Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts with the label Angkor Wat

Stitching Travel Memories

Sunrise at Angkor Wat I just recently discovered some apps like Diptic, Collage and Instagram which enhance a photograph in different and amazing ways. With Sunrise at Angkor Wat , I used Diptic to form a collage of various images I took at Angkor Wat last year to show the unfolding of day starting at around 5:30 a.m. until the sun crept into full view. It's beautiful to see the gradation of hues at intervals of just a few minutes. I refer to these images as "early bird catches early worm". Bayon In this photo taken at Bayon (also at the Angkor complex of temples), I used a filter from Instagram for a dramatic effect and to hide the haze at the lower edge of the photo. The frame further adds to the drama and sets the photo back in time. I describe this image as "a smiling face peeping through the corridors of time". Casa de Fruta, Gilroy, California This collage of eye candy was made using Collage app. It's a fun way of mixing various imag

Angkor Wat Under Wraps

My first impression of Angkor Wat was one of total disappointment. I happened to visit the site when it was undergoing restoration work on the front terrace. I could have cried. But there wasn't much I could do about it. So I concentrated on the other features of the temple and there was much to see and learn. This is one of the long galleries that wrap around the temple. It faces west with a view of the library and causeway. Behind these columns is a wall decorated with bas reliefs. There are some beautifully carved vignettes like the mother playing with her child. It's best to spend a little more time here with a guide who can point out some of the most interesting bas reliefs and give you background information about them to better appreciate this incredible visual library. We wound up at the back of the temple where we had a full view of the two rear towers. Ankor Wat, like all other temples in Cambodia, were built up (on a height) to emulate Mount Meru, the legendar

Sunrise at Angkor Wat

I got up at 4:30 a.m. to meet my tuk-tuk driver, Vanna, at 5:00 a.m. to make the trek to Angkor Wat for the famous sunrise over the temple.  The air was nice and cool and I could have used a light sweater but what a welcone change from daytime temperatures! At the ticket checkpoint a few miles from  Angkor Wat, the attendants there asked for my temple pass which had expired the day before. But since I had no intention of going inside the temple (as it is under renovation and the front terrace is covered in  tarpaulin), my driver negotiated for me to enter the grounds but not the temple. This worked out perfectly and at 5:30 a.m., I was well positioned to view the sunrise. First blush From where I stood, I had a great view of the causeway and the first wall which has three round towers. Behind that are the three conical towers of  Angkor Wat. There were many people around who woke up early to see this momentous event. On the causeway leading to the temple was a steady procession of t