Walking the World @brendaoconnell-blog - Tumblr Blog

Angkor Wat

This is the view from the moat outside the outer wall of Angkor Wat. Its a spectacular sight.

#angkor wat #cambodia #khmer #siem reap #temples

This is the very moving and powerful story Chanrithy Him and her family. She was 9 years old in April 1975 when the Khmer Rouge marched into Phnom Penh. It is a heartbreaking account of the horrors of the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia.

I read this book right before I visited Cambodia and although it was a hard book to read I was very glad that I did. The knowledge that it gave me about the recent past of this very ancient land made my experience all the richer.

#Cambodia #Khmer Rouge #Chanrithy Him #phnom penh

Wake Me Up by Avicii but sung in Irish by some pretty cool kids from the Lurgan Irish college. An inspirational video showing how Ireland's music and dance culture is adapting to the times we live in.

As an adult I regret never having learnt to Irish dance or indeed play a traditional instrument. It's wonderful to see young people having so much fun with it.

#Wake me up #avicii #lurgan #irish music and dance #irish culture #irish college #ireland #tg lurgan

The Silver Pagoda, Phnom Penh

An incredibly ornate and beautiful building both inside and out. The floor inside is a series engraved silver panels - absolutely magnificent craftsmanship.

#silver pagoda #phnom penh #cambodia

The Russian Market in Phnom Penh

This market blew my mind and also my senses. It is a series of small corridors crammed from floor to ceiling with all sorts of stuff from hammers to clothes to food to pots & pans. The heat in there is stifling and I have to admit that the smells from the meat sections made me run out into the 'fresh air' of Phnom Penh.

#food market #phnom penh #cambodia

The Killing Fields outside Phnom Penh.

This is a very sad and haunting place yet I am very glad that I made the trip out there. Not to do so would have felt like I was dishonouring the memory of the thousands of poor souls who so cruelly lost their lives there.

The grounds themselves are very well preserved and there is an excellent audio tour which explains in a lot of detail what happened at the site. I recommend taking the trip even if it is a difficult experience.

#thekillingfields #cambodia #phnom penh

Comical speed signs in rural Ireland.

I was out for a walk one day and for some reason my eye was drawn to these sign posts. I expect the switch was made by some of the fun loving locals. So far no one in the local county council has spotted it or if they have they haven't bother to correct them :)

#ireland #road signs

Monkey 47 - a delicious gin

I first discovered this Gin in the delightful bar of the Town Hall Hotel in London's east end. I happened to be in there one afternoon when there was no one about. I am very interested in whiskeys and I got to talking to the bar man who proceeded to talk me though all the select whiskeys, gins, vodkas and rums they had on offer. This gin, Monkey 47, is the one things that really stuck in my mind.

The flavours are awesome and it is by far the nicest gin I have tasted to date.

#monkey 47 #gin #spirits

Transactions in full swing at the floating markets

The floating markets on the Mekong was just an awesome experience. I got up at 5am one morning and was in a boat on the water just before 6am. I was with some locals and was the only tourist there that day so I really got to experience what life on the delta is like.

The striking thing about the markets is that it is mainly women in the boats and doing the business.

#floating markets #mekong delta #Vietnam