Ceci n'est pas un(e)...

Deutsche

As the name of this blog Ceci n’est pas un Asia Blog may cause some confusion, at this point in the blog, a brief digression into art history and philosophy shall clarify the reference to René Magritte.
Ceci n’est pas une pipe - this is not a pipe*. Magritte presents the observer with a pipe as the image of an object existing in reality. But, according to him, this object, when captured in oil on an empty two-dimensional canvas, is not the pipe anymore as it originally was, and is therefore not available in its originial context.
The everyday object is converted into a piece of art, thus acquiring a new context.
This is not an Asia Blog plays with the fact that my written words are only a reflection of what I actually experience. The experience is transformed through the words and plays a similar role for the reader (recipient) as Magritte’s pipe.
Moreover, it is the connection between language/character and imagery that Magritte is concerned with here - word and image are not directly connected. “What Magritte renders with such visible strangeness is symbolized through the non-relationship - or at least the very complex and random relationship - between the painting and its title”. says Michel Foucault in his same titled book Ceci n’est pas une pipe (1973).
Magritte himself writes about his work: “the titles themselves are selected such that my painting cannot be put in a familiar place, which the mind automatically wishes to create in order to avoid uneasiness”. Here, he assumes that the mind acts automatically, to not have to constantly deal with the “uneasiness” it must face in everyday life.
Similar to the Brechtian alienation (where an action [in theater] is interrupted by a commentary or song to destroy any illusion the audience may have), the recipient is thus forced to consciously use his/her mind and question it. If one were to imagine the painting without caption, the pipe is nothing but the mere picture of a pipe.

Back to the context of this blog. My written word, or someone else’s written word, is processed by the individual and each reader produces a different subjective representation. The integration into the Internet medium and the framework of the blog promotes accessibility to readers. But this will ideally be broken in a similar way by the allusion to Magritte’s work.

*René Magritte, Ceci n'est pas une pipe, Oil on canvas, 63.5 × 93.98 cm, 1929, Los Angeles, County Museum of Art, The William R. Hearst Coll.
Photo Credit: http://www.library.yale.edu/librarynews/ceci-n-est-pas-une-pipe.jpg

Angkor

There are things worth getting up at 5 O'clock in the morning for: the sun rising over one of the many lakes in Angkor is one of those moments in life that you never forget. The temple complex, built in the 12th Century, is much larger than I would have expected. Buildings and ruins are scattered throughout the jungle - you climb old stairs to the top of the temple and get a view of the jungle, get lost in stone hallways, marvel at the various relief sculptures, while butterflies flutter about showcasing all colors of the rainbow.

The jungle ambiance : the smell of fresh rain, the noises of unknown animals in the canopy. Witnessing the fusion of architecture and nature is indescribable. It's definitely one of the most beautiful experiences I've had.

One thing that does slightly hamper the experience : I need to correct what I said in the previous post... It is actually very hot!

Tomorrow we will go back to Angkor and this time we will visit the most famous temple there: Angkor Wat. It will probably be very busy, as many tourists from all nations abound in this region. The advantage this morning was the early time - Imke and I were almost entirely alone at the temples, which made the visit all the more enjoyable. According to Tuk-Tuk drivers Angkor Wat is pretty much packed at all times of day. A tip for any reader who might want to go someday: follow the tourguide or the tuk-tuk driver's advice, and do the visits in reverse order! Then you will get the first sights all to yourself.

Another addendum to yesterday : I lost $2 playing pool against the locals. An interesting variant in which all players (in this case, there were four players) get a certain number of cards. Each card represents the value of a ball (jack = 10, etc.), and the objective is to sink the balls corresponding to your cards - after each ball you sink you "play" the corresponding card. If an opponent has already played that card, it's worthless. Whoever has played the most cards wins. The next game is started by the winner of the first round. The order of the following players seems to be guided by the cards. For more detailed rules, the language barrier was too great and my budget too small.

The Cambodians in general are very friendly. You'll do well if you like smiles! Here you can reach agreements in prices, trades or other daily situations, with a winning smile. And since the Cambodians smile so much, I am doing it too!

I does feel a bit like India, when it comes to city structures, sensory impressions and the type of communication. But there is one crucial difference: The rickshaws here are called Tuk-Tuk :)

Siem Reap, Cambodia

It was a real Odyssey, but last night we finally arrived in Siem Reap, Cambodia. 27 hours of travel including plane to Bangkok, bus to the Thailand/Cambodia border, and cab to Siem Reap.



The bus from Bangkok to Aranya Prathat, the bustling border town between Thailand and Cambodia was our first opportunity to take a look at the country and its people - without the hustle and bustle of Bangkok. Once at the border town, we fell prey to our first scam. There are countless ways to obtain a visa on arrival - and of course the tuk-tuk driver brings us precisely to the places where you pay more. This particular scam is described in the guide books, but we still did not catch on. We *could* go to the Cambodian consulate across the border, but can it be trusted? No. Even at the border they asked us for more money.
When we were done with all the border controls behind us, we had to take cover under a shed, as heavy monsoon rain started. There, a bit of luck : Harald, a student at a vocation school in Ulm (Germany) joined us and asked if we would be interested in sharing a taxi to Siem Reap (the major city next to Angkor Wat). It was his second time in Cambodia, and he was traveling alone.
So here we are! We both still have trouble believing it.
We will now explore the city for a bit. The weather is quite pleasant, with temperatures around 30 deg. C (86 deg. F) and the humidity at about 80%. The only thing that really takes some getting used to is the torrential rain that floods the streets every day.
This afternoon we will take a tuk-tuk to Angor Kwat, to enjoy the sunset and buy the tickets for the next two days.
I will be writing more in the next posts about the country of Cambodia and its culture. The Khmer vegetarian curry last night has me convinced already on the culinary side.

Dubai II

Tracks:

Arrival and first day : http://bit.ly/bShVi0

Zoom : The Palm Jumeirah : http://bit.ly/dubZ12

Zoom : The Burj Khalifi (Burj Dubai) : http://bit.ly/cb78eg

How should I describe this city? I can think of many ways: artificiality, luxury, multiculturalism, decadence, versatility.

Dubai reveals a world that on one side of the global zeitgeist, satisfies the "need" to have anything at any time, but on the other side does not follow the European trend of environmental responsibility and sustainability at all times. Water is the element that many here refer to as the Godfather: to a civilization formerly located in the desert, it projects in the form of fountains and aquariums the wealth of the city. When walking through Dubai, a luxurious environment occurs as a surreal world. The life is played out here, above all, from the halls of the big hotels and shopping malls. * In the Dubai Mall, the largest mall in the world, with the largest water displays in the world, next to the tallest building in the world, Western culture combines with Arabic design. There is nothing that you can't find: not even the German franchise chain of Nordsee, nor a skating rink, nor a waterfall and of course, the largest aquarium in the world.

A city of superlatives? Definitely. I'm torn between rejection and fascination.

This city and its cultural paradigm will be in absolute contrast to what awaits me for the next seven weeks. But I see it positively and look forward to the adventures yet to come.

Before I forget: before my trip, the two friendly owners of the "Asia-laden" in Marburg gave me a fortune cookie for my trip : "A pleasant change awaits you." I am looking forward to it.

* Http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dubai_Mall

Dubai

Frankfurt airport is already giving me a taste of what I expect from this trip: to meet many people and make friends with them through conversation. Oliver, a business traveler on his way to Tehran - he was so open and direct (as is typical in the Ruhr region), he offered right away to buy me some coffee (thanks again) and luck led us to sit side by side on the plane - Next time I will beat you at Tetris!

So here begins my journey. Imke has just picked me up from the airport - I have already crossed my first cultural hurdle : at passport control, when they asked me where I was going to stay in Dubai, I gave them the apartment of my best friend. Later, I found out from Imke that there is a taboo to sleep with women with whom one is not married, explaining the strange look that the official gave me!

Now it's 2am, the temperature is an unnatural (for me) 38 ° C outside. Tomorrow is forecast at 45 ° C - and since we are in the Ramadan period, drinking or eating in public during the day is not allowed.

I'm looking forward to explore this city by the desert and the sea. You do hear a lot about Dubai everywhere, but I had not yet been able to truly imagine it.

A big thanks to Gabe, who has made it possible for you to see where I am and also offered to translate my posts in English along with his sister Danielle. For all the English speaking folks out there!