Indonesian Batik

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Angkor Wat National Museum, Batik, Cambodia, Indonesia, Jakarta, Java Island, Siem Reap

My prized possesion. Why? This is a representation of Wayang klitik (pronounced why-young klee-teak) – They are carved and painted two-dimensional wooden puppets with jointed arms, most popular in East Java. They are used to tell the story of a handsome prince who ruled the Javanese Madjapahit kingdom in the 14th century.

I have been in Jakarta, Indonesia for 3 days and yesterday was especially a fun day. More important, I accomplished a “goal” I have had since visiting Siem Reap, Cambodia nearly two months ago. Way back then I did a post on the Angkor Wat National Museum, where I first observed a type of artwork called Batik . . .

https://aroundtheworldwithblade.wordpress.com/2014/09/21/angkor-wat-national-museum-siem-reap/

I found this type of artwork to be beautiful and I wanted to purchase a print at the museum, but I thought they were too expensive. I also thought I would have an opportunity to find Batik prints which were just as beautiful, but less expensive during my trip to Siem Reap. Alas, I did not find what I was looking for. Likewise, upon my visit to Phnom Penh, I also was unable to find exactly what I wanted. 

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Phnom Penh, Cambodia – Bits And Pieces

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Cambodia, FCC, National Museum of Cambodia, Phnom Penh, Sorya Shopping Center, The Plantation

This photo was taken at my hotel, The Plantation, in Phnom Penh. Great place to stay, as I really enjoyed the pool, spa services, and the staff is excellent. Very luxurious place with reasonable room rates. I was impressed! Also, I would be remiss if I didn’t give a “shout out” to Sayon, the excellent concierge at this hotel. Without his assistance for a Fed Ex package he tracked down, along with his other services (places to visit, restaurants, etc.), I would have been lost. Thank you my friend. 🙂

Even though I have been in Vietnam for awhile, I still haven’t completed my posts about Cambodia and Laos. Which points to the fact, that maintaining this blog is hard to do, especially when you have someone (me) overseeing it who is undisciplined about setting aside time to do it. Ha. I wasn’t always this way. Prior to retiring early in 2006, I was the poster boy for “Workaholics Anonymous.” Umm, that guy has disappeared. Yeah, occasionally I can focus and go on a tear, but it all depends on the project I am working on. It also helps (not) that I have been sick with a low grade fever and sore throat. Consequently, I might as well do something productive with my time. With that being said, let me get back to what this post is supposed to be about, namely Cambodia.

The Killing Fields

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Cambodia, Choeung Ek, Khmer Rouge, killing fields, Phnom Penh, Pol Pot, Tuol Sleng

Memorial stupa filled with the skulls of the victims at the killing field of Choeung Ek.

The term “killing fields” refers to a number of sites in Cambodia, where large numbers of people were tortured, killed and then buried by the Communist Khmer Rouge regime. I visited one such killing field named Choeung Ek in Phnom Penh. Cambodian journalist, Dith Pran, coined the term “killing fields.” The Khmer Rouge were in power from 1975 to 1979, immediately following the Cambodian civil war (1970-1975). Pol Pot, sometimes referred to as “Cambodia’s Hitler” was responsible for this mass genocide. However, he was never brought to justice – either dying from heart failure or suicide, i.e., no one knows for sure because he was cremated before an autopsy could be performed.

Artisans Angkor

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Artisans Angkor, Cambodia, Lok Lak, Old Market, Pub Street, Siem Reap, Silk

Loom for weaving silk. Notice the circular (upright) basket? This is where the silk worms are placed. The entire process is fascinating. 

Artisans Angkor is a place I really didn’t have on my itinerary, but Tola, who works at the Moon Boutique Hotel advised me to go, i.e., he indicated it would be well worth my time. It was indeed!

Angkor Wat National Museum, Siem Reap

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Angkor Wat National Museum, Batik, Cambodia, Naga, Siem Reap, Stupa

Pool and fountain surrounded by galleries.

Visiting the Angkor National Museum is something I should have done first versus going to the actual Angkor Wat temple complex. Why? Simply for the reason I would have known or been educated on what I was looking at. Instead, I did it ass backwards. No worries, as I am up to speed after visiting this fascinating and informative museum.

Angor Wat, Phnom Bakheng And Ta Prohm Temples, Cambodia, Part III

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Angor Wat, Bayon, Cambodia, Phnom Bakheng, Siem Reap, Ta Prohm

Some people have called the Angor Wat temple complex one of the seven wonders of the world. In my opinion, I would agree. I have not seen anything like it during my travels around the world. It is singularly unique. This post on Phnom Bakheng and Ta Prohm illustrates what I am talking about, especially true regarding my visit to Ta Prohm.

Angor Wat, Bayon Temple, Cambodia, Part II

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Angkor Wat, Angor Wat, Bayon, Cambodia, Jayavarman, Siem Reap

The Bayon.

Angor Wat is so large that I have decided to break my posts into 3 parts. This is the second part of my visit to Angor Wat. By the way, I have seen two spellings for these temples, “Angkor”  and “Angor.” The former is probably the one which most people are familiar with and/or is the proper spelling, but I really don’t know for sure. Since I used “Angor” in my previous post, I’ll continue to do so in this one. So to recap, I started off at Angor Wat, which is the largest religious temple in the world, with a volume of stone equaling that of the Cheops pyramid in Egypt. Wow! It is unlike all the other Khmer temples due primarily to the fact that it faces West and 12th century Hinduism inspires it (architecture). The symetrical towers and other buildings were conceived by Suyavarman II, and it took approximately 30 years to complete. Most scholars believe it was built as a funeral temple for the king. It has been occupied continuously by monks since its construction. Of all the temples, it is probably the best preserved.

Sunrise Visit Of Angor Wat, Part I

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Angor Wat, Cambodia, Siem Reap

Moon over Angor Wat.

One of my best traits is the ability to go all day, with boundless energy. It sort of reminds me of Shasta, who recently passed away. She would chase a ball or a stick until the person throwing it would get tired. However, Shasta would also collapse upon returning home from the park, hike, or whatever activity we were doing. Same deal with me. When I am done, I shut down. I’m out. So, this bit of information segues with my sunrise visit of Angor Wat. In other words, I had a blast at this mysterious site – exploring each temple with enthusiasm, curiousity, awe, and unbelievable gratefulness that I was able to see such a beautiful historical landmark . . . Upon returning to my hotel room later that day, like Shasta – I collapsed and slept the rest of the day and night. 

My Flight To Siem Reap, Cambodia

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Angor Wat, Cambodia, Moon Boutique Hotel, Seattle, Seoul

Not certain, but I think I took this on the Seoul, Korea to Siem Reap leg of my flight. I was way in the back and I had an entire row to myself.

A very short post about my flight from Denver to Siem Reap (via Seattle and Seoul, Korea). Not too much to tell, except all flights were on time and very comfortable, especially the Seoul, Korea to Siem Reap, Cambodia leg. The jet was half empty (even though it may not look like it in the photo above) and I had an entire row to lay down and sleep. Which I did, for almost 3.5 hours of the 4 hour flight. Nice. 

Interactive World Map Provides Details For Each Country I Am Visiting

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airplanes, buses, Cambodia, Christopher Columbus, Earth, Ferdinand Magellan, Fiji Islands, Laos, Map, RTW, taxis, Thailand, Traveler's Point, Vietnam

I will have traveled farther than this dude. Of course, he didn’t have jets at this disposal.

I have plotted my entire RTW trip on a travel map at Traveller’s Point web site. This includes, buttons that provide specific information about the place I am visiting. At the bottom of the dialog box that appears at each destination, you can “Read more” about that particular country.  Additionally, this map has “Zoom” features to reduce and magnify the map.  To the left of the map, you can “hide” the Trip Detail text to view the map completely.