Pchum Ben (All Souls Day) 18-20 September 2009

The Town Empties Out Because Pchum Ben is a family festival—honoring the family's deceased members and ancestors—and because most people in Phnom Penh are not from Phnom Penh, the city basically empties out during this type of holiday. It is incredible how few people are around. It's like nothing that would ever be seen in a city in the United States.
	Most people who were going to leave Phnom Penh for the holiday left early--several days ago. Our deaf students went home last weekend. But there are always some who must stay for work or other reasons. Here a pickup taxi heads out of town with a load of last-minute departures going to the provinces.
	This is a major street in the Boeung Keng Kong I area of town. It is hard to believe how few people and vehicles are on the streets during Pchum Ben. It is as if the city had been evacuated.
	The people who stay in the city are those who must stay, like these guards in front of a closed bank branch.
	Farther away from the center of town, these are small shops shuttered for the holidays. The entire Pchum Ben festival is about two weeks. In the middle are three public holidays when everything closes down.
	This is the parking area of the Boeung Keng Kong Market. Normally it would be jammed with motorcycles.
	One of the main gates into the interior of the Boeung Keng Kong Market. For these three days, the rats have full reign.
	On the street outside the market, these few determined vendors maintained a presence during the holidays. Either they had no family to go to or no money to leave town or they just decided it wasn't worth the trip and that they would stay and try to make a few riel from the others who stayed and still needed to eat.
	On another street near the market, these large bundles on the edge of the street are great sacks of used clothing. On a normal market day, they are spread out on large sheets in five-foot high piles for people to pick through.