Siem Reap, Cambodia

December 2nd, 2012

It was a record hot night when we left Tullamarine at 1 a.m on Friday Nov 30th and so the hot weather in Cambodia has not been too difficult to cope with. Our hotel is near the Old Market and so our first move was to wander down to the market where I was impressed with all the tropical fruit such as mangosteen and rambutan. There are no shortage of cafes and so they are competitive, $2 or $3 per dish and 50cts/400ml of local beer. It is the weekend and so a lot of the tourists are Vietnamese or Thai just here for the weekend. Also lots of Chinese tourists.

Next morning we walked a bit further afield and found the Praea Prom Monastery (Turns out we walked the long way round as it is actually next to our hotel!)

In the afternoon we started our serious temple inspections with Angkor Wat. It is huge. The moat is 190m wide and 1.5km x 1.3 km which gives an indication of how huge the complex is. It was built in the 12thC and originally dedicated to the Hindu god, Vishnu but later became Buddhist.

This morning we were up at 5 a.m.to see the sunrise over the temple and have spent the rest of the day walking around various ruins, each of which has its own special feel.

Very smiley faces at Ecstatic Pizza. According to Lonely Planet it is because you can order 'ganga' in the pizzas.

In the grounds of the Praea Monastery which is the richest in Siem Reap and is home to many students attending the monastery school as well as a 500 year old reclining Buddha, There are also gold statues covered with plastic bags - practical but not aesthetic!

Ankor Wat viewed from a tethered balloon.

Ankor Wat reflected in one of the ponds.

3 monks relaxing in the late afternoon at Ankor Wat.

Sunrise at Ankor Wat.

Water lilies at sunrise. By 10.00 a.m. they are gone.

Two of the 3000 Apsara or heavenly nymphs.at Ankor Wat.

Several of the temples have lots of bas relief freezes either telling the story of the Ramayana - the Hindu epic or depicting the various battles between the Khymer people and their neighbours.  

 These bas reliefs at Bayon depict every day life in 12th century Cambodia, including this barbeque.

The Bayon temple, part of the holy city of Ankor Thom. There are 56 towers each of which has 4 huge smiling faces. A Japanese team is working on restoration here.

It was the Inaugural Ankor Wat half marathon and there was a huge field and they needed vast quantities of water. We had to take a back road through the jungle to avoid them.

Ta Prohm is very atmospheric as some of the largest trees have been left to show how the jungle swallowed up the buildings.

Home Again June14th, 2012.

We arrived home nearly a week ago and it was cold and wet - not so different from England.

Our last few days in England were spent in Frodsham (http://www.lovefrodsham.co.uk/) where we caught up with more friends and explored North Wales. With the SatNav we had confidence to venture down lanes which didn't make it to our printed map. Trouble was often they were one car wide between six feet high hedges so the views were limited and when we met an oncoming car, it was a test of my backing skills which are not great!

We stopped over in Singapore to shop for batik and to eat! Every time I visit Singapore I am awed by the development, but in spite of the huge numbers of high rise, there are still plenty of pockets of lush green trees and gardens and some lovely old colonial buildings.

I hope you have enjoyed reading my travels. The Blog is now going into hibernation until I head off again.

Pastoral scene in North Wales

 Ruins of Valle Crucis Cistercian Abbey near Llangollen, North Wales.

 Fireworks to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.

Pretty garden in Frodsham featuring tree ferns.

Main street Frodsham is one of the widest streets in England and there has been a weekly market here since the 1600s, but last week was cold and wet and school holidays and I have never seen so few people around.

The path up Helsby hill.

View of the Mersey estuary from Helsby Hill

The following photos are half a world away - in Singapore!

Remnants of old Singapore in Little India.

Sultan mosque in Muscat St built in 1826

I always head for the fabric shops in Arab St

The upper story of the shops in Arab St.

Singapore graffitti off Arab St.

The TV in the bar of the Singapore Cricket Club was not showing cricket, but SCC has the best Chicken Rice in town and lightning fast service!

Singapore Botanic Gardens are an attractive location for TaiChi on a Sunday morning.

Orchids in the Orchid Garden

 It seemed to be Children's Day in the Asian Civilisation Museum and the staff were all in costume. The plates behind "the pirate" are from the 9thC Tang shipwreck and would not look out of place in a 21stC china shop.

The special exhibition was Patterns of Trade featuring 18thC Indian textiles which were recently found in Sumatra where they were highly valued. Perhaps not so surprising as the Romans also prized Indian cotton textiles two thousand years ago.

Some of the remaining 19thC colonial buildings.

An old army barracks has been recycled as upmarket cafes and shops.

High rise in Singapore.

The new casino in Singapore is stunning architecture. This shows a portion of the roof garden. Singapore residents have to pay S$100 to enter the casino, but it is free for foreigners.

Sculpture along the Singapore river promenade.

Frodsham, United Kingdom

We arrived in Frodsham more than a week ago. I blotted my copybook by taking a wrong turn out of Manchester Airport., but our Nissan hire car has Sat Nav which was a big help getting back on the M56.

The first few days we were here, the weather was magnificent and it is a lovely time to be in England. It  really is a green and pleasant land - the trees are so fresh and green and the rhododendrons are magnificent. Just ambling around the country lanes is very pleasant, although there is more traffic than ever.

We drove over to Teeside and then across to Appleby-in-Westmoreland to see a friend. Next week is the Appleby Horse Fair and already the Romanys, Gypsies and Irish tinkers were gathering in every layby and the horses are tied up all along the roads. It has been going since at least 1750 and has grown to be a huge disruption to the town.

After Teeside, we visited another friend near York, but as it was the Jubilee Bank Holiday long weekend we did not venture into York itself.

Quarry Bank Mill near Manchester. This 18thC cotton mill is now a National Trust site. The volunteers manning all the machinery are so enthusiastic

Nowadays the looms only run for short demonstrations and the noise is absolutely deafening.

In Farndon, Cheshire we happened across this thatched cottage being rethatched. The Health and Safety scaffolding does not add to  the photograph!

Not sure what the Queen thought of the thatcher's work across the road.

Very cooperative black faced Yorkshire sheep (They posed beautifully!).

Peaceful scene near Boltby, North York Moors.

Typical substantial Victorian building on the  front at Saltburn-by-the-Sea,  North Yorkshire. This coast does not have the magic Gulf Stream so seaside holidays here would I imagine be bracing!

The cliffs at Saltburn-by-the-Sea.

Handknitted Jubilee decorations tied to the railings at Saltburn-by-the-Sea.

The tramway to the pier at Saltburn-by-the-Sea

Fishing boats at Staithes, North Yorkshire.

Grand gatehouse near Hurworth-on-Tees in the Darlington area.

Late afternoon sunshine in Osmotherley, North Yorkshire.

Another pastoral scene on the North York Moors.

After several tries a robin posed for us.

Our Royalist afternoon tea for the Queen's Jubilee.