The Khmer Way VI

Expedition to the famous Angkor Heritage Site - 1st Day: Part B

Chau Say Thevada 周萨神庙

1 of the doors

restoration work

magnificient art work

me!

Thommanom 塔玛侬

after reconstruction

the ancient stone art

Ta Keo 茶胶寺 / 塔高寺

front / side view

corner view

Ta Phrom 塔普伦寺

Angelina Jolie was once there

me & Kin Wah

how old do u think the trees are?

me & Kin Wah

the conqueror

the king of the temple

the 'root'-top

whose 'ass'?

'holding hands'... so sweet

the hidden 'aspara'

Angkor Wat 吴哥窟 / 小吴哥

last spot of the day

me & Kin Wah

the long walk way

leading to the entrance gate

3 of the 5 entrances

center... only for the King

me & Kin Wah

view from the West Pond

closer view

the corridor with Ramayana story crafted on the wall

used to be the bathing pool

the highest level of Angkor Wat

too bad... no entry

the 'aspara' showing teeth

The Khmer Way V

Expedition to the famous Angkor Heritage Site - 1st Day: Part A

Angkor Thom 吴哥城 / 大吴哥

leading to the South Gate of Angkor Thom

me & Kin Wah

the South Gate

when Buddhism & Brahminism met

Bayon 巴戎寺 / 巴云寺

one of the entrance

me & Kin Wah

putting back the rocks at right place = tough mission

1 of the 54 towers

the Khmer smiles

more smiling faces

excellent crafting!

me & Kin Wah

Buddha statue found in Bayon Temple

me, listening to some stories from our guide - Ly Hong

Baphuon 巴普昂寺

the walkway to Baphuon

one of the 2 pools at the entrance

Baphuon Temple

view from Baphuon

Phimeanakas 空中宫殿

we're lazy to climb up

on top of the Phimeanakas

Terrace of Elephants 象群台 / 斗象台

facing the Victory Gate on the East

me & Kin Wah

the terrace without alive elephants

Terrace of Leper King 瘌王台

the Leper King?

The Khmer Way IV

旅行的意义到底是什么？我想，这是见仁见智吧！有的，只为了在异乡国度留下足迹；有的，是为了逃离现实的生活；有的，很没有骨气地，只为了‘跟大队’；有的，毫无目的地流浪;有的，如受洗礼后般，做个真真的道地人……说不完的“有的”。

the Holy Cow - guide of the Bakheng Temple

Everything here reminds me of Jogya - the Borobudur & Prambanan Temple. The difference is that the Angkor site has much more crowd.

some restoration works

We decided to come to Phnom Bakheng to watch the sunset. This was suggested by the guide from the Cultural Village. This was the compensation on the betrayal she had done to me.

climbing up - a not so easy job

I don't remember the last sunset I've seen. Was there really one? Trying to capture every moment of the sunset proved to be a failure. So, I decided to keep all the good view in my own memory instead.

the devout Cambodian

Unfortunately, the cloud is just too thick for us to have a nice view of the sunset. Maybe we should try our luck tomorrow!

in memory...

6/7/2008

The Khmer Way III

到底何谓文化遗产？难道只有历史悠久的建筑物才算是吗？那么比较人文的喜庆节日、地方语言、日常饮食或生活习俗，可不可以也被申请为文化遗产呢？我最不想看到的，就是国家级官员为了吸引游客赚外汇，才去申请。到头来，我们只在这些‘遗产’中，看到游客的足迹。而当地人，沦落为对遗产毫无认知，只会做游客生意的一群。

the proof...

I ate Balut! (or Pong tea khon in Cambodian). From wikipedia, 'a fertilized duck egg with a nearly-developed embryo inside that is boiled and eaten in the shell'.

the Balut @ 鸭仔蛋

I never thought of it being disgusting! It tasted like just a normal boiled egg. At some point, I found myself eating something chewy. Was it the head?

what lies inside?

It's something that should definitely be recorded in my own Book of Records! After eating the fried insects in Bangkok & now Balut, what exotic food should I try next?

6/7/08