The Great Trip Photo Blog

McLeod Ganj, India: Home of the Dalai Lama

Rion and Anissa — Sun, 07 Jan 2007 19:41:00 +0000

It is a sad story that started over 50 years ago and continues to this day, although it seems to be thought of as an incident of the past. Over 130,000 Tibetans live in exile in India and throughout the rest of the world. Those that still live in their homeland live in a police state and are forbidden to say the Dalai Lama’s name or carry his picture and the Tibetan flag is outlawed; the penalty is time in a Chinese prison. We met former monks who were tortured in Chinese prison for their beliefs and to this day still suffer from their injuries. While we were in Nepal (stories yet to come), a couple of Tibetan nuns were shot in the back by Chinese soldiers as they tried to escape over the Himalayas, and yet the incident was ignored by the international community. This tragedy of human injustice is still happening and it seems as if the world has abandoned the Tibetans to their fate.

McLeod Ganj, in the Himalayan region of India, is the home of the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan government in exile. For those of you not familiar with the Dalai Lama, he is the rightful spiritual and political leader of Tibet, an area now encompassed within China. China invaded this peaceful Buddhist Kingdom at the ‘roof of the world’ in the early 1950’s, feeling that they were helping a poor nation in need by giving them infrastructure and reuniting the Tibetan and Chinese cultures, when in reality, they massacred thousands of Tibetans and nearly destroyed their way of life with the “Cultural Revolution” where hundreds of monasteries were destroyed, monks were killed and forced to kill each other at gunpoint and forbidden to practice their religion, and the Dalai Lama, in 1959, was forced to flee to India on foot over the Himalayas, in fear of his life and the lives of his people. Since then, thousands have followed him, trying to rebuild their lives and retain their fleeting culture, but many have died trying to make the journey. Each pilgrim that reaches McLeod Ganj is personally greeted and welcomed by the Dalai Lama himself. In 1989, the Dalai Lama received the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts in trying to free his country in a peaceful manner. Rion and I were hoping to hear him speak during our visit, but he happened to be in Canada at the time.

Bare Himalayan peaks rise above the green mountainous landscape of McLeod Ganj. Lhasa, the former capital of Tibet, lies in a valley on the Tibetan plateau, at 3800 meters.

The Tibetan Handicrafts Coop is one organization that keeps the craft of traditional carpet weaving alive.

Tsuglag Khang is the Dalai Lama’s temple complex, comparable in function to the Potala Palace in Lhasa. It houses the main temple, the monastic body, and the home of the Dalai Lama.

Surrounding the temple complex is a meditation trail lined with many shrines and prayer flags. Monks, nuns, and pilgrims walk this trail in a clockwise direction, carrying prayer beads and saying prayers.

To see more pictures from McLeod Ganj, please visit the following link

McLeod Ganj, India: Home to the Dalai Lama

Amritsar, India

Rion and Anissa — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 19:12:00 +0000

Amritsar, near the India-Pakistan border, is the spiritual and cultural center of the Sikh religion. Inside the walls of the chaotic old city is the Harimandir Sahib, better known as the Golden Temple, the most sacred site in Sikhism.

Inside the walls of the temple complex, pilgrims pray and bathe in the holy waters that surround the temple. There is also a free kitchen and dorms and all people, regardless of sex or faith are welcome.

A Sikh pilgrim, enjoying some shade inside the temple complex at midday.

Another reason to visit Aurangabad is to see the flag lowering ceremony at the India-Pakistan Wagah Border crossing. It is a spectacle that I think is an absolute must-see and thousands of people, on both sides of the border, show up every evening to watch the pomp of it all.

The audience first gets involved by running to and from the gate with flags from their country, followed by a bit of dancing. Then, the guards steal the show by marching at each other, while showing as much contempt for the other side as possible with their bodies instead of their guns, by stomping their feet, gesturing with thumbs, and getting in each others’ faces, and it is all completely choreographed! The crowds’ excitement surges as they finally lower the flags, at the exact same pace, of course, so one country doesn’t look better than the other, and with a brief handshake the gates are slammed shut one last time. It’s pure, brilliant male machismo at its’ finest.

To see more pictures, please visit the following link:

Amritsar, India

Ellora Cave Temples

Rion and Anissa — Sat, 30 Dec 2006 14:21:00 +0000

About 30 km from Aurangabad, India are the Ellora Cave Temples, a series of religious temples cut out of the solid rock of the hillside during the 5th to 10th centuries. These are truly spectacular to see, especially knowing that each temple is hewn from a single piece of rock, even the columns that appear to be supporting the structures! There are 34 caves in total, and include Buddhist, Hindu, and Jain temples and monasteries. The Anjanta Caves nearby are just as impressive, especially with their beautiful paintings that remain to this day, but unfortunately we did not have time to see them on this trip.

Langur Monkeys goof around on motorcycles in front of one of the Buddhist temples. The Buddhist temples are the oldest, created between the 5th and 7th centuries.

Buddha sits in the middle of other carved figures.

The Hindu temples were carved around the 7th century. This is the Kailasa Temple, which is the largest monolithic structure in the world and took over 100 years to complete. It was carved to represent Mt. Kailash in Tibet, which is the home of the god Shiva.

The Jain temples are smaller than the Buddhist and Hindu temples, but are so beautiful with their intricate carvings.

To see more pictures from Ellora, please visit the following link:

Ellora Cave Temples

Aurangabad, India

Rion and Anissa — Thu, 28 Dec 2006 17:01:00 +0000

Aurangabad, named after the 17th century Mughal Sultan, Aurangazeb, is just a few hours east of Mumbai and is probably best known for being the town near the Ellora and Ajanta Cave Temples (pictures from Ellora in another blog entry), which were carved out of solid rock over 1000 years ago . The town itself is kind of shabby, but there are some great sites.

There are cave temples in Aurangabad, but they are not as well known as those at Ellora and Ajanta. There are 10 Buddhist temples from the 6th and 7th centuries, carved out of solid rock in the hillside.

The Panchakki, or water mill complex, was an engineering marvel of its time. Built in the 17th century by Sufi Saint Baba Shah Musafir, an aqueduct piped in water which was then used to operate a mill to grind flour. On the grounds of the complex is the tomb of the saint.

No, this is not the Taj Mahal (we did not get to see the real deal this time), this is the Bibi-Ka Maqbara (translated, tomb of the lady), which was built in the late 17th century by Emperor Aurangazeb and his son, as a memorial to wife and mother. It is slightly smaller than the Taj Mahal and is less ornamented, but the gardens are beautiful and there are fewer tourists! Locals affectionately call it the ‘Mini-Taj’.

The small mosque has beautiful architecture in white marble.

To see more of my favorite pictures from Aurangabad, please visit the following link:

Aurangabad, India

Mumbai, India

Rion and Anissa — Tue, 12 Dec 2006 10:11:00 +0000

Insane traffic, horribly overcrowded markets, beautiful old buildings that rival any in Europe, yet, they are neglected and dirty from age and pollution, massive poverty and human neglect, gobs of money, Bollywood glamour, people covered in pink tikka powder celebrating in the streets at all hours of the day and night to drums and flutes, and 48 hours straight inside a hotel room drinking electrolytes, nibbling on grilled cheese sandwiches, and watching Indiana Jones movies on the laptop while trying to combat whatever bug I had gotten this time... Welcome to Mumbai.

The Gateway to India, opened in 1924, was built to commemorate the first ever visit of a British Monarch in 1911. This is the spot where a lot of visitors start their tour of Mumbai. It is also a popular gathering place for Indian tourists and a good place to people watch, or in our case, to get watched by people. Westerners are still a huge curiosity in India.

This group of Muslim and Hindu women were fascinated by Rion.

Midday taxi traffic around the train station, to the left. The buildings in the old colonial part of Mumbai really are so beautiful. But, for some reason, a lot of the buildings are in a state of disrepair.

We were there during the week-long Ganesh festival, a celebration of the god's birthday. During this time, people hang thousands of lights and set off fireworks, drive or cart around statues of Ganesh, douse each other in tikka powder, and play music and dance in the streets. It's pure, beautiful chaos.

To see more pictures from Mumbai, please visit the following link:

Mumbai, India

First Impressions of India: Pondicherry

Rion and Anissa — Mon, 11 Dec 2006 18:57:00 +0000

From Thailand, we flew to Chennai, India and took a locals bus (that, my friends, would take an entire book to explain) to Pondicherry, one of the few cities in India that used to be a French colony. Think French Colonial atmosphere with a strong dose of jasmine and curry.

Pondicherry is on the Bay of Bengel, and the beachfront promenade is a good place to talk a walk or sit and watch the local kids.

India has it's fair share of religions, but Hinduism is still the most widely practiced. In Pondicherry, Ganesh, the god of wisdom and wealth, reigns supreme.

Although, there is also a small Catholic community and a couple of Catholic churches.

As dirty as India can be, we discovered that there are always splashes of color and beauty.

Around Kanchanaburi, Thailand

Rion and Anissa — Mon, 11 Dec 2006 13:32:00 +0000

Kanchanaburi is a very infamous place, due to the fact that the Death Railway made its way through this area of Thailand. During WWII, it was very strategic for the Japanese to have a railway that went from Bangkok to Burma. To get the project done, they enlisted laborers and forced Allied POW's to build to the tracks. They worked long hours under horrible conditions; many were beaten to death, others died from disease and starvation. All in all, over 100,000 men lost theirs lives.

Part of the Death Railway

The bridge on the River Kwai was made famous by a 1957 film of the same name.

Other reasons to visit this area:
Erawan National Park has a hiking trail that takes you to 7 different tiers of beautiful falls. The lower few have good pools for swimming.

One of the main reasons we wanted to come to this area was to visit the Tiger Temple. It is esentially an animal sanctuary on the grounds of a Buddhist Monastery. Many different kinds of animals live here, but there are 17 Indo-Chinese tigers at the temple and they are the main reason to come. Many were brought here as abandoned cubs due to poaching, some were born and raised here. Since the tigers have been hand-raised by humans, they are easily approached and you can have a picture taken with them. The goal in having tourists come and pay money to have this interaction is to raise enough money to build a large, natural habitat sanctuary for these tigers who have nowhere else to go. Once this happens, future generations will be raised without human contact for release back into the wild.

I need to rant here for a moment, if I may. There are many misinformed people out there spreading rumors that these tigers are being drugged (by Buddhist monks, nonetheless) in order to make a buck off the tourists. I had my doubts about going because of this rumor, but I had to know for myself. Yes, the tigers are very calm. Yes, the tigers are sleeping for most of the day. No, they don't move much and hardly ever open their eyes. But, if you know anything about tigers, the fact that they are nocturnal and sleep 20 hours a day (especially in the heat of the day, when the tourists are there) and spend enough time there, more than the time it takes to stand in line and have your picture taken, and then leave, then you know there is no truth to this lie. The tigers have been hand-reared and have had contact with humans every day of their lives; tourists are there interacting with them everyday of their lives. When evening comes, and it is time to walk back to their encosures, they are wide awake and playful, even.. If they were drugged, there is the potential for more danger because of the disorientation they would experience. We spent many hours there, talking with the volunteer staff that comes from all over the world, and asked many questions about the program. These people are genuinely trying to do the right thing for these animals and there is no foul play.

To these ignorant people, I ask: If you truly believe the tigers are drugged, why would you support such a horibble program by coming here just to have your picture taken with a tiger?

To see other pictures from Kanchanaburi and the Tiger Temple, please visit the following link:

Around Kanchanaburi, Thailand

Koh Phangan, Thailand

Rion and Anissa — Sun, 10 Dec 2006 13:10:00 +0000

Koh Phangan is the second of three islands just off the Malay Peninsula in the Gulf of Thailand. It is now most famous for its' Full Moon Parties on Haad Rin Beach, but there is another reason that young, budget-types flock to the island: beautiful beaches surrounded by dense jungle and inexpensive accomodation. Rion and I went to the island for a little beach time, and to meet up with Emma again, who had skipped out on us for a couple of weeks to go volunteer at an elephant sanctuary in Northern Thailand. Unfortunately, while we were there, our laptop computer broke and Rion had to head to Bangkok to get it fixed, leaving me on the island (what bad luck for me) with Emma and a couple of her friends for a few days of R&R.

Rainbow over Haad Rin Beach after a rainstorm

Koh Phangan literally means "sand bar island", referring to the many sandbars that surround the island, creating perfect, shallow waters to wade and swim in.

Coral heads exposed at low tide

Our bungalow, on the cliff overlooking the beach, was easily reached via this walkway out over the water.

To see more pictures from Koh Phangan, please visit the following link:

Koh Phangan, Thailand

Koh Samui, Thailand

Rion and Anissa — Sun, 10 Dec 2006 12:11:00 +0000

Just off the coast, in the Gulf of Thailnd, are a group of three islands easily reached by ferry. Of these, Koh Samui is supposed to have the most beautiful beaches and it used to feel like a getaway. But, resorts have taken over where budget guesthouses used to reign, so more and more, the island has become overrun with people. Still, the island does retain some of its peaceful atmosphere - you just have to search a little.

Locals still wade out into the water off the beaches haunted by tourists to pracitce traditional fishing techniques.

A local net fisherman bringing in his evenings catch

This Big Buddha was built in the 1970's to give visitor's a place to show their respect for the Buddha.

The 18-arm Buddha at Wat Plai Laem sits in the middle of a man-made lake where you can go and feed the thousands of fish.

To see more pictures from the island of Koh Samui, please visit the following link:

Koh Samui, Thailand

Phuket, Thailand: A Little Luxury

Rion and Anissa — Sun, 10 Dec 2006 10:56:00 +0000

After breaking my wrist in Cambodia, and being sick for over a week in Thailand, Rion and I were feeling the need for some pampering (Rion because he was the one putting up with me!). Our friend Travis has a friend who manages a resort on the island of Phuket (Phuket Pavillions, www.phuketpavillions.com). Enough said, we were there. We really had no idea what to expect, but what we found was a delightful surprise! Thanks, Travis.

The entrance to our private villa

We didn't even have to leave. Everyday, breakfast would show up at our door at the time we requested, then someone came back to pick up the dishes. When we were ready to have lunch or dinner, we ordered and it was brought to our door!

Water lilly blooming in one of our relflecting pools

Rion relaxing in our private infinity pool

Koh Chang Island, Thailand

Rion and Anissa — Sun, 10 Dec 2006 10:02:00 +0000

Koh Chang (literally Elephant Island) is an island in the Gulf Of Thailand, near the Cambodia/ Thailand border. It was the first stop for Rion, Emma, and I after leaving Cambodia. Our goal? To soak up some sun, relax on the beach for a few days, and possibly do an elephant safari. Unfortunately, I had caught some sort of bug our last few days in Cambodia and it caught up with me while we were there - so no elephant rides for me. I'd have to say, however, there are worse places to be condemned to bed rest...

A view of our beach bungalows at White Sand Beach

There are a few little fishing villages on the island. This is Bang Bao, where the village itself is built on stilts far out into the bay.

Hanging out on the beach as the sun goes down

The sky turns brilliant colors at sunset with the threat of a monsoon rain

To see more pictures from Koh Chang, please visit the following link:

Koh Chang Island, Thailand

Bangkok, Thailand: Wat Pho

Rion and Anissa — Sat, 09 Dec 2006 16:17:00 +0000

Wat Pho, just around the corner from the Royal Palace, deserves to be seen for many reasons. Not only is it the largest (20 acres) and oldest temple complex in Bangkok, but it also houses the most Buddha images of any temple complex in Thailand and it houses the largest reclining Buddha, at 46 meters long and 15 meters high! It is also famous as Thailand's first university and is the center for traditional Thai massage.

School kids in lessons in one of the temples.

The reclining Buddha, which demonstrates his passing into nirvana. The body is goldplated and the eyes made of mother-of-pearl.

The feet are mother-of-pearl and show the 108 auspicious characteristics of the true Buddha.

A hand of one of the many Buddha images on the grounds.

To see more images from Wat Pho, please click the following link:

Wat Pho and the Giant Reclining Buddha

Bangkok, Thailand: Chatuchak Weekend Market

Rion and Anissa — Sat, 09 Dec 2006 15:16:00 +0000

The Chatuchak weekend market, is THE market to go to when you are in Bangkok. So, if you go, make sure you are there for a weekend. It covers an area of roughly 35 acres and has over 15,000 stalls and vendors, and usually sees over 200,000 visitors in one day! It is pure shopping madness - especially when you factor in the heat and humidity. Whatever your heart desires, you will probably find it here - housewares, clothing, antiques, jewelry, Thai silk, souvenirs, food, and even animals. It's an exhausting, but memorable day!

There are always musicians on hand to entertain the masses. This Thai Cowboy was playing American Bluegrass.

Souvenirs galore, including these cool "antique" puppets.

Food. Need I say more? These are spciy, pickled vegetables.

Rion and I had fun walking around the pet section. We got a good laugh over this little bulldog pup in pink tutu.

To see more pictures from the market, please click the following link:

Bangkok, Chatuchak Weekend Market

Bangkok, Thailand: Khaosan Road

Rion and Anissa — Sat, 09 Dec 2006 13:49:00 +0000

From Cambodia, Rion, Emma (our travel buddy), and I took an ocean ferry to Thailand border. The nearest town of Trat is a 90-km truck-taxi ride, and from there, it is a short 6-hour bus ride to Bangkok. Bangkok is a huge, modern city, but most budget travellers stay on or near Khaosan road, a paradise of good, cheap street food and guesthouses, shopping, and people-watching.

Khaosan road, with all the conveniences, including a Starbucks

A tuk tuk (esentially a motorcycle on 3 wheels, with a seat in the back) is the cheapest way to get around town, but around Khaosan road, you really have to haggle hard, because the drivers assume you don't know any better.

Want a yummy meal for under a dollar? Pad thai street noodles and a couple of eggrolls. Yum.

Classic Vespas are everywhere here.

To see more pictures from around Khaosan Road, click the following link:

Bangkok, Thailand: Khaosan Road

The Royal Palace, Bangkok, Thailand

Rion and Anissa — Sat, 09 Dec 2006 14:28:00 +0000

The Royal Palace is a huge complex of residences, halls, and sacred shrines. It's construction was begun in 1782, and not only served as residence for the king, it was the seat of the government. Even though todays king does not live in the palace, it is still at the spiritual heart of the country.

Huge crowds of people flock to see this beautiful assemblage of spiritual monuments.

Details from the outside walls of the Temple of the Emerald Buddha

Most of the buildings are ornately decorated

Tourists come in all forms here, including this group of military men. Offerings of flowers, food, and incense are given outside the Temple of the Emerald Buddha.

For more pictures of the Royal Palace, please visit the following link:

The Royal Palace, Bangkok

Kompot Cave Pagodas

Rion and Anissa — Sat, 09 Dec 2006 10:57:00 +0000

In the South-West of Cambodia, near the small villages of Kompot and Kep, there are a number of limestone caves, and in many of them, small pagodas and Buddhist shrines have been built. The most impressive cave temple is that of Phnom Chhnork, with its' pre-Angkorian brick ruins.

The entrance to the cave is a short walk uphill, overlooking rice fields and the small caretakers shrine below.

The cave is flanked by towering limestone walls.

The 4th-5th century brick pagoda is slowly being consumed by the stalactites and stalagmites that are growing around
it.

And, in case you get lost during your visit to these and the surrounding caves, there are always plenty of willing tour guides on hand!

To see more of my favorite pictures from this area, please click the following link:

Kompot Cave Pagodas

Volunteering with Children in Phnom Penh

Rion and Anissa — Sun, 22 Oct 2006 10:21:00 +0000

In the crowded backbacker alleyways of Phnom Penh, where many children are poor or homeless, a small group of backpackers has started a volunteer program to teach and interact with the kids who live in the area. They meet four days a week and work with the kids for about two hours at the local Mosque, teaching them English, doing crafts, and just interacting with them.

The kids all got very excited when they saw the two girls who run the program.

They use very simple methods when working with the smaller kids – lots of props.

All ages get to join in.

After lessons are over, the kids love to play with the volunteers. Emma had one little girl who was quite attached to her.

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Volunteering with Children in Phnom Penh

The Floating Village of Chong Kneas

Rion and Anissa — Sun, 22 Oct 2006 09:33:00 +0000

The village of Chong Kneas, just outside of Siem Riep, lies on the edge of Tonle Sap Lake, which is the largest lake in Southeast Asia. During monsoon season the lake swells and the village is forced to move further a field in its waterways. Tourists can hire a boat (for a hefty fee, I might add) to explore the village for a short time.

The house boats are very simple structures, but most are brightly painted.

Moving day involves getting a tow down the middle of the village.

Some kids choose to get around in these small washtubs. They also use them as an opportunity to beg from tourists.

Small floating shops meet the needs of the villagers.

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The Floating Village of Chong Kneas

Other Major Temples Around Angkor

Rion and Anissa — Sun, 22 Oct 2006 08:37:00 +0000

Most people think of Angkor and they think: Angkor Wat, the largest and most famous temple complex. However, the landscape around the present day city of Siem Riep is dotted with ancient temple complexes. Here are just a few of my favorite.

Ta Prohm is now most recognized from the movie “Tomb Raider” and was built by Jayavarman VII in the late 12th century. This complex has not been restored and has seemingly been left to its’ own fate, being swallowed by the surrounding jungle.

Ta Som is another small temple complex, dedicated to the father of Jayavarman VII. This temple has not been restored, so it too is slowly disappearing beneath the trees.

Preah Khan, another large temple of the late 12th century, has some very well preserved sections, but it too has succumbed, in part, to the jungle.

Banteai Srei is a very small gem and is considered to be the pinnacle of Angkorian art. It was completed by Jayavarman V in 968 AD and features beautiful carvings in pink sandstone.

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Other Major Temples around Angkor

Angkor Thom and Bayon

Rion and Anissa — Sun, 22 Oct 2006 07:48:00 +0000

Angkor Thom was established as the last great capital of the Khmer Empire in the 12th century. Inside its’ walls, covering an area of 9 square kilometers, are many monuments and ancient temple complexes, at the center of which is the Bayon.

One of the entry gates to the ancient capital of Angkor Thom.

The Bayon is dominated by the many smiling faces on its’ third level.

The faces bear a striking resemblance to Jayavarman VII, the capital’s then ruler and builder of the temple complex.

A caretaker of the temple leaves as a rainstorm drenches tourists…including us.

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Angkor Thom and the Bayon

Going to the Market, Cambodia

Rion and Anissa — Sun, 22 Oct 2006 09:56:00 +0000

A trip to Cambodia is not complete without wandering through one of its many markets, where you can buy virtually anything including antiques, souvenirs, power tools, and of course, food. The food sections are, by far, the most interesting to visit, as you will usually find an array of items you have never seen before, and may not ever want to see again!

This was a common and quite odd site on Cambodia’s roads: a live pig on its way to… well, I am going to pretend, a better home.

Fresh Produce, Battambong market. While we were here, we took the opportunity to take a cooking class, and as part of that, we went to the market to buy our supplies.

Dried Fish Products, Battambong Market.

The Poultry Section, fresh eggs and chickens, Battambong Market.

Angkor Wat

Rion and Anissa — Tue, 26 Sep 2006 07:08:00 +0000

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

Rion and Anissa — Tue, 26 Sep 2006 06:21:00 +0000

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

Rion and Anissa — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 16:25:00 +0000

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

Rion and Anissa — Sun, 17 Sep 2006 22:30:00 +0000

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