Posted in Photography, Travels on February 26th, 2013 No Comments »
Prior to traveling to Java, I had never seen a volcano before. And I am happy to write that the first ever volcano I saw with my very own naked eyes were the mythical Mount Merbabu and its twin, Merapi on my early morning approach to Yogyakarta in Central Java. I actually got to the [...]
Posted in Photography, Travels on January 28th, 2013 1 Comment »
I have finally made it to Borobudur last December. At last, it was something concrete to back up all that I have learned about the Sailendras and Srivijaya. There it was, a concrete proof in the form of one of the largest Buddhist structures in the world, standing right in front of me. I do [...]
Posted in Photography, Travels on January 16th, 2013 No Comments »
As I wrote earlier, I was in Java for more or less three weeks. After Jakarta, I took the train to Yogyakarta. Indeed, I traveled from Jakarta to Bali mostly by train. The journey to Yogyakarta took about 9 hours. The rain made the journey longer than it should. I must say, I like Yogya, [...]
Posted in Photography, Travels on January 14th, 2013 1 Comment »
And so, I was in Jakarta in the middle of December, where I began my backpacking trip across Java for three weeks. From Jakarta, I took an overnight train journey to the cheery Yogyakarta, from there on a night in Indonesia’s second largest city, Surabaya and then a more than 12 hours journey to Bali [...]
Posted in Photography, Travels on October 23rd, 2012 No Comments »
A friend of mine will be spending a number of days in Cambodia later this month. Upon learning her travel plans, I began to reminisced my long hot lazy Cambodian days. I began to imagine going through the temple ruins all over again, and the walks I walked, the rides I rode, the conversations I [...]
Posted in Photography, Travels on October 22nd, 2012 2 Comments »
I spent some time near the northern part of Tonle Sap, close to Siem Reap. While I did enjoy the temples and I did wish that I spent more time exploring more temples, the change in view was not that bad. Tonle Sap Lake is the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia. I read about [...]
Posted in Photography, Travels on October 14th, 2012 No Comments »
Which is my favorite temple ruins among all the Angkor temples that I visited? It is Preah Khan. Unlike others which are mountain temples, Pheah Khan is a collection of chambers and open space. And unlike others which at once impose their presence upon sight, Preah Khan is unassuming. Its entrance is an open courtyard [...]
Posted in Photography, Travels on September 30th, 2012 No Comments »
Ta Prohm is one of the temple ruins in Siem Reap, Cambodia, which have been reclaimed by nature. Trees grow everywhere, within the compound of the ruins, and on the temple itself. Complete restoration of the ruins—meaning removal of the trees—is not possible without damaging the temple. The roots have grown intricately through the temple [...]
Posted in History & heritage, Photography, Travels on August 31st, 2012 No Comments »
Here is a typical pattern used on a typical richly ornate false door. Given how various temples were built sometimes a century apart, I found the commonness as mildly surprising. It suggests innovation was really slow. But it is pretty nonetheless. This is at Angkor Wat. I am unsure of its functions but my readings [...]
Posted in Photography, Travels on August 26th, 2012 No Comments »
The name is Hafiz Noor Shams.
For more about me, please go here.