Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China, would be pleased to see this photo taken at the Chinese Lantern Festival in Philadelphia. The handmade lanterns represent soldiers in his impressive and imposing Terracotta Army, platoons of clay soldiers constructed to protect him in the afterlife. They are just a handful of the hundreds of lanterns illuminating…
Where: On a Boat I had no clue, but I’d just gotten on the wrong boat. I was on my way to Nainathivu, an island off the coast of Jaffna Penninsula in Sri Lanka. (Story coming soon.) Hundreds of people, on their way to a Hindu festival, had crowded on and taken up every inch of…
My next trip (1-month itinerary) is to Sri Lanka (and possibly the Maldives). I’m leaving on Saturday, June 20th, and am definitely excited about it since it’ll be my first time there. It looks like an incredibly fascinating country with so much to offer…I have a feeling I’m going to love it! Why Sri Lanka? Why not?…
Indonesian children are wonderful to hang out with. They’re generally well-behaved and best of all, they’re fun. They seem to live in the moment…naturally. And most like to play games. But not the kind you might think. Certain kids, neighbors I met while staying/volunteering in a village (Tiakar Guguak, Payakumbuh) in West Sumatra for a…
When I visited Gili Meno, the smallest of Indonesia’s ‘Gili Islands,’ it was love at first sight. It was truly paradise—simply beautiful and beyond peaceful—which is why I can’t stop dreaming about it now. Deciding Which Gili Island to Visit Before I took this trip, I’d been in Indonesia for close to two months and…
One minute, I’m walking down the street. The next, I’m marching…with Balinese kids I don’t know. An hour later, I’m in their classroom—teaching them. How the heck did that happen? Read on and discover how Random Travel Moment #7 landed me in a classroom! Where: Amed, Bali I’d been staying in an area known as…
Today’s photo is of a monkey enjoying the sunset at Uluwatu cliff in Bali–a scene that that I must say surprised me. Most of the other monkeys were jumping and climbing on the tourists, but this was one sitting quietly. ‘Pura Luhur Uluwatu’, built in the 11th century, is a Hindu temple set on a…
Aging gracefully is something we hear about a lot. In Indonesia, it was something I frequently saw. I found these women, locals I met while traveling, to be truly beautiful–they were lovely, classy and full of dignity. When I photographed them, it was sort of random and I wasn’t necessarily planning a post. So, unfortunately,…
I met a lot of great people in Indonesia while there—many of whom were men. Nice guys who were both welcoming and helpful. I found a number of them to be exotic looking and quite handsome, too, and definitely enjoyed photographing them. I’d now like to introduce them to you here—on the C Bus. Not…
Today’s photo is of a rare Sumatran tiger, also known as Panthera tigris sumatrae, a tiger subspecies that is critically endangered. It’s native only to the Indonesian island of Sumatra, and even there, the numbers are limited. Approximately 200 Sumatran tigers are currently living in zoos in various parts of the world, according to this…
