Man Mo Temple - Sheung Wan

I was looking through some of my old photo albums and noticed these photos I took while traveling in Hong Kong. I was wandering around the streets in Central and stumbled across a temple on Hollywood Rd - Man Mo Temple. My primary reason for going inside was to escape the dreadful heat. However, once inside, I found a very inviting and peaceful environment. Pausing for a moment under the giant hanging incense coils was a pleasant contrast from the hectic pace of the surrounding area.

Temple Silhouettes

Temples and shrines make for pretty awesome sunset silhouettes. Bali life!

Bali Life

Despite being part of a country with the largest muslim population in the world, the primary religion in Bali is Hindu. Religion (and family) are a big part of people's lives in Bali... and this is extremely evident when exploring the country. Puras (temples) and shrines are everywhere... and with an estimated 20,000 puras, Bali is know as "the island of a thousand puras" or "island of the Gods". The temples feature intricate details/textures and are very beautiful. The first photo in this series is one of the many temples in Canggu.

Family is also a very important part of the culture. Unlike western cultures, where children leave the home when they come of age, families in Bali live together in compounds and stay together throughout life. Everything an individual earns goes to the family and is shared. It makes for a very interesting way of life.

The other photos (and video) in this series are from inside a family's compound. I was lucky enough to be invited inside to celebrate a ceremony with them. Ceremonies take place almost every week (which makes it difficult to do business in Bali since employees will be taking lots of time off)... I happened to be there during the midst of a ten day festival called Galungan. It was pretty awesome to share this experience with the family.
(The gamelan music in the video is pretty sick... has a great beat)

If you look closely, one kid learned how to use his middle finger (I promise that I did not teach him that).

Too cool

Yes, those are peppers in the pig's noise/mouth/head.

Indonesian Dreamin' On Such a Winter Day

I'm not exactly sure why, but Bali will always have a special place in my heart. I've traveled to better and less crowded surf locations and have seen beaches that are just as or more beautiful. Perhaps it's because I've always visited Bali after experiencing a different extreme in the heavily industrialized Southern China (which skews my perception a bit)... perhaps it's because of all the interesting/friendly people I've met while traveling in the country... or perhaps it's because my expectations have always been wildly exceeded in terms of accommodations ($40/night for beachfront villa), food ($4 for giant tuna steak), and the graciousness of strangers. Regardless of the reasons, Bali is an awesome place. In my opinion, this photo is a pretty good representation of its awesomeness. 

Temples at the Shaolin Monastery

The temples at the Shaolin Monastery are very beautiful... bright/vibrant colors, intricate carving details, and textures aged to perfection. Each building has its own unique features, but is in unison with its surroundings. These are a few photos I took while walking around.

Pagoda Forest at Shaolin Temple

The Pagoda Forest at Shaolin Temple refers to the 228 stone or brick pagodas built from 791 AD during the Tang Dynasty through the Song Dynasty, Yuan Dynasty, Ming Dynasty, and Qing Dynasty. The levels, or storeys, on the pagodas must be odd numbers (from 1 to 7) and are based on the achievements of the Buddhist masters they were built for. The higher the pagoda, the more "badass" the monk. The era the pagodas were built, affects the shape (round or square) and the number of sides (4 or 6). The pagoda forest in Shaolin stands at the foot of Shaoshi Mountain and is one of the largest pagoda forests in China. It was named a national scenic spot in 1996 (and is now a UNESCO world heritage site).

Most of the Pagoda Forest is stone and brick structures, ranging from one to seven storeys, less than fifteen meters high -- much smaller than pagodas for Buddhist relics -- and all carry the exact year of their construction and many carvings and inscriptions. They are in a variety of styles, but are mainly multi-eaved and of pavilion-style. Their shapes are varied, including polygonal, cylindrical, vase, conical and monolithic, making the pagoda forest an exhibition of ancient pagodas, carvings and calligraphy of various dynasties. Besides the pagoda forest there are many invaluable tomb pagodas scattered around the Shaolin Temple, including the Faro Pagoda built in 689 in the Tang Dynasty, the Tongguang Pagoda constructed in 926 in the Five Dynasties, the Yugong Pagoda erected in 1324 in the Yuan Dynasty, and the Zhaogong Pagoda built in the Ming Dynasty.

Reference: Wikipedia

September 13, 2010

Another image from the temple in Zhongshan, China... very beautiful scenery (some photoshop effects added)

September 12, 2010

I thought it was fitting that since I was in just landed in China, I show a picture I took of an old Chinese temple in Zhongshan... messed around with Photoshop a bit on this picture.