Here are some obligatory holiday pics:
Temples
Carvings
Batik
Fashion advice
Beer
Good times.
Showing posts with label temples. Show all posts
Showing posts with label temples. Show all posts
Sunday, 2 May 2010
Jogya Jaunt
We took a trip to Jogjakarta, a good test of how much Bahasa Indonesia was still lodged in the dusty crevices of my mind. Quite a lot as it turned out. I hadn't been to Jogya since I was in High School but it was still very recognisable, just more hotels now and becak drivers have cell phones.
Here are some obligatory holiday pics:
Temples
Batik
Here are some obligatory holiday pics:
Temples
Batik
Saturday, 13 February 2010
Siem Reap, 2010
I'm just back from a visit to the Temples of Angkor Wat in Cambodia. I'm officially all templed out. We took Tuk Tuks for bum numbing periods and saw sunsets and sunrises and all the hours in between, did the Small Tour, the Grand Tour and the Back-of-bloody-beyond tour. Climbed over, under and through things and got sore knees from that and sore shoulders and necks from the cameras and other "necessities" we carried with us.
It's going to be quite a job to pick through the hundreds of pictures taken, there're bound to be a few decent ones between them, but in the meantime, here's a few:
One of the large stone elephants at Mebon
Also at Mebon, stone balancing seems to be all the rage.
Intricate carving seen at a temple the name of which temporarily slips my mind - I'll need to look it up
The south entrance to Bayon at sunrise
The same entrance with local brushmakers heading out to work
A yellow flower in honour of Tet, I'll be out taking pictures of the Tet floral displays tomorrow so expect lots more yellow.
It's going to be quite a job to pick through the hundreds of pictures taken, there're bound to be a few decent ones between them, but in the meantime, here's a few:
One of the large stone elephants at Mebon
Also at Mebon, stone balancing seems to be all the rage.
Intricate carving seen at a temple the name of which temporarily slips my mind - I'll need to look it up
The south entrance to Bayon at sunrise
The same entrance with local brushmakers heading out to work
A yellow flower in honour of Tet, I'll be out taking pictures of the Tet floral displays tomorrow so expect lots more yellow.
The man took pictures this time too, apparently it's marginally less boring than just waiting for me to take them, and so his first real contribution to this blog might appear very soon.
Tuesday, 5 August 2008
Laos, Plain of Jars
This summer we stayed (relatively) local and did a round trip from HCMC, to Thailand and Laos then back through the North of Vietnam stopping at Hanoi, Hoi An and Hue before heading back down here. We have a side trip to Singapore sorted for the weekend but that doesn't count as holidays because it's mainly opticians and knicker multi packs.
This time we visited Xieng Khuang province, home of the giant and mysterious stone jars and one of the most bombed areas in the most bombed country in the world. MAG, the Mines Advisory Group gives good information on unexploded bomb clearance projects in Laos.
Meanwhile: Pictures
Jars, purpose unknown.
There are thousands to see, and almost as many will make it to the Flickr account, click on any picture to take you there where you can spend hours looking at someone elses holiday pictures. Irresistible.
The Mines Advisory Group are doing a good job but it's a vast undertaking.
Below is a marker identifying the end of the safe zone. There's no way I was crossing it.
The results of further bombing are all too visible in the old capital city of Xieng Khuang, Muang Khoung, flattened with only a few exceptions.
Here, the ruins of a hospital built by the French during their tenure.
In the same area is a ruined temple, the Buddha still nearly intact but showing terrible ravages.
More on Laos later, I'm still organising the pictures I took.
This time we visited Xieng Khuang province, home of the giant and mysterious stone jars and one of the most bombed areas in the most bombed country in the world. MAG, the Mines Advisory Group gives good information on unexploded bomb clearance projects in Laos.
Meanwhile: Pictures
Jars, purpose unknown.
There are thousands to see, and almost as many will make it to the Flickr account, click on any picture to take you there where you can spend hours looking at someone elses holiday pictures. Irresistible.
The Mines Advisory Group are doing a good job but it's a vast undertaking.
Below is a marker identifying the end of the safe zone. There's no way I was crossing it.
The results of further bombing are all too visible in the old capital city of Xieng Khuang, Muang Khoung, flattened with only a few exceptions.
Here, the ruins of a hospital built by the French during their tenure.
In the same area is a ruined temple, the Buddha still nearly intact but showing terrible ravages.
More on Laos later, I'm still organising the pictures I took.
Saturday, 16 February 2008
Cambodia, Angkor Wat, Siem Reap
Cambodia was a very interesting destination, we flew in from Singapore cheaper than we could do from HCMC, Vietnam Airlines has the monopoly on flights from here and charge accordingly.
Unfortunately I was a bit unwell during this visit and it showed in the number and quality of photographs I took. There were so many other things I wish I'd captured but I suspect I'll be back at some time.
Meanwhile, some pictures of Angkor Wat which was the reason for going to Siem Reap:
We hired a Tuk Tuk for one and a half days and headed out at about 4pm to get our tickets for the following day, this also gives you access to the temple complex in the evening so the plan was to head to a high spot and see the sunset.
And see the sunset we did along with half the visitor population of Siem Reap it seemed. The steps up are very steep and narrow, I enjoyed watching people negotiate them in heels.
We headed out again early the next morning and started at the Angkor Wat complex. It was fairly quiet at this time of day.
People were going about their everyday business and it felt quite tranquil
Also the resident primates were about.
Although I caught this one in repose they're packed full of attitude and will steal anything they can pry from your grip.
From there we went to Bayon:
The entrance causeway is flanked by these imposing demons, the other side has more benign figures of Buddha but I liked these, they reminded me of a New Zealand tug of war team.
The Bayon complex was my favourite, I enjoyed the massive structures and giant smiles. If I were to go again I'd go first thing in the morning or last thing at night as the light changes.
From here we went to Ta Prohm, the temple complex taken over by the jungle, it was awe inspiring and nicely shaded in the heat of the day.
As always there are more pictures on the flickr account if you're not satiated yet but fewer than normal as my lack of photographic skills were horribly exposed on this visit.
It's very busy, there are touts and hawkers everywhere, it's hell on the knees climbing the steep steps but despite all this if you're in this part of the world it would be a sin to miss out on it.
Unfortunately I was a bit unwell during this visit and it showed in the number and quality of photographs I took. There were so many other things I wish I'd captured but I suspect I'll be back at some time.
Meanwhile, some pictures of Angkor Wat which was the reason for going to Siem Reap:
We hired a Tuk Tuk for one and a half days and headed out at about 4pm to get our tickets for the following day, this also gives you access to the temple complex in the evening so the plan was to head to a high spot and see the sunset.
And see the sunset we did along with half the visitor population of Siem Reap it seemed. The steps up are very steep and narrow, I enjoyed watching people negotiate them in heels.
We headed out again early the next morning and started at the Angkor Wat complex. It was fairly quiet at this time of day.
People were going about their everyday business and it felt quite tranquil
Also the resident primates were about.
Although I caught this one in repose they're packed full of attitude and will steal anything they can pry from your grip.
From there we went to Bayon:
The entrance causeway is flanked by these imposing demons, the other side has more benign figures of Buddha but I liked these, they reminded me of a New Zealand tug of war team.
The Bayon complex was my favourite, I enjoyed the massive structures and giant smiles. If I were to go again I'd go first thing in the morning or last thing at night as the light changes.
From here we went to Ta Prohm, the temple complex taken over by the jungle, it was awe inspiring and nicely shaded in the heat of the day.
As always there are more pictures on the flickr account if you're not satiated yet but fewer than normal as my lack of photographic skills were horribly exposed on this visit.
It's very busy, there are touts and hawkers everywhere, it's hell on the knees climbing the steep steps but despite all this if you're in this part of the world it would be a sin to miss out on it.
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