I'm making it two Cambodia posts, Angkor first ...
That's the impressive Temples of Angkor, my second visit to this amazing place after 2009.
People and country coming next.
Check it out,
KIKI
Boy oh boy, events fly thick and fast. Cambodia, you beauty, with such terrible past. I am doing a portrait project and my impressions from my last visit in 2009 seem to prove themselves. There is something very special about the Khmer, they keep smiling whatever it's thrown at them. When you look at the whining and moaning in Germany or our Western world in general this becomes even more impressive. I am deeply stirred by this attitude and although I know it won't be this way with each and every Cambodian fate you can't deny this positive attitude to life is there, in fact with a lot of Cambodians.
One image that perfectly expresses what I mean is the following. I've been to a hospital the other day and this little guy got his foot in a saw losing two toes and retaining a massive scar on his right leg.
But look at his face and that of his young mother, not a sign of sorrowfulness, that's formidable!
I am lucky to have a great young Cambodian translator these days, we've already found some people and took interviews yesterday and we will keep on talking to Cambodians on the streets of Phnom Penh the next days. Saturday I am planning to move on to Siem Reap ...
I am uploading the first batch of photos shortly, but I will hold some back for a possible exhibition next year :-),
stay tuned!
KIKI
Today we took plane to Phnom Penh from Singapore. It's a less than two hour flight. Arrived in Cambodia's capital we got the visas on arrival and took the Tuk-tuk to the city. On the way into the city I thought Phnom Penh had changed a bit, being more modern compared to 2009, when I've been here for the first time. Back in the streets downtown and around the Central market everything seems pretty much the same. The Khmer always have a smile on their face and it feels great to be back again on the banks of the mighty river Mekong.
Tomorrow I will wander through the city and start my project. We probably stay in Phnom Penh till next Saturday and then take the bus to Siem Reap.
I will post first pictures in the next days ...
KIKI
This is Singapore, well, at least in a couple of days. I liked Little India the most, I was lucky they celebrated a special holiday today and I could shoot some nice photos in one of the temples ...
Bye-bye, Singapore, it's been the farthest Southeastern point, from now on we will slowly head homewards, but the most important part is yet to come. Taking the plane to Phnom Penh, Cambodia, tomorrow.
Keep looking back
KIKI
My full Singapore set will come the next days, today we've been to the 4th Singapore Biennale 2013. It's been very interesting with artworks mostly from the Southeast Asian region, pretty political, too. I'm too lazy to write about them as there were quite a few, but fortunately I took some pictures. You may as well check the Biennale website with all the artists. Have a look ...
And then we went to my most favorite shop on Orchard Road ;-)
See you the next days
KIKI
Yeah, up on Peak yesterday evening I took a 2013 version of Hong Kong by night, always impressive from above and in between ...
Taking the plane to Singapore soon ...
KIKI
Wow, the last days in China we spent in the spectacular region of Guilin in the south. We took a cruise boat down through the karst mountains that reminded me a lot of Halong Bay in Vietnam. The last day we took the bike and cycled through this magnificent landscape and I tried to get in touch with the farmers and capture their life on the fields. It's a really breathtaking part of China and well worth to spend much more time there. Have a look ...
We took the plane from Gulin to Shenzhen at 8 this morning and after a bus ride just arrived in Hong Kong, having a coffee in Kowloon and overlooking the impressive downtown skyline. I will try to shoot some different photos from the ones I took back in 2009, but I'm afraid we need to go up to the peak again tonight, the view is simply too good.
Taking the plane tomorrow afternoon to Singapore ...
KIKI
We started at 6 in the morning on Friday with our personal driver. We arrived in Xidi, the first of the ancient towns of the day, around 7. Light was quite magic, have a look ...
In Hongcun, the next ancient city, we found a beautiful little village and again amazingly interesting people ...
There are a lot of art students in the ancient towns, sitting around all over the place drawing and painting ...
After Hongcun we went to the mountain area of Qiyun Shan. We took the cable car up, walked around for two hours and climbed down again by foot ...
In the late afternoon we convinced our driver to take us to the last place of the day, Chengkan. It was worth going from a photographers point of view as light couldn't have been better!
That was a long day and we took the night train at 11 pm with only a seat and no bed to rest, pretty uncomfortable. Oh well ...
We are in Pingxiang today and take the night train the evening to Guilin which will arrive there in the early morning. Think we will take a rest in the park now, weather is great.
KIKI
We took the night train to Huangshan region on Wednesday. The sleeping coach was pretty comfortable and we arrived in the Old Town of Tunxi in the morning. The place is quite pretty and makes for a good starting point to explore the surrounding scenery. Wednesday we just enjoyed the city and I took some pictures of the beautiful houses and interesting faces ...
The girls above from our hostel arranged a taxi for us at 6 in the morning to visit as many places as possible and take a lot of pictures.
Check them out tomorrow ...
KIKI
Just a quickie from today. We've been to French Concession, met with a friend from Germany and enjoyed the pleasant neighborhood. We need to catch the train to Huangshan in one and a half hours ...
See you the next days, going to the mountains now ...
KIKI