MangoVine
Adventures in East Asia

Entries in History

 07 December, 2009
Monday Angkor Thom Part 2 - Serene, Stone Faces at the Bayon Temple Towers
The Bayon was at the centre of Angkor Thom and was apparently a well-known and richly decorated Khmer temple. It's most distinctive feature and one that I'd come to associate with the ruins of Cambodia, was the multitude of massive and serene stone faces on the myriad of towers that jutted out from the upper terrace and cluster around its central peak.

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Read more... 07 December, 2009
Monday Angkor Thom Part 1 - Gods and Demons at the South Gate
The temple ruins near Siem Reap were grouped in two circuits. On the first day, we saw the first of these circuits which included the famous Angkor Wat and the more spread out Angkor Thom. Angkor Thom was the last and most enduring capital city of the Khmer empire. The next four posts show what we saw at four points in Angkor Thom.

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Many people may know of the temple ruins in Cambodia by way of the film "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider". Angkor Thom was the first place we visited that was featured in the film, where several characters were shown visiting the place to recover the "first piece of the Triangle of Light".

Read more... 03 December, 2009
Thursday The Grand Palace and Temple of the Emerald Buddha in Bangkok
The Grand Palace was one of those landmark attractions that we had to see in Bangkok. Offering a taste of some gloriously traditional Thai design and architecture, its apparently one of the most photographed spots in the city.

Grand-Palace1

It houses the royal residence and throne halls as well as some government offices and the renowned Temple of the Emerald Buddha.

Read more... 23 September, 2009
Wednesday Malacca Maritime Museum and Naval Museum
Located along Jalan Quayside, we couldn't miss the Maritime Museum contained in a replica of the Flor de la Mar, a Portuguese vessel that sank off the Malacca coast while trying to transport Malaysian treasures back to Europe.

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We popped into the Naval Museum first however, which is in a block next to the ship. We actually entered through a side gate not realising there was ticket booth and main entrance to consider!

Read more... 23 September, 2009
Wednesday Kite, Beauty and Peoples Museum in Malacca
On Jalan Kota, around the corner from the main square in Malacca, we passed a terracotta-coloured building which was emblazoned with titles on each floor, such as the "Museum of Enduring Beauty". We thought we'd drop in quickly for a look as it turned out the the block housed three museums - one on each floor - on the subjects of Kites, Beauty, and the People of Malaysia.

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There was an entrance fee but it wasn't very much, and we made straight for the second floor to see the kites. This rickshaw above was meant to be one that was used to break a Malaysian record for distance traveled.

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