Cambodia Part 1 - The Temples of Angkor

There are a few places in the world that really take your breath away. One of those are the temples built by the Angkor Empire from the 10th to the 12th century.

The jewel in the crown is the spectacular domes of Angkor Wat. This massive structure faces west, synonomous with funeral rites, so it is was probably built as a tomb.

No matter which angle you look at the complex it is impressive. The shot below is looking from the opposite, east side.

The temples mean so much to the Khmer people and they are a real source of  identity for a nation that has been through so much hell. The area actually contains hundreds of temples in addition to the famous Angkor Wat and it was the centre of the empire that ruled over most of South-East Asia from around the year 800 until 1400. There would have been thousands of buildings but as only the temples were made of stone they are all that remain, in various states of disrepair, adding to the atmosphere.

One of the most spectacular of the ruins is Ta Prohm, also known as the jungle temple. Here the forest has reclaimed most of the area, with massive tree roots covering the temple walls.

Nearby there are twin temples, more recent in origin, built late in the 12th century. The first photo is Thommanon and below that is Chau Say Tevoda.

One of the very different temples is that of Prasat Kravan as it is built out of brick, instead of the sandstone that most of the temples in the region are made of. Prasat Kravan is also one of the oldest structures, built in about 921, and inside its five towers are spectacular carvings. How they managed to make such art out of brick is a technique lost to modern man.

Another of the older temples, located a fair distance north of all the others and therefore less visited is Banteay Srei. This small temple was built around 967 out of a pinkish-coloured stone and the torrential rain that fell as we visited this site seemed to add to the experience. Many of it's impressive carvings have been moved to the National Museum in Phnom Penh.

The centre of the empire was found at Angkor Thom, the walled city, about 10 square kilometers in size. It would have been a grand sight with 8m high walls, 20m high gates and surrounded by a 100m wide moat, apparently filled with hungry crocs.

The Bayon is one of the most astonishing structures in the city with over 50 towers covered in carved heads, looking at you from all angles.

The Baphuon is unusual in that is built as a pyramid and contains a long elevated walkway that draws you into the temple.

A small temple amongst the trees just outside the royal enclosure is Preah Palilay. Some distance away from most of the ruins, I found myself walking alone imagining what life was like back in the Angkor period. The jungle again is working on taking back what man has claimed.

Just outside the royal enclosure, facing the central square is the 350m long Terrace of the Elephants, where the king could view his subjects. There are a number of small temples called the Kleangs in the large open area.

You wonder when you visit a World Heritage site like Angkor if you will get 'temple fatigue' but the three days I spent walking in the footsteps of the mighty Angkor Kings found me continually amazed at the size of the buildings, the detail in their structure and the incredible carvings. It really is a national treasure for the people of Cambodia.

Living in the Tropics

Hot, hotter, really hot. Humid, very humid, thunderstorm. Welcome to Bangkok!

The mornings are a nice part of the day, with the sun rising and the temperature at it's minimum - at this time of year about 25-27 degrees. In my 'mooban' it is very quiet and the birds are chirpping away outside. It is interesting seeing the dreaded Indian Mynahs as a non-dominant bird - they look identical to the pests back in Australia but seem to be a lower part of the food chain here. The view of the sunrise from my bedroom balcony is shown below.

The day gets steadily hotter but inside air conditoned classrooms it is actually more pleasant than I was used to in back in Australia teaching in February in non air conditoned conditions. However, outside the temperature is rising above 30.

By the afternoon the maximum has been reached - around 35 degrees or so at this time of year.

From May until the end of October it is the wet season in Thailand. You really look forward to the thunderstorm that inevitably arrives sometime between about 4pm and 7pm each day. It certainly cools things down for a while.

It takes sometime for the storm to hit - you can see it coming from far away but it seems to move slowly. The street vendors continue with their business seemingly able to read the conditions and leaving waterproofing their stalls in plastic tarpaulins until the last moment.

The sky is amazing as the storm approaches, with huge clouds growing higher and higher ready to dump their loads on the city below.

The sky gets darker and darker and the wind starts to pick up. You need to make sure you shut all the windows before the rain arrives.

Then it hits. The flashes of lightning, the deafening thunder and the torrential rain. If you get caught in this, an umbrella would be no use at all; the roads become rivers and the rain can come in sideways.

Enormous amounts of water fall, often for as little as 10 minutes or sometimes up to an hour. Bangkok starts to resemble the "Venice of the East" that it used to be called and if you are going somewhere, you give up any plans of arriving at your destination on time.

It certainly keeps the garden green - I have not needed to water anything since I have been here - God has taken care of that! The photo below shows the side of my house slowly turning into a lake.

They tell me it will stop soon and by November the rain will disappear. We then go into the dry season and the temperature steadily climbs until it peaks in April and then the rains come again.

I think I will miss the rain.

72 Hours in Hong Kong

It was all a bit of a blur - a busy three days in Hong Kong, rushing between airports, the hotel and the conference venue - but it was a very worthwhile visit. I managed to coincide the trip with the 60th Anniversary celebrations of the People's Republic of China, so the city was looking its best and there was plenty going on.

I was attending an International Baccalaureate Conference at King George V School in Kowloon on the mainland area of Hong Kong. The school reminded me of Shore with its old English buildings. This is a view from a balcony over the playing fields.

I was attending Chemistry workshops which I found very useful as I teach the IB for the first time. It was three solid days from 8:30am until 4:30pm, so my exploration of Hong Kong was either early in the morning or late afternoon and into the night.

Hong Kong is high density living with the associated overcrowding, very polluted air and lots of traffic. There are narrow streets and high rises everywhere.

However, the city is also suprisingly green, very hilly and the seaside location produces a cooling breeze. The shot below shows a hazy sunrise view of Hong Kong Island from Kowloon.

The Kowloon waterfront bustles with activity as locals and tourists alike jostle for space as they traverse the promenade. The Chinese version of the Hollywood walk of stars was popular, especially the statue of Hong Kong legend Bruce Lee.

People run, walk, stroll, stand and sit and watch the sun go down behind the mountains of Hong Kong Island. The smokey sky, apparently from the factories up in China proper, made for an impressive sunset.

There is a mixture of old and new, rich and poor, with the local markets as well as the biggest and most expensive brand names. The wealthy go shopping on Canton Road, shown to the left, while there are plenty of bargins to be found on the back streets such as the one on the right.

At night, Hong Kong becomes a spectacular, glittering light show. One of the best vantage points is at the end of the steepest tram ride in the world, up on Victoria Peak. Most of Hong Kong must agree, as they all seemed to have joined us at the very crowded lookout. The view below shows why.

Double decker buses traverse the city, and they are especially concentrated on the main street of Kowloon, Nathan Road, shown below.

A ferry ride on Victoria Harbour is a great way to take in the scene around you. The lights of the hundreds of skyscrapers seemed to dance on the water and the old chinese junk, it's sails glowing red, reminded us of the history of the city.

There is a great variety of places to eat and drink, including the Irish Pub that I visited with the only other Ruamrudee staff member who was at the conference, Jeremy, who teaches English.

It was an exhausting three days but another great experience, both professionally as I learnt more about the IB Chemistry course and personally as I was able to check out the amazing city of Hong Kong. As the sun set over my Cathay Pacific Airbus, "home" and the end of my short adventure, was just another couple of hours away.