I saw this archway the the afternoon I arrived in Hue, when I was out on a walk. I loved the way the bright yellow sunlight played on the bright yellow arch. I don’t know whether the arch is of French or Royal Vietnamese construction. Either way it looks pretty cool. Once I downloaded this […]
Dignified. Serene. Enigmatic. Powerful. His face is forever immortalized by hundreds of carvings, scattered throughout the temple, smiling down upon the passing centuries with a serene, meditative dignity. Bayon was built at the zenith of the Khmer Empire. It was built by Jayavaraman VII, who has possibly the coolest names of all time, and was […]
It’s nearly the end of dry season here in Cambodia—I feel this shot has an season-appropriate feel, with the warm, yellow colour palette of the early Cambodian summer. Khmer New Years is just around the corner, ready to usher in the early, cooling rains as it has for thousands of years.
Ratanakiri, Cambodia. Tampuans live in small villages scattered throughout the Northeast province of Ratanakiri. They’ve lived here for thousands of years, practicing rotational slash-and-burn agriculture. They plant dryland rice on one tract of land for several years, until the soil gives out, and then move on, returning years later after the soil has been naturally […]
It’s seriously called that. It’s the Khmai word for Royal Palace. Just saying it is good for some serious vocal calisthenics. The Palace is really an excellent testament to Khmer architecture. In front of the Palace is a nice park overlooking the river. The park is a great place to hang in the evenings. You […]
One of the perks about living in Ratanakiri, Cambodia: Saturday morning trail runs at Yakloum, our crater lake. Early in the morning, the lake is deserted and hushed; with only the sounds of wild parrots, mynahs, and the occasional monkey swinging from the trees. The morning air is crisp, and the trail is cool as it […]
An ancient, raised promenade for the Angkorian king, connecting the palace area to the king’s personal temple. This photo belies the actual size of the temple…. it’s huge! And tall. My wife and I snuck up at sunset, after having sorta gotten permission from the guard. It was quiet, deserted and breathtaking from the top, […]
Another vintage post, circa Vietnam 2009: Halong bay is breathtaking. Gliding through the sheer granite stone columns on a Viet junk is surreally beautiful, even with the early summer haze which can curse South East Asia. The bay would have been perfect if it weren’t for the cattle mentality that caused all tour boats to […]
A deserted, nearly thousand-year-old passage at Bayon. At the end of this passage was a cool, dark, stone chamber with a carved stone buddha. Some incense was quietly smoldering at its feet, a worshipful attempt to ease some ancestor’s passing into the next life. I missed an upload yesterday because of lack of electricity. It’s […]