On each of the the days I visited the temple sites around Angkor Wat, I got up early at my hotel on the outskirts of the nearby modern town of Siem Reap. I travelled to "the historical park" in the back of a motorcycle tuktuk. I had the same driver each day and he was at my disposal throughout the day. Nothing seemed too much trouble to him. His name was Savuth.
In this blogpost, rather than focusing on the amazing ruins of the once forgotten city of the Khmers, I am sharing other photos I took in the area. I will leave them small but of course if you wish to enlarge any of the pictures please just click on them:-
Sad girl with coconuts
A home for the living
Ducklings
Girls with calves
Traditional band with a difference.
They were all landmine victims.
Young water buffalo in a muddy pond.
Visiting monks from Thailand
Winning photo of the Buddhist monks and the child seated in front.
ReplyDeleteThe girls with the calf has hope & happiness.
Life goes on after the killing fields, the evil legacy of Khmer Rouge.
As for Pol Pot, he is almost certainly in Hell as Hilaire Belloc would have said.
History seems to produce such monsters but was he the architect or just the peg in the hole that historical circumstances required? I sometimes think the same of that little Austrian bastard with the paintbrush moustache.
DeleteWonderful snapshots of other lives. That sad girl made me feel sad.
ReplyDeletePeople in Cambodia are not starving but there is a lot of dire poverty there.
DeleteSavuth Tuktuk sounds like a cool driver. Thanks for taking us to Asia.
ReplyDeleteHe has a number on his back because he was government licensed.
DeleteMy favorite pic is the ducklings. The home makes me feel as if I have way too much. These are great photos, Neil!
ReplyDeleteI took five pictures of the ducklings but that was the best one. I think they are in a paddy field (rice).
DeleteThe water buffalo look like their have taken drugs and are in a blissful state of happiness.
ReplyDeleteYour comment appears to have been informed by your past experiences Andrew.
DeleteLovely photos. The puddle looks way too small for the water buffalo to properly enjoy.
ReplyDeleteI guess it was deep.
DeleteI rather like the photo of the water buffalo.
ReplyDeleteYou are well travelled, Neil, with many fabulous memories to look back on
I have probably seen more than most but there are many other places I would like to go and not all of them are far away.
DeleteYour selcetion evokes a number of feelings and moods. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteNot depression I hope.
DeleteAll excellent photos, but I particularly like the water buffalo and the ducklings.
ReplyDeleteI was especially pleased with that water buffalo picture Carol.
DeleteWhat incredible photos! Like many here, I do love the ducklings. So much movement and stillness at once. The water pump in the shot with the house? I had one that looked very much like that outside a house where I lived once. And yes, that is where we got our water. I had strong arms that year!
ReplyDeleteI believe the ducklings were in a paddy field. You were literally pumping iron!
DeleteMy travelling son has been sending us a few pictures from Thailand via his cellphone. We remain two anxious Canadian parents but his pictures serve as a reminder of the amazing adventure he is on. We think he is travelling on the Mekong River in Laos right now, (on his way towards Vietnam.)
ReplyDeleteYour photos have helped abate my anxiety somewhat. They are beautiful and calming images. I didn't see any potential kidnappers peeking out from behind the shrubbery.
I felt very safe in south east Asia Melinda in spite of an encounter with an absurd ladyboy. See https://beefgravy.blogspot.com/2016/03/ladyboys.html
DeleteYikes! Now that's a travel story that would go over well at the pub.
ReplyDeleteThose water buffalo look so happy. As you may remember, I was in Angkor several years ago (2017, maybe?) so these pics brought back good memories.
ReplyDelete