Cambodia: Battamberg

Battamberg turned out to be a nice enough town in and of itself but what really made the place special was the incredibly beautiful temple nearby. I spent my first day there exploring the town, enjoying the food at the local gecko bar and hiring a bicycle to mozy around the surrounding countryside.

While navigating pleasant countryside lanes I came across a group a group of Cambodians that were chilling out, drinking and enjoying snacks and although we couldn't understand a word of what the other party was saying we were able to actually have a rather enjoyable afternoon.

I cycled back and took a tuk tuk to the town's spectacular local temples. They were set high on a nearby hill and as I climbed the many steps up to the top I got to enjoy a spectacular view over the town and the surrounding plains. Hoping down the steps I walked over to my main reason for visiting the site, for as the sun began to set a cavern high in the cliff face began to release a swarm of bats.

What started as a trickle soon became a flood as  thousands of winged bodies took to the evening skies. I watched them until the sun began to slip below the horizon, then I took the waiting tuk tuk back to town. As night fell I hung out and drank in a local bar as I enjoyed the company of my fellow backpackers. 

Thailand: Koh Sok national park

I decided to head somewhere slightly less touristy, so I headed to Koh Sok and a guest set right by the national park. Almost as soon as I arrived however I was already heading out the door as I booked a trip to a raft house set right on a lagoon deep in the park. The setting was beautiful, surrounded as it was by limestone cliffs covered in lush jungle. We arrived by boat and spent the morning swimming in a lake that was as warm as a heated bathtub.

After settling in our guide took on a trek right through the jungle, we past rocks shaped like daggers and crossed a stream multiple times to get to the mouth of the cave from where the water flowed. The treking through the cave was interesting as we had to wade through water, sometimes deep enough to be up to our necks. However we were rewarded with some spectacular rock formations and water cascading down the walls of the caves. 

After being led out of the cave I bonded with my fellow travellers by playing party games, eating fish caught fresh from underneath our huts, drinking beer and going on an exciting night time boat safari where we saw Civits, Bitulong and a strange kiwi like bird. After all this excitement the next day we finished our tour by doing one final trek through the jungle.

Arriving back in Koh Sok park I decided to extend my stay and in doing so got to trek through the park, seeing a snake chasing a frog that gave me the scare of my life and cheeky monkeys who had come down from the trees to steal coke and beer from the rangers huts (I even got woken up by one opening my window to break and enter into my hut).

I was now ready to move on by bus to the famous Kanchanburi.

Nottingham

This weekend I got to explore the historic city of Nottingham, its an intriguing city filled with nocks, crannies, caves, ghosts and caverns. The beauty of this trip came from finding the gift of unexpected photographic surprises from the innocuous and seemingly ordinary. It was also a chance to flex my photographic muscles in different ways such as still life and in portraiture work. Something that I love to do but don't often get the chance to. Hope you enjoy.