Rooftops, Russians, and Repose

My friend Mout had an extra tripod and he gave it to me as a gift. I tried it out on the rooftop tonight. The weather was miserably hot, the air hazy and the sky uninteresting, but the buildings and rooftops always have character.

Canon EOS Rebel T7i, ES-F 18mm to 135mm, F1.3.5-5.6 (sorry I did not resize these photos so they may take a while to load).

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There are a few rooms in my apartment building which open up to the roof. While taking photographs, a guy came out of his room. I asked him where he was from, he said “Russia”. He asked me the same, I said “U.S.A.” We looked at each other and smiled. He said, as he made two fists and hit them together, “Our countries are like this.” “Yes” I replied, “but we are not, right?” We both laughed and shook hands. I hope this photo does not go viral. I wouldn’t want people to think I was colluding with the Russians! My new friend’s name is Slava. Why can’t we all just get along?

Finally, it is Khmer New Year. Thousands upon thousands of people flee the city to the countryside. I went out earlier for a cup of coffee. The main street is always a cacophony of cars, trucks, motorcycles, tuk-tuks, bicycles and people. Not today. The bustling city is in repose. I am celebrating New Year’s Day twice in 2018.