Getting to sleep the other night proved a bit difficult. There was a lot of unfamiliar noises from the pigs and dogs around the house and in addition the villagers had a bar playing music till the early night. The village has a water-powered generator that provides a bit of light after sunset but they […]
Tazaungdaing Festival
The Tazaungdaing Festival, also known as the Festival of Lights, held on the full moon day of Tazaungmon, the eighth month of the Burmese calendar, is celebrated as a national holiday in Burma (Myanmar) and marks the end of the rainy season. It also marks the end of the Kathina season, during which monks are […]
North of Bhaktapur
Impressions from an afternoon walk in an area that is mixed agricultural and early industrial.
More Abu Dhabi
With Abu Dhabi being oil sheik country, I expected my stay to be somewhat pricey. A quick glance at the hotel restaurant’s menu confirmed that and had me crunching numbers. Fortunately a stroll through the neighborhood revealed that even in Abu Dhabi there is street food. A local bakery produces some cheese filled pide bread […]
Sunrise in Pagoda Land
5:00 am, my alarm pulls me out of sleep with gentle melodies. Too early, no way I’m getting out of bed just to see the sun rise! Torn, I rest for another minute or two. Then my roomate’s alarm makes a noise you could hear aboard a nuclear submarine during critical reactor failure. Alright, I’m […]
Music and Dance
It’s the last day of Bisket Jatra today. Or second to last, I lost track. In comparison to huge chariots, even bigger poles and pools of chicken blood, today was almost mundane. Devotees of the various gods and goddesses walked through the streets, visiting their favourite temples. Many of them were wearing traditional Newari dresses […]