Showing posts with label Travel (Not Synth Related). Show all posts
Showing posts with label Travel (Not Synth Related). Show all posts

Tuesday, 14 June 2016

Chiang Mai, Thailand - Wat Chedi Luang

Chiang Mai means "new city" and was so named because it became the new capital of the Lan Na kingdom when it was founded in 1296.
It's in the northern mountainous region of Thailand. There are plenty of historic temples to visit. My favourite is Wat Chedi.

Wat Chedi Luan's construction began in the 14th century, though records indicate it took over 100 years to complete.... prob finished in the mid 15thC. ??
In 1468, the famous Emerald Buddha was installed in the eastern niche. In 1545, the upper 30 m of the structure collapsed after an earthquake, and shortly thereafter, in 1551, the Emerald Buddha was moved to Luang Prabang. The Emerald Buddha is today housed in the Temple of the Emerald Buddha (Wat Phra Kaew) on the grounds of the Grand Palace in Bangkok.







the city pillar (Lak Mueang) of Chiang Mai, named Sao Inthakin. It was moved to this location in 1800 by King Chao Kawila; it was originally located in Wat Sadeu Muang.


 reclining Buddha 

wihan of Wat Chedi Luang

 Inside the wihan of Wat Chedi Luang, 

 Inside the wihan of Wat Chedi Luang, money offerings are dropped into alms bowls during the festival

"The Inthakin or Lak Mueang Festival in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand (also known as Sai Khan Dok or Bucha Sao Inthakin in Thai), starts on the 12th day of the waning moon of the six lunar month and lasts eight days. Centered around Wat Chedi Luang, this is a celebration of Brahmic origin. On the first day, which is called Tam Bun Khan Dok (lit. "Flower Bowl Blessing"), offerings of flowers, candles and incense are made to the city pillar as well as the many other Buddhist and Lanna-era icons. Dancing, musical performances, carnival games, and Thai vendor food is present. This is a very large celebration in which the Chiang Mai citizenry participate." Wikipedia. 

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Sunday, 24 April 2016

Philae Temple - Egypt

This is now a island, but it was once a temple complex located near the expansive First Cataract of the Nile River in southern Egypt.




 This place is amazing for many reasons.
The building of the Aswan Dam would have flooded the ancient site completely. So the engineers moved this entire temple complex to higher ground.
A breathtaking feat.

Philae was said to be one of the burying-places of Osiris.









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Tuesday, 1 March 2016

Saturday, 20 February 2016

The Colossi of Memnon.

These two statues stand on the bank of the Nile, just west of Luxor.
The region was called Thebes at the time of construction. It was the capital of the Egyptian empire.
I first saw them from the balloon. Even from that great height they were enormous.


They have stood on this site since 1350BC.... that's 3,500 years.
The Colossi of Memnon (known to locals as el-Colossat or es-Salamat) depict Pharaoh Amenhotep III, who reigned during Dynasty XVIII.

The statues were identical. The Pharoh is in a seated position, his hands resting on his knees and his gaze facing eastwards (actually ESE in modern bearings) towards the river. They stand guard at the entrance to Amenhotep's mortuary temple.

 Two shorter figures are carved into the front throne alongside his legs: these are his wife Tiy and mother Mutemwiya. The side panels depict the Nile god Hapy.


Very little remains today of Amenhotep's temple. Standing on the edge of the Nile floodplain, successive floods ate away at the foundations.

 A lithograph by David Roberts (1840's) shows the Colossi surrounded by water.

In 27BC they were partily destroyed by an earthquake and following this, the statues was then reputed to "sing" every morning at dawn. This sound was probably caused by rising temperatures and the humidity inside the porous rock playing off a cracked stone. Whatever, the reason, the statues became famous in the Roman world. They took on oracle status with many Roman emperors making the long trip to hear their song.

These mysterious songs stopped in 199 AD, when the "Africian Emperor", Septimius Severus, in an attempt to gain favour with the oracle, reassembled some of the destroyed sections. 

 Little is known about why these statues are named after Memnon and not the Pharoh Amenhotep III

Memnon was a King of Ethiopia and son of Tithonus and Eos. He led his armies from Africa into Asia Minor to help defend ancient Troy against the Greeks. The Illiad of Homer describes him as a  brave warrior who was slain by Achilles during the battle.

After his death, his mother Eos (the goddess of dawn) cried every morning. So when one of the statues started to give off a high-pitched sounds, the Greeks, and later Romans, attributed the "singing" to Eos, Memnon's mother, mourning for her son.

 The departure of Memnon for Troy. Greek, circa 550-525 BC. 
Black-figure vase. Royal Museum of Art and History, Brussels, Belgium.

So was the naming of these statues just a bit of wishful thinking on behalf of later Greek travellers?
It seems the name stuck.

When Alexander the Great came into power in 332 B.C.E., he pretty much took over everything (including Egypt). Greeks and Romans started to come in to see the sights, and that's probably how the Greek figure Memnon came to be associated with the place -- and the mysterious dawn-song.
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Saturday, 6 February 2016

New Zealand - Franz Joseph Glacier

These are pictures from the beautiful south island of New Zealand.
It's very cold - the day before the climb.



These are the steps (cut into the ice) that lead to the glacier.






For more travel postcards click here:

Wednesday, 27 January 2016

Vintage Telephone Exchange

My mate Ian and I discovered this in a pub in New Zealand while downing a few beers.
It's an old telephone exchange.




I understand these use bantam jacks. They are spring loaded so when not in use fit back into their home socket. Nice and tidy.
Of course the idea of using patch cables in the modern modular synthesizer comes from telephone exchanges.
..





 I think this was once part of the "dial" mechanism