Beneath the shadow of an ornate golden shrine of Buddha, a Buddhist nun fixes a hand woven bracelet around a visitors wrist and places a blessing.

Cambodian Buddhists annually celebrate Ben Pchum Ben or Hungry Ghost Festival, lasting 15 days based on the Khmer lunar calendar. For a period of 15 days concluding in October, it is believed that the door of hell is opened for ghosts to come up to human world to visit their relatives. The ghosts will look for their relatives or their relative’s offerings at pagodas.

According to belief, if individuals do not visit a shrine to offer food or go to a pagoda to throw rice balls during this festival, they will be cursed by the ghosts of their relatives and receive bad luck. Hence, during the festival it is common to see people at 4am throwing rice balls around the pagoda where their ghost relatives are waiting to pick up the rice balls and eat.

Angkor Wat, Cambodia.

The boys are strong and tough. Gaping smiles that are rarely flashed. As tight knit and as close as brothers can be. If it involved one brother, it involved all brothers.

Home equals a restaurant, a retail shop, and a tailor. Sometimes too it is a place of rest. Nearby an old dog slowly wanders the building interior, he’s like a respected but invisible elder. Many teeth are missing. He no longer has a need nor the energy to rush. The concept of new is now forgotten. The future that is yet to be seen has already been seen once before.

The rain continues to come. Heavy and in thunderous clusters carrying intent to bring the thatched roof to the ground. The boys quietly observe. They know precisely when it will cease. They wait with me with a curiousity that is distant.

Then eventually the rain finally stops.

Angkor Wat, Cambodia