Friday, May 25, 2007

Demonstration Village

We didn't travel to Northern Thailand, so visited this lovely demonstration village to catch a glimpse of the architecture of the North. This demonstration village is supported by the Queen of Thailand to encourage preservation of Thai craft-making and traditions.

The structures we passed along the Cambodian highway from the Thai border to Siem Reap were similar, but excluded the steep roofs and the dramatic Thai peaks.

Sunday, May 20, 2007

More from Angkor



This structure was built in the 12th century during the reign of Jayavarman VII. I took this photo of the gateway to Angkor Thom from inside the city.

Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Elephant trek



A visit to Thailand isn't complete without an elephant ride. Here we are on Ko Tao setting off into the forest with our lady elephant and then rewarding her with bananas after our journey - a white knuckle ride up and down steep hills on precariously narrow paths holding on for

dear life as our behinds slipped off our bench and our toes clutched desperately at the hairs on our elephant's head.

Monday, May 14, 2007

Ko Tao



Here's the view from my lawn chair at Ko Tao Resort, on the lovely wee island of Ko Tao ... an excellent place for rest and relaxation, fun in the sun, and snorkelling and scuba diving.

Sunday, May 13, 2007

Wat Pho, Bangkok





One of many extraordinary places to visit in Bangkok.

Friday, May 11, 2007

Cambodia

These young Cambodian monks were happy to give us a tour of the temple grounds where they work with orphans and people with HIV. Might their eager friendliness have had something to do with my two beautiful young travelling companions? One of them asked me what I was doing about finding husbands for my daughters and told me he would be a "normal person" in just 6 months.

Wednesday, May 09, 2007

Angkor Thom, Cambodia


Angkor Thom, where "Laura Croft: Tomb Raider" was filmed, has been left in its natural state with nature reclaiming manmade monuments. These trees grow their roots above ground and during the rainy season they soak up all the water they need to survive the following year.

Tuesday, May 08, 2007

Angkor Wat, Cambodia








This was a magical, spiritual place - I haven't the words to describe the wonder of this UNESCO world heritage site consisting of more than 100 stone temples built between 802 and 1220 AD. From Angkor the Khmer kings ruled over a vast domain that reached from Vietnam to China to the Bay of Bengal.

Monday, May 07, 2007

Life is a beach



Two weeks ago, early morning on the way to the beautiful island of Ko Tao.

Sigh ...