Ambassadeur Everlasting
The blue shawl
A portret from Khumbalghar. If you are in the region this is a must to visit, the impressive fort surrounded by the aravali hills see tip and other photos.
Verenigde Staten • Washington D.C.
Verenigde Staten • Washington D.C.
A Reflective Day
Eight years since the "dark day" when nearly 3,000 people died when the four planes crashed in New York, at the Pentagon and in a Pennsylvania field, events which changed our world. In the US Capitol dealing with the legacy of 9/11 is one of Mr Obama's toughest challenges. The reflectiion of the US Capitol under dark skies.
Bamboo and silver
(Ik denk dat je deze moet openmaken om het goed te zien) Another boat trip from Mrauk U took us to Chin State an opportunity to visit some of the outlying villages. Chin State is a mountainous State in the west of Myanmar, sharing its western border with India and Bangladesh. The whole region is made up of high hills, largely dissected by deep valleys. I read that in burmese chin means basket and the chin people so-called because of the baskets they used to carry their goods. The Chin Bon, Chin Bok and Laytoo are the Southern Chin Clans, the women were until 50 years ago distinguished by different facial tattoos. (See earlier uploads of facial tatoos if interested)
The Time Table
Here we are in Bundi, a colourful, sleepy town in Rajasthan under the shadows of its palace and fort. Well worth spending a few days, which is just as well as it may take you a few days to work out the bus time table:) Seems like this father and his young daughter have been here a while
The oasis in the...dr
I know that there are many images already posted of photogenic Bagan, but............................... Bagan lies in the dry zone and is the most arid part the country. In contrast to other parts of the dry zone, this area has been irrigated since Bagan Anawrahta founded the first Myanmar Empire, although water is less visible and often scarse. Typical dry zone crops like maize, chilies, pulses, sesame, onions and groundnuts replace much of the paddy fields seen earlier on the journey. The landscape remains brown and parched, sandy land still sparsely covered with cacti, shrubs and thorny bushes. The monk must travel for his water supply.
The Writings on the..
When you tire of the monuments and temples in Mandu you can walk to and through the villages dotted over the plateau. Sometimes we were chased by cheeky kids, "you have pen?", Take photo, take photo!". But more often we met with shy smiles and the occassional invite for chai. The writing on the wall, is a political slogan - political parties pay villagers to paint their houses as advertisments.
Reflections of Inle -
Inle Lake is home to the Intha people, who have developed a unique way of living. Their villages are built in the middle of the lake, complete with floating gardens of extraordinary fertility. They are known for their technique of rowing wrapping one of the legs around the oar to relieve and free arms for fishing. There are a few photos here depicting this technique,
100 and counting
Back in June I was introduced to this site by a friend, since then I have travelled digitally to many places that I have not physically been to, spent many hours glancing through photos, many of which are outstanding and had lots of fun here. Thank you for your constructive critiques and compliments. And today I upload my 100th photo. I have chosen a photo taken with my very first camera - Canon powershot in Northern Laos in 2003.
Whistles for sale
A young girl waits for potential buyers of her small clay whistles in Hon Chong. The Hon Chong penisula is the coast close to the Cambodia border, which is dotted with towering limestone formations which make it quite picturesque, unlike the rest of the Delta coast, which is flat. The fishing villages of the Hon Chong peninsula, have so far escaped modern development. Most of the villagers live in small houses, right on the white sand beach
Sunshine
On this grey,wet morning in Rotterdam, I thought I would post this sunshine photo of Vietnam. (I now realize where Nicole gets her name) This sunny faced young girl, together with a few friends were selling small china birds whistles to the tourist that visit Hang pagoda and Tien Cave. When the kids were not busy selling, they played around the pillars of the pagoda. And I just sat and watched them play and clicked away.......... The coast close to the Cambodia border, is dotted with towering limestone formations which make it quite picturesque, unlike the rest of the Delta coast, which is flat. The fishing villages of the Hon Chong peninsula, have so far escaped modern development. Most of the villagers live in small houses, right on the white sand beach. ------------------------------------ I know she is pretty much centralized here, but I didnt want to crop either the writing on the pagoda or blue shutters. Was I wrong?
Friday Prayers
Friday prayers at the Hazrat Nizamunddin Durga, South Delhi. Two Kashmiri pilgrims enter the main mosque. The Durga, shrine of Sheikh Nizamuddin Aulia, dates from 1325. Sitting in the courtyard listening to the Qawwalis (sung prayers) is a fine way to pass a couple of hours. SEE TIP!
Moe van de touristen.
Het Hazrat Nizzamuddin Durgah, Een bedevaartsoord voor moslims niet ver van het ""Tomb van Humayan " Naast en verkeer rotonde met een middeleeuwse gebouw met een blauwe koepel is een kleine steegje , het ingang naar de heilige begraafplaats van deze heilige van de 13 eeuw, Een wir war van steegjes leiden tot het oud plein met een oud moskee en marmeren begraafmonumenten, Langs het steeg zijn bloemen verkopers, voornamelijk rozen, en verkopers van ornaat hoofddoeken en petten en verschillende andere religeuze ""offerings"" Het sfeer is alsof weinig is veranderd door de euuwen heen. Als u op een donderdag avond komt dan kunt u naar mooi muziek luisteren . ''Qawallis" religeus liedjes gespeeld met Tabla (klein trommels) en Harmonium (soort accordion ) De spelers zijn soms heel emotioneel en de sfeer is echt "moving " PS De mensen zijn gastvrije en vriendelijk maar gepaste kleding is aanbevolen. (Vooral bij vrouwen) Geen blote benen, schouders,hoofden enz. Waarom niet a mooi shawl ,hoofdoek of petje in de steegjes kopen ? En mooie souvenir!!
Ontsnappen in Delhi
Delhi ,druk, druk , druk. Moe van de drukte, verkeer, beton en hitte van Delhi? Ontsnappen naar Humayuns Tomb. En mooie mausoleum van een van de Moghul keizers. Mooie gebouwen, ruinen, tuinen en uitzichten. Echt sfeervol, veel groen ...en siesta /picnik onder de schaduw van mooie bomen...parkieten, eekhoorns, en heel veel roofvogels vliegen hoog boven ......een geweldige plek om rond te komen ... en fotogenic
Indonesië • Celebes (Sulawesi)
Indonesië • Celebes (Sulawesi)
Best of both worlds
Family is the primary social and political grouping in Torajan society. Each village is one extended family, the seat of which is the tongkonan, a traditional Torajan house. Each tongkonan has a name, which becomes the name of the village. Toraja society prohibits marriage between close cousins. Each person belongs to both the mother's and the father's families, the only bilateral family line in Indonesia. Children, therefore, inherit household affiliation from both mother and father, including land and even family debts.
Indonesië • Celebes (Sulawesi)
Indonesië • Celebes (Sulawesi)
Home again, home agai
My last post showed the pig market in Rantepao, here we see the live pig being transported home. What you miss here are the deafening squeals of the pig not to mention how much the pig was struggling. just look at the expression of the first man and the taut muscles in his legs and you can imagine. --------------- To market, to market to buy a fat pig Home again, home again jigety jig To market to market to buy a fat hog Home again, home again joggety jog Old Nursery rhyme
Indonesië • Celebes (Sulawesi)
Indonesië • Celebes (Sulawesi)
To market, to market.
Once every 6 days a livestock market comes to Rantepao, in Tana Toraja. Many buffalos and even more pigs, trussed up ready for transport, are sold. To market, to market, to buy a fat pig; Home again, home again, dancing a jig. To market, to market, to buy a fat hog; Home again, home again, jiggety-jog (an old english children's rhyme)
Verenigde Staten • New York City
Verenigde Staten • New York City
Illusions of sky
Having spent the last few days working in New York, it felt good be on the outside of the office buildigns rather than inside them. One of the towering office buildings reaching and melting into the sky.
Indonesië • Celebes (Sulawesi)
Indonesië • Celebes (Sulawesi)
Tau-Tau
Following the funeral ritual of the Torajan culture. Tau-Tau, wooden effigies are placed on balconies near the coffins to guard the spirit of the dead body. (see previous foto for more information.)
Indonesië • Celebes (Sulawesi)
Indonesië • Celebes (Sulawesi)
The final resting...p
We were fortunate to be in Toraja at funeral season time.Torajan funerals are held only when the families have saved enough money to host the elaborate event. Part of the costs is the necessity to build a temporary village to house and feed hundreds of guests over the five-day period. The other major cost involves buying animals for sacrifice. Therefore. the deceased may end up being kept in the house for several months or more to await the accumulation of finances. While the body is waiting for its funeral, their last journey, it is important to make sure the soul is not neglected, a bowl of food is replenished daily and palm wine poured plus an offering of betel nut or chewing tobacco is made at regular intervals. The Torajans believe it is only through this intense rich ritual that the deceased will always be “a free soul” and become richer in their next life. Here you see the final resting places of teh Torajans. The dead are placed in chiseled coffin slots in rocks or cliffs, which you can clearly see here. Wooden effigies (Tau-tau) are placed on balconies to guard the spirit of the dead body.
A new dawn
Shwedagon pagoda is the main landmark in Yangon, the spiritual center of the city. It draws a large crowd of worshipers everyday. At dawn you will find many devotees, they walk around the main stupa, kneel before altars chanting, and pour water over the statues of Buddha.
Indonesië • Celebes (Sulawesi)
Indonesië • Celebes (Sulawesi)
Green not Gold
North Sulawesi is a biodiversity hotspot and harbors some of the world's most spectacular nature areas. Northern Sulawesi is also home to a series of gold deposits and as such the tranquility of the area may soon end. A British-Australian mining company is lobbying the goverment to begin gold mining exploration in the area. Plans to establish gold mining operations here have met with widespread resistance both from local inhabitants and the Provincial government, who fear that the mines would disrupt the ecology and the economy of the region, which is based on fishing, agriculture and tourism. The present provincial governor believes that short-term extractive industries like gold mining do not fit into the long-term sustainable development plans of this province and stated, "I prefer to be a green governor rather than allowing the destruction of our environment.“ But the battle is not yet won.
Indonesië • Celebes (Sulawesi)
Indonesië • Celebes (Sulawesi)
Lice are Nice
Just a daily life scene in the market of Rantepao, the mother had a few vegetables and leaves on the ground which she was selling and making use of the slow trade to groom her daughters hair. I liked the different expressions here, the intensity and concentration of the mother and the bored far-away look of her daughter. Lice Legends Having accompanied humans throughout history, lice are naturally omnipresent in legends and traditions worldwide… whether it be among the Inuit, Indians, Moslems or pre-Columbian civilisations. The louse – a name given to certain animals by the Inuit, a symbol of hunting success among the Ton-gouse and of luck among Moslems, a means of payment in pre-Columbian civilisations (the poor paid their taxes in sacks of lice) – has accompanied humans through every era and on all continents. In Greenland, there are many legends and stories referring to lice. At school, children do not learn the story of Little Red Riding Hood (Roodkapje) but that of a little girl Poorustini who loved lice so much, that she ate them!
Indonesië • Celebes (Sulawesi)
Indonesië • Celebes (Sulawesi)
Another day over
Although Tana Toraja is probably best known and visited for its elaborate, some may say rather macabre funerals. It also boasts another attraction, the spectacularly beautiful countryside, where the wide, unpolluted skies are reflected in the endless, glistening rice paddies. In Torajan culture, rice is very important. You can watch people busy in the fields, engrossed in the timeless cycle of ploughing, planting, harvesting and drying it, before storing it in rice-barns. At the end of another days work in the fields its time to take the buffaloes home.
O Sole Mio
Early in March was a good time to be in Venice. the tourist season hasn't really started yet, the weather was a little gloomy, but that didnt dampened my spirits as I walked and walked around the city - taking in its beautiful decay - the tantilizing reflections which seemed even more photogenic with a darkend sky.
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