Cambodia thoughts

[Mathos]

Apparently when they first came across 'The City' it was totally overgrown, the jungle was reclaiming what was rightfully it's own!

They have since located further parts to the city and surroundings from space I am lead to believe? It appears they can locate buildings beneath the jungle growth.


Can you imagine how a city would change if man was wiped out of it over a period of a few hundred years. Take New York for instance, what would happen to it all if man was kicked out and it was simply left to the elements.


I had seen a great deal of the normal photographs of Angkor, but these type really fascinated me, I think the architects concerned with the rebuilding of all this have a fantastic vocation on the world stage.





When you see the trees on photographs for instance it is quite an amazing sight.






The sizes appear astronomical. It enables you to appreciate what they must have cleared over the years since its location in the 1860's for example.




I think it's only when you stand by those trees though, (as others who have been there and there are several among the pages of Teak Door, will tell you) that you really do obtain a true perspective of the reality and general sizes of everything.

[Mathos]

There is an amazing walkway which leads across the grounds around Angkor and then crosses over a very wide moat.




The grounds were host to several magnificent but much smaller Temple like buildings as you can see above.

The obvious beneficial factors in having so much water available would be for irrigation, drinking, bathing, washing, watering stock, cooking and of course protection from invading forces.





Obviously these magnificent cities and palaces were not put up in a day, the working schedules over the years though must have involved a tremendous work force along with elephant power I rather imagine.

It would have been a tremendous task feeding the builders and their families throughout the many years of labour and the transportation of materials to the various sites must have been a massive undertaking.

It was a tonic in its own rights to see such happy kids around the moat in the modern day scenario of Angkor.





It was a really hot day or two that we actually spent going round these amazing buildings, as you can see from the arid looking state of the grounds in general, rain was required.

[Mathos]

The local area was very pleasant, people really took a great deal of pride in showing off the most basics of life with elements of pride in the presentation of their homes in particular.




There were times when we actually wondered if there was anybody there.





Well, yes they were, they were busy with the stalls trying to make a living out of the most basic of sales between themselves to the Angkor visitors and all in all came across as a happy pleasant group of people.





This was a beautiful tree close to the moat, later in the day, the locals were all seen to be dining out along this particular stretch, it looked great for them, and we were given snippets of food from their pic-nics, which was also very nice, and extremely kind of them.






There were smaller moats and various pockets of water all over the surroundings, the demands of the existence of a large community and livestock etc at the times of construction must have been amply satisfied.

I do wonder what went wrong here..

[Mathos]

When you ponder over various buildings which are part of the construction and see how much stone was used, it 's quite amazing as to how ingenious the thinkers, the architects, the craftsmen and masons in general really must have been.

They deserve a Five * rating at least.





I took some close ups of the stone spindles for this photograph it simply fascinated me, it would be a work of art today making a show like this with modern equipment, I rather think.





The carvings here are absolutely beautiful and the various walls around the Temples, in and out, show so much beauty and skill in their creation.

In it's day, the same must have been absolutely remarkable.

What a great pity it is that all this neglect, damage, vandalism, and theft has been done.




It appears when you take stock of the area in general that psychological thought was given to the construction as well as the fundamental requirements.

Chill out areas were quite obvious and apparent.




The Panoramic Views from various points, especially the higher stages were breath-taking.





Flobo and myself sat down a few times, taking stock, not just as we saw it then, but as we imagined it might well have been all of those years ago.

It was a brilliant period of great enjoyment and we still talk about that. It's difficult to re-create back home, but looking at these photographs and writing about it does help.

Imagine the landscape with elephants, mahout, tigers, crocodiles and every other type of animal you can think of, people working in the vicinity, there were rice fields etc all around and no doubt other crops being grown to feed the masses. Livestock farming and fishing. Monkey's chattering in the jungles swinging through the trees, no doubt visiting the buildings, the beautiful birds that must have been flying about, chirping and whistling away.

You really can get carried away in 'thought or dreamland'




Imagine the costings to build a fraction of a hotel in this style today.


It is indeed a wonderful place to visit and also to share with you who have not been there.

[Mathos]

I did a little reading with regards to the moats and water content around Angkor, there are many conflicting theories. The obvious demands not being ruled out.

It has long been assumed that they were simply used for irrigation, some historians argue that their primary function was political or religious. Today, the moat around Angkor and the West Baray still contains water, but the remainder have virtually dried up.

As you tour the temples, you will see certain mythical figures and other motifs cropping up repeatedly.

The Celestial nymphs Apsara always bare breasted usually dancing and showing obvious beauty we normally associate with the fair sex. (That was nice wording for the ladies Mathos)

Kala, has a very ugly if not monstrous type face, usually found on the gateways, apparently to guard against evil.

Strange how the comparisons are similar across the other side of the world, take for instance our 'Gargoyles' around Westminster Abbey and such like to guard against and ward off evil spirits.

The Naga is the mythical type numerous headed serpent along the guardrails of each entrance at Angkor Thom. Many such serpents or indeed many of a similar nature can be found on most Temples in the Orient.

Singha The Lion reminded me of our use of the word 'Simba' stylized Lions often guarding temples and used throughout the world to represent a guardian type protector or custodian.


Enough of my ramblings for the present, I'll put a few photographs on board.

The large courtyard areas almost remind me of large purpose built swimming or simple bathing pools. The workmanship again is quite spectacular.





I didn't get agreement on my suggestion with others regarding my particular strain of thoughts, but never the less it adds fuel for thought.






The wall murals are spectacular to see as well, however with a standard type camera as we have, it is not possible to photograph the same close up due to the lens restrictions and a wide angle close quarters type machine would be necessary to show the same on a photograph.

[Mathos]

I often wonder how the architectural side of the structure was portrayed, the 'gold diggers' so to speak never seem to come up with sets of pland or a planning approval letter of aurhority, do they.

We called out here for a bit of a drink, the lady at the homestead was really proud to show off her family.




They certainly didn't have much at all, but seemed well fed and clean.

The home was very basic. We noticed too how kids looked after kids over there, many younger children were being ferried about here and there by slightly older siblings for instance.

[Mathos]

Mother wanted to make us a snack, she was cooking some sugar cane and other bits and pieces in a giant wok. The product had a pleasant aroma and she didn't waste much time in getting it all fired up and on the boil so to speak.






I just happened to think, how we (well our wives and girlfriends) have all the bonus equipment at home and in modern day facilities throughout the globe. What a difference.



It turned out to be a brown substance at the end of the day, all neatly wrapped up in a large fig leaf and it tasted and rather looked like 'fudge' It was OK.

Apparently they have used the same for nutritional and energy support when low on normal food etc. Rice and meat for instance.

I have been told since that insects are sometimes added to the concoction, but I have no real idea if they were put in the selection we were given and also purchased. It tasted really good though.


The kids took great delight in showing us the family holding of 'swine' They were proud of their little lot too.





Dad shouted across to us to view his well, which he had dug by hand, it was extremely deep too.

[Mathos]

Around the ruins here and there in the grounds there was absolutely beautiful music being played.

The small groups of musicians consisting of victims of land mines of which there are thousands of amputees in Cambodia and Burma for that matter. The poor souls are glad to be alive, the use of such weapons is truly an awful part of the terrible awfulness of warfare.




Both Flobo and myself have seen numerous children without legs and other terrible injuries caused by these evil weapons. It is a shock to the system, believe me, to see so many afflicted in this manner.

Just how many have been killed by them, even in so called peace time is anyones guess.




Sometimes I look at the world and think we must all be stark raving bloody bonkers.


I'm simply airing basic thoughts, not making it political, I can look again at the Angkor Wat and see so much beauty from the same species of animal that does so much harm, and here we are, the intelligent group, the human chain.




Look at these faces for example.



So much pain, so much beauty and at times a picture of peace and tranquility which is beyond words.

[Michael]

I believe, unchecked, there is no depth to which man can sink. Not trying to be clever, or misquote. It is a genuine fact of human nature.

But, ironically, we are capable of the exact opposite. And I know why, and why there will never be change.

Knowing too much.........ignorance really is bliss.

[Mathos]

So I thought I would show you 'The Wall of Death'

I think I mentioned earlier on on the thread that people have fallen from these temples, apparently ascending and descending the steep stepped narrow ledges which really do take a bit of climbing in the heat of the day especially. Some have been badly injured others have actually lost their lives here.

I thought I had better go first.




It was steep, the ledges were extremely narrow. In all honesty, it would not be permitted for visitors to climb such like in any first world country or indeed in many others, Cambodia has no such restrictions though.

It's a bit like taking marijuana or magic mushrooms. If you want it, it's here do it.

Nearly there Mathos.




Flobo was soon behind me.







There's no way she wasn't going to do it in any event.





Made it, I was glad about that, I can tell you.


It was worth the climb though at the end of the day.



Wherever we came across steps of this nature though, they were extremely steep and very narrow.



They had put a timber one in situation alongside the stone ones in this section. Still steep though, but more foot room and you could hold the timber frame.


There was only one way down though and that was the way you came up. Albeit on the other face, a bit of a metal rail had been crudely fastened to the side of the steps. It was insecure though. I felt it best to ignore that and I went down slowly close to the wall, with Flobo following. Coming down the descent was actually much more difficult a task than climbing up the same and more dangerous.

A beer was in order after that.


Which way to the bar then?





Well deserved






Cheers.

[Mathos]

Originally Posted by Michael

I believe, unchecked, there is no depth to which man can sink. Not trying to be clever, or misquote. It is a genuine fact of human nature.

But, ironically, we are capable of the exact opposite. And I know why, and why there will never be change.

Knowing too much.........ignorance really is bliss.

You could have a very valid point there Michael. Very valid and it always reminds me of 'Lord of The Flies'

Lord of the Flies

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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For other uses, see Lord of the Flies (disambiguation).
Lord of the Flies
The original UK Lord of the Flies book coverAuthorWilliam GoldingCover artistPentagramCountryUnited KingdomLanguageEnglishGenre(s)AllegoricalnovelPublisherFaber & FaberPublication date1954 in the UK, 1955 in the USAMedia typePrint (Paperback & Hardback)Pages248 pp (first edition, paperback)ISBNISBN 0-571-05686-5 (first edition, paperback)Followed byThe InheritorsLord of the Flies is an allegoricalnovel by Nobel Prize-winning author William Golding. It discusses how culture created by man fails, using as an example a group of British school-boys stuck on a deserted island who try to govern themselves with disastrous results. Its stances on the already controversial subjects of human nature and individual welfare versus the common good earned it position 70 on the American Library Association's list of the 100 most frequently challenged Books of 1990–2000.[1] The novel was chosen by TIME magazine as one of the 100 best English-language novels from 1923 to the present.[2]
Published in 1954, Lord of the Flies was Golding's first novel, and although it was not a great success at the time — selling fewer than three thousand copies in the United States during 1955 before going out of print — it soon went on to become a bestseller, and by the early 1960s was required reading in many schools and colleges. It was adapted to film in 1963 by Peter Brook, and again in 1990 by Harry Hook (see "Film adaptations").
The title is said to be a reference to the Hebrew name Beelzebub (בעל זבוב, Ba'al-zvuv, "god of the fly", "host of the fly" or literally "Lord of Flies"), a name sometimes used as a synonym for Satan.[3]



Plot

The novel begins when two boys, Ralph and Piggy, find themselves next to a plane crash site (called the 'scar'), unaware of their surroundings. The boys soon find a conch shell and Piggy suggests that Ralph blows on the conch to call for any others who might be nearby. Their situation soon becomes apparent; there are many British school boys and no adults.
These boys are divided into two main groups: the "big'uns" (several older children) and the 'littluns'. Ralph, one of the "big'uns", holds an "impromptu" election and is voted the chief of the boys, beating another elder boy, Jack (the head of a choir group that also landed on the island). Ralph quickly calls everyone together to work toward two common goals, the first being to have fun and the second to be rescued by creating a constant fire signal, which was to be lit using Piggy's glasses. Some of the boys then go exploring and it is discovered they are on a small island.
For a time things on the island are civil, where all the boys worked toward building shelters, gathering food and water, and keeping the fire going. The one goal which constantly gets sidelined is keeping the signal fire going as some of the boys, the 'hunters', led by Jack, focus their energy on hunting the wild pigs on the island. The children's belief in a "beast" on the island also creates a problem. The children begin to split into two groups, based on the existence of the "beast". Ralph attempts to disprove the existence of the beast while Jack exploits the belief in the beast to encourage his group of 'hunters'.
Jack soon forms a separate tribe from Ralph's. Jack gains defectors from Ralph's tribe by promising them meat, fun, and, most importantly, protection from the "beast". Jack's tribe gradually becomes more savage and they use face paint. Jack and his tribe of 'hunters' eventually murder one of the other boys, Simon, who was mistaken for the "beast". They then raid Ralph's camp, attacking the non-hunters in order to steal Piggy's glasses in order to make a cooking fire.
By this time Ralph's tribe consists of just himself, Piggy, and twins named Sam and Eric. They all go to the rock fort of Jack's tribe to try to get back Piggy's glasses so he can see. In the ensuing confrontation Piggy is killed by a falling rock launched by Roger. Sam and Eric are captured and both become part of Jack's tribe, leaving Ralph by himself.
In the final sequence of the book, Jack and his friend Roger lead the tribe of 'hunters' on a hunt for Ralph, intending to kill him. In order to do this Jack sets the entire island on fire. The fire is so large that it attracts the attention of a nearby warship which comes to the island and rescues the boys. A navy officer lands on the island and his sudden appearance brings the children's fighting to an abrupt halt. When learning of the boys' activities, the officer remarks that he would have expected "better" from British boys.

[Mathos]

I'll put a few more photographs on of Angkor Wat and next week will move onto Tonle Sap Lake.

A few this evening and one or two more probably over the weekend. However, I want to find some time over the weekend to work on at least one of the other threads.


The architecture is so beautiful/





I sincerely hope the photographs are not boring any-body.



I personally think the same for their age and the time are spectacular.




It was great taking a wander outside every now and then too. We enjoyed the time spent there. It felt very beneficial to us both.




Little shops with all sorts of goodies on offer.

Then mind blowing architecture from all those years ago, that you can see and appreciate.



It's magical really.

[Mathos]

In discussion with a couple of 'scholarly type ' regarding Angkor Wat, they were quite amazed that the buildings had withstood the test of the weight of the enormous trees which had been growing and resting on so many points for hundreds of years.





Obviously when trees and vines grow in their early stages, they are somewhat comparable to worm like creatures or leeches. You may well be aware that leeches can get through the finest cracks on clothing for instance and once they start sucking on the fine claret we have running through our veins, they end up like big fat ugly slugs, well satisfied.

Similar with the trees and vines, they push their way through the smallest cracks in the brickwork as and where they can, then they grow, forcing the brickwork apart and establishing themselves as part of the fixtures and fittings.





Some of these sections which have been stripped of the trees, vines and foliage, obviously show signs of damage, whilst others are reasonably alright. There has been so much damage done by man over the years, especially the Khmer Rouge that the rectification work although proving difficult, will not be an impossibility.




I think this particular tree has been shown on most documentaries and films regarding or using Angkor Wat as background (Tomb Raider for example) since they commenced studying the same.




There are many areas similar to this particular section, with so many pieces about, it's going to be like repairing a jig-saw in a lot of instances, which from what can be seen of the remedial work being undertaken at present is certainly being managed in a very professional manner, so far as I could make out.





Looks a bit like Samson might have paid this place a visit in the past too, doesn't it.





The tree below which is only a few years old and gives a little shelter to the rider and horse, is not the type to be spreading total cover or wreaking havoc with the building in the future, short and contained roots on that little beauty.


Certain trees in the UK years ago, The Poplar being one good example to take, played havoc with drains and sewers especially. Foundations on buildings also.
The little baby roots would find access into the drains and sewers, then just within a couple or three years, they would block a four or six inch drain with no messing about.

Well. I'll leave Angkor Wat now and make a start on Tonle Sap Lake next week or so. Just leave you one of the kids from near the Wat, they ended up playing drums on the table top, it was good to see them laughing and enjoying themselves too.

"Umpa, Umpa, stick it up your jumper!"




What a wonderful world.


Got a couple of my grandsons staying over tonight, they're here to watch the Ricky Hatton v Juan Lazcano fight.


Granny asked them if they wanted a sirloin steak like Granddad, no they said, can we send out for a Pizza

The mind boggles.

[Marmite the Dog]

Originally Posted by Mathos

I sincerely hope the photographs are not boring any-body.

Certainly not. More please.