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How to get creative with Long Exposure Photography   Let’s get creative with a technique in the photography world that has helped create thousands of incredibly stunning and dramatic images with this simple Long Exposure Photography Tutorial. Simple when you … Read More

Mekotek Tradition of Stick Fighting Another unique Ceremony from the Balinese Culture in Incredible Indonesia. During Kuningan Day in Bali prayers and offerings take place all over this stunning Indonesian Island and in Munggu Village a small hamlet which is … Read More

Ogoh-Ogoh and the infamous monster parade of Ngrupuk (Pengerupukan) in Bali on the Eve of the Hindu New Year (Nyepi) is rapidly approaching hence this is an apt article although it relates to the Ogoh-Ogoh Festival of march 2016.   … Read More

Authentic Borneo Mancong Dayak Village in East Kalimantan, Borneo is a real taste of the longhouse heartland in Authentic Borneo, situated on both banks of a small river which emanates from the rather large Danau Jempang (Jempang Lake) which covers an area … Read More

Lok Baintan Floating Market a.k.a Pasar Terapung in Kalimantan Lok Baintan floating market is a unique cultural part of the tradition and heritage of the Banjar peoples of Kalimantan in Indonesian Borneo. Kalimantan is the Indonesian part of the third … Read More

Jembrana Cup Final 2016 The Makepung buffalo races in Bali is a competition which anyone interested in unique cultural events should experience at least once in their lifetime! Pair of buffalo racing at Makepung during the Jembrana Cup   Makepung … Read More

Melasti Procession at Padang Galak Beach  This Blogpost focuses on yet another incredible Balinese Ceremony known as Melasti which takes place a few days before the Balinese New Year and as can be expected is full of the pomp and circumstance known only to the … Read More

Self-stabbing during Odalan at Pengerebongan Temple Fascinating article regarding Self-Stabbing rituals a mystical-like custom, the Ngerebong Ceremony which takes place at the Pengerebongan Temple in Bali. Balinese man stabbing himself in the chest with Kris (Ritual Knife)   Ritualistic ceremonies … Read More

Kuningan in Bali during Piodalan at Pura Sakenan Kuningan in Bali is a perfect time to be on this blessed island, a time of wonderful celebration and one which is never to far away occurring every 210 days! Balinese Dancers … Read More

Gunung Bromo – The Indonesian Volcano that Never Sleeps! Article focusing on the constantly active Indonesian Volcano Gunung Bromo with Stunning Long Exposure Images of the fantastical volcanic eruptions of Jan 2016. Gunung Bromo (Mount Bromo) at sunrise during a … Read More

Incredible Indonesian Beaches of the Java Coastline Indonesian Beaches normally refer to the island of Bali but this article highlights the incredible Indonesian Beaches at the South Central Javanese Coastline. During a recent trip to the south coast of East Java I … Read More

Timelapse Selfie Video of Insane Group Selfies Long Exposure Time Lapse Video of local Indonesian tourists indulging in mammoth and manic selfie sessions at Parangijo Waterfall in Central Java, Indonesia.   If you like this post or have anything to … Read More

The Worlds Hottest Super Hot Chillies Super Hot Chillies have recently become the in thing. Re-discovered as it were with so many unusual shapes and sizes with such differing heat values. They look beautiful, interesting and some look actually quite … Read More

Discover how they do that in this Panning Photography Tutorial Images that capture the sense of motion while keeping the subject sharp and in focus? I will give a brief and simple explanation here with some quirky examples to whet … Read More

Long Exposure Waterfall Timelapse At the stunning Jumog Waterfalls in Central Java is located on the slopes of Gunung Lawu (Mount Lawu) a dormant volcano. It is around 43 km and just over an hours drive away from Solo (Surakarta). … Read More

The Hidden Gem of Bali Discover Nusa Penida. A part of Bali often overlooked by visitors due to the mainland having such a wide variety of things to do there but this is the Hidden Gem! Dramatic image of Batu … Read More

Annual Kites Competition Let the games begin! Sanur Village Festival is an annual event which runs for five days, there is a slight variation on the dates from year to year but this year 2017 it returns in its 12th … Read More

The Waterworld of Pontianak Unique River Boats at Pontianak   Pontianak in Indonesian Borneo is the capital of West Kalimantan (Kalimantan Barat) a trading port (one of the many) on the island of Borneo. Borneo consists of three main parts, … Read More

Yangon and Myanmar Street Photography Beautiful Burmese girl of Bangladeshi descent A few months ago I returned to Myanmar (Burma) after a four year sojourn, I expected it to be a similar experience to the first which was beyond my … Read More

Dragonflies of Sumatra So many beautiful species of Odonata Dragonflies of Sumatra in Indonesia, and the following will provide you with some stunning macro images or extreme close-ups of these incredibly fascinating creatures. Neurothemis fluctuans – Female Dragonfly Around 5680 … Read More

Climbing Gunung Merbabu in Central Java, Indonesia Climbing Gunung Merbabu (Mount Merbabu in english, whichever is your preference) is one of those unforgettable high altitude treks that will be in your memories for a lifetime if you are in Central … Read More

Mountain Hiking Trails and Climbing Gunung Sindoro Climbing Gunung Sindoro a rather big Volcano in Indonesia offering stunning aerial views of the surrounding mountain landscape from the Peak   Gunung Sumbing (3371m) as seen from Gunung Sindoro summit   Gunung … Read More

Climbing Gunung Merapi Climbing Gunung Merapi in Indonesia one of the ‘World’s Most Active Volcanoes‘.   Gunung Merapi (2,930 m) as seen from Gunung Merbabu summit   This part of the World is famous for the ‘Pacific Ring of Fire’, … Read More

Curug Lawe Waterfalls A stunning waterfall regarding height, location and natural beauty in Jawa Tengah (Central Java), Indonesia Forested slopes of Gunung Ungaran   If you start walking from the checkpost or parking area it will take you between an … Read More

Sarawak Species of Beautiful Borneo Dragonflies Article and some stunning close-up Macro shots of Borneo Dragonflies   Neurothemis fluctuans – Grasshawk Dragonfly   On a trip to Kuching in Sarawak Malaysian Borneo at the start of the year I was … Read More

Sulawesi, Animal Sacrifice, Mummies and more…… Sulawesi is an incredibly fertile Island of sizable proportions in the Indonesian Archipelago with stunning beaches and diving possibilities, mountains for trekking amongst the great outdoors and unique culture in Tana Toraja land. Famous … Read More

Thailand – A Taste of an Ancient Asian Culture   Stone Cut Seated Buddhas   Thailand is well famous for it’s beautiful idyllic beach paradise islands but if you’ve seen that and done it what more is there in a … Read More

Stunning Sumatra Waterfalls in Indonesia This article is an introduction to a select number of Sumatra Waterfalls and where exactly to find them. Sipiso-piso falls is one of the better known Sumatra Waterfalls and probably the most well known in … Read More

Volcanic Activity in the Karo Highlands of Sumatra, Indonesia Berastagi meaning ‘rice store‘ is a town in the Karo Highlands of north Sumatra also known as Tanah Karo or Karo Land and is pretty much the rice bowl of this … Read More

Night Photography Singapore and with its towering Skyscrapers and City Lights is a superb Asian Travel Destination not only for doing a bit of shopping but more importantly for capturing some great Cityscapes Raffles Quay – Singapore   The city … Read More

Ilocos Norte Seascapes on The Philippines Coast The Philippines is a Republic in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. It is made of of an archipelago comprising 7,107 islands. Much the same as Indonesia, a country which comprises of … Read More

Cham Dance at Kungri Monastery in the Himalaya This article revolves around the amazing and unique Buddhist Cham Dance that takes place at Kungri Monastery in a remote area of the Himalaya called Pin Valley in Spiti, Himachal Pradesh State … Read More

Lifestyle and Sights of Malaysia Article on Malaysian lifestyle in a nutshell. Food, markets, street life and nightlife.     Twin Towers – Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur   Of all the sights in Malaysia the towering twin peaks of … Read More

The city streets and her characters…. Breaking the law in some countries – Not in India!   Moving away from the high Himalaya in north India I thought I would do a quick post back down on the plains, taking … Read More

Valley of the Gods – Himalaya Mountains The Himalaya Mountains in northern India are a blessed place to visit, not only as a religious pilgrimage place, a place to pay homage as the Buddhists and Hindus do but also to … Read More

Ladakh one of the World’s most amazing places Ladakh in the northern Indian State of Kashmir which borders Pakistan and China or to be more specific Tibet is a high altitude desert region in the Himalaya Mountains. Half of Kashmir … Read More

British Insects in Summertime Such a beautiful time of year is spring and summertime in the U.K to get out and do some Macro Photography of the wonderful British Insects.   Hoverfly on The Butterfly Bush (Buddleia davidii)   Summer … Read More

Dragonflies beautiful Philippines species This article reveals some stunning close-up Macro shots of The Philippines Dragonflies   Close up of the Ground Skimmer (Diplacodes trivialis)   It’s been a long time since I made a post so I thought I … Read More

Mating Dragonflies of Britain British Summertime and a time to get out into nature yet again and witness the beauty of nature, this time focusing on some beautiful Dragonfly and Damselfly species in glorious macro. there are a number of Dragonfly … Read More

The Ancient City of Varanasi Lies on the banks of the holy River Ganges or Ganga as it is known to Hindus. Varanasi or Benares is situated in the north of India in Uttar Pradesh state. For Hindus it is … Read More

The Wonderful World of Dragonflies and Damselflies This is one of the larger Damselflies I came across in Japan. In Japanese the name is Kawa Tombo ( カワトンボ ) and in English it is known commonly as the Beautiful Demoiselle … Read More

The Wonder of Metamorphosis – Molting Cicada The amazing life of the Japanese Cicada, Ezo-Haru-Zemi (Terpnosia nigricosta), or at least one of the Japanese Molting Cicada species. Japanese Cicada – Ezo Haru-Zemi   Sometimes in life during some extremely lucky or … Read More

Spring time brings beautiful Japanese Scenery Spring is in full swing now in Togakushi Kogen Highlands. Situated within Joshinetsu National Park of Nagano Prefecture, Japan, the area is alive these days with natures gifts. Flora and fauna abounds, wild flowers … Read More

Togakushi Birdlife and Japanese Birds At this time of year in Togakushi which is situated within Joshinetsu National Park birdwatching is the order of the day for visitors to the area with a wide variety of Japanese Birds arriving. The … Read More

Beautiful Japanese Wild Flowers in Togakushi The snow in the mountainous region of Togakushi in Japan has all but gone. The harsh cold winter has subsided and only in the shade spots of the forest can the remnants of that … Read More

Famous Ethnic Market – Bac Ha Market In Northern Vietnam on the Vietnamese/Chinese border is a town called Lao Cai which happens to be in Lao Cai Province. On the Chinese side is Hekou in Yunnan Province, both towns are … Read More

Colorful Tribes of Laomeng Market   In Yuanyang County of Yunnan Province, China, another fascinating tribal or ethnic minority market can be seen in all its glory once a week at the Sunday Laomeng Market (老猛赶集). This particular market the … Read More

Xiding (西定)Xiding pronounced ‘Shiding’, is a small town nestled in the mountains of Xishuangbanna Prefecture of Yunnan and is home to a population of the Hani or Aini ethnic minority group who are one of the 56 ethnic groups offically recognised … Read More

Yuanyuang (Yuanyang)Around 18 months ago I was in Yunnan, China. I was cycling through parts of the province with a small bag weighing about 7kg’s with all my worldly goods (at the time) for the trip and of course my … Read More

 Poem of the Himalaya The Himalaya no Uta (Japanese – ヒマラヤの詩) is a beautiful and relaxing Cafe/Restaurant situated in the heart of Koshimizu, Togakushi, Nagano Prefecture, Japan. Known in English as The Poem of the Himalaya it is a Nepali style … Read More

Togakushi Ski Resort – The Ski Season Begins Togakushiyama and Takatsumayama   This last week has brought serious snow at long last to Koshimzu in Togakushi (Nagano Prefecture), Japan. And just in time for the winter Ski Season. Temperatures have dropped … Read More

Edibles and Downright Deadly Mushrooms Autumn in Japan not only brings the beautiful and vibrant red leaves of the famous Japanese Maples or of the poisonous flora such as the aptly named Poison Ivy and Sumac but also with the … Read More

The Fall and Autumn Colours     The Picture below is of the climber, Poison Ivy (Toxicodendron radicans), some of the first leaves to change during the onset of the Japanese Fall Season and take on beautiful Autumn colours with … Read More

Zhongdian – Yunnan/Tibet Border Last July I was up near the Yunnan/Tibet border in China at a glorious place called Zhongdian, for all intents and purposes it is Tibet but for the border drawn up by somebody. It is actually within … Read More

Togakushi Mountain and Climbing Togakushiyama   At last I managed to Climb the famous Mountain that has been looming high over head for months whilst I have been resident in this beautiful part of Japan. But before I tell the … Read More

स्वयम्भूनाथ स्तुप   Kathmandu Valley, Nepal One of the cultural wonders to be found in the fascinating city of Kathmandu in Nepal is Swayambhunath Temple an incredibly photogenic and well designed architectural masterpiece of the Buddhist religion which sits atop … Read More

Vendors of Hanoi – A Comic style Post…..     Vietnam is a country that has many things which are quite specific to itself, unique bits and pieces to amaze and fascinate the visitor. Things that give the Vietnamese a … Read More

Life in Togakushi Forest…..   The wild side of Japan in Togakushi forest, forget about Technology and Neon flashing lights, huge billboards covered in Katakana, Hiragana and Kanji Script and lets take to the forest for a moment and discover what actually grows … Read More

For the Visitor at least…. I was just thinking back to last year (2008) and my memories of Myanmar or Burma as the British named it back in the days of Empire! Anyway it was a productive year last year as … Read More

How fast the seasons change…. Amazing to think that in the mountains of Togakushi in Japan, the Autumnal weather is already approaching. One thing to get excited about though is the changing colour of the forest, it will be nice … Read More