Category: Travel Writing
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Setia Darma House of Masks and Puppets
The Setia Darma House of Masks and Puppets was founded by an Indonesian businessman and collector to preserve and share the culture and tradition. When I found this site online, I assumed the collection was small and housed in one or two buildings. I discovered that it includes approximately 1300 masks and 5700 puppets. There…
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Three Temples in Bali
Bali is unique in Indonesia, with a Hindu population of 86.9%. One of the great pleasures of visiting Bali is touring the temples. Temples represent an important part of daily religious, social and cultural life and are meticulously maintained. On this trip, I visited three in the Ubud area, illustrated in the following photographs.1-3 Pura…
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Christmas Window Display at Bergdorf Goodman, New York
The Christmas window display at Bergdorf Goodman, New York, was by far the best I have seen. Every window is a work of art. The images need no commentary.
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New York Christmas Lights 2021
A few photographs taken on Fifth Avenue, New York. The Christmas tree and skating rink at the Rockefeller Center.
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Underland and the Perils of Caves
My novel, Another Life, is a work of fiction with an invented story and characters, with just a few chapters based on personal experience, including a family visit to a cave system in the South of France. The tour was fully automated; we did not see a single person during the entire time, no doubt…
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One Final (Probably) Visit to Vanuatu
In December 2018 I spent a couple of weeks in Vanuatu for what may well be my final visit. My partner works in International Development and is like to have only one more assignment there. It is a beautiful country and claims, with some justification, to have the most friendly population in the world. Of…
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Galungan and Kuningan Celebrations, Bali 2018
I was pleased to return to Bali again in June/July, especially as my trip coincided with Galungan. Galungan marks the beginning of the one of the most important recurring religious festivals in Bali. It celebrates the victory of dharma over adharma. It is a time when spirits of relatives who have died and been cremated return to Earth…
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Ulting Wick Gardens, Essex, April 2018
Last weekend I visited the Open Day at Ulting Wick, near Maldon, Essex, as part of the National Gardens Scheme, Some nine thousand tulips and other spring plants were in bloom in the warm sunshine. I do enjoy the sight of a traditional brick-built greenhouse, whatever the size. The main focus of the trip was of…