Lake Superior Circle Tour Day 9 - Leaving Killarney for home

I was going to end the trip with the night sky at Killarney but changed my mind after viewing my photos from the sunrise the following day - Killarney deserves another post.  I didn't see the actual sunrise but the light from that can be seen from Killarney and the morning glow followed by the subsequent golden hour created an enchanting tableau that's almost painterly.  Here is the sequence, watch the light change.

The light went from the sky onto the landscape
for the golden hour

We went for a short hike on the Lighthouse Trail but turned back because of the bugs.  We did reach the viewpoint where we could see the lake and the huge slabs of pink Georgian Bay granite. To our surprise there was a cruise ship docked in the bay; in fact, when we checked out, the reception staff was all excited about the cruise ship passengers coming to Killarney.  Guess the peace and quiet is not going to last.  Life will certainly change with the coming of cruise ships to the Great Lakes.

Cruise ship on the lake

Pink Georgian Bay granite

I leave Killarney lodge for the homeward journey with a final look at that favourite spot that I returned to time and again, of course now the light has changed and the magic is gone, but it's still a lovely spot, complete with reflection and rocks - what more could I ask for.  

Angkor Wat

The reason for our visit to Cambodia was Angkor Wat, the ancient temple built in the 12th century and rediscovered by the French in the mid 19th century.  Restoration work continued (with interruptions) to this day and when we visited, parts of the temples are still being restored.  

It is considered the largest religious monument in the world and huge crowds visit throughout the year. February is the last month of the dry season so the place was packed but apparently not as bad as in the really high season from November to January.  Picture-taking under the circumstances was an interesting logistical challenge - it did take longer than if there were no crowds but I was constantly surprised by how patience was often rewarded - somehow there would always be a break in the crowd if you wait long enough.  Sometimes I had to weigh whether it was worth waiting for a people-less structure when in fact, the building could look more interesting with some people on the steps.  On the other hand, not every tourist would fit the bill for a suitable adornment for the stunning stones.

It helped that our guide knew every corner of the grounds and was able to take us via quieter routes to our various sights.  I mentioned to him my frustration of being unable to take a people-less shot of a long corridor and he found me a similar corridor in a less frequented part of the temple.  I was incredulous, ecstatic, when I saw the empty corridor and took several shots of it.  Ironically the one I finally picked was one that had a person appearing at the other end of the corridor (see below)!

Our first glimpse of Angkor Wat across the river.

A closer view through the window of the library building on the grounds

One of two libraries on the grounds of the main temple - it's a great spot for sunrise in Angkor Wat (which this crowd just finished watching)

Some of  the gorgeous bas reliefs on the walls of the temple - these depict Apsaras (supernatural female dancers)

The temple stands on terraces, each higher than the other above the city at ground level.  These steep steps take visitors up to the second level - symbolic of how hard it is to go up to the kingdom of god.  Once you get up there to the second level terrace, there are more steps going up to the highest level of the temple.  

The temple is active and appropriate attire is required of visitors.  The statues of the gods are dressed up for worship.  

A long list of things that are not allowed at the Angkor site

Looking up at the top of the tower on the highest terrace

Looking down from the top level at the two sets of walls that enclose the temple from the forests beyond

Lotus bud shaped central tower

The beautiful central courtyard on the upper level

Looking down on the tourists who chose not to climb the steps up to the topmost level

Detail of the decorative mouldings around the portals

Long corridor completely covered with bas relief frieze depicting Hindu epics the Ramayana and the Mahabharata

The bas-relief of the Churning of the Sea of Milk shows Vishnu in the centre, his turtle Avatar Kurma below, asuras and devas to left and right, and apsaras and Indra above - tug of war using the snake.

The eastern aspect of the complex 

The temple is supposed to represent Mount Meru, the home of the Hindu gods: the central towers symbolise the five peaks of the mountain, and the walls and moat, the surrounding mountain ranges and ocean.  Sunrise over Mount Meru is a sight worth getting up for. Everyone in the crowd that started gathering at five o'clock when it was still dark seemed to think so.  It was quite a party and the hawkers were able to sell many coffees and pancake breakfasts, taking orders and delivering them to customers at their respective viewing spots at minimal costs.

Worth getting up for!

Next post:  Beyond the main temple

Catching the sunrise at the Grand Canyon

Catching the sunrise was quite different from catching the sunset.  With the sunset, it was just a matter of checking your watch and making sure you get to the right spot on time.  The sunrise was a whole different battle - setting the alarm, even going to bed earlier the night before, packing your gear ahead of time, the struggle to get up when the alarm rang, stumbling out of bed, putting on warm clothing, then driving through the darkness when you're still half awake.  The mild surprise when you saw a crowd already assembled at your chosen location, then angling for the perfect spot, settling for second best if you're not early enough... there seemed to be a whole set of unspoken rules and protocol around this, not blocking someone else's view but asserting yourself if necessary.  It all made for a very complicated exercise in striking the right balance when your mental faculties are still groggy with sleep.

But the cold dawn would soon take care of that.  As you stood waiting in the cold, hands frozen, but still snapping away because there was nothing else to do while you wait, you caught every shade of rock as the sun inched upwards.   So what if you're wasting disc space - there's plenty.  When the sun peeked through, there was a sudden sense of everyone for himself, because there were only precious seconds before the whole blinding star came up and you couldn't point your camera at it any longer.  And almost with a collective sigh of relief, everyone went off for breakfast.

The light and the view is very similar to sunset - only in reverse (from Yavapai Point)

The sun was seconds away from popping up

and finally it's up - just swing the camera to the other side to watch the lengthening light

Spots lit up as the sun crept higher

And slowly the magic wand lit up the canyon - see how each lighted patch lengthens with every passing minute

 TIme for breakfast...