A Walkabout in Perth

For me, the point of reference in Perth is Hay Street. This is where the hotel we were staying in is located, and this was the street we were to grow very familiar with, making it our central focus. The fact that Hay Street and the parallel Murray Street are the shopping centres of the district might also have a bearing on why it is our central focus! It is very pleasant to stroll along the tree-lined street malls. It was winter there, and the wintering trees made a great setting for the buildings in the background. There's sure to be a busker or two providing street entertainment. Having a meal in the open-air cafes is a bit of a challenge especially when the wind blows.



I love the view of the Clock Tower below.



This photograph above prompts me to write the following haiku for Haiku Heights:

tower counting time

breathe life into your dreams

leaves fall one by one

 

  


Within the Hay Street Mall, I was delighted to find myself in Ye London Court. Walk in and you're in Tudor England! The arcade here is charming...you can get souvenirs, shoes, jewellery, get your shoes repaired, consult a lawyer, bump into Her Majesty herself, as well, I reckon.








Leaving  London Court, let's just walk on and take in the city scenery .  The  architecture is an interesting blend of glass and steel, as well as heritage buildings.




Perth City is easy to navigate, as the streets in the Central Business District are arranged in a grid-like fashion. The buildings in the CBD are where all the skyscrapers are found.

Dedicated to Skywatch Friday:






We shall end our walkabout with some night lights in the city.


  

A waka for Poetic Forms at The Purple Treehouse:

seek joy in everyday life

discover oceans to see

go near, if not far

feel with new eyes your own town 

take an orange, fresh

 peel the rind, breathe in the zest

be thankful and celebrate

everyday life - its a gift

rosie gan August 2011

Linking to:

Outdoor Wednesday
Share The Joy Thursday
Skywatch Friday
Poetry Picnic at The Gooseberry Garden
Poets' Rally at Poetry Palace
Poetic Forms at The Purple Treehouse
Haiku Heights

Little Blue Penguins

       


You don't have to travel to the Antarctic to see penguins. I visited the International Antarctic Centre in Christchurch, New Zealand and had the opportunity to 'encounter' and photograph some Little Blue penguins.


They aren't exactly blue, but they do have a shade of blue on their dark grey coat of fine feathers.





At the New Zealand Penguin Encounter, there is a huge natural-themed environment for the penguins. They can be viewed from from two levels, the upper level, outdoors, and the lower level, indoors.



The penguins in this centre are special. They have been rescued from the wild and cared for here. They all have physical disabilities that have left them defenceless, and they would have perished if left to fend for themselves in their natural habitat. What the people are doing there for sea bird conservation is just wonderful.




You just have to watch these videos of them...they're so adorable...especially the toddlers.


The first video is taken from the outdoor view. 

The second is of the penguins during feeding time in the pool.

soothing words,a caring touch

 scarred hearts mend

battered wings heal

Linking to: 

Camera Critters

 Haiku My Heart

Haiku Heights

Angkor Wat

I had booked the flight for this trip months earlier, and I did not realize that April would be really hot in Siem Reap. And it was hot the first two days we were there. Fortunately it rained a little on the third and fourth day so it was tolerable. Better hot and humid in April and May than wet and muddy during the rainy season from June to October! So here we were, travelling back in time, drenched in sweat! But visiting Angkor Wat is worth the discomfort. There was a pervading sense of tranquility as we worked our way among the huge monuments. It felt to me like I was in the hallowed hallways of a place of learning. And no wonder, as we entered from the West, before we reached the temple, were the libraries on both sides of the path.

Angkor Wat is one of the ancient world's most magnificent work of architecture which has endured the test of time. It is a must-see if you are  in Cambodia. Angkor Wat meaning City Temple, is situated about 5 km from Siem Reap, and is the Cambodian Nation's most precious treasure. It is mind-boggling that it was built so long ago in the early 12th century! King Suryavaram built it to honour the Hindu God, Vishnu. I had expected to see just broken blocks but the buildings  look remarkably intact and inhabitable to me. The architecture is amazingly modern!








From Angkor, the Khmer Kings ruled over territories that covered Vietnam to China. All that remains today are about 100 temples made of stone. The palaces and other buildings had all decayed as they were wooden structures.






The temples are decorated with figures of guardian spirits (devatas or apsaras), bas reliefs as well as narrative scenes of episodes from the Hindu epics the Ramayana and the Mahabharata..
















Towers shaped like lotus buds, a moat protecting the temple...Angkor Wat, the world's largest religious building.


UNESCO declared the Angkor Archaeological Park a World Heritage Site in 1992.

Footsteps nigh

Devata eyes spy on mortals

Leaves suspended in the breeze

For Weekend Reflections, Scenic Sunday, Haiku Heights and Haiku My Heart.