Phnom Penh

Welcome to Phnom Penh!
After Siem Reap and the temples of Angkor, arriving in the hustle and bustle of the city was a bit of a shock! But we soon settled in and you'll see from the photos what a lovely place it is.

I'll post another set of photos of the temples and the Royal Palace in about a month, when I get back from a trip to the UK. I hope you enjoy your walk around Phnom Penh! Alan

This first photo shows the National Museum.
It houses one of the world's largest collections of Khmer art
















A well-deserved nap. It requires a lot of
concentration and effort to drive a tuk tuk
all day in Phnom Penh






















Great name, Joe's Joynt
















A crisscross of roads and cables!
















A very cute resident of Phnom Penh
















Only room for one passenger. I wonder if her
motorbike broke down as she's wearing
a crash helmet

















A flurry of activity






















The Central Market (Psah Thmay).
Impressive building






















Daniela inside the market






















Helping Mummy at work
















A line of Apsaras in the street















Small market

















Enjoying the bumpy ride outside the Russian
market






















Making a wooden Apsara






















How does she do that? Carries
her own stool too
















Drying the laundry

















Cambodians start early with their bikes!

















A long boat

















A perfect picture of work-life balance!

















Orderly displays






















Caught in the sunlight



















A market near the river
















Offerings for the temple






















Everything you need to clean
the house






















It's windy by the river. Kite
flying is popular
















Fancy a snack?






















Flags of the world

















Heavy work pushing your work to work
















Heavenly passenger
















Tranquility by the river

Ta Prohm, Siem Reap, Cambodia

Thanks for coming to my blog.

Ta Prohm is one of the more famous temples near Siem Reap. It is in a more ruinous state than most of the other popular temples. It is testimony to the fact that for many years the jungle was not held back and took over the temples until they were re-discovered in the 19th century. It was built in the 12 - 13th centuries.


Many countries are partnering with Cambodia
to help restore parts of the temples and
maintain them. Can you see the picture in the
picture?















Walking towards the temple, a group of
people who have been injured and maimed
by landmines
















One of the reasons this temple is so famous
is that it was used to film scenes in the film
"Tomb Raider", which starred Angelina Jolie
















The guide that took us around was quite upset
by the fact that the temple is often referred to
as "The Angelina Jolie temple". He made the
point that the temple is a bit older than Angelina!

















The temple was chosen by the Ecole Francaise
d'Extreme-Orient to be left in a 'natural state',
as an example of how most of Angkor looked
on its re-discovery in the 19th century






















A lot of very careful work had
to be done to make the temple
accessible and safe, while still
keeping the 'natural look'






















The trees and their incredible
roots spreading out over and
between the buildings are
uniquely responsible for
Ta Prohm's atmosphere






















It is almost impossible to
take a photo without a tree!

















They are the defining feature of the temple























But here's part of the temple
without a tree. It is the central
sanctuary in the inner enclosure






















There are two main species of
tree. One is the silk-cotton tree
















This is a superb example with its pale brown
roots and knobbly texture























Just gorgeous!






















Ta Prohm was a temple monastery

















Its original name was Rajavithara which means
'the Royal Monastery'






















This is the second type of tree,
the strangler fig, a very apt name!






















Daniela, rooted to the spot























Fabulous example
















Close up























These last two photos show one
of the entrances to Ta Prohm.
The tree rising up from behind
is the same tree as the one in the
two previous shots

















Yet another incredible experience from our trip
to Siem Reap and Angkor. Just one regret, I didn't
get a shot of Angelina!

Four more blogs to come from Cambodia

Two of Phnom Penh, one of the "Ladies Temple"
and the grand finale of Angkor Wat, the most
famous of all. Do come back!