Roadside Wedding Parties

November 8, 2013

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One of the delights of pedaling along the dusty back roads of Cambodia, was coming upon a roadside wedding party. There were days when we encountered a half dozen of them. Large colorful tents are erected on the side of the road to provide needed shade for the ceremony and celebration. Most of the time on rural roads, those tents boundaries can come all the way out into the middle of the road. No one seemed to mind slowing down to negotiate these wedding chicanes.

Tents are set up, speakers are raised on poles, and music blasted throughout the community. A live band often plays during the ceremony, and the recording below is from a wedding we encountered north of Kampong Saom (aka Sihanoukville). The wedding party was out on the side of the road waiting to enter the big tent. Many had gifts for the bride and groom: baskets of fruit, cases of beer, platters of meat and vegetables, even two live ducks.

We smiled and waved – two cyclists in the midst of our journey, watching two young people begin a life's journey of their own.

Photos by Willie Weir and Kat Marriner

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SIGHTS AND SOUNDS is posted every other Friday. Willie Weir is a columnist for Adventure Cyclist magazine. His latest book Travels with Willie: Adventure Cyclist will inspire you to hit the road and just might change the way you approach bicycle travel. He lives in Seattle with his wife Kat. You can read about their adventures at http://yellowtentadventures.com.