Driving around near Dunedin, NZ, on a nice frosty morning. …central otago 8 (by sarah1rene)
Hi folks! Life in Singapore keeps rolling on, though lately it seems like we’re neither here nor there. Carl’s in SF right now, I’m leaving for NZ the day after he gets back. Looking forward to some homebody time this summer. … MRT train (by sarah1rene)
I knew that the temple complex at Angkor was big, but wasn’t prepared for the scale of it. On a weekend in Siem Reap we went to ten temple sites, including gigantic Angkor Wat itself - a highlight, along with Bayon and Ta Som. It would have been nice to have more days so that we could pick and choose when to visit the temples: the sun was hot and, worse, the place was packed (apparently it’s even worse in the late fall high season). Early morning visits are best.
It’s amazing how many people are out there hustling a living on these dead buildings. Dozens of children and teens staff the temple entrances, desperately trying to sell trinkets for US dollars; adults run stands selling cold drinks and larger souvenirs. It’s impossible to just walk past all of those kids; I ended up with stacks and stacks of cheap bracelets and scarves. If you go, make sure you have lots of US dollar bills.
Windows and aspara carvings at Banteay Kdei. …banteay kdei 6 (via sarah1rene).
…ta som 10 (via sarah1rene).
Sun rising over Angkor Wat. …angkor wat sunrise 21 (via sarah1rene).
One of my favorite photos from Cambodia: a robed Buddha in the entrance gallery at Angkor Wat, early morning. …angkor wat sunrise 25 (via sarah1rene)
Earlier this month I went to Thailand for a beach vacation with a friend who was visiting from the US. We spent some time in Kata Beach, Phuket (a little quieter than the main drag at Patong Beach, but still a good base for day trips) and on Ko Phi Phi (some really-quite-OK snorkelling). Phuket/Phi Phi are popular tourist destinations, with everything good and bad that this implies; in particular, it’s hard to not be sucked into the great tour machine that cycles people from snorkelling spot to snorkelling spot, day in and day out.
I’d recommend both places we stayed: Kata Beach Center Hotel in Phuket, and PP Casita on Phi Phi; the latter is on the edge of town, a bit far from the wharf but relatively calm and secluded from the party atmosphere at night. Were I to go back to Phi Phi, though, I’d look into the hotels on Hat Yao (Long Beach) or even a more secluded cove.
The Big Buddha is. Big. … big buddha 5 (via sarah1rene)
At Phuket’s Big Buddha statue, you can buy chimes to be hung with the hundreds already decorating the site… bells 3 (via sarah1rene)
