Cambodia III

Postcard showing the National Museum in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh. The Museum was open in 1920 by the French colonial government and houses the world's largest collection of Khmer art. It was shut and abandoned during the Khmer Rouge period from 1975 to 1979. When it was reopened, the roof had rotted in places and it housed a huge colony of bats which were only able to be completely removed over the course of some 15 years.

Stamp issued in 2001 commemorating the 80th birthday of then King Sihanouk.

Burma

Card showing Shwedagon Pagoda (ရွှေတိဂုံစေတီတော်) in the Burmese city of Rangoon. The pagoda rises 99 metres and is covered in more than 60 tonnes of gold. It is the most sacred Buddhist pagoda in Burma with four Buddha relics enshrined within.

Stamp on the left from the 1974 (!) definitive set featuring ethnic groups in Burma, pictured here a man and woman in traditional Burmese dress. Stamp in the centre from a groovy pop-art-esque 1992 set on musical instruments. Two stamps on the right from a 2010 commemorative set for the 62nd anniversary of Burmese independence showing the national parliament buildings in Naypyidaw.

Cambodia II

Super cute postcard of kid riding a water buffalo through Cambodia rice paddies. Nice to see a postcard from Cambodia that's not of Angkor Wat for once. – Not that I have anything against Angkor Wat; it's amazing. But it's always nice to see a non-picture-postcard, non-tourist-site side to a country.

A couple of older stamps on this card. On the left, stamp from 1999 set of seven on birds, featuring the European greenfinch, Carduelis chloris. Two stamps on right from 1997 set of four on the Asian elephant, Elephas maximus.

East Timor

Woohooooo!! Welcoming new country, East Timor, to my collection. With this, I am very near to getting a card from every country in Asia – the first continent to be struck from my list! Super-huge gigantoid bear hug and around-the-world high five to friend Nancy, who arranged to have a family member send this to me! Muito obrigado and 謝謝!

There was no info about the picture, so I assumed it was of Dili harbour, but was able to discern that this is, in fact, Central Maritime Hotel, indeed in capital, Dili. The hotel was previously a cruise ship that was converted into a hotel!

Stamp depicts José Ramos Horta, the second President of East Timor and a founder the FRETILIN party that struggled against the Indonesia occupation of the country. He was co-recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1996 for "sustained efforts to hinder the oppression of a small people", hoping that the award would spur efforts to find a diplomatic solution to the East Timor conflict. Independence was finally restored in 2002.

Indonesia IV

A recent card from Indonesia in honour of my imminent departure there is afternoon for a short holiday. Card shows Tangkuban Perahu, a volcano in central Java that last erupted in 1983. "Tangkuban Perahu" means "overturned boat" in the local Sundanese language, owing to the legend of the mountain's creation, which can be read here.

Thanks to James who was in Indonesia for work.

One interesting thing about collecting things from around the world, is that you get to learn about differing national perspectives on historical events. Stamp here is from a 2011 set of four commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of Operation Trikora. When the rest of the Indonesia became independent from the Netherlands, the Dutch retained sovereignty over western New Guinea, and took steps to prepare it for independence as a separate country, as it was culturally and ethnically distinct from the rest of Indonesia. Indonesia wasn't too happy about this and announced its intention to invade, launching Operation Trikora following a failure to get UN support for their cause. Once numerically superior Indonesian forces started to move in in 1962, the Dutch government recognised the Indonesians' resolve to take Western New Guinea and, not wanting to engage in a protracted conflict involving jungle warfare on the other side of the world, agreed to a UN transitional government that would be followed by a referendum on the future of the territory. The highly flawed referendum, conducted by the Indonesian government, allowed only 1025 military-selected men to vote – less than one per cent of the eligible population – and diplomatic cables widely speculate that those men were coerced to vote in favour of integration with Indonesia. To my mind, this shady episode of Indonesia history would be better suited as a skeleton in the closet rather than celebrated in a stamp series, but therein lies the interest in seeing things from different perspectives!

You can read more about the Free Papua Movement here.

Viet Nam

Card showing market-goers wearing Viet Nam's celebrated cone hats, known locally as nón lá. They form an integral and iconic part of Viet Nam's national dress and have been around for 3,000 years, as attested by their depiction in archaeological findings. They sometimes contain decorations or poem verses stitched inside that are revealed when direct sunlight shines through the palm leaf.

Stamp on the left features gerbera daisies. Stamp on the right features royal angelfish, Pygoplites diacanthus, a species found in tropical areas of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. They can grow as long as 25 cm and are sometimes kept as an aquarium fish.

Indonesia III

After my recent post about the 2012 additions to the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list, I can now add my fist Intangible Cultural Heritage postcard to the blog. The card shows Wayang Orang, a type of classical Javanese dance theatrical performance with themes taken from episodes of the Hindu epic stories, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. Performances are staged with elaborate costumes and intricate, stylised movement and are a reflection of traditional Javanese court culture.

Commemorative stamp featuring an annual bull-racing celebration held in the East Java island of Madura, called kerapan sapi.

Cambodia

The famous temple of Angkor Wat, shrouded in mist. Angkor is pretty well-known, but I'll add that, interestingly, a team of researchers recently concluded that Angkor had been the largest preindustrial city in the world, with a population of up to one million and an elaborate system of infrastructure connecting an urban sprawl of at least 1,000 square kilometres to the temples at its core. In comparison, Angkor's closest rival, the Mayan city of Tikal in Guatemala, was between 100 and 150 square kilometres in total size.

Stamp showing a carving from the Banteay Srei temple complex located in the Angkor area. The temple was built in the tenth century and is renowned for its intricate and well-preserved carvings.

Philippines

 Postcard of a three-wheel motor-rickshaw commonly used to cover short distances the Philippines, known as a tricycle. Usually they carry three or four passengers.

Stamps from a 2011 definitive set of marine life featuring the blue-faced angelfish, Euxiphipops xanthometapon, the polyclad flatworm, Pseudoceros dimidiatus, and the picasso trigger, Rhinecanthus aculeatus, which are all found in the coral reefs ringing the 7,000 islands of the Philippine Archipelago.

Special thanks to James who was in Manila on business.

Indonesia II

Vintage postcard showing a kecapi suling traditional Indonesian music ensemble from southern Sulawesi island. 

Stamp from a 2001 set of eight of Flower Greeting stamps.

Thailand II

Procession of monks at Wat Arun, in Bangkok, for the Tak Bat Devo festival, which marks Buddha's return to Earth after his enlightenment. Monks are offered special food by laypeople in honour of the auspicious day.

Left stamp is a definitive of King Bhumibol, the world's longest serving head of state. Right stamp, from a set of four, was issued in honour of the 2011 Thailand Philatelic Exhibition (Thaipex), and features likae, a traditional style of Thai performance.

Indonesia

Palm-fringed islet off Bintan, an up-and-coming resort destination just a short ferry ride away from Singapore. The Indonesian Government is promoting Bintan as "the next Bali", although I think there may be a long way to go to fill those shoes!

Stamp features an orchid, but could not find any further information about it.

Malaysia VI

Final Malaysia card features a sunrise view from the roof of Penang's Eastern and Oriental Hotel, a famous hotel from the colonial era opened in 1885. It was built by a group of Armenian brothers, the Sarkies, who would later go on to open some of Southeast Asia's most iconic hotels, including Raffles in Singapore and The Strand in Rangoon. The hotel is part of the "Melaka and George Town, Historic Cities of the Straits of Malacca" World Heritage site.

Previously featured hydrangea stamp, with a nice hand cancellation this time.

Malaysia V

Next card shows sunrise at the fishing village of Marang on Malaysia's east cost.

I was a bit surprised to see a Malaysian stamp featuring jícama, Pachyrhizus erosus, a common vegetable in Mexico. I learned that Spanish galleons brought the crop from Mexico to the Philippines where it then spread throughout Southeast Asia and is now a familiar ingredient in the region's kitchens. 

Malaysia IV

Second Petronas Towers card features artwork by local designer, Aesos Lai, who draws inspiration from the Towers to create artcards.

A "fresh air" stamp from the same environmental awareness series as the "clean water" stamp.

Malaysia III

A spate of Malaysia postcards from my friend, who is riding the rails through the country. The first and second cards show Kuala Lumpur landmark, the Petronas Towers. Measuring 492m, they were the tallest buildings in the world from 1998 to 2004 until surpassed by Taipei 101, but remain the tallest twin buildings ever built, surpassing the World Trade Center. 

First stamp on clean water is from a series to encourage environmental awareness, and second, previously-featured stamp of hydrangeas.

Malaysia II

Postcard showing Orang Asli people of Peninsular Malaysia preparing a meal by baking rice and tapioca in bamboo tubes. Orang Asli is a collective term used to refer to the various tribes of people who are indigenous to Malaysia, and who, unfortunately, often face similar treatment to indigenous peoples else where in the world with high rates of poverty and lower life expectancies.

Stamp depicts the bigleaf hydrangea, a common garden plant whose flower colour varies between pink and purple, depending on the soil pH.

Singapore

Singaporean postcard showing the Baba House, a demonstration project to promote Singapore's built heritage run jointly by the National University of Singapore and Singapore's Urban Redevelopment Authority. The building was built in the 1860s and was home to a wealthy shipping magnate. It exudes the architectural and artistic richness of houses from the period. Singapore's distinctive built heritage was largely ignored and fell into decline in the post-War period, so the Urban Redevelopment Authority began a project of sensitive restoration of showcase buildings which would encourage wider appreciation of and protection  for these beautiful old buildings.

The Stork-billed Kingfisher, Pelargopsis capensis, is a large kingfisher living in the Indian subcontinent and in Southeast Asia that eats fish, frogs, crabs, rodents and young birds. The stamp is from a 2007 series featuring flora and fauna of the island.

Malaysia

Tioman Island lies off the east coast of peninsular Malaysia. The densely forested island is surrounded by numerous coral reefs, making it a popular scuba diving spot. It's also a popular beach resort and its beaches were used in the movie South Pacific as Bali Hai. Apart from its diverse marine life, the inland rainforest is a strictly enforced nature reserve.

Thanks to Kate, who was holidaying there!

The stamp depicts a green-winged pigeon, (Chalcophaps indica), also known as also the common emerald dove. It is a widespread resident breeding bird in tropical and subtropical parts of the Indian Subcontinent, Southeast Asia and northern and eastern Australia. 

And a special congratulations to collector Glenn who just received a card from Equatorial Guinea, surely one of the most difficult countries from which to receive a card. Way to go!

Thailand

Bangtao Beach on the west side of the Thai resort island of Phuket is where some of the most luxurious hotels and resorts are located. Phuket formerly derived its wealth from tin and rubber, and enjoyed a rich and colorful history, although now of course derives most of its income from tourism. The name Phuket is apparently derived from the Malay word bukit that means "hill", as this is what the island appears like from the sea. Thanks to Kate who was visiting. 

Mu Ko Similan National Park is an archipelago of nine islands in the Andaman Sea, not far from the coast of  Phuket, actually. It is one of the world's top diving destinations.