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photographie-irie > Modern Plaza, Saigon, Vietnam Vietnam is a land of contrasts, old and new, rich and poor, communist and capitalist, developed and backward. Often it seems there are few limits to development priorities with the consummate environmental problems that ensue. The prime directive seems to be improving current lives now as soon as possible. With an incredible 95% literacy rate, things are moving fast and furious. It was never difficult to find English speaking locals for conversation. Here a bit of modern sculpture adorns an evening street plaza that more typically might otherwise be commemorating Uncle Ho (Chi Minh), or past war victories.
photographie-irie > Temple Elephants, Angkor Thom South Gate, Cambodia Elephants cruise the paths of Angkor at the behest of mahouts in search of passengers wanting a Disneyland way to see Angkor. For most visitors, however, getting around means lots of exploring on foot, with tuk-tuks taking you there and from site to site. Most elephants seemed in need of much wanted passengers, though, since the tuk-tuks excel for bigger range of travel while adding sun and rain protection to that natural open air feeling. But the ruins should make a great backdrop for shorter, bumpy elephant rides if you're tired of walking or looking for that elephant ride thrill. In this approach to the South Gate, the most used entrance to Angkor Thom, the roadway has parallel sets of 54 statuary 'divas" (kind gods) on the left side of the road, and 54 'asuras' (demons) on the right.
photographie-irie > Face in the Trees, the Bayon, Angkor, Cambodia      Another smiling Buddha at the Bayon, reflecting the harmony of nature and time from almost a millennia ago, still to this day.
photographie-irie > South Tower Gate, Angkor Thom, Cambodia      In route to the the ancient city of Angkor Thom you pass under and through these spectacular multii-visaged guard towers with giant smiling Buddhas beckoning. Each gate is part of a moated wall that surrounds what was once the capital city. Entrance is gained to a series of temples within the huge city, including the Bayon which is noted especially for it's abundance of these huge faces. Having been built with the arched passageways sized for elephant travel, the popularity of the city and it's temples contributes to frequent traffic jams on this principal tourist route as huge buses must await single passage through the gates. Atop these magnificent guard towers the godly visages of four 'Lokesvaras' command views toward each point of the compass.
photographie-irie > Row of Asuras Angkor Thom South Gate Area, Cambodia           With adundant sculpture lining the roadway, it's easy to commune with ancient idols on the way from one monument to another. Here we greet a row of 54 'asuras', or demons, offest by 54 'divas', or nice gods, on the opposite side of the road. The ever-present statuary in the midst of overgrown jungle is a constant reminder of past glories, but stark contrast to the less settling aspects of the present day war ravaged nation, such as mines still causing continuing human toll to the local populace and limiting access to more remote settings, and the generally struggling level of the simple life here. For all that, an inescapable recurring theme among visitors is how friendly and graceful local people are for all their country's past hardship.
photographie-irie > Bas-Relief Smiling Buddha, The Bayon, Angkor, Cambodia      Abundantly sculpted decoration for temples throughout Angkor, Cambodia and the rest of SE Asia, these visages are plentiful adornments for their huge temple hosts. Treasures in and around the temple complexes have been looted on a grand scale, with most recovered items housed in the National Museum in Phnom Penh. Many of the best specimens from this era are in the Museum or in private collection, if not lost to the carnage of time. Even without some of it's finer artworks, the incredible natural scale of Angkor impresses in ways museum presentation cannot.
photographie-irie > Bas-Relief, Ta Prom, Angkor, Cambodia      Among the many visages, Krishnas and mythical beings sculpted abundantly throughout Angkor temples, I found these curious specimens at Ta Prom. Should anyone have an answer for how what seems very clearly to be a stegasaurus dinosaur arrived at these 12th century temples? Did they roam Cambodia at that time? Or what other equally outrageous explanation can there be? Email me if you have the answer.
photographie-irie > Stegosaurus Bas-Relief, Ta Prom, Angkor, Cambodia      Here up close is what appears to me to be a Stegosaurus at Ta Prom. I saw no other similar carvings of this dinosaur, but certainly cannot claim to have canvassed the whole area. In any case, part of the charm of Angkor is that it's not limited to the huge scope of the undertaking and the feeling one gets from the large, majestic structures, but also in frequent small detail. Wandering about looking closely, you can uncover little tidbits like this that not only speak to the detail of this splendid architecture, but also which conjure more mystical perspectives.
Modern Plaza, Saigon, Vietnam

Vietnam is a land of contrasts, old and new, rich and poor, communist and capitalist, developed and backward. Often it seems there are few limits to development priorities with the consummate environmental problems that ensue. The prime directive seems to be improving current lives now as soon as possible. With an incredible 95% literacy rate, things are moving fast and furious. It was never difficult to find English speaking locals for conversation. Here a bit of modern sculpture adorns an evening street plaza that more typically might otherwise be commemorating Uncle Ho (Chi Minh), or past war victories.
photographie-irie > Modern Plaza, Saigon, Vietnam Vietnam is a land of contrasts, old and new, rich and poor, communist and capitalist, developed and backward. Often it seems there are few limits to development priorities with the consummate environmental problems that ensue. The prime directive seems to be improving current lives now as soon as possible. With an incredible 95% literacy rate, things are moving fast and furious. It was never difficult to find English speaking locals for conversation. Here a bit of modern sculpture adorns an evening street plaza that more typically might otherwise be commemorating Uncle Ho (Chi Minh), or past war victories.
Modern Plaza, Saigon, Vietnam

Vietnam is a land of contrasts, old and new, rich and poor, communist and capitalist, developed and backward. Often it seems there are few limits to development priorities with the consummate environmental problems that ensue. The prime directive seems to be improving current lives now as soon as possible. With an incredible 95% literacy rate, things are moving fast and furious. It was never difficult to find English speaking locals for conversation. Here a bit of modern sculpture adorns an evening street plaza that more typically might otherwise be commemorating Uncle Ho (Chi Minh), or past war victories.
See photo in original gallery.
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