Blog

  • The Devatas and Apsaras of Angkor Wat in Black & White

    The Devatas and Apsaras of Angkor Wat in Black & White

    The 1,796 female figures rendered in sandstone on Angkor Wat’s pillars and walls have weathered war and a harsh tropical environment for more than 800 years. During my first visit to Angkor Wat in 2009, I was struck by the beauty and individuality of these devatas, which decorate the largest religious building in the world. When…

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  • Angkorian Dress-Up in Cambodia

    Angkorian Dress-Up in Cambodia

    The silken costumes with gold embellishments transform these Angkor Wat models into winged creatures, apsaras, and other mythological beings from Angkorian times. They position themselves in a prime location within Cambodia’s famed Angkor Wat complex.

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  • A Bird’s Eye View of a Vietnamese Streetscape

    A Bird’s Eye View of a Vietnamese Streetscape

    For Vietnamese standards, this Nha Trang street is a quiet one. And for the uninitiated, it offers a great introduction to Vietnam’s infamous traffic — sans dodging a plethora of motorbikes or without going deaf due to a cacophony of honking horns.

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  • Learning the Fine Art of Sericulture & Weaving on a Cambodian Silk Farm

    Learning the Fine Art of Sericulture & Weaving on a Cambodian Silk Farm

    Throughout Cambodia, marketplace stalls overflow with mounds of beautiful shimmering silk. There’s everything from scarves and chic purses to fabric designed for tailor-made shirts, dresses, and jackets.

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  • Photo du Jour: Smooth as Cambodian Silk

    Photo du Jour: Smooth as Cambodian Silk

    For centuries, Cambodians have been making silk and creating woven masterpieces with it. Once the silk has been carefully extracted from the silk worm’s cocoon, it is washed, twirled on to bobbins, and boil-dyed either via a natural or artificial coloring technique. I’m not sure if the silk samples featured here were colored naturally or…

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