Clancy Tucker's Blog: ASIA

Showing posts with label ASIA. Show all posts

17 January 2023 - PHNOM PENH MEMORIAL STUPA - CAMBODIA

PHNOM PENH

MEMORIAL STUPA

- CAMBODIA -

G'day folks,

After the Cambodian Civil War ended, the vicious rule of Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge began.

From 1975-1979, they killed 1.7 million people out of a population of 8 million. Many of those murdered were buried in mass graves in what has come to be dubbed the “killing fields.”

In Phnom Penh at Choeung Ek, a memorial was erected to remember those who were killed at the hands of the Khmer Rouge. At the site, the remains of an estimated 10,000 people were found. The memorial was then constructed so as not to obscure the facts, but to show the grisly and honest truth.

Designed in the style of a Buddhist stupa, the Choeung Ek memorial has glass sides, and is comprised of multiple layers of human skulls. Totaling 5,000 of those executed at the site, the skulls are a harsh reminder of a genocide that took place only 40 years ago. The memorial is particularly disturbing upon closer examination of the skulls, many of which bear marks of the trauma they suffered before their execution.

Along with the stupa, Choeung Ek still has a number of pits that were used as mass graves, and some human bones can still be seen in the area. The Cambodian government encourages visitors to see the site, and never forget the atrocities committed during the Khmer Rouge regime.

18 September 2022 - HIDDEN FLOWER TUNNEL IN HONG KONG

HIDDEN FLOWER

TUNNEL IN HONG KONG

G'day folks,

Every spring, a magical flower tunnel blossoms within an easily over-looked public housing complex. It’s a fleeting, hidden gem concealed among the crowded buildings of Hong Kong.

Like a secret garden, the tunnel is covered in vibrant Bougainvillea. Come Spring, the tunnel blooms with a ceiling of pink leaves and tiny white flowers growing along the vines that snake over the walkway. The effect is absolutely enchanting.

Walking through the tunnel is like entering a secluded, floral oasis worthy of a fairytale. It instantly makes you feel as though you’ve left the bustle of the city behind and entered a veritable wonderland of nature. The flowers only show up during the Spring, between March and April, adding an extra sense of ephemeral wonder to the experience.

The flower tunnel is part of the Housing Department’s plan to add more green spaces to public housing developments throughout Hong Kong. These fleeting springtime wonders, as well as the year-round pockets of greenery, are meant to provide relaxation and also help reduce heat and pollution in the city.

3 June 2022 - THE CHOCOLATE HILLS OF BOHOL, PHILIPPINES

THE CHOCOLATE HILLS

OF BOHOL, PHILIPPINES

G'day folks,

Welcome to Bohol's mysterious brown hills.

Were you to fly over Bohol Island in the Philippines during the dry season, you might notice what looks like thousands of chocolate kisses protruding from the terrain.

These mysterious conical mounds are known as the Chocolate Hills. There are approximately 1,268 individual hills, their heights ranging from 100 to 160 feet, though the highest is almost 400 feet high. The hills, which are almost all symmetrical, consist of grass-covered limestone and turn brown during the dry season.

Despite the abundance of hills, it is unclear how they were formed. There are multiple geological explanations ranging from oceanic volcano activity to limestone weathering. A recent theory is that an ancient volcano self-destructed and chunks of it were dispersed over the region.

Numerous legends and tales also exist to explain the Chocolate Hills. One is about a giant buffalo who came and wreaked havoc in the region, eating and destroying all the crops. As an act of vengeance, locals left out spoiled crops. When the buffalo ate them it got sick and left mounds of feces in its wake, bringing new meaning to the name “Chocolate Hills.”

7 June 2022 - AMAZING ROCK ART in EAST TIMOR.

Rock art found at Nino Konis Santana National Park consists of paintings created using different colors, but with some rare exceptions, only those drawn in black or dark brown are visible to the naked eye. Among the motifs portrayed in these caves are boats, animals, birds, people, the Sun, stars, geometric patterns, and figures featuring a mixture of human and animal traits.

The first caves within the park were explored and studied in 1966. The last nine caves were explored and studied for the first time in 2000. Considering the thick vegetation and rugged terrain, it would not be unfathomable to speculate that more rock art is yet to be found.

Carbon dating tests run on human-made findings from the Lene Hara cave show that humans have been living in this region for at least 30,000 years. The dating of the paintings, however, has proven to be more controversial. Some scholars initially claimed that the paintings date back to the Neolithic Age (about 12,000 years ago), but this view has been challenged by more recent research that suggests these images are from as recent as 2,500 years ago.

These rock paintings exhibit techniques, styles, and motifs also present on other islands in the South Pacific, including Australia. Techniques and styles can travel a long way, adapting to specific and diverse cultural contexts. Yet, the similarities in motifs suggest that in spite of the significant distance among them, these islands may have shared the same symbolic system. If this is the case, these societies must have had more interchanges with one another than previously thought.

22 May 2022 - THE SUNKEN CEMETERY - CATARMAN, PHILIPPINES

THE SUNKEN CEMETERY

- CATARMAN, PHILIPPINES -

G'day folks,

There are no flowers or gravestones to mark the resting places of the lost citizens of Camiguin – only a giant cross rising up out of the water to mark where this place of rest once was.

In the 1870s, a volcano near this place erupted and caused the cemetery along with the capital city surrounding it to sink below sea level. In order to commemorate this place of loss, a looming cross was built in remembrance. Visitors all over the Philippines and the world come to admire this man-made marvel filled with legend and enchantment.

Some say a feeling of loneliness will hit you once you see this structure standing all alone in the middle of the sea. A place of reverence and reflection, the site is accessible by boat and visitors can stand on its small base while it remains above water. Many take the small boat ride in order to take photos and soak in the view of Mt. Vulcan, the volcano that sacrificed the people of Camiguin to the sea when it came into being.

Clancy's comment: A sad epitaph, eh?

I'm ...

17 May 2022 - MAGNIFICENT ASIK-ASIK FALLS, PHILIPPINES

MAGNIFICENT

ASIK-ASIK FALLS

- PHILIPPINES -

G'day folks,

Streams of pristine water rushing down a mountain cliff covered wholly in green makes for a stunning image, and the judges of a national photography contest held in 2012 in the Philippines clearly thought so too. They awarded a photo of the Asik-Asik waterfalls in the mountainous Alamada region, and in doing so, announced the existence of this natural wonder to the world.

The picture went viral on social media, and Filipinos were stunned by this discovery. The beautiful falls had been unknown to the public for a remarkably long time; the residents of the nearby village of Sitio Dulao had only come across the site two years earlier, after a series of floods and forest fires destroyed a significant chunk of the forest that was hiding it.

The newfound oasis was christened Asik-Asik, meaning “sprinkle-sprinkle” in the local Hiligaynon language, after the sprinkle of falling water on nearby rocks. Lush vegetation covers the entirety of the ravine, and adds mystery as to where the water is coming from. The most likely sources are thought to be springs deep within the mountain or an underground river.

Getting to the falls is not as daunting as it used to be, after the government, sensing a wonderful tourism opportunity, developed the roads and site around it. But there are still descending and ascending treks on stairs that wind around the mountain side. A tiny portion of the falls can be seen from the top, but as you descend, the full majesty of water gushing from the green mountainside slowly reveals itself in all its glory.

Clancy's comment: This is a beautiful part of the world.

I'm ...

15 April 2022 - CROCODILE-INFESTED RESERVOIR - EAST TIMOR

CROCODILE-INFESTED

RESERVOIR

- EAST TIMOR -

G'day folks,

The East Timor lake known as Ira Lalaro is a gorgeous oasis surrounded by flat grassland on the northern shore and by swamps on the southern shore, but be careful not to get so enchanted that you get eaten by one of the lake’s copious crocodiles.

The lake is a self-contained body of water that sits in a depression in the land. The northern shore offers great views of the lake with the mountains and lush forest in the background and the grassland is littered with water buffaloes wallowing in their swimming holes. Bucolic as this might be, it’s the swamps on the southern shore that set this lake apart from the others. The landscape provides vistas of half-drowned trees that reach back like a haunting bayou.

While the lake and its surrounds are teeming with all manner of life swimming among the underwater trunks it is the massive population of Estuarine crocodiles that distinguish the lake. It is thought that over 300 of the beasts are packed into the relatively small area. One of the reasons that the animals have nearly taken over the natural landmark is that the native tribe consider the crocs to be sacred totem animals that are not to be hunted.

Swamps and crocs are usually associated with the American Southeast but this lake gives the traditional bayou a run for its money. The strangely lovely landscapes of Lake Ira Lalaro may be alluring but they also pack quite the bite.

Clancy's comment: This would be worth a visit ... with caution of course.

I'm ...

24 January 2022 - PATUXAI WAR MONUMENT in VIENTIANE, LAOS

PATUXAI WAR MONUMENT

in VIENTIANE, LAOS

G'day folks,

Patuxai is a massive war monument and triumphal arch in the center of Vientiane, Laos. It was completed in 1968, using funds donated by the United States – funds that were meant to be used for the construction of an airport.

Patuxai, meaning Victory Gate in English (and variously written as Patuxay, Patousai and Patusai), was built between 1957 and 1968 in memory of the Laotian soldiers who died during World War II and the war of independence from France in 1949.

It’s also known as the Arc de Triomphe of Vientiane due to its resemblance to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. Patuxai, however, is slightly taller than its Parisian counterpart, has four gates rather than two, and is covered in distinctly Laotian designs.

The exterior of the monument is decorated with traditional Laotian motifs, including Buddhist symbols, Hindu deities and female spirits of the clouds and waters known as apsaras. The ceilings beneath the four arches are decorated with further depictions of Hindu gods, such as Brahma and Vishnu, and mythological creatures like the mythical bird-woman Kinnaree and the three-headed elephant Erawan.

On top of Patuxai, meanwhile, sit five towers, again built in the traditional Laotian style. Four of these are located on each corner of the monument, while a fifth rises up from the center, higher than the rest. These five towers are decorated with flower motifs and each is topped with a golden finial.

Needless to say, the construction of the Patuxai monument was a costly project. The Laotian government, however, managed to fund the bulk of the effort with money donated from the United States – despite that money having been donated for an entirely different project.

In the 1950s, the United States provided Laos with funds and a huge amount of concrete for the expansion of the city’s airport, which could then serve as a base for US fighter jets during the Vietnam War. But the funds and concrete arrived before any contract had been signed, so the Royal Laotian Government decided to build a massive triumphal arch, rather than an airport serving foreign interests. For this reason, locals jokingly refer to Patuxai by another name: the Vertical Runway.

No mention of this is made on the sign attached to Patuxai. But the sign is strangely honest in other ways, stating that the monument was never actually completed due to the country’s turbulent history, and that “From a closer distance, it [Patuxai] appears even less impressive, like a monster of concrete.” Not a glowing appraisal, but refreshingly frank.

Clancy's comment. Wonderful city, wonderful people. Below, you'll find a snap of me some years back in Vientiane.

I'm ...

8 January 2021 - AWESOME BAGAN - UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE

AWESOME BAGAN

- UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE -

G'day folks,

Bagan is an ancient city and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Mandalay Region of Myanmar.

From the 9th to 13th centuries, the city was the capital of the Pagan Kingdom, the first kingdom that unified the regions that would later constitute Myanmar.

Myanmar is perhaps a troubled country, but it’s inhabited by some of the kindest, most gentle people you’ll ever meet. There are beautiful and fascinating places to visit, and the crown of all is the amazing Bagan, an ancient city of 2200+ Buddhist temples, pagodas, and stupas. A millennium ago, during the height of the Pagan Dynasty, this was the largest city on the planet with well over 2 million people living and trading between the 10.000+ temples!

Now, check out some photographs of this enchanting place.