Wat Saket, Thailand

This card arrived as an official few years ago

TH-82554

The card shows the Golden Mountain (or Phu Khao Thong), one of the Buddhist temples in Bangkok. 

The Wat Saket is a low hill crowned with a gleaming gold chedi. Within, the 58-metre chedi houses a Buddha relic and welcomes worshippers all year round. The temple also hosts an annual temple fair in November, which lasts a week during Loy Krathong.
The temple is now a popular Bangkok tourist attraction and has become one of the symbols of the city.

the stamp is a definitive from 2007, showing Hat Pattaya.

Dambulla Rock Temple, Sri Lanka

well, as promised, here comes a new update shortly after the previous one....actually I planned to do it over the weekend, but for some reason Photbucket was having some issues (so in case you dropped by and all you could see were blank images, blame it on Photobucket, not me...)

on a side note, my assumptions regarding the most disappointing interview I have ever had, proved to be true and one really needs to have connections for everything....today I got that dreaded call of "I am sorry but we have chosen someone else..."  Oh well...

anyways, I will start today's update with a card dear Sissel sent me 4 years ago from her trip to Sri Lanka - I don't know if I had mentioned this previously, but I have kinda decided to start focusing more on the older cards cos otherwise, I will like never get to post them.....I will show some of the new ones received as well, however, the ratio would probably be more in favour to the older ones...

Sissel sent me this amazing Dambulla Rock Temple, a UNESCO whs in the central part of the country.
It is the largest and best-preserved cave temple complex in Sri Lanka with rock towers 160 m over the surrounding plains.There are more than 80 documented caves in the surrounding area and the major attractions are spread over five caves, which contain statues and paintings related to Gautama Buddha and his life. There are a total of 153 Buddha statues, three statues of Sri Lankan kings and four statues of gods and goddesses. The latter include Vishnu and the Ganesha. The murals cover an area of 2,100 square metres. Depictions on the walls of the caves include the temptation by the demon Mara, and Buddha's first sermon.

Prehistoric Sri Lankans would have lived in these cave complexes before the arrival of Buddhism in Sri Lanka as there are burial sites with human skeletons about 2700 years old in this area, at Ibbankatuwa near the Dambulla cave complexes.

two stamps from the 2007 Constellations' issue of 12 stamps - here are the Aquarius and the Libra.

Tusen takk Sissel!!!!

The Temple of Dawn, Thailand

Going over to a different part of the world, a beautiful card from my French postcard fairy....

the card shows The Temple of Dawn, or Wat Arun, which was built in 17th century on the bank of Chao Phraya River. The main feature of Wat Arun is its central prang (Khmer-style tower) which is encrusted with colourful porcelain.This is interpreted as a stupa-like pagoda encrusted with coloured faience.[6] The height is reported by different sources as between 66.8 m and 86 m. The corners are surrounded by four smaller satellite prang. The prang are decorated by seashells and bits of porcelain which had previously been used as ballast by boats coming to Bangkok from China.
The central prang symbolises Mount Meru of the Hindu cosmology. The satellite prang are devoted to the wind god, Phra Phai. The demons (yaksha) at the entranceway to the ubosot are from the Ramakien.

the stamp on the right was issued in 2014, as part of the 3 New Year stamps...the other one was issued in 2010, featuring H.M. King Bhumibol Adulyadej (King Rama IX).

Thank you so much JP!!

Druk Wangyal Lhakhang, Bhutan

Wohooo!! =) Surprise surprise :D I can't believe it myself either honestly after...hmmm, how long has it been...3 months?!! Way way too long this time, I know...and I'm sorry...it just happened without a notice...but frankly, life in the past months has been...hmm, not that easy...a lot of working tasks to deal with...as usual, personal issues to deal with as well that leave you with no time/desire to do anything...and on top of that, my grandmother passed away =/ Even though not unexpected but it still hits you when it happens...and it is still hard to believe that she is actually gone...one of the kindest and most generous and timid and modest persons I've ever known and I ever will...I never had the chance to meet my other grandma, cos she had passed away even before I was born..so this one was the only grandma I had, but she did her grandma-role in the most perfect way possible...unfortunately, due to a number of events, she was bed-bound for the past ten years or so and that was not really some kind of life to lead...esp since things were just getting worse and worse and life was more of a torture to her than something nice...so I hope that now all her pains have gone and she is at some nice and peaceful place to finally rest...cos she deserves it! So that would be briefly on what kept me away from posting here...and postcrossing in general...haven't really been able to dedicate myself to it properly (well, ok due to financial reasons as well), so in case I have some pending swap with you or i owe you something and you get to read this...I'll try to fix that as soon as I can...though I don't think it will be by the end of the year...but hey...new year, new beginnings :)

Speaking of that...I have to mention that there is a new postman....AGAIN...in my area...that moron that did all the chaos and trouble...I don't know what happened with him...but I know for certain that he has caused headaches and frustrations to hundreds of people with his ignorant behaviour....frankly it also somewhat killed my desire about postcards cos there is no pleasure of receiving bunch of cards like once a month...and then having to deal with all of them at once...yeah, i do love having a full mailbox, but when it happens in, how do I say this..a natural way...not cos someone out there is incapable of doing his job properly...

Anyways, despite all that, I still received some lovely mail during these past months...and well, a number of new countries too :D  And it was quite difficult to actually choose which one to post today, so in the end, totally randomly, I chose this one that arrived as a total surprise from dear Sissel (to make you a bit more jealous, she actually sent me a few cards, not just this one :P)

So here it comes...a written and stamped card from the Kingdom of Bhutan!!

A gorgeous card as well! Though I still can't decide what I love better...the card or the stamp below :D
Here you can see the Druk Wangyal Lhakhang temple, built in honor of His Majesty the fourth Druk Gyalpo, Jigme Singye Wangchuck. The past and future appears to merge in the details of the lhakhang and its structure tells the story of a supreme warrior figure, whose vision pierces the distant future in a fine blend of history and mythology.
It is located in the Dochula pass, the most well-known pass in Bhutan that is very popular among tourists, as it offers a stunning 360 degree panoramic view of Himalayan mountain range!


And here comes the stamp!! Come on, how can you just NOT love it? :D

I just can't stop wondering how come *I* always find just the crappiest and most boring stamps when I travel, and I never find something so splendid?
Issued in 1984 as part of eight stamps and four souvenir sheets dedicated to locomotives...this one here shows the Sondermann Freight built in 1896.

Nice way to start my comeback, no? ;-)

Thanks again so much Sissel! Your surprises are always so fantastic!

Alms collecting, Myanmar

Good Sunday to you all. It is a cloudy one here..somewhat perfect for doing some cleaning and writing some cards....and doing updates too. It was a really nice weekend, wine-related...we have this wine festival each year (sometimes even twice a year), and it is a great opportunity to taste some wines, enjoy some good music and some good company of course.
And now relaxing a bit, before the new working week kicks off...and first we start with one fantastic, totally unexpected surprise that arrived some days ago from Daniel! My first written and stamped card from Myanmar! Can you imagine my joy? :D
It was so kind of him to send me this coz as he said, i had not yet received a card from there! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!

and what a lovely card it is! it shows monks collecting alms during the morning.

the practice of collecting alms food is a discipline practice by the ordained Sangha, that is monks and nuns in all Theravadin countries. The daily alms-round was practiced by the Buddha and is continued to this day as a means of making merit, by developing generosity, by lay Buddhist and for the material support of the Sangha. The monks set out each day at first light with their alms-bowls and wander silently and barefoot through the village or town collecting the food for the day. On returning to the monastery they will share the food and usually eat communally finishing their meal - for some monks their only meal - before mid-day.

Myanmar, is a major stronghold of the Theravada Buddhism, along with Sri Lanka and Thailand.

the stamp is from a set of 2 issued in 2011, displaying palaces in Myanmar.

thank you so very much again Daniel!!! I just love the card!

Nekromanteion, Greece

time ago i came across a lovely person..Despina from Greece...ok, she came across me actually...and I couldnt have resisted her offer...and im glad to know that i was the guilty person to have introduced her to Postcrossing and to have given her back the addiction for a mailbox full with cards! It is such a noble feeling you know...coz at least I know how Postcrossing has changed my life ever since I discovered it...

and one of the results of meeting each other was this lovely card arriving in my mailbox...a great place with a cool and rather scary story...Nekromanteion means 'Oracle of Death' and according to the ancient Greeks this was the entrance of the souls to the underworld.  When Christianity came to the area, a church was built on top of it, and that's what you can actually see on the card.
The temple was dedicated to Hades and Persephone.
I wonder through what sort of gate my soul would go through one day...
And I must say i love to have a card from Greece which shows something different from the usual places ive seen so far.
Btw, just after I uploaded the card, i noticed that big Hellenic Post stamp on front of the card...I dont know what it is doing there...and more over, I wonder how i hadnt noticed it while looking at the card previously....anyways, it does blend with the card nicely, so i dont mind it :)

the stamp was issued in 2008, representing the logo of the Asteras Tripolis F.C. football club.

Efharisto para poli Despina!!

Sanbō-in, Japan

next is a UNESCO card showing the Sanbō-in temple in Japan

as the sender said:
- Sanbō-in is a Buddhist temple in southern Kyoto, known today primarily for the quality of its garden.
Sanbō-in was established in 1582 - 1615. It was a sub-temple of Daigo-ji, which is a Heian period temple founded in 902. The temple complex had fallen into disrepair during the Sengoku period. The garden is designed as a stroll garden with a large pond and several paths and bridges.

definitely looks like a nice retreat from the daily chaos im facing...

and of course, the Japanese stamps are always a challenge for some who doesnt understand a bit of it....surprising how many HK stamps Japan has...this one is from 2008 from a set of ten stamps...the other is that definitive ive shown before, from a set of 3 stamps, issued in 2007

Ħaġar Qim, Malta

A great UNESCO card from Malta, showing the Ħaġar Qim temples. That first word is a troublesome one to read :)

Some days ago I was thinking that I should update my list of received UNESCO's, but unfortunately, I havent been keeping track of those, and I would have to go through all my received cards, one by one, to make sure i dont miss something...and that would be really time consuming, so as usual, I put it off again....if only I had a magic wand to solve this for me :)

Ħaġar Qim, which in English means 'standing/worshiping stones', is a megalithic temple complex in Malta, dating from the Ġgantija phase (3600-3200 BC). These Temples are amongst the most ancient religious sites on Earth,described by the World Heritage Sites committee as "unique architectural masterpieces. They were inscribed on the UNESCO whs list in 1992.

The Ħaġar Qim complex consists of a main temple and three additional megalithic structures beside it. The main temple was built between 3600 and 3200 BC; however, the northern ruins are considerably older. The outside entrance serves as an interior passage and connects six large chambers. The right apse is constructed as an arch to prevent the upright slabs falling inward. The outside wall, built of huge upright blocks, projects inwards, thus creating an extremely solid building. This entrance passage and first court follow the Maltese megalithic pattern but as building progressed, this design was considerably modified. The northwesterly apse was replaced by four independent enclosures.

Naksan, South Korea

Dani gave me this card (one of many) before she left to China.

The card shows a sunrise reflecting off a Temple at Naksan.

It's a really lovely card...dont know why but this kind of cards with doors/windows seem to be very interesting...and also from what ive noticed, popular among postcard-collectors.
As for the Naksan Temple... it is a Korean Buddhist temple complex in the Jogye order of Korean Buddhism that stands on the slopes of Naksan Mountain and is one of the few temples in Korea to overlook the Sea of Japan (East Sea).

Naksansa was founded in 671, by the Buddhist monk, Uisang Daesa (Grand Master Uisang), an ambassador of the 30th King Munmu of the Silla Period (BC 57-AD 935) after he had returned from studying abroad during the Chinese Tang Dynasty, who, while meditating near the cave in which the Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva (Gwaneumbosal) was believed to have lived, was told by the Bodhisattva to build the temple there.

thank you Dani! Hope you are enjoying your stay and study-time!

Bali, Indonesia (04)

Last week was scarce on mail...very scarce....hopefully this one will be better...and maybe my so 'famous' new country will arrive as well...though for some reason i have a feeling that if it doesnt arrive this week, several new countries will arrive next week....well, the more the merrier...btw, to whomever i owe a mail or a message or anything...you know me...im always behind with that...sometimes i think that if i had to write you a real letter, it would have reached you sooner, than me writing you an email...yeah, im THAT lousy and e-mail unfriendly :)

Well, i think that at the mention of "Bali" you are more used to seeing those exotic beaches or lovely turqoise water...well, for a change, something cultural as well :)
This is the Taman Ayum Temple in Mengwai, West Bali.
The Taman Ayum Temple is a Royal Temple of Mengwi Empire and it is located in Mengwi Village and it had been newly sanctified in the year 1634. The temple served as the family temple of the Mengwi dynasty, whose kingdom survived until the late 1800s. The temple was built by I Gusti Agung Anom, a founder of the Mengwi kingdom in 1934, and were skilfully and renovated in later years, giving its present appearance which tourists find so attractive and interesting. The temple is famous for its exquisite wooden merus, or pagoda-like shrines. The name itself means beautiful garden. It is built on a high tableland which is surrounded by ponds.

Byōdō-in, Kyoto, Japan (02)

Its sad how lately i simply cant get the right time management, and by the time i become aware of it, another day goes by without making an update...I really suck....plus my own keyboard sucks...I spilt coffee over it...loads of coffee...I dont know how many times exactly i had spilt coffee over it, which eventually goes all over the PC-table, and the floor...and now my keyboard doesnt work properly, and when i type certain letters, two additional letters appear, and I have to say thats more than annoying...so I sneaked in the keyboard from the other PC while my parents are still asleep (its 4:30 am at the time of writing this)...so after finishing with my work overload, im here...I hope it wont take long till I get a new keyboard...or maybe my old one will fix by itself miracelously...I dont really have the time to take screws and cleaners and fix it myself...plus taking out each key, cleaning it, and putting it back, is hell of an annoyance....so, maybe ill have another keyboard sneak-in in the meantime :)
But now lets get down to the initial purpose of being here...
 

Im definitely starting to acquire a soft spot for these Japanese temples....not that they just look soo beautiful and elegant...but they are always surrounded with such an amazing and breathtaking nature...

this is the Byōdō-in a BuddhistTemple, in Uji in the Kyoto Prefecture. It is jointly a temple of the Jodo Shu (Pure Land) and Tendai sects.
It was originally built in 998 in the Heian Period as a rural villa of Fujiwara no Michinaga one of the most powerful members of the Fujiwara clan.
The most famous building in the temple is the Phoenix Hallor the Amida Hall constructed in 1053. The only remaining original building is the Phoenix Hall, surrounded by a scenic pond; additional buildings making up the compound were burnt down during a civil war in 1336.


Japan commemorates its longevity and cultural significance by displaying its image on the 10 yen coin and the 10,000 yen note features the phoenix image. In December 1994, UNESCO listed the building as a whs as part of the Historic Monuments of ancient Kyoto.
The Phoenix Hall, the great statue of Amida inside it, and several other items at Byōdō-in are national treasures.