We also took a 5 day trip to Bali and a 3 day trip to Siem Reap, Cambodia. Both were truly special.
The welcoming party for Chris!
Zoran and Chris
Peeps.
Chishiho and Shaundra
Maya and a captured Greg.
I'm bringing Chris's first meal at the hawker center!
Practicing his chopstick skills.
Chris checkin' out my local shopping center, Bukit Timah Plaza. This is where I get my groceries, haircuts, sporting goods, dry cleaning, etc.
We played some ball (there's my apartment building in the background).
Soo... we flew from Singapore to Jakarta, stayed at a random hotel near the airport, and took off the first thing the next morning for Bali.
Welcome to Bali Chris... breakfast in Ubud.
We bicycled through some rice paddies outside of Ubud. (day 1).
We got some food and drinks at a wonderful and friendly bar. And I quickly made friends with the bartender! Not surprisingly, Indonesians adore Barack.
The first of many chess games on our trip...
Day 2. 3:30am. It's time to hike to the top of an active Volcano - Gunung Batur. Chris is ready!
Unfortunately, my camera wasn't able to capture the early morning segment of the trek. It was early, a bit chilly, and pitch black (except for the beams of our flashlights). And above us was a canopy of the most amazingly bright stars. Unbelievable!
6:15am. Likely the most incredible sunrise experience of my life. On top of a volcano, above the cloud level, and soaking it in with Chris. Wow.
I'm loving life.
Chris enjoying himself.
Brother love. More volcanoes behind us.
The steam emitted from the volcano is so hot that it cooked our breakfast, eggs and bananas.
Us enjoying our delicious melted banana sandwiches.
Our guide leading the way down the volcano and into the clouds.
That's me!
Looking up at the volcano and towards the end of our trek. The peak to the right is where we watched the sunrise.
So this is what was hiding below the cloud level, a beautiful lake. Our accommodation was lakeside.
A different view of the volcano and lake (as we left to head towards the beach).
A different view of the volcano and lake (as we left to head towards the beach).
Back through the beautiful rice paddies on our way to the coast.
Beautiful temple on the coastline. Chris and I enjoyed a couple drinks while watching the sunset.
And we arrive to the Bukit peninsula, yeeee! Overlooking the break Impossibles.
Walking into our "warung" (beachside bungalows/shacks) at Bingin. We stayed here for the last few days of our time in Bali. $6 per night. Not bad for staying on a beach with one of the best waves in the world. Wooooweeeeeeeeee.
Chris and I played countless games of chess. But we also made friends with the local ice cream man who would excitedly take breaks to play with us. Chris plots his next move...
Made a trip to Uluwatu for sunset...
Chris's best impression of The Joker.
In the distance, Bingin is going off! I couldn't believe it. Garrett and I got skunked last time, so I relished this amazing session. I woke up at dawn each day to beat the crowds of some insanely good locals, got a few hours in, and then enjoyed the days relaxing with Chris (aka: drink Bintang, eat ungodly amounts of mie goreng, and play countless games of chess). Perfection.
Uluwatu Temple. Beware of the monkeys! Chris and I saw one steal an mp3 player straight from the hands of a woman. A monkey also stole my hat the first time I came here in February. They're sneaky and devilish I tell you.
Chris and I at the temple.
Chris and I at the temple.
Sunset at the temple, just before going to the Kecek dance! I really do love Kecek (see my photos in my February post). Chris and I got a kick out of it from the front row.
Chris picks out his dinner!
Our dinner table on the sand. No big deal.
And before we know it, we're in Cambodia! Dear Kevin and Chris, welcome to your first Cambodian sunset. And we somehow managed to have some locals guide us to the top of a treehouse to watch the sunset. Awesome.
So, just a little background. We are currently in Angkor, Cambodia (outside of Siem Reap). The area was ruled by the Khmer empire from the 9th-15th century. Angkor is said to have been the largest preindustrial city in the world (400 square miles)! There were over a thousand temples built in the area, with the most famous being Angkor Wat. Apparently, Angkor Wat is also the world's largest religious monument.
I found the variance in architecture styles to be fascinating. Much of the differentiation was due to the periodic alternations between Buddhism and Hinduism as the empire's dominant religion.
If you've seen the film Tomb Raider, then some of my photos may look familiar. Chris and I watched the film together when we returned to Singapore as we were excited to pinpoint the temples we had explored! And I guess Angelina Jolie is an added bonus.
Chris climbing to our first Cambodian temple! 6:00am.
And there's the silhouette from the ground looking up...
Temple #2. Can you find Chris in the photo?
The amazing temples of Bayon. The buddhist faces were highlights for me.
More temple.
The end of a long day of bicycling and temple exploration deserves a tasty Thai/Cambodian meal! However, Chris isn't sure what to make of his dessert.
Chris and his martial arts
Chris and his fear of "danger" (see the sign)
Chris lookin' hot and mysterious!
Inside a temple, looking up.
The Shaw brothers modeling shoot (in a temple that's 1000 years old)...
Angkor Wat sunrise. See the three pillars?
More temples...
And then Chris and I returned to Singapore...
Here's the sunset view from the "Singapore Flyer" - currently the tallest ferris wheel (541 feet) in the world, although soon to be outdone by China.
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2 comments:
very nice -- makes me think, i better not miss angkor wat.
Those are some amazing pictures. I'm glad you both had fun. I talked to Chris earlier and he sounded like he had the time of his life. Hopefully we'll get to see you soon. Miss you kev.
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