This is uniquely Greek

Location: Samos Island, Greece (37° 44′ 0″ N, 26° 50′ 0″ E)
Date: 3 April 2010; 3.35pm
Camera: Canon 400D with Canon 70-200/f4L USM

At the moment Greece is in the dump economically. I wonder if things has gotten cheaper in the country. When I visited the country a year or so ago, I was surprised to find that it is much more expensive than Turkey- due partly to the fact that it is Euro-based. However I was already wondering to myself as I noticed that the Greeks (at least the ones that I encountered) do not seem very motivated to work hard for a living. This feeling is especially pronounced to me, having just spent a few weeks in Turkey- the Turks just seem to be more hungry. Little did I realised that this appearance foretells a bleak economic reality. In any case, as a tourist I enjoyed its unique character and its rich cultural and historical heritage. I find its unique Mediterranean architecture extremely exciting- such as this church on Samos Island.

A temple atop a chariot from ancient times- India

Location: Vittala Temple, Hampi, Karnataka, India (15° 20′ 6″ N, 76° 27′ 43.2″ E)

Date: 29 November 2005; 1.30pm

Camera: Canon 300D with kit lens

Hampi in Karnataka should be a destination on every visitor to India. It is an atmospheric village strewn with huge boulders traverse by a river. It is both scenic and strange at the same time. Perhaps the most famous of the ruins in Hampi is the Vittala Temple with its iconic stone chariot, which has been adopted as its symbol by the Karnataka Tourism. The chariot resembling a ratha (or temple chariot) in which temple idols are taken out on traditional processions, is actually a miniature temple. Contrary to popular legend, it was not carved from a single rock. Regardless it is still an amazing piece of ancient art- complete with four round stone wheels.

Technorati Tags: Hampi,India,Karnataka,Vittala Temple,stone chariot

Kek Lok Si, South East Asia’s largest Buddhist temple is a Penang landmark

Location: Kek Lok Si, Penang, Malaysia (5° 23′ 58.29″ N, 100° 16′ 25.43″ E)

Date: 8 August 2011; 11.20am

Camera: HP Compact Camera SB360

Georgetown of Penang together with Melaka was awarded a UNESCO Heritage status, both being dubbed "Historical Cities of the Straits of Malacca ’s a couple of years ago. The town’s main claim to the UNESCO status was its amazing web of still enormous number of colonial buildings, churches, government buildings, temples and still-inhabited pre-war shops and houses as well as art-deco structures. The town is a living testimony to the multi-cultural heritage and tradition of Asia, and European colonial influences. In the “old-town” area, which incidentally is still the major chunk of Georgetown, one can spot an architectural and cultural gem in virtually any corner one turns, be it beautifully and lovingly refurbished heritage mansions or living clan temples and schools. The amazing thing about Georgetown is that it is a truly living old town where in very few exceptions, people still lives a normal life in these old buildings and structures. Life still goes on unchanged for the majority of the inhabitants despite the UNESCO award; unlike Melaka where one feels a distinctly commercialised and touristy atmosphere as businesses cash in the UNESCO status.

Penang is not only Georgetown as there are many other interesting tourist destinations on the island, including Kek Lok Si (Temple of Supreme Bliss), the largest Buddhist temple in South East Asia. Furthermore Penang is truly a food heaven, where its distinctly Penang Hawker Food is famed all over Asia. I will have a couple more posts on Penang in the next few days.

Technorati Tags: Penang,UNESCO Heritage,Georgetown,Kek Lok Si

The New Mosque (Yeni Camii) which is about 350 years old

Location: Yeni Camii, Instanbul, Turkey (41° 1′ 1.25″ N, 28° 58′ 17.3″ E)
Date: 21 April 2010, 8.10am
Camera: Canon 400D with Sigma 17-70/f2.8-4.5

Yeni Camii is know as the New Mosque. However it is not new at all, being inaugurated in 1665. It took about 4 decades to build the mosque, mainly due to funding and water seepage problems. The mosque is in the style of Turkish mosque with big courtyards, domes and minarets. It may not be the most well-known or popular mosques on the tourist map, but it is definitely one of the most beautiful one in Istanbul. I felt that one of the reasons that I labelled it as most beautiful is due to its outstanding location on the water edge beside the Galata Bridge.

The imposing triangular shadow of Adam’s Peak at sunrise is quite a sight

Location: Adam’s Peak’s shadow, Sri Lanka (6° 48′ 41″ N, 80° 29′ 59″ E)
Date: 3 March 1997; 6.15am
Camera: (analogue) Minolta compact with negatives and scanned

Adam’s Peak is the 4th highest peak in Sri Lanka. It is revered as a holy site by Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims and Christians. It has a 1.8m rock formation at the summit that resembles a footprint- the Buddhists regard that to be the footprint of Buddha, the (Hindu) Brahmans as that of Lord Shiva, the Muslims as that of Adam and the Portuguese Christians have conflicting claims that it is the footprint of St Thomas and the eunuch of Candace, the queen of Ethiopia. As such it is a popular and important pilgrim site. There are several routes to the mountain, involving walking up thousands of steps. Pilgrims normally starts very early in the morning so that they can be at the summit at sunrise to see the distinctive shape of the mountain casting a triangular shadow on the surrounding plain which can be seen to move quickly downward as the sun rises. In fact the walk up the summit during the wee hours of the morning itself can be quite a sight with the zigzag path leading up to the summit lit up by the lights of pilgrims.

Technorati Tags: Adam's Peak,Sri Lanka

Wat Pho is one of my favourite wat in Bangkok

Location: Wat Pho, Bangkok, Thailand (13° 44′ 47″ N, 100° 29′ 37″ E)
Date: 24 June 2010, 1.15pm
Camera: Canon 400D with Canon 70-200/f4.0

Bangkok is a city with lots of attractions- enough to keep a tourist busy for 3-5 days, if one is not sick of wats (temples) yet. On top of the wat-hopping, One can go crazy shopping at the various cheap shopping centres in Pratunam etc as well as the numerous nights markets and the giant Chatuchak weekend market. Currently Thailand is facing a bit of a lull period as there are uncertainties and hence, anxieties of tourists travelling to Thailand resulting from the election. That is all past and hopefully, things will return to normal for the “Land of Smiles” and keep the people smiling.

One of my favourite wat in Bangkok is Wat Pho. Not only that it has a huge and majestic reclining Buddha, there are also a few Thai chedis decorated with flower motifs and Thai mythical creatures in tiles (pictured). These are really attractive. Furthermore if one is tired of the walking, there is a massage school within the compound that provide massage services.

Gongfu monks? Not quite- just scripture debates, Sera Gompa. Lhasa

Locations: Sera Gompa, Lhasa, Tibet, China (29° 41′ 53″ N, 91° 8′ 0″ E)
Date: 18 May 2005; 5.50pm
Camera: Canon 300D with kit lens

Any visitors to Lhasa must visit Sera Monastery, which is within Lhasa limit at the northeast corner of town. One can easily get there by public bus. There are several reasons to visit this monastery including its historical and religious significance and the size and expanse. However one good reason to visit it is to witness the daily Scripture Debate by the resident monks. The monastery had developed over the centuries as a place of scholarly learning with many famed monks in Tibetan Buddhism having trained here. Everyday around 3pm, the resident monks will gather in the garden within the compound of the monastery to debate Buddhist scriptures and philosophy. The debates are punctuated by physical gestures such as hands clapping after each question, loud screaming and verbal exchanges that tremendously enliven the ambience of the debates. Some of such gestures may seem so violent that it may appear to an uninformed observer that the monks may be having a heated argument. These debates make this monastery a special experience.

Lights & fireworks during Sri Lanka’s “Festival of Lights”

Location: Central Colombo, Sri Lanka (6°54'58.10"N 79°51'18.61"E )
Date: 17 May 2011, 7.40pm
Camera: Samsung Galaxy Mini phone camera

Vesak Day is a Buddhist holiday commemorating the birth, enlightenment and death of Gautama Buddha. It is celebrated on different days by different countries due to the diverse nature of Buddhist cultures around the world. In most South East Asian countries, it is a public holiday. On Vesak day, Buddhists will visit monasteries to offer their prayers and to attend sermons. In Sri Lanka, a Buddhist-majority country, Vesak is celebrated over a week, though there are only 2 days of public holiday. Here, it is not only a religious holiday but also a cultural festival, dubbed the “Festival of Lights”. Alcohol and meat are not sold for at least 2 days (the public holidays) during this period. There will be brightly-lit pandols called toranas erected all over the major cities such as Colombo and Kandy. One will often see long queues of people at food stalls called dansälas, set up by Buddhist devotees providing free food and drinks. There will be fireworks in Colombo. The week is the brightest-lit and most festive everywhere in Sri Lanka.

A landmark of Mumbai–Haji Ali Dargah

Location: The Haji Ali Dargah islet, Mumbai, India (18° 59′ 6″ N, 72° 48′ 36″ E)
Date: 11 April 2007; 4.40pm
Camera: Canon 400D with Sigma 17-70/f2.8-4.5

The Haji Ali Dargah is a landmark in the southern part of Mumbai. It is both a mosque and a tomb located on an islet off the coast on the Arabian Sea. The Haji Ali Dargah was constructed in 1431 in memory of a rich Muslim merchant, Sayyed Peer Haji Ali Shah Bukhari. Bukhari was from Bukhara, in the ancient Persian Empire and now in Uzbekistan, who gave up all his worldly possessions before making a pilgrimage to Mecca. He travelled around the world in the early to mid 15th century, and then settled in Mumbai.

Haji Ali Dargah is connected to the mainland by a narrow km long causeway that is submerged during tides; it is only accessible during low tides. This does not deter the 80,000 odd pilgrims, irrespective of faith and religion, who visits the tomb every week to get the blessings of the legendary saint. It is quite festive to visit the tomb on Thursdays and Fridays when it is packed with pilgrims and visitors. Occasionally there are also sufi musicians who perform sufi devotional music at the Dargah.