Detail of a relief wall. In this one the Khmers are battling the Chams, and interestingly, the Khmers are depicted as wearing nothing but decorative belts, while the champs have fancy protective gear. And they still lost... 

The central square within Ankor Wat has relief panels along each of its N, S, E, and W walls. I forget which wall this is but they depict such things as the rising of Suryavarman II to the throne (he built Ankor Wat), battles with the Chams, an ethnic group from Vietnam, the Thais, and everyday life. They were floor to ceiling for incredible lengths. The workmanship was amazing.

This struck me as visually interesting, like for a t-shirt pattern. It was a waterstained wall with old Khmer script, overwritten by newer, different Khmer script that was waxed over in red. Before it was realized that the practice was a bad idea, tourists and locals alike used to take paper and cover the carvings and inscriptions and make charcoal rubbings of the patterns to take home. Sometimes these would be done with crayon to fill the engravings, so the paper would have the charcoal rubbing of the exterior of the carving on one side and the transfer of the crayon in the engraving on the other. Someone woke up to this becoming a damaging practice over time and it has since stopped, for the most part. But the overlay of texts and colors blended with the passage of time on the wall were compelling to me for some reason. 

In an inner courtyard at Ankor Wat. 

Entrance to the South Gate of Ankor Thom, en route to Bayon. Unfortunately, this is one of the two last photos of my digital camera's battery. Also unfortunately, the spare battery that I brought along on the trip was not charged. It was interesting, though, to tour the remaining temples with no other goal than to simply enjoy being there. It added a whole new dimension of my walks.  

Finally, this Cambodian matriarch really took me by surprise. Luckily, I was still walking and talking with Aeang, who speaks Khmer. This lovely lady stopped me to shake my hand and make a few gestures. Turned out she asked me to take her photo. She said (through Aeang) that she lost all of her photos in the "unpleasantness", a euphamism for Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge regime in the 1970s, when his charge to genocide killed over a million and a half of his own countrymen. All locals working to restore Ankor Wat, a relative newcomer to the archaelogical restoration effort, and all monks who worshipped here, were killed. Now, I could be naive, but this lady certainly has the testament of time and survivorship on her side. I didn't want to discourage her from the moment, and didn't have the nerve to reposition her in a place that allowed for more sunlight on the subject. But I felt honored that she asked me to take the photo. I am to mail it to her "when it gets developed", but she was quite happy to see the immediate digital display.  

Fantastic fans!
These photos are from a recent trip to the Botanic Gardens here in Singapore.

Mini yellow orchids and other greenery. 

These are my favorite palms in the region. They are a dusty green, my favorite color, and look razor sharp. I love their lines. 

Overhead canopy. 

Botanic Gardens Gazebo. 

These orchids, besides having many small flowers, also has a funky stalk. 

Great example of the landscaping and beautiful construction in Singapore's Botanic Gardens. Often on weekends it is common to see families picnicking and strolling along. 

Last weekend, I went to the Botanic Gardens for a short while. The skies were threatening, but I was able to give my new camera a try. Even thought it was low lighting, and I don't have a flash, I was able to capture a few shots.  

This is the Four Friends sailing yacht. Not sure how long it was...54 feet? We had a company sailing outing on Sunday, from the North end of the island to near Bintan, Indonesia, back up to Frog Island again on the north side. The skipper and his wife had fantastic stories....he evacuated her whole family from Vietnam during the war. The food was fantasic, and the 12 hour voyage thoroughly enjoyable. The best way to spend 911 was doing something thorougly enjoyable and appreciating the freedom to do so.