Day 171 - Ball in the Bag

I lik ethe textures on the ball and the lighting

Day 170 - Rangers V Crusaders

This guy looks deternmined!
I like the way that the grass and mud coming off his jersey is frozen in mid air.

Day 169 - Hibiscus

alnong the river banks in Seam Reap Cambodia - just after the rain.

Day 168 - Moonshot by day

Took a shot of the moon in the late winter afternoon

Day 167 - Bob

Fellow photographer - Bob

Day 166 - Beng Melea temple ruins

Cambodia is well known for the ancient temple of Ankor Wat.
"Wat" means temple in  the Khmer  language.
One of the lesser known temples (Wats) is called Beng Melea
The temple is situated about 40 Kilometres from Seam Reap and is a 1 hour drive by car or a 3 hour trip in a Tul Tuk.
This temple is definetly on my recomended MUST SEE sites in Cambodia.
It is overgrown with trees and vines. Unlike the other Ankor Wat temples at Beng Melea you are permitted to scamper, climb and explore the ruins. The danger is that you may fall off a roof top, start a collapse and injure yurself. This is of course the best part of the visit as you follow either a temple guide or young children around and through the temple ruins.


The temple is very big and you need to allow a few hours to explore it throughly.

The area was cleared of landmiones in 2007 so I  suggest you don't stray too far off the paths just to be sure.

Vines and trees have taken over the temple. The roots spread out , around insdie and in betreen the temple stones to gradually pull is apart.

This was once a covered "gallery" or walkway connecting different parts of the temple. The sold stone roof has collapsed into the walkway.

Tree roots invade the cracks betwwen the stones, prying them apart with patient force.

May of the stones have intricate carvings of dancers called "Apsaras"

Ferns find a foothold high above in the small craks betwenn the stonework

Tis was once the headstone above a doorway

Moss covered stones rest peacfully on the forest floor. Putting these temples back together is a massive jigsaw puzzle.

This window is slowly being taken over by roots and vines

Intricately carved "Apsara dancer" slowly wearing away. Many have beed chipped off and sold to collectors around the globe.

Day 165 - Making scents - Incense

On Highway no. 6 on the way to Beng Malea Temple is a family that manufactures Incesnse sticks for a living.
This is a team consisting of Mother and daugheter and two sons.

Colourful yellow josssticks stand in the sun to dry.




Bamboo sticks are soaked in water then duster with sawdust from Capock trees.
I guess there is some sort of colouring used in the sawdust because once the sticks are takn outside into the sunlight they change into a brilliant yellow colour an dthe bamboo turns into a purple coulour.

Boy stands in the door way to the small shed where the ladies of the house dust the sticks in capock sawdust. No masks no lighting - hot dust , sweaty and dark.

Day 164 - Monks

At a Monastery near Bang Melea Temple Cambodia.
I have been on the lookout for an opportunity to take a close up photo of a Monk - Today I hit the jackpot.

This Monk was staring out the window.
While we exchanged looks and I had his non verbal permission for this photo - he never posed or changed his expression at all. I guess he was really observing me rather than me observing him.

These Monks were a bit messy - I guess when they enter the Monastery at 14 they havent learned to pick up after themselves yet.

Their pet kitten sitting at the top of the stairs made a great shot against the bright orange robes

The monks do their sweeping with simple twigs tied together with orange fabric.

Monks roabs hang out to dry

Collecting bowls used by the  monks during their daily ritual of travelling into the village to collect food and offerings

This old monk suggested I make a donation to their poor box, which I did...

and then he let me take his photo.

Starting at a young age 14 onwards.

Day 163 - Views from a Tuk Tuk

The following photos were taken while traveling in a Tuk Tuk between Siem Reap and Bang Malea Temple.
This was a 40 KM trip out and again 40 km back. The trip lasted a full day and was one of the highlights of my visit to Cambodia.

Planting the rice fields. This is a cooperative effort with rice farmers moving from one field to another planting each others crops.

The fields are prepared by using traditional ox and plow.

I also saw a few motorised tractors.

There were water buffalo cooling off in the ponds along the way.

 

Along the way we passed small three wheelers and motorcycles with pigs ready for sacrifice at the temples, the meat would later be sold. Pigs were being collected at small farm houses along the roadside.

It was not a pretty sight.