Khmer Youth

Cambodia is home to a people unlike any others I have encountered. Despite numerous hardships in their present and recent history, it's inhabitants emit a warmth and openness that surely must rank among Asia's, if not the planet's most vibrant.

Khmer youth compose the majority, with over fifty percent of the population under the age of twenty five. They are the most visible and captivating transceivers of this extraordinary affability.

They doubtlessly inherit some of this good nature

from their parents and elders, but I believe much of it is produced from within as a result of absolute gusto of life, land and nature.

Their smiles and voices fill all the airs of the Kingdom and provide a backdrop that make an already physically beautiful landscape so much richer with human presence.

The country and it's inhabitants will always hold a special place in my thoughts, and photographs such as these will do their best to keep them alive until the next occasion I'm able to cross it's borders.