Banteay Srei

Banteay Srei is considered by many to be the artistic jewel of Angkor Wat. It is a relatively small temple, but it contains some of the finest examples of stone carving anywhere on earth. Almost every surface is covered in elaborate decoration.

There are women with lotus flowers and flowing skirts, stern temple guards, toothy monsters, and complicated and delicate renditions of scenes from the Ramayana.

[NOTE: Banteay Srei means "Citadel of Women", probably owing to the many devatas carved into the red sandstone walls].

Ganesha II

N11°33.326'
E104°55.481'

A collection of Ganesha statues at the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh. Interesting to compare to the print here, and note that while one is sampling a cup of coffee, most of the statues shown above are also tasting "something" from the cup in their left hand with their trunk. Never noticed this. [NOTE: Genesha's right tusk, which is traditionally depicted as broken and held in his right hand, was used to write the Mahabharata]. 

Call Me By My True Name

N11°33.326'
E104°55.481'

Lovely Buddha at the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh sitting under a beautiful example of a Couroupita guianensis Aubl. tree (Lecythidaceae) with flowers (shown) and fruits (not visible). Unfortunately, the sign says "Shorea robusta Roxb." (Dipterocarpaceae), which this tree decidedly is not. [NOTE: Maybe this was done on purpose as a teaching about the difference between naming and knowing].

Bayon

The temple of Bayon in the Angkor Thom complex was built by Buddhist King Jayavarman VII in the late 12th century. The temple feature 54 towers decorated with enormous, smiling faces of Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva of Compassion.

There are a total of 216 faces of Avalokiteshvara at Bayon, and at least a dozen of them are visible at any time as you walk through the ruins. Unlike the more typical representations of the Bodhisattva of Compassion (see Avalokiteshvara and Quan Âm), the faces at Bayon look - understandably - very much like Jayavarman VII himself. 

Monks at Angkor

Weather in Siem Reap was perfect.  We had a little shower the first day at Angkor Wat, but fortunately we had umbrellas. As did many of the other visitors to the ruin complex. [NOTE: Last post from Cambodia. We start the 17 hour trek home this afternoon]. 

Ta Prohm

Spent the first week of my 60th year climbing around the ruins of Angkor Wat in Cambodia - with my oldest son Case (see Steal Yourself and Ganesha (with Coffee). Took many pictures of this incredible monument to human ingenuity and artistic expression, and will surely be posting some in the weeks to come. For now, the classic Angkor Wat image of the strangler figs (Ficus gibosa Blume) reclaiming Ta Prohm, the Buddhist temple dedicated to the mother of Jayarvarman VII, is shown above. [NOTE: This place is amazing}.

Rat Trap

This wonderful example of handcrafted pest control (see Mouse Traps) is a Khmu rat trap from the Traditional Art and Ethnology Center (TEAC) in Luang Prabang. Not really sure how this thing works, but I bet the rock is what interacts with the rat. [NOTE: TEAC is a small but lovely museum with a well-curated collection of traditional art and utilitarian items from a variety of different ethnic groups in Lao PDR].

Morning Alms

Saffron-robed monks make their daily sunrise alms procession, or tak bat, down Sakkarin Street in Luang Prabang. Ladies kneeling at the side of the road bow and respectfully put a single ball of sticky rice in the begging bowl of each monk as they pass. Quite powerful to watch.

Painting

A monk touches up the lavish gilt work on the outside of Wat Xieng Thong in Luang Prabang. This important Lao monastery was built in 1560 by King Settathirath near the confluence of the Mekong and Nam Khan rivers. [NOTE: The monk is wearing earbud headphones. Wonder what he's listening to?]

Back To Si Saket

Case and I walked across the border into Laos at Lao Bao, Vietnam yesterday and then spent 11 hours driving to Vientiane. Saw a lot of beautiful karst and bounced through thousands of potholes on Rt. 9. Slept well last night. As a reward for the long road trip, I stopped by Wat Si Saket (see Wat Si Saket and Wat Si Saket (Revisited)) after my meeting at the WWF office. Spent a long time admiring the exquisite wooden statue shown above. [NOTE: Can't believe I never noticed this piece before; must be a new addition].