About Me

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Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
I am married to my loving husband for more than 40 years now. I am a mother to 3 beautiful children, until years ago when I lost my youngest son. Since then my life is forever altered but yet unbroken....

My Travel Journal

"There isn't much I haven't shared with you along the road and through it all there'd always be tomorrow's episode" - Elton John

I started traveling around the world since early 80s when I had the opportunity to combine business trips with vacations. Then later when my rezeki is in abundance, there were numerous other trips along the way for vacations, most of the time with hubby and the kids when the timing is right. I have also started to compile the journal and photo-pages covering almost more than 45 years of world wide travel. Some destinations I visited just once, others many times. Many of those places are the obvious famous places people would like to visit but some, the casual traveler doesn't even think to try. I have placed links to my travel at the side bar of my personal page, My Life Reflections, and will be updating them from time to time.

My wish is to continue my travel and complete circumnavigate the globe, insyaAllah…

Thursday 6 May 2004

Italy 2004: Pompeii - A forgotten city...

"Travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world..." - Gustave Flaubert

(An archaeological finding)

A city slipped through time due to the violence of Mount Vesuvius smothering the buildings and its people in molten lava. A visit both amazing and disturbing in equal measure.In AD79, Vesuvius erupted and covered Pompeii with volcanic ash to a depth of about 10 m. Just when it looked as though things couldn't get any worse, Vesuvius exploded and sent a 100 mph avalanche of rock and hot gases hurtling towards Pompeii and other nearby towns. All those who had remained in Pompeii died. The event was recorded by Pliny the Younger, who saw the avalanche from his ship in the Bay of Naples.

(Temple of Apollo)
(Ancient Roman Temple)

Until Mount St. Helens erupted in 1981, everyone thought Pliny's account was fanciful, but his description of a black cloud hurtling towards Pompeii is now regarded as the first attempt to describe pyroclastic flow conditions. Most of Pompeii still remains hidden beneath the now farmed volcanic ash but those parts which have been excavated have revealed important information about Roman road building.

(A bronze statue in Pompeii)

Pompeii.
0 sad Pompeii! 
0 dead Pompeii! 
Silent are thy streets; 
Heavy is thy winding sheet of ashes. 
In the old time the sky was blue above thee.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Nong dear , I was just browsing thru your travels..and I came across many fasinating places,sites and people you have visited and met......Pompei always gives me the creep yet sadness....
Your description of Pompei could not put better words than that....

Nong said...

Pompeii was lost for nearly 1700 years before its accidental rediscovery in 1748.

Walking along the pathways and examining the detail layout of the lost city, bring us back to the life of a city at the height of the Roman Empire.