Royal palace, Bangkok. 2018. Back to the future? In more ways than one, I guess. I was born in the East, in India under its Pakistani guise. (To me the names change, the land and the people not so much.) We then pushed further East to Vietnam, briefly, and Cambodia which we left in ’57.…
“Stay safe”. (c) Anthony Wallace/AFP/Le Point. One of those pictures you wish you had taken yourself. “Scotty? Spock? Uhura? Ready? Scotty: unlock engines, please. Full warp.” “Finestra”. Tlalpan, Mexico. c. May 2020. The window, as much of the neigbourhood is 16-17th century. Sneaked out of lock-down. This one is for Flavia Vinci. She likes windows.…
Angkor Vat means, in Khmer: “the capital that became a Buddhist monastery”. The temples of Angkor are a blend between Hinduism and Buddhism. The faces carved out everywhere? I am not sure whether they represent Brahma or Buddha. Or one then the other. A good example of Asian capacity of “Fusion”. The jungle reclaims the…
Siem Reap, June 23, 1866. “Garnier is seriously ill. Caught the fevers again. Not doing too good myself. It has taken us longer than expected from Phnomh-Penh. The river, the jungle, the unbearable heat… are taking their toll on the expedition. Carné and Delaporte seem to be all right. They take this expedition as an…
I’ve always liked elephants, lucky enough to see elephants from a very young age. Either in Asia or in Africa. West and East. They’re the strongest animal on earth. And though dangerous, are a peaceful bunch. On the verge of extinction. Above: a “rubbing” of a bas-relief in Angkor that we bought on site this…
Scotty is still on holiday, fishing in Scotland around 1896, with Dr Watson, not quite sure whether with John or Joan. In Scotty’s stead, Mr Spock is at the helm. “Spock, ready for some fun?” “Define ‘fun’, Sir?” “Never mind, Spock. Above: procession last Sunday in Tlalpan, a street away from the house. (C)ourtesy AMO.…
Previously on Time Patrol: the fearless crew and passengers of TSS Equinoxio follow the 1866 Cambodia expedition of Doudart de Lagrée, jumping to and fro in hyperspace to the 1930’s and early 21st century. Above: the central alley to Angkor Vat, 1930. in La France lointaine: “Jump to 2018, Scotty, please.” “Roger that.” 2018. Angkor…
“Morning Captain. All time travel stations at the ready Sir. Orders for today?” “Morning Scotty, morning everyone. Temples of Angkor, Cambodia. 19th and 20th century. Ready to jump?” “Ready, Sir.” “Jump then.” 1866. A Hipster gathering at Angkor-Vat. Far left, Navy Lieutenant-Commander Doudart de Lagrée, commands an expedition to find a route to China, sailing…
March 20th 1918, a century ago, my father Cyril was born in Saint-Malo, Brittany, a city of sailors and privateers. His mother, Julie Onraët, was born in India, of an Anglo-French family of indigo planters, and Indian Civil Service. God save the King and all that. His father, Pierre Martin, was the son of a…
Hon cop. The Lord Tiger in Vietnamese. Not too sure about the spelling. Why my parents used a Vietnamese name in Cambodia beats me. (Tiger in Khmer is Khla) But that was the name I knew, when I met a tiger face to face for the first time. I wrote about that encounter in “The…
Equinoxio 