Having just returned from Southeast Asia, I’m reliving memories from travels in Greece.
What a difference from Cambodia’s jungles. I found both equally enthralling. A boat trip from Athens to the island of Aegina showed me some of the origins of some of the West’s most basic thought patterns. [click to continue…]
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
Ways that nature and culture converge to create a perspective of the world fascinate me.
In my return trip to Cambodia, I ventured into the jungle in the hills over Angkor. It was not only stunning–it allowed me to experience some of Khmer art’s deepest roots. There are no hungry tigers around, so come in and explore. [click to continue…]
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
I thought these posts on Preah Ko were going to be in only 3 parts. But Preah Ko’s center has so many treasures that it’s worth lingering over.
The last posts focused on art that fostered political cohesion as the new Khmer state grew–more than 250 years before Angkor Wat went up. But Preah Ko also has higher meanings that are more spiritual. It balances worldly and spiritual levels so well that you need to appreciate both equally to understand this temple’s impact on Khmer art ever since it was built in the late 9th century. Come in and look towards the heavens. [click to continue…]
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
Preah Ko’s central section is full of treasures that have inspired Cambodian artists since it was built in the late 9th century. But this guardian is trying to keep intruders out.
Let’s try to sneak past this dude and get to Preah Ko’s inner treasures. [click to continue…]
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
Preah Ko’s central section’s shrines have many false doors like this one.
A very fancy design for a door. No Wall Street or Silicon Valley exec would dare attach one to his office. Where did the Khmers think it would lead? [click to continue…]
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
You know you’re heading for the heavens as soon as your foot leaves the ground.
The elegant bottom step to Preah Ko’s central section makes it clear that it’s a special place. Come in and explore it. [click to continue…]
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
I knew I was heading for trouble when I entered this wat in the historic northern Thai town Phrae.
I saw that the darkening clouds were about to unleash nature’s full power, but I couldn’t resist exploring yet another northern Thai temple. [click to continue…]
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
It was the first warm day in northern Europe when I explored the historic German town Augsburg in April 2010. My lips were still chapped from the chilly March days in Berlin and Prague. The sun’s embrace thus felt so good.
The locals agreed. By late afternoon, the main platz was filled with people sitting in small groups, enjoying each other’s company in the midst of buildings from Augsburg’s long history. What a contrast with Cambodia’s rainy season, which I recently returned home from. In both land’s nature and culture converged in different ways which are fascinating. [click to continue…]
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
I know I look more like a dweeb than an elite Khmer priest conjuring the rains in this shot.
But I had an experience that helped unify the Khmer empire when it was emerging. [click to continue…]
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
I’d forgive you for thinking that I ran this picture through Photoshop. But it’s exactly what I saw. Every photo in my website is–I’ve never modified a picture, and I never will.
My recent visit to Cambodia was during the rainy season, and it was more of a visual feast than I expected. The views were so stunning that the ancient Khmers would have had no doubt that divine forces were bringing them. A person hasn’t really been to Cambodia unless he was there during the monsoon. The landscape was luminous, and appreciating it is crucial for understanding the thought behind Angkor Wat and the other great Khmer temples. I’ll take you there in this post. [click to continue…]
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
