Sunrise greeting at the first grand temple of the Khmer Empire

Mornings are the most pleasant time to visit Bakong Temple. The large stone temple gets very hot later in the day.
Bakong was the first mountain type of temple architecture design in the Khmer imperial era. It served as a state temple for king Indravarman I, in the first dedicated Khmer imperial capital at Hariharalaya.
Today this is the Roluos Group of temples east of Siem Reap City, Cambodia. Other well-known temples here is Preah Koh and Lolei.

Large Hindu influence
The temple was dedicated to Shiva, and its main consecrated image was a lingam called Sri Indresvara. This step pyramid mountain temple draws inspiration from other large Hindu temples in the region built around the same time. Most notably the fantastic Borobudur temple in Java, outside Yogyakarta.
Bakong temple was the last large construction in Hariharalaya. Indravarman’s son and heir Yasovarman I moved the capital to Phnom Bakheng in the early 900s. Bakheng Hill is just south of what we today call Angkor Thom, the big (capital) city.

For those interested in comparative historical timeline, this temple was finished as a state temple in 881CE. In Norway, the first unification of the kingdom under one superior king established the first larger Nordic kingdom.

#Firstcapital #khmer #empire #2018CE #ancient #881CE #Angkor #ApsaraAuthority #architecture #archivephoto #art #Asia #ប្រាសាទបាគងរលួស #backcountry #bakong #BakongTemple #bike #biking #bikingintheangkorwonderland #bluesky #Buddhism #Cambodia #capitalcity #citylife #classic #countryside #daytrip #dirttrack #greentourism #Hariharalaya #Hinduism #history #humanheritage #imperial #Indravarman #Kampuchea #lolei #mobilephoto #monks #morningbiking #Note9 #novices #offthebeatentrack #AOTBT #Pagoda #PrasatBakong #PrasatLollei #PrasatPreahKoh #ricefield #roadtrip #roluos #roluosgroup #SiemReab #SiemReap #southeastasia #sunrise #travel #visitcambodia #visitsiemreap #worldculturalheritage

The reclining lord Buddha

The temple complex Preah Ang Thom is worth a trip to Phnom Kulen/Kulen Mountains in itself. But a large experience within Ang Thom is the 8 meter long statue of a reclining Buddha.

It is the largest in Cambodia and among the 20 largest reclining Buddha-status in Asia. It rests on top of a sandstone formation, and the statue is carved out as part of that sandstone.

Meaning someone saw the Lord Buddha in the stone and carved until he was set free. The classics motivation in art works in any human civilisation.

A holy area
The surrounding Preah Ang Thom temple was built after the Buddha was carved. Getting to this site is easy by car from Siem Reap, and the area carries a lot of other excursion worthy sites.
This includes walking trails for the day trip trekker, a river with a thousand lingam carvings and holy waterfall. The conglomerate of holy sites on the Kulen Mountain was proposed as an official World Cultural Heritage site by Cambodia just when the pandemic started.

An approval of this request seems like a proper next step. This is the national mountains and cradle of Khmer imperial culture after all. Here the first god king of the Khmer Angkor Empire declared the establishment of the Empire in 802 CE, establishing an empire lasting for the next 630 years.

https://drzinasia.wordpress.com/2021/04/07/somewhere-to-run-to-someone-is-eager-to-visit/

#Phnom #Kulen #Mountain #KulenMountain #Khmer #ភ្នំគូលែន #Phnum #Kulên #Lychee #Mountain #Preah #AngThom #Reclining #Buddha #classickhmer #angkor #siemreap #visitsiemreap #cambodia #dirttrack #backcountry #Apsara #ApsaraAuthority #siemreab #reclining #buddhism #stairs #statue #hinduism #cambodia #nationalpark #worldheritage #cultural #architecture #2018CE #classic #Phnom #Kulen #recliningBuddha #cultural #craddle #Kambuja #khmerempire #Ancient #art #ភ្នំគូលែន #Bluesky #Countryside #daytrip #mountainPagoda #roadtrip #Sculpture #southeastasia #visitcambodia #worldculturalheritage

That time I came to a fork in the road, and someone else choose the track most travelled. I felt obliged to choose the other one.

The area in and around Angkor Park and Siem Reap are excellent for off road biking and exploration. It is a healthy and green way to enjoy the marvels of the Khmer Empire, its origin and its later development.

Finding things not seen
I was on my way to find a couple of more secretive temples and old sites. I was trying to do that by a direct route via Bayon and Angkor Thom and north out of the Grand circle. This trip took me into dirt tracks not travelled by many.

Among things I did find were stuff like a river not supposed to be there. Some bridge and road maintenance. And a bunch of locals tending to rice fields, surprised by the pink skin visitor. But politely and smiling returning greetings of hello and well wishes for a good day.

As Khmer so often do.

It is, as always, important to respect the local’s privacy and integrity. Acting as a respectful, polite and responsible good guest in their home area are of the outmost importance. And of course, be a sensible traveller leaving only bike tracks and footprints and take only photos. Including not biking or walking into any private area or destroying any crop.

#2019CE #ancient #Angkor #angkorwat #architecture #archive #archivephoto #art #Asia #backcountry #banteaythom #bike #biking #bikingintheangkorwonderland #AOTBT #bikingintheangwonderland #bluesky #Buddhism #Cambodia #citylife #classic #khmer #countryside #daytrip #dirttrack #Empire #greentourism #Hinduism #history #imperial #Kampuchea #leaveonlyfootprints #offthebeatentrack #angkoroffthebeatentrack #Prasat #Komnap #rice #ricefield #roadtrip #Sculpture #Siem #Reab #SiemReap #southeastasia #takeonlyphotos #temple #travel #visitcambodia #visitsiemreap #worldculturalheritage

Hunting red bananas in the woods

The red bananas from Kulen mountains are a treat and a sweet surprise. They are easily available visiting the sacred mountain and cradle of the Khmer civilization.

Along the hillside road to the Kulen sites, including Preah Ang Thom with Cambodia’s largest reclining buddha, the thousand lingams river and the waterfall in these holy mountains, there are market stalls. Here the locals are selling veggies and fruit, as well as food, drinks and miscellanies like flip flops, hats and krama scarf.

Chek!
These red bananas, “chek leak” in Khmer looks and taste great and is a must-have among the produce offered. The Chek Leak is a bit more expensive than the more ordinary bananas, chek, in Cambodia. Expect prices up to 5 USD a kilo.

For the banana lover, Cambodia is where to make out big time. There are at least 27 different chek/banana versions available in different sizes and colours, and they are often very inexpensive. They vary from the immediately snackable to the savoury plantain version best known for different cooked dishes in various cuisines around the globe.

You may even find a typical Cavendish banana in Cambodia, if that is your craving.

It all ads into the extensive list of fresh fruit easily available for people living or travel in the Kingdom of Wonder.

Open markets are affluent on the road to Kulen Mountain, attracting a lot of different customers. It is an hour-hour and a half drive from Siem Reap, depending on traffic.

https://drzinasia.wordpress.com/2021/01/09/reclining-at-the-craddle-of-khmer-empire-3/

#Phnom #Kulen #Kulen #Mountain #KulenMountain #Khmer #ភ្នំគូលែន #Phnum #Kulên #Lychee #Mountain #Preah #AngThom #Reclining #Buddha #classickhmer #archivephoto #angkor #siemreap #visitsiemreap #cambodia #dirttrack #backcountry #greentourism #Apsara #ApsaraAuthority #greentourism #2019CE

Next up in my Fall series of photos is one of my all-time favorite images I've captured of the season. Moody Mt. Princeton, featured in the top left of the picture, is one of Colorado's 14ers, rising to 14,204 feet (4,329 meters). It is located in the Sawatch Range, part of the Collegiate Peaks.

📅 October 2022 |📍Buena Vista, CO | 📷 iPhone 13 Pro Max

#colorado #backcountry #aspens #fall #autumn #autumnleaves #landscape #landscapephotography #mountains #rockymountains

Continuing with the Fall theme... Four and a half hours via car from Denver sits Kebler Pass, a windy mixed dirt/paved road stretching 30 miles that features some of the best Aspen trees in the state of Colorado. Here is a shot I took of East Beckwith Mountain, which rises to 12,432ft (3,789m), with a carpet of golden Aspen trees leading up to the mountain.

📅 October 2022 |📍Kebler Pass, Colorado | 📷 Sony a6100

#colorado #backcountry #aspens #fall #autumn #autumnleaves #landscape #landscapephotography #mountains #rockymountains

Early morning enthusiasm in the forest
That time I had to share the bike track with two very enthusiastic youngsters in the Siem Reap countryside near Angkor Thom.

Culture and nature
Water buffaloes are still of some importance in agriculture in Cambodia. Traditionally used for ploughing the fields and carting heavy loads, those tasks are increasingly done by mechanised tractors and specialised machinery. But for milk, meat, fortune and for breeding they are popular and even exported.
These animals live well of ordinary grass and water plants. All easily accessible food with no need of industrialised special fodder. They return valuable quality fertiliser in return, and they are important in keeping and being a vital part of the cultural landscape.

Respect and distance
These buffaloes are domesticated livestock, and normally quite docile. But they are each still 2 pointy ends backed by 200 kilo+ of bones and muscles, so respectful distance is smart when encountering these animals unexpected.
Me, sitting on my bike in a crossroad in front of these two fellows, continued out of their track on my way after I had taken this shot. I saw these two rumbling on their way crossing the road behind me.
Hope they enjoyed this moment as much as me.

https://drzinasia.wordpress.com/2023/04/10/physical-distancing-pre-covid-times/

#2022CE #Angkor #angkorwat #archive #Asia #backcountry #bike #biketrip #bikingintheangkorwonderland #bluesky #bubalisbubalus #bubalus #bubalis #calf #calves #Cambodia #citylife #citywalk #classic #Khmer #dirttrack #domesticated #forest #run #greentourism #Kampuchea #Keepnothingbutmemories #khmer #Killnothingbuttime #Leavenothingbutfootprints #livestock #Morning #offthebeatentrack #AOTBT #roadtrip #running #Siem #Reab #Siem #Reap #siemreap #countryside #southeastasia #sunrise #Takenothingbutpictures #travel #visitsiemreap #Water #buffalo #waterbuffalo #waterbuffaloes #youngfun