Angkor Wat

The temple complex of Angkor Wat, dating from the early 12th century, lies at the center of the once great empire of Angkor. Today, there remains over 100 stone temples, with Angkor Wat as the crowning glory. Built in honor of the Hindu god, Vishnu, the comlpex represents a mythic land of mountains and sea. Angkor is Cambodia's symbol and a source of great pride for the Khmer people.

A quiet moment inside the walls of the temple complex, as the sun goes down.


The walls of the temple are covered with the most intricate carvings; here, an Apsara or temple dancer.


Although the temple was dedicated to a Hindu god, Cambodia is now a nation of Buddhists and shrines are all dedicated to the Buddha.


The jungle surrounding the temple complex is home to a troop of monkeys. They make appearances throughout the day, in hopes of being fed by tourists and locals.

To see the rest of my favorite pictures from Angkor Wat, please visit the following link:

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Angkor Wat, Cambodia

Sep 16, 2006 - 80 Photos

 

The Ancient Temple Complex of Sambor Prey Kuk

Just outside the town of Kompong Thom, along a horribly maintained dirt (or mud, in our case) road, is the ruined temple complex, Sambor Prey Kuk. The complex was built as part of a once great empire in the 7th century. These are the oldest temples in Cambodia, and their location happens to be part of their ruin - during the Vietnam war, this area was heavily bombed by US troops, and many of the temples were damaged or destoyed.

The ancient temples lie in a beautiful setting, the jungle revealing its' secret treasure only as you explore.


The jungle is slowly overtaking some of the temples.


Inside a couple of the temples remain ancient deities, which has allowed some study of the ancient culture.


One pleasant surprise - there are no tourists; in fact, we were the only people to visit all day. We had 30 small tour guides at our disposal, whether we wanted it or not.

To see the rest of my favorite photos from that day, please visit the following link:

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Sambor Prey Kuk

Sep 16, 2006 - 34 Photos

 

Around Kompong Cham

Kompong Cham is only slightly trodden on the usual tourist path in Cambodia, known best for it's pre-Angkorian temple. But, we were given some advice from a couple of ex-patriats who said that we should stick around for a few days because there were some great sights to take in. We took that advice, and were glad we did, because this area ended up being one of our favorites in Cambodia.

Wat Nokor is a temple complex from the 11th century and is surrounded by many colorful stories and legends. In the ruins of the old Wat, they have built a new one; some may say that the juxtaposition of new with old is a bit garish, but I think it proves for a great contrast, especially when you are confronted with a riot of color inside the temple.

On the grounds of the Maha Leap Pagoda Complex stands one of the few remaining wooden pagodas in Cambodia, the others having been destroyed by the Khmer Rouge.

The finest silk fabircs in Cambodia are traditionally hand woven in the village of Prey Chung Kran.

We had the opportunity to work with a mission's organization from the States and got to play games with the local kids for the day.

To see the rest of the pictures in this collection, please visit the following link:

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Around Kompong Cham

Sep 13, 2006 - 89 Photos

Around Kratie, Cambodia

The town of Kratie, in the North-East of Cambodia, lies along the banks of the Mekong river. One of the main reasons to visit is to see the rare freshwater Irrawaddy Dolphin, which lives in the deeper pools in this one area of the Mekong River. While we were there, we also rented a small motorcycle for the day, in order to visit some of the outlying villages.

Rooftops in the town of Kratie.

To see the Irrawaddy Dolphin, you ride in a small boat to the middle of this huge river, the driver then cuts the engine and floats downstream. If you are lucky, which we were, the dolphins will appear, usually in pairs, and swim past you close enough to see them. The proceeds raised go to a conservation project headed by the World Wildlife Fund in cooperation with the Cambodian people.

The 108-Column temple, about 40 km North-East of Kratie, along the Mekong River, is over 500 years old. Many residents of the Kratie area come to this Wat as part of a pilgrimage.

Our favorite part of this day was seeing all of the children who would run out of their homes just to yell "hello" to us as we rode past. And when we stopped, they were usually not too shy to approach us or have their picture taken.

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Kratie

Sep 13, 2006 - 39 Photos

Phnom Penh, Cambodia

We arrived in Phnom Penh only to be greated by the chaos that awaits you as you leave the airport. Anybody who has been to any Asian country knows what I am refering to: dozens, if not a hundred, touts waiting for the westerner with a tired, vulnerable look, and they are ready to pounce on you before you know what is happening and wisk you away to the hotel of their choice at an incredibly high taxi rate so they can get a hefty commission. This is what we encountered, but we were ready for it, even being newbies and fresh on the Asia boat. The experience was a little unnerving and it did take me a couple of days to get my sea legs, but once I did, I fell in love with a country and its' people.

If I had to define Cambodia and the Khmer people as a whole, I would say they are a highly spiritual people, very devoted to their faith in Buddhism and to their families, and have a strong desire to rebuild their country and prosper. The lotus flower is a strong symble of their Buddhist faith.

At the heart of the capital city of Phnom Pehn, is the Royal Palace, a huge complex of Royal and Spiritual Buildings, and the residence of the King.

One cannot talk about Cambodia and not mention the harship this country has been through. During the communist regime of the Khmer Rouge, people were tortured and savagely killed. The Killing Fields, where many educated people and children of Phnom Penh lost their lives, are a solemn reminder of this.

The people, in spite of al they have been through, maintain a happiness, and a joy of living that is truly inspiring and is evidenced in the community atmosphere.

Please see more pictures at our web Album.

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Phnom Penh

Sep 13, 2006 - 11 Photos

The Singapore Zoo

This may sound silly to some of you, but one of the main reasons we wanted to visit Singapore was to see the zoo; we had heard that it was unlike any other zoo in the world, because their exhibits were done such that you felt like you were viewing them not in a cage, behind bars, but in a natural setting. I know people who feel that zoos are horrible places, and I would agree that the older zoos are not the perfect environment for an animal, but I have always felt that zoos are very important for education about conservation and for connecting people to the wild world that we coexist with. They also play a huge role in trying to save endangered species, and the Singapore Zoo is no exception. I also have to say, that after visiting the Zoo, I was not disppointed, and will very likely visit again some day.

Watching the families of over 70 Hamadryas Baboons was awesome. Normally you see two or three animals and they look completely bored, but to see multiple family groups interacting, and with many young involved, it reminded me of the chaos of some human families!

Mahoots demonstrate the work capabilities of their elephant companions.

We got the chance to hand feed captive-bred Manatees, another species that is in danger of extinction.

White Bengel Tiger. The zoo has three of these beautiful animals.

To see the rest of the pictures from our visit to the Singapore zoo, please visit our web album.

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The Singapore Zoo

Sep 12, 2006 - 33 Photos

Singapore

Singapore. Our entry point and first time in Asia. What can I say about our short time in this city/country? It was hot, sticky, and spotlessly clean. I was miserable, and yet I remember nothing but good things. Beautiful old architecture matched with towering, sparkling new buildings, amazing shopping areas where you can buy anything in the world, great food minus the fact that western-invented Singapore Street Noodles don't actually exhist, a harmonious combination of Asian cultures, and an amazing array of wildlife.

The city of Singapore is a mix of skyrise buildings, old colonial architecture, small areas of distinct cultures such as Chinatown and Little India, green spaces, traffic, and shopping.

The city is surprisingly western, sporting yellow-taxi cabs, cool buildings, huge shopping malls, and a dizzying amount of traffic.

I suppose the reason the city is so clean and ticks so well is that they pretty much threaten to bankrupt you if you do anything out of line. Riding a bicycle through this tunnel will cost you $1000 Singapore Dollars!

To see the entire collection of pictures from our time in the city, please click on the following image.

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Singapore

Sep 13, 2006 - 19 Photos

Sydney, Our Home Away From Home

After travelling around Australia for almost 2 months, we wanted to take a break and settle into somewhere for a couple of weeks before we headed to Asia. We decided to look for a short-term rental and lucked out in finding a fully furnsihed place for well-below our budget. And, it came with a California-style 10 million dollar view.

A look at the familiar skyline at sunset from a boat on the harbor.

This is a look at the view from our apartment balcony. We enjoyed a view of North Sydney, the Harbor Bridge, the Botanical Gardens, the Sydney Opera House, and the Harbor. Plus, we had Sulphur Crested Cockatoos that came to visit us daily for a little bite to eat.

A view of the Sydney Opera House from the Promenade


To see the entire collection of pictures from our time in Sydney, please click on the following image to visit our web album.

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Sydney, Our Home Away From Home

Sep 1, 2006 - 36 Photos

The Great Barrier Reef, Australia

pThe Great Barrier Reef, as everyone knows, lies off the Northeast coast of Australia, with the city of Cairns at the heart of the diving culture there. The thing that I didn't realize is that the reef itself lies, on average, about 30 kms offshore, with some of the best dives sights a days boat trip away. Diving this reef has been a dream of ours ever since we were SCUBA certified over 10 years ago. In order to get as many dives in as possible in the short amount of time that we had, we joined a 3-day live-aboard dive cruise and were able to get in 11 dives.

The Reef itself is an amazing and almost unexpected sight as you spend almost 3 hours in open water to reach it, then suddenly, far enough out that you can barely make out land, you find yourself in water not more than 30 meters deep.

Below the waves, the reef reveals itslef as an amazing ecosystem. There are so many different types of corals, hard and soft.


Fish are present in huge numbers.


And, of course, there are the ever familiar green sea turtles...

To see our full album of pictures from the reef (I have to give Rion all the credit here, as he took all the underwater photos you will see), check out the following image to be taken to our Web Album.

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Great Barrier Reef

Sep 1, 2006 - 85 Photos