I was wandering around the city of Phnom Penh early in the morning. I was trying to squeeze in a bit of an exploration before heading to Siem Reap. The tuktuk driver went around some of the famous spots of the city. I asked the tuktuk to stop by the bay and took this photo of the sunrise. The decorative lamp post looks mysterious with the glowing sun shining behind it.
This picture was taken way back in 2010 at one of the temples in Phnom Penh. I was walking inside wandering aimlessly and looking for something interesting to capture. I noticed that one monk was curiously standing by the door and looking at me wandering around. I took some pictures of the statues outside and the monk looked at me again through the window.
I love bus rides. But what makes me sad is knowing that I am riding on the bus and I am missing a beautiful sunset. I was on a bus traveling from Saigon to Phnom Penh when I saw the sun setting and I could see it! I got excited and I waited for the right moment to capture the colors. At one point I was worried because I couldn’t see the sun anymore. Thankfully, there was a curve on the road and it gave me the vantage point to take this picture. The color seems so soft and gives a dramatic effect. Thanks to the bus window tint that served as my filter (hehe).
This photo was taken at the Floating Village in Siem Reap. It is one of the alternative places that tourists can visit, aside from the temples in Angkor. Ladies row around the area where tourists can be found. Either to ask for alms (with small kids in tow), sell some food or to entice tourists to have their picture taken with a snake. This is their way of living. Their way of getting food on the table.
Traveling is something I do to enrich my soul, explore the world and experience different cultures. Taking photos while traveling is a way to freeze and capture the moment of such a wonderful experience. Thank you to Michel for telling me about this contest.
This is my passion that I intend to do until I grow old and encourage people to travel go out of their comfort zones to experience life on the other side of the world. These are the colors as they were captured through my lens.
White
Floating Village: Student on her way home during lunch break
This was a photo taken during my visit to the Tonlé Sap Lake in Cambodia. I was on a boat cruising around the Floating Village when this little girl caught my attention. She was wearing her school uniform and was rowing the boat in the middle of the day. She’s on her lunch break and with a lolly in her mouth, she gave me this cute smile. 🙂
Red
I was chilling out on the beach in Koh Samui when the sky was just losing the yellows, pinks and violets. All that was left is the blue sky turning into different shades. Out of nowhere, this old boat with a red sail appeared going to the pier. It stands so picturesque amidst the blue sky and white boats that I couldn’t resist taking a photo.
Yellow
I was on my way to the main area of the bivouac when I saw a row of huge sunflowers growing along the pathway. I was surprised to see these since it was really hot on the Sahara Desert but they were growing radiantly facing the sun. Some may consider this a weed but to others it is what it is – a flower, a sunflower.
Green
The aerial view of Pampanga, pretty isn’t it?
I will always associate green as a color of nature. A color of peace and harmony. I was riding a hot air balloon in Pampanga, Philippines when this photo was taken. This is such a stunning shot for me because it captured the beauty of nature with the moon hovering the countryside as the sun was rising.
Blue
The clouds were a bit gloomy and it was a bit windy. Quite nice actually.
When I think of the color blue, the first thing that comes to my mind are the people of the Sahara Desert. They wear a turban to protect themselves from the sun and from the sand during sandstorm. The turban and their clothes are blue in color to help them stay cool even under the intense heat of the sun.
I hope you guys enjoyed my photos. Feel free to drop by my website and check my other posts. 🙂
I nominate
This photo was taken in Prasat Bayon found at the center of Angkor Thom temple complex in Cambodia. For a post about the temples in the Angkor Wat area you can check out this post (Temples And What Nots). Monks live in monasteries found in the area and they frequently visit the temples. I took this photo as the monk was descending the stairs, on his way home to the monastery where he lives.
We visited a LOT of temples on the first 2 days of our stay in Siem Reap. On the third day, we decided to do something different and went to visit the Phnom Kulen National Park. It’s located at the Svay Leu District and a 2 hour drive from Siem Reap. If you are planning to visit the park, you must take note that you are allowed to go up until noon and only possible to go down after midday due to the narrow roads.
The first stop of our visit was the Preah Ang Thom. It’s a massive reclining Buddha carved out of a sandstone rock. You have to go through a series of stairs before you can get to the reclining Buddha.
The way leading to the reclining Buddha.
A monk at the base of the stairs leading to the reclining Buddha.
The reclining Buddha
Next we went to visit the River of a Thousand Lingas. The river bed contains a series of stone carvings with lingam-yoni designs which were carved by hermits from 11th until 12th century.
The lingam-yoni design in the River of a Thousand Lingas.
An old lady enjoying the water flowing over the sacred lingas.
Lastly, we went to the waterfalls. There are two waterfalls in the park. The first waterfalls is about 5 meters tall while the second waterfalls is about 25 meters tall. A lot of local people visit the waterfalls and have picnics especially during the weekends. One can rent a cottage by the waterfalls or eat at the restaurants while enjoying the view.
Locals cooling off at the first waterfall.
Going to the second waterfalls was challenging. You get to climb down a wooden stairs with some steps a bit rickety or it’s missing. But it’s all worth it when you are greeted with a beautiful view of the waterfalls with a jungle backdrop.
The second waterfalls at Phnom Kulen.
All smiles after seeing the second waterfalls.
I enjoyed the trip to the park very much and if you are templed out in Siem Reap, this is a good alternative. 🙂
Wandering Candy 