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Room with a view - Ha Giang Province, Vietnam.
We were so sad to leave Luang Prabang, one of the most enigmatic places I’ve visited and a place I would love to return to. An impromptu decision saw us heading to the northern mountains of Vietnam. I felt that our trip would not be complete without a visit to the mountains and explore some of the lives and culture of the ethnic minority villages. We had no idea how this was going to pan out.
Read MoreOur first view of Angkor Wat is very impressive but of course we didnt beat the crowds - thousands of people marching, gathering, jostling for the best spot to capture a photo. It was in fact the public holiday for the ancestors festival as well as a 10 year anniversary of the death of their old king - we couldn’t have chosen a busier time. Oh yes we could - sunset or sunrise.
Read MoreSo our experience of Phnom Penh took quite a different turn. We didn’t think to check up on festivals so we found ourselves at the beginning of a major national holiday -Pchum Ben - Ancestors Festival or Hungry Ghosts Festival.
Read MoreSo the reality is actually quite different. Our guide kept insisting that it was the biggest market, Yes it was getting smaller but it’s the best and biggest. Well there were not many active merchant boats or sampans, no bustling, no music and no atmosphere. It felt as though it was well past its sell by date.
Read MoreHanoi 4.45AM
Getting up at 4.20 AM was no laughing matter, but needs must. By 4.50 we were on our way to witness Hanoi both waking up and finishing its night shift.
Our first stop was Long Bien Bridge and then onto Long Bien market. They are located next to each other and both unique in their own way.
Read MoreWe learnt pretty fast that you just go with the flow - when you cross the street, you walk like an elephant - slow and steady, don’t stop, look forward, keep moving, and trust that scooters and cars will either stop or move around you. Except Buses - they don’t Stop. You run.
Read MoreNestled into the side of a mountain are the terraced houses of Gamcheon Culture Village. With its waves of colourful roofs and narrow winding alleys.
Read MoreRoom with a view - Pungcheon, Andong.
We arrived in Andong and travelled some 25km out to our short pit-stop in Pungcheon. A little Milton Keynes-esk and unfinished. It’s obviously a new town and has yet to establish itself.
Read MoreWe travelled by bus through the most atrocious weather, over to the eastside of S. Korea to Gangneung, a coastal city with the ‘scent of pine and coffee permeating throughout’.
Read MoreSeoul is an undulating, sprawling metropolis filled with industry and urbanisation overshadowing the pockets of the old traditional life.
Read MoreFrom what I can see, Varanasi appears a little cleaner and tidier. The more populated ghats now have bins. They are empty, but it’s a positive move nevertheless.
There are less sacred cows wandering around the alleys. I miss the cows and their noon chapati snack-time. Less cows are on the main roads which obviously helps the flow of traffic and is safer for all involved. Apparently they have been rounded up and many are kept in cow shelters.
Unfortunately the domestic cows used for milk remain tethered on a short rope unable to do anything. A static, sad life for them. There seems to be many more dogs, goats and chickens wandering around, probably enjoying the chapati offerings.
A large tented area has been erected at Dashashwamedh Ghat for the homeless to have a bed for the night - this must be very welcomed.
The new pedestrianised area next to burning ghats is a very smart, clean walkway leading from the ghats up to the Golden Temple. It blends in well with its historical neighbours. It is still has a heavy police presence.
The light in Varanasi is beautiful. Together with its faded grandeur and the abundance of Indian fabrics makes for a very beautiful palette. A palette I hope to bring into my future artwork back home.
The colour orange burns especially bright in Varanasi. It shines in the marigold garlands on the dashboards of every taxi and the robes of the sadhus – the Hindu holy men.
Saffron is the most sacred colour in the Hindu religion. It signifies fire and the burning away of impurities. Sadhus can be found on the banks of the Ganges, in alleys and in public squares. Their long white beards and brightly coloured tunics, sometimes orange, sometimes bright red, make them look so photogenic, but a picture could cost you.
The city has a huge number of sadhus. Men who have given up their regular lives, homes, relationships, material goods and chosen a life of detached poverty relying only on what people offer them. Those that carry a stick are in the final quarter of their lives and have devoted it entirely to their religion. This will be their final resting place.
Varanasi, is considered to be the holiest of the seven sacred cities in the religions of Hinduism and Jainism. Hindus believe that dying in the city will bring eternal salvation and an end to the cycle of rebirth. Pilgrims come from all over to seek purification in the sacred waters. They come to cremate their kin and to spend their final days in peace
You regularly see heads being shaved along the ghats. Within the Hindu religion, ceremonial haircuts are very symbolic, occurring during certain life events. The first is a child’s first haircut, the second is during worship and pilgrimages to special temples, and the third being the haircut during the mourning of a loved one.
A child’s first haircut, which is known as a chudakarna, ideally happens when a child is 1or 3 years old. The child’s hair is fully shaved off, or a sheikh is maintained by some Hindus - a small patch is left untouched that creates a lock of hair which is left to protect the brain, as well as the area where the soul is believed to leave the body after death.
The act of tonsuring is when hair is cut for religious purposes. Tonsuring is prevalent in the temples of Varanasi. It’s an important custom in Hinduism, as the ritual of shaving one’s head allows you to be closer to God,
The final ceremonial haircut takes place when a family member dies. The Mundan is observed by the wife of the deceased, and the eldest son or male relative who is to perform the last rites. The wife is expected to keep her head permanently shaved from now on, as a symbol of her widowhood, while the male family member is to remain shaven during the mourning period only. It is seen as a symbol of grief and a mark of respect for the departed soul.
Varanasi is a cacophony of people and atmospheric activity ebbing and flowing through the course of a day.
Preachers teaching young priests in-the-making, beggars begging, sons performing last rites, braying loudspeakers, ceremonial bathers, chanting, overheated flaming pyres, black kites circling over head, bells chiming, dogs barking… all swathed in amber hues.
Continuing my Lockdown series using the 250 Land Camera and instant peel apart film.
The next triptych series is Conversations in Lockdown.
As Lockdown continues so too has my passion for the Polaroid. I have been getting to grips with the 250 Land Camera as well as my SX70 and One Step to produce, I suppose, a form of journal created during this pandemic. The work covers a series of triptychs as well as some good old experimentation and play. I really don’t know where it is heading, but it’s certainly keeping me occupied.
Developing the idea of A New Commodity (see last post), I created four triptychs. Whilst the actual photographs are rather interesting 4x6 images, it’s the negatives that I love. Grainier, rougher and greyer - a perfect reflection of our present times. The scanner adds an extra dimension and unpredictability as it emphasis the light streaks caused either from the removal of the film from the camera or from peeling the film apart - both requiring a certain knack that I haven’t, it appears, quite mastered..
These are my newly acquired Lockdown Skills-set. I have become proficient in Commerce and Economics, Hairdressing (both scissors and clipper skills), Growing veg - in an effort to be self-sufficient (can one live on rocket alone?) and finally Dentistry - a broken tooth from day one of Lockdown did not bode well …
The menu board was challenging - google translate doesn’t always get it right.
In May 2019, self-ruled Taiwan, which China regards as a breakaway province, became the first Asian nation to recognise same-sex marriage. We bumped into Taiwan’s LGBT Parade. Its not like Brighton’s - very proud, restrained, quiet and orderly. This will strengthen their economy even more, as more visitors will be flooding to the capital.
Since we are in the worlds biggest manufacturers of semi-conductors (that’s John’s excuse!) we had to visit Fuxing where they happened to have a digital market - 6 floors crammed with nerds, manuals, DVDs, computers and components. I met my first robot and saw more technological stuff than an Argos catalogue. It’s what the Taiwanese do best and the prices, well, they were so cheap. On that note, the government MUST be subsidising the broadband over here, we bought a sim card for 2 weeks and we have unlimited broadband. It is first class, so fast, so available, so reliable and so cheap. It makes us look quite backwards.
Techi manuels
DVDs
Neon
Components
Zero conversation
We then went to Tower 101, one of the tallest buildings in the world. the lift took a mere 34 seconds to get to floor 101. We saw night fall over Taipei, as we felt the slight sway in the building. There is a giant pendulum down the centre that moves to centre the building during earthquake tremors.
Views from Tower 101
Driving in Taiwan is different. In India, they always expect the unexpected on their crazy roads with no driving rules but here everyone drives slowly, carefully and considerately. I have not heard the revving of an engine or a beep of a horn since we were in India. One would think that all the cars were electric by their silence. I miss the TukTuks, I thought they were such a fun, crazy way to travel.
Our next stop is Tainan, the historic capital of Taiwan and is rich in culture and history. The city has developed through several periods of foreign rule borrowing bits and pieces of culture, cuisine and architecture blending it all together. We will miss Taipei very much.
We caught the Bullet Train down to Tainan - it’s very fast - 300 kmh fast.