my travel blog

In between paid works and life enjoyment, I've covered some events, festivals, and dives. Have a look at my last adventures through these blog posts.
April 21, 2021

Metatah (tooth filing) ceremony in Tulamben – II The ceremony

At last, one by one, we laid on the bed and had our tooth filled. There were 14 of us, and I was, by far, the older. First, one prays. Then, lays down and gets a piece of sugarcane to bite. Then, the filers proceed, in increments. We can check our appearance and ask for more (which I did) or leave it as it is.
April 21, 2021

Metatah (tooth filing) ceremony in Tulamben – I Preparation

Jewelry is fake, though it still shines on pictures. For the girls, it all seemed outstanding and they were enthusiastic. Make up artists were quite mediocre. I guess they were also cheap. Contrary to Westerners, they weren't trying to hide defects or beautify faces. The idea, as much as I could understand, was to print some sort of mask over their faces - totally disregarding shapes and characters.
January 19, 2021

Kumbh Mela 2019 – Tent City

  We stayed for a whole week at Kumbh, walked over 20 km each day. My purpose wasn’t just to get images, but to feel the […]
April 19, 2020

Hariharalaya – Yoga retreat centre in Siem Reap

didn’t speak English, so there wasn’t much way to communicate. His answer was something like: your body is like a musical instrument. You can play it in tune or out of tune. I understood those simple words, but they didn’t make much sense to me. As far as I knew, I was enough in tune, and that physical and emotional pain would lead to nowhere but ego boosting and self-justification.
February 16, 2020

Sumba Island – general views and thoughts

Having said so, most of the Sumbanese I knew (despite on most cases, verbal communication not being so great), were good-hearted, loyal, reliable people. It was far easier to get invited to a party or a family celebration than in Bali – not to say the Balinese, aren’t hospitable! Indeed, they are, but I found Sumbanese society to be far more open.
November 25, 2019

Trance and possession in Bali

On the opposite side, the gambelan orchestra played in a different way than I was used to listen: it was, somehow, hypnotic. Sometimes, slow and quiet, and then speeding up to a frantic loud rhythm. Soon I realised there was, at least, a man and a woman in trance, dancing, and I found myself a shooting position.
August 10, 2019

Festival Pesona Tulamben

On an effort to attract tourists to Tulamben, there was the Festival Pesona Tulamben, (9-10) August 2019, with a few activities like the jukung boat race: […]
June 9, 2019

Cockfighting in Bali

In fact, cock fighting is a “multi-million dollar business”, with events happening periodically in every small villages, daily in the major cities, and yearly on Balinese Hindu ceremonies. Business man bet hundreds of dollars in each fight and roosters are bread in every corner, sometimes illegally imported from Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines.
February 25, 2019

Sumba Boxing

 It is performed on a full-moon night, prior to the collection of Nyale and the Passola festival. It is not a staged show, there are no tickets
January 8, 2019

Praying day in Karangasem

People go up the stairs and wait for their turn on the external yard. Once the previous prayer is finished, people leave and give room for the new comers. There is not much to see apart from each others, and three giant offerings: two elaborate sculptures made from pork skin, fat, meat, and internal organs, and one made of different fruits.
December 20, 2018

Zhuhai and Hong-Kong

Eating was an interesting experience, as well: I remember going to a sushi place where the shrimp were still alive when served, fish was immaculate and tasty, prices were comparably cheap, and atmosphere was sober and appropriate. The funny part was, when the desserts came, they looked (and tasted) like junk food. A nonsense, among such exquisite fishes and sea-food.
October 25, 2018

Odalan ceremony in Muntig

Odalan is a temple anniversary, according to the lunar Balinese calendar (210 days). On this occasion, there are 3 day festivities, including praying ceremonies, processions, when deities are paraded from one temple to another, and dancing on the temple’s courtyards.
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