Sunday Stamps: Humorous or odd

 

Charlie Chaplin is fondly remembered in many countries. This stamp is issued on 12 April 2014 by the Österreichische Post in commemoration of his 125th birthday.

For humorous or odd @ See it on a postcard

~maria

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