Posted by The Insider on Jun 21, 2011 in A Photo a Day, Addicted to Meme, All things Khmer, Cambodia, Cambodia life, faces, people, Phnom Penh, sights, That's My World, Women | 5 comments
Is she familiar to you?
In Phnom Penh, I see this woman every time I go to Psah Thmey or the New Market, commonly (albeit incorrectly) called as the Central Market by most expats. She is one of the colourful figures there. Everyday she stands at the entrance of Psah Thmey offering hammocks of different colours to tourists and locals alike. Oh, she could be very persistent and annoying sometimes.Every time I see her, her colourful wares draped around her body like a sash, and her wide cheeky smile, I am constantly reminded of one of my favourite biblical characters, Joseph the Dreamer.
Can you see the similarities? 🙂
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Posted by The Insider on Jun 19, 2011 in A Photo a Day, Addicted to Meme, All things Khmer, Cambodia, Cambodia life, Kep, Shadow Shot Sunday, sights, transportation, travel | 4 comments
The long and lonely tree-lined road to Kep, Cambodia.
Apparently, there are still 100kms to go before reaching Kep. Can you still hold on, my dear?
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Posted by The Insider on Jun 17, 2011 in A Photo a Day, Addicted to Meme, All things Khmer, Cambodia, Cambodia life, Kep, new temples, rural, sights, Skywatch Friday | 5 comments
Just south of Kep town is Wat Vipassana Thurak, or Wat Vipassana Meditation Centre. It sits on a hill at the bosom of Kep National Park overlooking Kep and its nearby islands, and the Gulf of Thailand. On a very clear day, the Vietnamese island of Phu Quoc can be seen from the horizon. The temple is new and has several giant images of the Buddha. It is well worth a visit!
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Posted by The Insider on Jun 16, 2011 in A Photo a Day, Addicted to Meme, All things Khmer, Cambodia, Cambodia life, Khmenglish, Khmerism, sights, Signs | 4 comments
A room service menu found in the hotel room where I was staying in Sihanoukville. Sihanoukville is the prime beach town of Cambodia about four hours away from the capital of Phnom Penh. In fairness, the food was good, enough to delight my grumbling tummy.
For more signs around the world, check out the main site by clicking the logo below.
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Posted by The Insider on Jun 12, 2011 in A Photo a Day, Addicted to Meme, All things Khmer, ancient temples, Angkor Wat, Apsaras and Devatas, Cambodia, Cambodia life, Shadow Shot Sunday, sights | 3 comments
An
Apsara, in Khmer folklore, is a celestial being. Together with the
devatas, they are “assigned” here on earth to fulfill their respective duties. The
apsaras are celestial entertainers/dancers and they are always depicted as dancing (above) or poised ready to dance while the
devatas are always standing still and facing forward in their role as temple guardians or watchers.
New apsaras and devatas come down to earth once a year, every Khmer New Year, to replace the ones that are already here. Images of these celestial beings are prominently found in Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, Bayon, and Ta Prohm temples and most of them are of the apsaras. Archaeologists are still trying to uncover one of the mysteries surrounding Angkor Wat – why do women dominate the largest religious structure on earth and who were these ancient Khmer women depicted in the temples?
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