Moto Mania in Cambodia

There’s only one way to travel in Cambodia and that’s on a “moto”, a motorbike very similar to what my local postie uses. Where other places rely on taxis, the streets of Phnom Penh, the capital, overflow with mostly young male drivers carrying their pillion passengers, usually one but sometimes two.

Motos may be small, but most drivers treat them like V8 supercars, darting between lanes, running red lights and slamming on the breaks to avoid collisions. For passengers, especially tourists, it’s a case of holding on for dear life.

The reward for enduring a dusty and chaotic ride, not to mention the seemingly optional road rules, is a fast and exceptionally cheap journey. It’s also an adventurous and eye-opening way to experience the city — you’ll see everything from mum, dad and the kids covering every inch of paintwork on a single moto to couriers carrying a side of pork or crates of live chickens on the pillion seat.

The guy on the back of this moto was obviously on his way out for a night of fun. I was one of three on another moto, trying to both focus my camera and keep balance. This is the full frame of a shot taken with a 28mm lens — I must have been close enough to put my hand on his shoulder!

Beauties and the Beast

Okay, so it’s a bit unfair to call professional drag racer Brett Stevens a beast. But one has to admit he looks like he’s swallowed a fire-breathing dragon or at least a rainbow in this shot. He judged the 2005 Miss Summernats Beauty Contest at the 18th Summernats Car Festival, held each January in Canberra. I must confess that I had absolutely no idea about this man they call “The Boss” until I photographed him, including the fact that he heads the largest motorsport team in Australia. But we do have one thing in common: the amount of cameras I own almost matches his collection of world and national records.

The second shot shows the winning contestants: (from left to right) Rachael Eve (third); Tanya Lazarou (first); and Corrie Lee (second). I love the perfect, yet totally accidental placement of the sprocket holes, red lines and yellow lettering across their faces and thighs.

Crochet: Got You Covered

I know, it's hardly the usual thing I post, but I'm so proud to have crocheted my first beaded milk jug and sugar bowl covers, not to mention followed my first crochet patterns (considering all those abbreviations, that's no mean feat!).

After days of fruitless Googling, I got so frustrated with finding only two patterns — which were too difficult for a beginner anyway — that I took my friend Deb's advice and adapted and added glass pony beads to two simple doily patterns.

I do love hand-worked items from my grand mother's era, but patterns for "old-fashioned" items are so hard to come by. It seems they reside mostly now in little old ladies' heads, which makes their longevity fragile. For this reason, I've started scouring op-shops for tea cosy, slipper and bed jacket patterns. As a bonus, the hand-coloured photography in these is simply delightful.

Let me say a special "thank you" to Deb, who has been my wonderful crochet teacher for the last six-months. I should probably add that Rose Pirrone designed the original patterns I used, which featured in issue 62 of Hooked on Crochet magazine, published in 1997.