Hope Floats

I travelled to Siem Reap for the third time last December. I did not visit any of its world famous temples (now’s a bad time to visit the temples as they are under repair with many sections closed off to the public until 2010), instead I went on a day trip to the great lake known as Boeung Tonle Sap.

The largest freshwater lake in South East Asia, Tonle Sap supports an extraordinarily rich and diverse eco-system with more than 100 varieties of waterbirds, over 200 species of fish, and other wildlife that inhabit the inundated mangrove forests. An important commercial resource, the Lake also provides more than half of the fish consumed in Cambodia and is home to many ethnic Vietnamese and Cham communities, living in floating villages around the lake. I had the opportunity to visit one of these floating villages at Prek Toal which I will share my experience in pictures over the next few days.

Lonely Planet Cambodia

No, you’re not looking at the new cover for Lonely Planet Cambodia. It’s just something I did for fun. But seriously, if I could I would love to do it for real. I’ve told a few friends that it’s my dream to do a cover for Lonely Planet travel books. Maybe my wish will come true someday?

Angkor What?

Can you guess where this picture was taken? No, it’s not the zoo or Singapore Turf Club. The correct answer is Angkor Wat, Siem Reap, Cambodia.

Angkor Wat is one of the most photographed tourist-infested attractions in the world. And many photographers have taken countless pictures of it at every conceivable angle that Angkor Wat has somehow lost its magic and its images commonplace – “seen that, done that, shot that”. So I think this picture of a horse grazing in the temple grounds is a refreshing change.