (“During The Rain”) in 2004.

For more information about these magical destinations visit the website of Nicolas Pascarel and see his some of his exceptional images. To find out more about these worshops go to FotoAsia.org

Images & words Copyright © 2008 Nicolas Pascarel. All Rights Reserved.