Postcards for the weekend 31: Odd, fun, humorous

Private Swap, Sent from India
Sent 2 Sep 2012, Traveled 4,631 km in 25 days

For our odd, fun, and/or humorous theme this weekend.

Here is a traditional Rajasthani man with an oddly big mustache, a fun colorful turban, and an amazing smile.

Enjoy the weekend everyone!

~maria

Sunday Stamps: Flying

This miniature sheet is from a postcard that I sent to myself from my first business trip back in 2015. 

This special edition was issued back in 1998. According to wikipedia, this Air Traffic Control (ATC) Tower was the tallest in the world when it was built. It monitors two runways for Kuala Lumpur International Airport (main and also referred as KLIA1) and KLIA2 (domestic). Currently this tower is only 3rd highest in the world. It has been overtaken by another tower monitoring a 3rd runway for KLIA2 and that in Suvarnabhumi International Airport - Bangkok.

Fly around the world today through Sunday Stamps @ See it on a postcard.

~maria

Postcards for the weekend 30: Cambodia

Postcard sent to self from Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Sent 4 Oct 2015, Traveled 1,148 km

Our theme for this weekend is a country that you would want to live in if you have the choice/chance.

To be honest I have several countries in Europe that I've always dreamed about for this theme. However, since my partner moved to Cambodia, I've been moving a lot back and forth. As a matter of fact, I'm waiting for my flight to Phnom Penh when I started writing this piece.

Cambodia gained more international attention since portions of the movie Lara Croft: Tomb Raider were shot in several of its temple ruins. A couple of the filming locations can be seen in my previous posts: Angkor Thom and Bayon. These locations are in Siem Reap, approximately 6 hours away by bus from Phnom Penh, the capital. The latter is where my third home and most of the business & central government offices are located.

One of the choice of postcards sent out to friends around the world

There isn't much touristic sites here in Phnom Penh. There is however, a captivating good mix of Khmer and French architecture. Here are some of the distinguished buildings, standing out from the rest of the concrete structures. 

One of the choice of postcards sent out to friends around the world

When Siem Reap offers beautiful temple ruins, the buildings in Phnom Penh complete the storytelling about the tumultuous history of Cambodia. The country has many stories to tell from being once a powerful religious kingdom, a French protectorate, the Khmer Rouge, alliance with the Vietnamese, its rise from the conflicts and wars, and the journey towards stability. On the postcard below: The Cambodia-Vietnam Monument, The Independence Monument, The Choeung Ek Genocidal House, Leader of Cambodia Buddhism - Samdech Choun Nath, the Knotted Gun Monument.

 

One of the choice of postcards sent out to friends around the world

In addition to the monuments, one of the places that draw the curiosity of visitors to the capital is the Royal Palace. The complex serves as the resident of the royalty and also houses a collection of precious items that are distinctively Khmer. 

Postcard sent to self from Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Sent 18 Oct 2016, Traveled 1,148 km

Life in Phnom Penh is more relaxed and slower than Singapore. There is however, no established proper mass transportation system which I found annoying at times. There are no trains nor buses to go around quickly from one place to another around the city. For most of the residents, they own a scooter and the more affluent has huge big cars (always fascinating to watch this contrast while on the road). There is also of course the tuktuk, their local variation of the motorized rickshaw. A comprehensive guide of moving and living in Cambodia can be found on the same link for the tuktuk. I would say that it's a nice country to live in for a couple of years if you're curious about discovering more about its history & culture and mixing with a population on its journey towards globalisation. One needs an open mind though as the daily local life is totally different from the experiences of being a tourist. I really wouldn't mind completely relocating. I need huge savings though in order to do so as local employment doesn't pay too much in order to keep a lifestyle as in Singapore!

This is probably one of my longer entries for the linky party by far ... I hope it isn't a tedious read for the weekend.

Cheers from Phnom Penh,

~maria

Sunday Stamps: Flowers from India and Romania

These two flower stamps came with one of my most recently received postcards. Part of the Bouquet for Children issue of Chennai Post (India) in 3 September 2013, the sheet of 12 designs aimed to bring children in the cities the flowers that are mostly only seen in the villages and the forests. I really like that these two flowers allows us to see more inside into the flowers' anatomy.

These two stamps from Romania make me curious with the clocks featured alongside each. It made sense to me when I read that these two are part of a Flower's Clock. The time on the clock's face reveals the hour that the flower blooms. For sunflower is 9 AM and the viper's grass is 7 AM. Both of the clocks on these two stamps were manufactured in France in the 19th century -- a P. Bonnet and P. Pottier portico clock and a table clock, respectively. The rest of the stamps on this  25 January 2013 issue can be found here. 

For more flowers featured on stamps from around the world, check out the linky party @ See it on a postcard.

~maria

Postcards for the weekend 29: France

Private Swap, Sent by Ulla
Sent on 12 December 2012, Traveled 10,897 km

For our theme this weekend, I'm sharing postcards from France - one among the many countries that I wish to visit. This card is special as it was written and sent to me on 12.12.12. It shows the French tri-color flag and different UNESCO World Heritage Sites. France is 4th in rank in ascending order of Spain, China, and Italy for countries with the most number of world heritage sites.

Direct Swap, Sent from Lyon
Traveled 10,747 km in 6 days

Lyon, a city that is in the UNESCO WHS for culture has always been on my list of a specific city that I want to explore. My partner is from this place. It is in the south of France and the third biggest French city next to Paris and Marseille.

Friendship Gift Postcard, Sent by Wan
Traveled 10,747 km

This is a postcard he sent me from Lyon back in 2011 I believe. It was sent in an envelope together with stamps from his collection. On this card that I received from him 6 years ago when we're yet to be a couple, he wrote: Here is a postcard from Lyon, my parents' place as I promised ... I'm sure you'll get to visit it someday just like the French Riviera. And hopefully you'll have a nice guide (myself ;-) ) This year in the summer, we'll travel to France together. Reading about the historic places just in Lyon alone, I can't wait to board the plane for France!

Happy weekend everyone,

~maria

Sunday Stamps: Dia Del Galeon Festival 2010 Commemorative Stamps

The theme this weekend for the Sunday Stamps is maps. I'm stretching out the theme a bit with this sheet since only a portion of the land mass outlines are actually within the perforations of the stamps.

This commemorative sheet was issued by the Philippine Postal Corporation on 8 October 2010. Galleon is a Spanish word that means a sailing ship. Originally the purpose of these ships are for war but later on these were used for trade. Dia means day. The entire phrase translated to English is Day of the Galleon.On these stamps are images of the Manila galleons. In October 2009, UNESCO recognized the unique part played by the Manila galleons in conducting trade and cultural exchange between the Philippines and Europe. 

More information about the galleon trade can be found here and here.

Hop over to See it on a postcard for more stamps featuring maps this weekend.

~maria

Postcards for the weekend 28: Japan

The theme for this weekend is from a country you have visited or a favorite place in your country that you have visited. I'm sharing postcards for the former.

Last November 2016, I traveled to Japan with my partner and four other friends. Our first destination was the old capital of Japan, Kyoto.

Postcard sent to self from Kyoto, Japan
13 November 2016, Traveled 5,368 km

I would admit that I was faked in a kinda ignorant way by women walking around in kimono. I thought these are real Japanese women who roam around as part of their local tourism board initiatives. But then, I came to a realization that many of them are tourists who have rented a kimono for the day. Many boutiques offer such experience including photo shoots.

JP-905949, Sent from Saitama, Japan
Traveled 5,368 km in 17 days

I can still remember how delighted I was when I received this postcard and the explanation behind the photo back in December 2016. This was one of the fishes we were wondering about the name when we're in our Japan holiday. It's a narrow and long fish with not much flesh but very tasty. It was explained by the postcard sender that this fish is locally called as autumn sword fish or sanma. Its common name is Pacific saury.

Postcard sent to self from Nikko, Japan
16 November 2016, Traveled 5,368 km

Nikko, our second destination in Japan is a town renowned for lavishly decorated shrines and temples. On this postcard is the heavily decorated Yomei-mon Gate at the Toshogu Shrine. It was under renovation and covered by scaffolding and while plastic drapes when we were there. Nonetheless, the rest of the place was equally astonishing. More details about this UNESCO WHS can be found here. 

Postcard sent to self from Tokyo, Japan
20 November 2016, Traveled 5,368 km

Our third and final destination was the bustling and busy capital city of Tokyo. The atmosphere was a stark contrast with that of Kyoto and Nikko. Tokyo was a maze of tall buildings, colorful neon lights at night, and people on the go regardless of the time of the day. 

Japan was a balance of relaxation with the charm of the old world in Kyoto and Nikko, and adventure with the action-filled urban atmosphere of Tokyo.

Happy weekend everyone! Looking forward, as always, to see the postcards you're sharing for this weekend's theme.

~maria

Sunday Stamps: Roosters or Chickens

The year 2017 according to the Chinese calendar is the Year of the Rooster. This stamp was released by the Japan Post on 1 November 2016. The central design is a Kurashiki Hariko rooster. Kurashiki Hariko is a papier mache, traditional craft from Okayama Prefecture. It is special for being all parts of the papier mache are handmade by craftsmen. There is a shorter version of this stamp, which can be found here.

To view other stamps featuring roosters and chickens, check out the page See it on a Postcard.

~maria

Postcards for the weekend 27: Philippines

For this month of March is pretty much theme inclusive. However, the objective is to give a focus for a specific country of your origin, previous destination, and dream destinations. Given the possibility that there's a wish to split the postcards from your own country into two weekends' postings, this is possible for the weekend of March 4 and 11.

As some of you may know, I visited my home country last weekend -- Philippines: 

My hometown is in the turtle-shaped island, south of the mainland Luzon. If you look closely, you will see marked on the island of Mindoro is a coastal town of Puerto Galera. I spent the weekend there with my family hoping to enjoy the sea, the sun, and the beach. I was looking forward into visiting nearby islets for snorkeling as the area is known to be among the best coral snorkeling sites in the country. Alas! The weather was uncooperative.

I really longed for a similar experience from Feb 2013 in another island, Palawan. It is an island that resembles the shape of a closed umbrella, southwest of Mindoro.

It's a great destination for island-hopping ...

... and I really missed a good ride with the waves on a small boat (banca) like this:

I'm very curious on what postcards each of the participants for our Postcards for the Weekend linky party are sharing this weekend. Let's please take a moment to appreciate one another's effort to pick and share postcards by leaving even just a short comment when we view the pages of each of the participants. 

Happy weekend everyone,

~maria