Out of Norm Travels

I was reminded of my long outstanding India blog entry when I was recently faced with the question of "What would be the personality of India through my lens?" That got me thinking....  Out of the thousands of photos taken during that trip, I vividly recalled the spectacular colors of Rajasthan as I traversed her lands from Jaipur  (Pink City of India) ,  Junagarh Fort at Jaisalmer  (built with distinctive Yellowstone of that area),  Jodhpur (The Blue City) with its  impressive Mehrangarh fort,  and its special places like Karni Mata temple (aka Rat Temple where I had my personal up and  close encounter with the small creatures),  Jaisalmer Fort (with its  intricate hand-carved sand stone latticed balconies and archways)  and last but not least, the  Pushkar Camel Fair (one of India’s unique spectacle that  attracts some 300,000 people and up to 20,000 camels, cattle and horses) .  I also had my first taste...

Part 2 of the Ubon Ratchathani Candle Festival:   Throughout the evening of the day before the actual parade, the floats from all over the district make their way down to the main grouping area - driven by tractors/ trucks giving both locals and tourists many chances to take photos with the floats throughout the night. The main grouping area was arranged along some 4-5 streets  of Ubon Ratchathani with  many many floats lining the streets - I have never seen so many floats up close and personal.  The floats came in many shapes and sizes and can be done using the traditional or block work ways. There were also a few intricately decorated smaller floats gently made out of  palm and banana leaves  hammered into places to form  intricate  3d designs in the shapes of  Nagas  (aka  Deity ) and the Lord  Buddha . 1 massive float stood out from the rest as it was made out of aromatic fragrant soaps. As part of the festivi...

One of the most important festivals in the Thai   Calendar and celebrated in a big way at the northern region of   Ubon Ratchathani .  Accessible via air, it took just about 1 hour for me to get away from the Bangkok city set-up to an unforgettable experience of a traditional festival in the thick of things.  I went down to Ubon a day earlier so that I could spend some time to go around town and head to the temples to see the work in progress before seeing all the candles / floats in all their glory. This is my account of Day 1 (day before the Festival).... Imagine you have spent 8 years in apprenticeship and having the honor of creating a 2m-sometimes 4m tall candle sculpture for one of the biggest candle parade of the Buddhist country. This festival celebrates the start of  Buddhist Lent  where the  monks  will mediate for 30 days in the mountains and only to descend from the mountain top at the end of Buddhist lent.  Fro...

Astro or Star gazing is a new genre of photography for me and frankly quite intimidating and foreign territory for a city girl like me.  Stars are something present but unseen in many parts of the little island city due to the vast amounts of light pollution. However, the first impression of astro following a pre trip workshop is how complicated the entire process is with different considerations for the taking a decent photograph.  Naturally, my expectations of getting something decent from my first astro photography trip to mount Bromo is understandably on the low side. What I got out of the trip is definitely more than I expected.  The amazement of seeing the millions of stars clearly for the first time reminded me of the many reasons I took up this amazing art form. It helps when it takes some 4 hours by van to reach Bromo from Surabaya and although it is near to some villages, the level of light pollution is low. Justin our pro was aware of the daunting natu...

Let's put it out there.....I am TERRIFIED of Rats. The mere squeak can drive me far away in another direction. yet I put my fears aside when I was told that we will be visiting a rat temple in India. why? Well, simply for the sake of photography.  The temple is none other than the Hindu temple more commonly known as the Temple of the Rats (aka Karni Mata Hari Temple) in the region of Rajasthan, just outside Bikarner.  It is interesting to find out facts like some 20,000 rats live in this temple. The rats are believed to be holy and allowed to free roam. I was told that if you don't disturb them, they won't disturb you. So I went along with some other brave souls and bared our feet to walk the grounds. I was also trying my best to spot a white rat, believed to be the most holy out of all the thousands of black/ grey rats scurrying around. And I am glad to say that not only I survived the little walk around but also saw some 3 white rats (most auspicious indeed as guide ...

After reading a recent article covering Hong Kong Heritage Buildings, I was gladdened to see that Tai O Heritage Hotel was mentioned as one of the Heritage successes of Hong Kong (info from hk-magazine.com ) and also reminded of my trip down this last remaining fishing village of Hong Kong called "Tai O". It was a nice contrast to the bustling metropolitan city of Hong Kong and on the way to the famous Lantau island (where the big Buddha is).  This lovely Heritage hotel was of course a beautiful respite from the extreme heat felt on that sunny July day back in 2012 (reputedly one of the hottest day of that year right before Hong Kong experienced its 1st Hurricane Signal no. 10 since 1999 (BTW it's the highest tropical cyclone warning signal in Hong Kong where an estimated maximum sustained winds of 155 km/hr was recorded near its centre).  For 100 years, the Tai O Police Station served the quiet West Lantau fishing community of Tai O, combating smuggling and piracy ...

Just a short 1.5 hour ride out of Bangkok, you will get into Pattaya which is frequented by Thais and foreigners alike.  We made a trip down there back in 2011 and dropped by the Silverlake Winery, the only vineyard located in Pattaya. If you are too lazy for that stroll, they offer train rides around the vast estate and you can end your visit at their lovely restaurant and enjoy your wine/ nourishment overlooking the vineyard. Pattaya also has a quaint little floating market that has the usual wares and food delights. Be sure to take some time to gallivant around the Nong Nooch Tropical Botanical Garden aka Rose Garden as well. A nice wooden structure called Sanctuary of the Truth (Prasat Sut Ja-Tum) that is built according to ancient Thai traditions will be a nice ending point of your journey.  This little excursion is well worth the time and you can easily be transported to another world away from the citylife of nearby Bangkok.  till ...