Pirates of Penzance.....at Angkor Thom!

Hello There!

I found myself under the shade of my favourite Bongbong tree at Angkor Thom this morning, once again observing the passing parade of visitors. I couldn’t help but notice how ridiculous some of them looked. I'm referring of course to that particular cohort who insist on wearing baggy Chinese fisherman pants, Malay cheesecloth shirts, Bob Marley inspired hair, and tinkling Tibetan trinketry; they look more like a bunch of wayward buccaneers than tourists. And of course there's the issue of inappropriate cultural appropriation to be considered. I could not decide if they were here to see the temples or to attend a Pirates of Penzance audition such was their ridiculous presentation. Gilbert & Sullivan would have been impressed!

I, personally speaking, have always found my safari clothing to be perfectly appropriate, and if you're planning on visiting Angkor I would advise you to follow my lead. A comfortable cotton safari shirt, suitable cravat, generously loose shorts coupled with knee-high walk socks will stand you in good stead, unlike the recalcitrants getting around here in their jumentous, hobo inspired tie-dyed attire. Do check out my Pinterest board on suitable attire for visiting the temples here at Angkor.

Cheers

Timmofey

https://timmofeyb.wixsite.com/angkor-flaneur-2

https://www.facebook.com/people/Angkor-Flaneur/61555961536254/

https://www.pinterest.com.au/angkorflaneur

 

The Selfie.

I had an entertaining morning sauntering around Angkor Thom, the enchanting 12^th Century walled city, and always the flaneur, I soon found myself sitting in the shade of a leafy Bongbong tree, sipping on a G&T. From here I was able to observe the tourists, many of whom were constructing their ‘Angkor experience’ with a mobile phone stuck on the end of a stick. I’ve noticed this seems to be de rigueur for taking travel photographs these days. How sad!

Like ballet dancers in a scene from Swan Lake, they pirouette, twirling themselves around and around, mostly with idiotic grins and seemingly fixated, and dare I say ‘controlled’, by the digital contraption affixed to their narciss-stick.

Why is it that the photographer, rather than the location, is now considered by many to be the more important – and interesting - subject? People are spending good money travelling many miles to exotic destinations, only to take photographs solely of themselves once they arrive there! And usually it’s a ghastly photograph (or should that be ‘digital image’) at that, with a face contorted by a wide-angle phone lens dominating the frame, and an out-of-focus, barely recognisable Angkor Wat, or other famous icon, in the background. The photo is then sent over the internet to TwitFace, or some such site, for the world to see. This is travel photography 2024.

Of course, there are those academics and other champions of leftist pop culture that would claim the selfie is an essential element of constructing a modern identity in these so-called ‘digital’ times. Balderdash I say! It’s pure narcissism, and they all need to have a good long look at themselves.

In the past, intrepid photographers travelled to the far corners of the globe recording the wonderous sights to be found. Those visual records, many taken with the humble Box Brownie camera, have survived generations, enabling us to witness the changes in our world that have occurred over the last century or so. I have a vast collection of vintage travel books, mostly on SE Asia, and gain immense satisfaction from the images contained therein; images of known and loved places throughout Indochina. taken long ago by real travellers who had a passion to photograph what they saw, not photograph themselves.

What records of our continually changing world will we have in 2074? The way it appears now, we’ll have a selfie of Uncle Fred at Angkor Wat taken in 2024; assuming the digital file can even be read, or hasn’t been taken out by a solar flash or e-bomb. Yes, In fifty years time I’m sure we’ll all be interested in what Fred once looked like. Not.

 Cheers

Timmofey

https://timmofeyb.wixsite.com/angkor-flaneur-2

https://www.facebook.com/people/Angkor-Flaneur/61555961536254/

https://www.pinterest.com.au/angkorflaneur