The Hands of Angkor

(1/125, F2.8, ISO800, 17mm)

It is about time some of my travel photos turn up here and although it´s been almost 4 months (and several other travels) since visiting the ruined city of Angkor and its famous temples I recall every minute of visiting this magical place.

Apart from the unbelievable atrocities the Khmer Rouge regime brought upon the people of Cambodia, it was also responsible for destroying all images and statues of Buddha they encountered around these temples.
This meant there was hardly a head left on the statues and wall carvings around Angkor. Most hands were also ´cut off´, but I was able to compile some of them that survived and thought they were symbolic for the way the Cambodian people were still surviving their recent history.

(1/50, F5.6, ISO400, 30mm)

The widespread area of Angkor´s UNESCO site covers about 400 square meters and therefore makes it easy to skip the crowds and spend some alone time in these amazing structures. We enjoyed sunset on the Terrace of the Elephants on our own the first day and second day we spent hours wandering the magic corridors of Preah Khan before the next visitors arrived.
Those were by far my most special moments in Angkor!

(1/50, F5.6, ISO400, 30mm)

Tags: Angkor, Hands, Photo, Photography, Statue, temple, Wat

34 thoughts on “The Hands of Angkor”

Chryt on January 27, 2016 at 18:22 said:

Preah Khan was my favourite too! So lovely to wander around and discover all the small details (besides all the great structures of course).

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- Ron Hillmar on February 29, 2016 at 21:51 said:
  
  Dank je wel, Chryt, zag op je blog dat je ook Nederlander abroad bent, net als ik?
  Die Preah Khan was zo groot en divers en interressant om rond te zwerven, wat we dan ook lang deden voordat de eerste anderen kwamen, heel indrukwekkend!
  Groetjes vanuit KL,
  Ron
  
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erassima on November 6, 2015 at 18:39 said:

Prachtig die focus op de hand.

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- Ron Hillmar on November 7, 2015 at 11:30 said:
  
  Dank je, Wilma, interressant om es een ander perspectief in Angkor te zoeken 😉
  Fijn weekend, Ron
  
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lensandpensbysally on November 2, 2015 at 23:08 said:

Striking images…

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- Ron Hillmar on November 7, 2015 at 11:29 said:
  
  Thanks very much, Sally!
  Have a great weekend, Ron
  
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Clifford S. Toy on November 1, 2015 at 01:00 said:

Amazing! Can’t wait to visit

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- Ron Hillmar on November 7, 2015 at 10:57 said:
  
  Thanks Clifford, it is totally worth it and very easy to skip the busy trail by just starting with different temples and places than the bunch, making it all the more special in my opinion! Cheers, Ron
  
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restlessjo on October 14, 2015 at 00:04 said:

Beautiful, Ron 🙂

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- Ron Hillmar on November 7, 2015 at 10:50 said:
  
  Hi Jo, thanks for stopping by and enjoying these, hope youre doing well!
  Warm greetings from KL, Ron
  
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Truels on September 29, 2015 at 06:42 said:

Nice details!

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- Ron Hillmar on October 9, 2015 at 16:44 said:
  
  Thanks Truels, glad you´re always having a thorough look, even with my less than frequent posts and blog-activity 😉
  Hope all is well, greetings,
  Ron
  
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Heyjude on July 30, 2015 at 22:23 said:

How fabulous! Love the colours and the close ups.

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- Ron Hillmar on November 7, 2015 at 10:47 said:
  
  Hello Jude, thank you so much, was interesting to find a perspective and subject I thought this place wasnt photographed too often and I was intrigued by these beautifully carved hands all around 😉
  Enjoy your weekend, greetz, Ron
  
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the dune mouse on July 29, 2015 at 21:36 said:

brilliant images!!! what a wonderful place!

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- Ron Hillmar on November 7, 2015 at 10:27 said:
  
  Hi Cybele, thanks for the compliment and it definitely is an amazing place; even though its so famous its still very possible to experience its temples and splendor on your won cuz of its massive size!
  Hope youre doing great, greetings, Ron
  
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Paula on July 29, 2015 at 16:39 said:

I saw a few posts about Angkor before, but never brilliant close-up like these. Very well written too 🙂

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- Ron Hillmar on October 9, 2015 at 16:45 said:
  
  A very belated thanks, Paula, hope you´re recovery is going well, miss having you around 😉
  Greetz, Ron
  
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Louis on July 26, 2015 at 19:18 said:

Nicely captured images and a helpful commentary to explain the context.

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- Ron Hillmar on November 7, 2015 at 10:26 said:
  
  Thanks Louis, not really a textwriter, but at least try to explain what I know about it! Photographing i like more 😉
  Have a good weekend, Ron
  
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Mark Simms on July 25, 2015 at 02:11 said:

Welcome back mate

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- Ron Hillmar on November 7, 2015 at 09:52 said:
  
  Thanks, Mark, a little less frequent, but I can assure you I enjoy my time in between 😉
  Hope you´re doing well!
  Cheers, Ron
  
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YellowCable on July 24, 2015 at 09:41 said:

Nice.

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- Ron Hillmar on February 29, 2016 at 21:54 said:
  
  Sorry to be replying so late, is it so long ago already, time flies, read you´re busy traveling as well, enjoy and thanks for commenting!
  Ron
  
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  - YellowCable on March 1, 2016 at 09:30 said:
    
    No problem, I hope you are doing well as well. Thank you.
    
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themofman on July 24, 2015 at 07:41 said:

Fantastic pop of colour. Show it off in defiance of the legacy left behind by Pol Pot. Show it off as a symbol of how the Cambodian people reclaim their right to live in peace.

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- Ron Hillmar on November 7, 2015 at 10:16 said:
  
  Thanks very much, mofman! It is such a horror history and the way the Cambodian people now live with it is encouraging to see, very brave and happy with little, lessons can be learned there for sure! Hope you have a great weekend!
  Greetings, Ron
  
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The Kadee Experience on July 23, 2015 at 22:53 said:

That top picture is beautiful! Great colours, composition and depth.

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- Ron Hillmar on November 7, 2015 at 10:03 said:
  
  Gracias, amigo, this feels like a very long time ago, but the good memories never fade luckily 😉
  
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Sue on July 23, 2015 at 20:09 said:

Hope we shall see some more of your images from Angkor…

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- Ron Hillmar on October 9, 2015 at 16:46 said:
  
  Hi Sue, didnt came around to those, some were also a lit too common with so many floating around on the internet 😉
  hope youre ok, greetz,
  Ron
  
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  - Sue on October 9, 2015 at 20:59 said:
    
    Thanks, Ron!
    
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Steve Schwartzman on July 23, 2015 at 18:11 said:

That’s a nice closeup of the red hand. I didn’t realize the Khmer Rouge had destroyed art as well as people.

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- Ron Hillmar on November 7, 2015 at 09:51 said:
  
  Hi Steve, thanks and yeah, the Khmer Rouge were so stupid to destroy everything, their own people, infrastructures, art etc…
  
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