Bali’s Uluwatu Temple: The Kecak “Monkey Dance” Bali’s Uluwatu temple is beautiful, its clifftop location overlooking the Indian Ocean perfect for sunsets and engagement shoots and taunting indigenous macaques until they get fed up and rip your camera right out of your hand. While the temple and the beaches of […]
Tag: Religion
Hari Raya Nyepi: Bali’s Day of Silence
Hari Raya Nyepi: Bali’s Day of Silence Imagine Nyepi in Bali. Picture South-East Asia. Motorbikes vie against big smoking diesel busses for space. The scream of mechanics’ tools and the barking of road-running dogs are overpowered only when you weave far into the depths of a market and the lowing […]
X Reasons You Should Get To Greece This Year
X Reasons You Should Get To Greece This Year With a friend recently planning a trip to Majorca for her upcoming vacation, my cries that now is the perfect time to head to the Greek Isles fell on deaf ears due mainly to fears about the current state of the Greek economy. […]
Chariots and Pierced Tongues: Bisket Jatra in Bhaktapur
Chariots and Pierced Tongues: Bisket Jatra Festival in Bhaktapur It takes something special to keep me in the city of Kathmandu for an extra week instead of jaunting off to the mountains of Nepal. I’ve had good luck in the past with festivals in this country, though, whether with Tibetan […]
Photographer’s Guide: Varanasi ‘Ganga Aarti’ Puja Ceremony
Photographer’s Guide: the Varanasi ‘Ganga Aarti’ Puja Ceremony Whether for Hindu pilgrims on a spiritual journey or international backpackers on a decidedly more voyeuristic trip, the Indian city of Varanasi draws visitors from all over the world and one of the headline attractions in town is the nightly Aarti puja […]
Hagia Sophia in Istanbul: An 80 Year Anniversary
Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia: An 80 Year Anniversary I’ll level with you for a moment. While planning the perfect Turkey trip itinerary, Lonely Planet and every other tourist guide out there would have you believe that the moment you step into the Hagia Sophia, your life will change. Angels will sing […]