Backbone
By: Mike Schwarz
The backbone to every city is rooted within its citizens and the streets they walk on. The unsung heroes of society - the street vendors, tuk tuk drivers, monks, seamstresses, and car mechanics - all packed into the narrow ribcage of this massive metropolis.
These unique individuals give a city it's distinctive and idiosyncratic character. Without them, no one could eat, sleep, or travel. They keep humanity’s engine running without recognition or praise. This photo essay is dedicated to these people, and the places they live.
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Cars pass by a religious monument in Siem Reap, Cambodia.
A girl smiles at her friends playing in the street in Phnom Penh's notorious street art district.
Two Cambodian monks in training pause for a photo in Phnom Penh. You can tell the origin of a monk based on the color of his robe: Cambodian or Thai: Yellow or Orange - Chinese or Korean: Brown, Grey, or Blue - Japanese: Black or Grey - Tibetan: Maroon, Yellow, or Orange
Soi Cowboy is a 150-meter long street dominated by the sex trade. Consisting of 40+ bars, it’s serves as the central hub for strip clubs and prostitution. Despite being illegal since 1960, prostitution is a well-documented trade in Thailand - generating over 6.4 billion dollars a year in revenue. It is estimated that there are over 2 million sex workers in Thailand - 800,000 of which are under the under the age of 18.
The son of a street vendor pauses while playing with his sister nearby his father’s stand in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
The sun reflects off the golden roof of a government building at the center of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Ho Chi Minh has the second highest motorcycle ownership in the world with over 7 million. That’s 20 motorcycles to every car.
Lanterns hang from a tree just outside of a hotel in the cultural district of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
This is Yun. Unlike Thai monks, Cambodian boys like Yun can start practicing as early as age 6 - becoming an ordained monk at 20. Buddhist monks occupy their own social class in Cambodia. They are pillars in the community, and participate in festivals, religious ceremonies, marriages, and funerals.
Each village has a spiritual center, or wat, where 5-70 monks reside depending on the town's population. Woman are also permitted to become nuns at an older age - often after becoming widowed. They shave their head and eyebrows, live with the monks, and play an important role in the wat's daily happenings. Together these revered individuals service Cambodia's 95% Buddhist population.
Tourists meandering outside of Angkor Wat - Cambodia. Stretching over 248 square-miles, this collection of ruins is considered to be the largest religious monument in the world.
Wan Tia, 30, sells a variety of meats cooked to order. Behind his stand is a charcoal grill that he regularly fans to keep alight. Wan has been a street vendor his entire life - and makes between 300 and 500 baht a day ($10-18usd).
Bangkok, Thailand.
Tuk Tuk driver - Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
A woman eats noodles outside a roadside stand in Bangkok, Thailand.
Garden by the Sea - Singapore
A girl holds on to the back of her father as they travel down a small alleyway on the family motorbike. It isn’t uncommon to see 2-3+ people riding on the same one-person bike - especially small children.
Nipon, a 48 year old street vendor in downtown Bangkok, sells assorted grilled meats on a busy street corner. Nipon fought hard for the rights to this location, and makes a great return on his investment. Each day he makes around 3,000 baht ($95usd), an impressive daily wage for Bangkok.
Phijit, a 32 year old Thai monk, stands outside a shop selling religious adornments, Buddha statues, and traditional robes. Phijit has been practicing for 12 years. There are over 300,000 monks, and 32,000 monasteries in Thailand. To become a monk you must be at least 20 years old, a man, and free of debt and disease. This lifestyle requires a great deal of discipline - as monks must abide by very specific set of rules (227 to be exact). These include not touching woman (even their mother), never driving a vehicle, and practicing chants, meditation, and worship techniques up to 10 hours a day.
1:23am - A girl rides with her mother on a motorcycle throughout the streets of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Ho Chi Minh now boasts over 7.43 million active motorcycles on its streets. Traffic accidents remain one of the highest causes of death in Vietnam - 30 times the number of people killed by pandemic diseases. In 2015 - 702 people were killed and 3,302 injured.
Two monks play a game on a bench in the bay of Singapore.
Cars pass by a roadside eatery serving fresh seafood, noodles, and meats.
12:05am - Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Monks admire the Ankgor Wat temple complex in Siem Reap, Cambodia.
A tourist admires the ruins of Ankgor Wat, in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Ticket sales to the ruins account for over 50% of Cambodia’s yearly international tourism - a point of pride that lead the government to place the temple on Cambodia’s flag in 1850. Built between 1113 and 1150, the construction took an estimated 300,000 workers, 6,000 elephants, 5 million tons of sandstone, and 35 years to complete.
Ankgor Wat, Cambodia
Laundry hangs to dry outside of homes along a canal in central Bangkok, Thailand.
A tuk tuk driver rests outside of the Angkor Wat Temple in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Many drivers escort tourists around the massive temple grounds on a flat day rate. While the families explore the centuries-old ruins - the tuk tuk drivers are able to rest, socialize, or grab a quick snack.
Men sing karaoke, eat, and enjoy a few cold beers after work in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
One of the many small streets winding its way through the center of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
A man sleeps outside of the Ankgor Wat temple complex in Cambodia
Kay Ut, chef and owner of a small outdoor restaurant near center city Bangkok, drains water from fresh noodles. Kay has owned the restaurant for over 20 years, and operates it with his wife and children.
A street vendor makes Num Banh Xeo - or Khmer Meat Crepes. Authentic Khmer uses an uncooked rice mixture (instead of flour) and pork to make a crepe. It is then filled with green onions, sweet fish sauce, sugar and black pepper. The vendor was selling one crepe for about 80 cents usd.
An alleyway deep in the Ben Thanh district of Ho Chi Minh. This was far and away my favorite aspect of this city. Here, in the dimly lit rib cage of Ho Chi Minh, you can find the best food, cheapest markets, and most interesting people.