The Human Camera Blog
Showing posts with label Cambodia - Siem Reap. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cambodia - Siem Reap. Show all posts
Friday, 22 June 2012
Temple in Cambodia - nature reclaiming the land
Siem Reap is a unique place, all over the world we hear of human destroying nature through deforestation... in Siem Reap, it's the reverse. Here, we see the forces of nature claiming back the land.
Thursday, 10 May 2012
My wife - the talented photographer :)
Still going through the photos that were taken a few years ago... I stumbled upon an album which was taken by my wife while we were in Cambodia. These were taken with a point & shoot Canon G12.. a bit of touch up were necessary in Photoshop, sharpening, cropping & saturation...
I think my wife has a good eye for composition & capturing the moment!
I think my wife has a good eye for composition & capturing the moment!
Saturday, 17 March 2012
Faces of Cambodia
Found these photos during my archival process. They look interesting & reminded me of life in another world.. brought back good memories! Tells me that life can be simple and happy...
Monday, 12 December 2011
Sunset in Bayon
Most people travel to Siem Reap to catch a sunrise in Angkor Wat... sure sunrise is truly spectacular in the Everest of temple, but I think there is a comparable beauty in the sunset in Bayon. With not many tourists around, there is a quiet serenity in this place.
The temple is located in the vicinity of the famous Angkor Thom... a collection of ancient Angkorian temples and ruins. It's roughly about a 15min drive from Siem Reap city centre.
The temple is located in the vicinity of the famous Angkor Thom... a collection of ancient Angkorian temples and ruins. It's roughly about a 15min drive from Siem Reap city centre.
Saturday, 26 November 2011
Five things I learnt about Cambodia
Having visited Cambodia made me realise that:
1. Lemon grass & palm sugar can be used in every meal
2. When stuck in heavy traffic at a cross junction - just close your eyes and go
3. USD is the functional currency (of tourists) in Cambodia
4. Always slash prices by at least 50% when bargaining - don't be shy!
5. Learn basic Khmer (if u're Asian) - at tourist locations pretend to be a Cambodian & you'll get free access.
Friday, 25 November 2011
The jungle temple - Ta Prohm
This is a place that gave me the "wow" factor from the get go. My local driver told me that Ta Prohm is also known as the jungle forest and the place was made famous by the movie "Tomb Raider". It's really easy to see what Hollywood has chosen this to be the setting for the Lara Croft movie - the whole temple is shrouded in dappled shadow yet extrudes a sense of calmness and serenity - exotic.
The extensive root system dug deep into building structures creating a manicured look that reminded me of a bonsai plant - except that in this case the trees are "life-size". While the trees and its muscular root system is a definite highlight of this place, there is no doubt that its these roots that are slowly destroying the temple consuming & breaking it down with the age of time.
Along the way into the temple you'll see many kids and teenagers who would offer to be your guide. What's surprising is that most of these kids speak really good English without any hint of local accent. Some were so good that I wouldn't be able to tell them apart from the foreigners... These kids are extremely street-wise and have probably been trained in their early days to survive in this real world. So if you are feeling generous, there's no harm letting one of them guide you through the temple for a small fee... (always agree on a price before you start with them).
Pearly told me that this is her favorite place in Siem Reap.
The extensive root system dug deep into building structures creating a manicured look that reminded me of a bonsai plant - except that in this case the trees are "life-size". While the trees and its muscular root system is a definite highlight of this place, there is no doubt that its these roots that are slowly destroying the temple consuming & breaking it down with the age of time.
Along the way into the temple you'll see many kids and teenagers who would offer to be your guide. What's surprising is that most of these kids speak really good English without any hint of local accent. Some were so good that I wouldn't be able to tell them apart from the foreigners... These kids are extremely street-wise and have probably been trained in their early days to survive in this real world. So if you are feeling generous, there's no harm letting one of them guide you through the temple for a small fee... (always agree on a price before you start with them).
Pearly told me that this is her favorite place in Siem Reap.
The magic of Angkor Wat
Ok, on arrival in Siem Reap, Cambodia, this is the place I most eagerly wanted to visit - of course... who wouldn't?
Angkor Wat is world-renowned (although two of my good friends in Singapore have never heard of it?), it is one of the 7 wonders of the world and listed in the UNESCO heritage site. What's more important to me is that I have seen countless numbers of fantastic photos of this place and after many months of planning, it was finally time for me to take some photos of my own.
Angkor Wat struck me as a place that was "lost in time". The temple looked more like a walled city from outside and surrounded by a moat. As I stood outside the main entrance, I could almost picture it in its fullest glory in the olden days.
This picture was taken during sunrise. This is my first sunrise shot... I guess I just never had the discipline to wake up that early in the morning to catch the sunrise. I still recall scheduling morning call at 430am with the hotel... and telling myself "I hope this is worth the early rise". Pearly and I reach the temple at around 530am, this is when the first light occurred. When we were at the temple, there was already hordes (over a thousand) of tourists lining by the pond to catch a shot of the sunrise. With much apologies... we managed to "squeeze" pass the crowd to get to the edge of the waters. I went straight to a spot where a number of tripods were set up... why? Simple... (a) photographers are usually more accommodating than the usual tourists & don't usually mind sharing a spot with other photographers - so long as you don't bump into their tripods (b) they have probably arrived early to survey the land and noted that this is the best spot to get good photos.
The moment was magical... as the light came up, the sky turned into a deep purple before lighting up with an orange glow. It was a sight to behold... and the early rise was all worth it! (click on image to see full size)
Angkor Wat is world-renowned (although two of my good friends in Singapore have never heard of it?), it is one of the 7 wonders of the world and listed in the UNESCO heritage site. What's more important to me is that I have seen countless numbers of fantastic photos of this place and after many months of planning, it was finally time for me to take some photos of my own.
Angkor Wat struck me as a place that was "lost in time". The temple looked more like a walled city from outside and surrounded by a moat. As I stood outside the main entrance, I could almost picture it in its fullest glory in the olden days.
This picture was taken during sunrise. This is my first sunrise shot... I guess I just never had the discipline to wake up that early in the morning to catch the sunrise. I still recall scheduling morning call at 430am with the hotel... and telling myself "I hope this is worth the early rise". Pearly and I reach the temple at around 530am, this is when the first light occurred. When we were at the temple, there was already hordes (over a thousand) of tourists lining by the pond to catch a shot of the sunrise. With much apologies... we managed to "squeeze" pass the crowd to get to the edge of the waters. I went straight to a spot where a number of tripods were set up... why? Simple... (a) photographers are usually more accommodating than the usual tourists & don't usually mind sharing a spot with other photographers - so long as you don't bump into their tripods (b) they have probably arrived early to survey the land and noted that this is the best spot to get good photos.
The moment was magical... as the light came up, the sky turned into a deep purple before lighting up with an orange glow. It was a sight to behold... and the early rise was all worth it! (click on image to see full size)
Banteay Kdei - small but wonderful
I like the shots taken in this temple.
3 reasons:
Compared to the surrounding temples in Angkor Thom, Ta Prohm and Angkor Wat, Banteay Kdei is small. The temple measures no bigger than a football field, yet it feels very complete and has no lack of great sights compared to it's bigger siblings. The temple is surrounding by 4 concentric walls with 4 entrances (each decorated by carvings of Garudas) and the at back of the temple is a small pond which completes its tranquil settings.
This place is definitely worth the visit ... the light tourist traffic is a real plus - especially when you are taking photos! (click on photos to see full size image)
3 reasons:
- We had a photo guide who speaks immaculate English & knew all the right places to take a shot... we did have to pay him ~US$8 at the end of the 45mins.
- It was beautiful! There was a lot of action in the clouds.
- Most importantly - THERE WAS NO TOURIST!
Compared to the surrounding temples in Angkor Thom, Ta Prohm and Angkor Wat, Banteay Kdei is small. The temple measures no bigger than a football field, yet it feels very complete and has no lack of great sights compared to it's bigger siblings. The temple is surrounding by 4 concentric walls with 4 entrances (each decorated by carvings of Garudas) and the at back of the temple is a small pond which completes its tranquil settings.
This place is definitely worth the visit ... the light tourist traffic is a real plus - especially when you are taking photos! (click on photos to see full size image)
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