I have been loading some fantastic underwater images taken by a Swiss gentleman whom I met in Kuta, Bali. Roland Loges who took these pictures while diving all over the South East Asian diving spots had offered me these pictures to be used as i see fit and I am displaying them her in my blog just because they are so out of this world that they neede to be shared with the world. If nothing else I hope that they will inspire into some souls as to the beauty of the ocean and the need so very urgently to conserve this heritage that is often out of sight and thus out of mind. As i was loading these pictures at a syber cafe a young highschool girl took a peek and told me that she had just returned from Pulau Redang, an island off the North Terengganu coast and that she is taking up SCUBA diving. It came to me as a pleasant surprise to find that a young Malay girl is into scuba diving and encouraged by her mother none the less!
I also have these gorgeous picture loaded onto my blog simply to help cheer up a bad entry.
I also have these gorgeous picture loaded onto my blog simply to help cheer up a bad entry.
The past three weeks had been a very exciting and imformative time for me as i was travelling through the Central and eastern Java provinces and on top of having witnessed some of the most breath taking sights and tasting the cultural as well religious beliefs of the people, I have also touched many lives which in turn touched mine. Solo, Jogjyakarta and Bali the three main locations of my visit although located in the same general area of Java has many differences that a sensitive eye cannot miss. Underneath it all the prescence of Hinduism as a religious prescence can be felt eventhough Islam has become the predominant religion of the majority of the people. Christianity too has its impact upon certain population but not openly 
practiced and there is not too many churches around in most cases.
Travelling in and around Jojya one finds that t the streets are mostly narrow and remnants of the old or original roads that cannot possibly be expanded or widen anyomre. The best mode of transportation is the motorbike or the bicycle, it one lacks the zeal the becak or trishaw is convenient way to go as it is more laid back and one gets to really see the city this way. Dont worry about the driver geeting tired as he gets his rest whenever you are doing whatever it is that you are doing whether it be shopping or visiting a muzeum. He will be waiting for you like a faithful dog outside perhaps asleep on his trishaw. He can aslo be a useful in guarding you stuff when you visit different places and gives you a free hand to move around. Trishaws were given the right of way in most traffic jams as they are constantly a pain to the other vehicles but are treated with respect due to the inconvenience of an accident. Despite the chaotic ratrace appearence of the traffic in Jogjya and Solo I never came upon
and accident and not even a fender bender.
The food is another story, it is a little more expensive wherever I went and the choices were limited if not minimal. The taste of the average local dishes si not something I would want to brag about at least according to my personal taste. I am a little bias when it comes to food as I am a Penangite, born to eat the best varieties of food ever found in a small island. The 'nasi padang ' offers a variet of dishes but if you have eaten at one of these restaurants you have eaten at all of them as they are like Mac Donald's where the choice of food is all alike anywhere. Being careful of where you eat and what you eat while travelling is a very good practice if you wish to remain healthy throughout your journey. Nothing is worse than having to visit the toilet every fifteen minutes due to an upset stomach and toilets can be a challenge for those with weak dispositions.
Spending and dealing with any form of financial transactions can be a bargain in itself especially if you are travelling on a tight budget. You often felt like everyone is after your wealth or out to kill you for all you have. Trusting your fellow human beings can become a rare trait when you are not familliar with currency values or the actual cost of products as compared to you own home. You often have to resort to speedy mental calculations before making a transaction. When it comes to making a purchase in a foreign country one's sense of trust flies out the window and even newly made friends can become a suspect. I learned that sometimes to fully trust one's instinct can have an advantage but it is a gamble. Once you have created a trust between friends it becomes more easier to deal with anything having to do money. Usually your friend will not allow for you to taken advantage of even if the person is of the same country man as your friend.
Hence the advantage of creating a friendship with a local on a personal level can be very helpful and maintaining that friendship throughout your stay will ensure your safety as well as comfort.
It does not cost much to make friends and most of the time all it takes is a little trust and charitable heart, be willing to
give and before you know it you will be receiving.
The prime motive of my travels is to learn and get to know as much culture and as many people of all walks of life as I can. To understand how or what they do for a living and how they view themselves as well as the world around them. What are their dreams and visions their desires and wishes and how do I fit into their scheme of things, their environment, their culture. I have set out many years go earlier in my life to get to know who I am through the lives of others, through their perspective of who I am. My journey of reflections has taken me to many parts of the world and into many homes and lives and every time I embark upon these journies I discover a small piece of myself that i never knew i had it in me. With every new discovery I feel myself growing within and without. I am far from being the whole person that i have strived to become but I know I have become alot more than i ever was what that means is difficult to express but suffice it is to say that there is a whole lot more to life that is waiting to be discovered and that is waiting to discover who you are or wha
t you are.
I crawled out of my cave to see the world,
Given the sense of sight I have seen more than my share,
Given the sense of feeling I have felt the triumph and despair of many I have come in contact with. Everywhere the plight of human suffering and the celebration of life coexisted.
Given the sense of creativity I have tried to recreate and preserve what I saw imbued with my own interpretations and expressions sometimes I hit the mark and sometimes what is that i saw is not really what it seems.
Given the sense of aesthetics I try to see beauty in all that I see, there is beauty in the aged and the poor the models and the debonaires, all have their own value aesthetically. If beauty is to the eye of the beholder than I saw beauty in evertything even the worse of the worse.
practiced and there is not too many churches around in most cases.Travelling in and around Jojya one finds that t the streets are mostly narrow and remnants of the old or original roads that cannot possibly be expanded or widen anyomre. The best mode of transportation is the motorbike or the bicycle, it one lacks the zeal the becak or trishaw is convenient way to go as it is more laid back and one gets to really see the city this way. Dont worry about the driver geeting tired as he gets his rest whenever you are doing whatever it is that you are doing whether it be shopping or visiting a muzeum. He will be waiting for you like a faithful dog outside perhaps asleep on his trishaw. He can aslo be a useful in guarding you stuff when you visit different places and gives you a free hand to move around. Trishaws were given the right of way in most traffic jams as they are constantly a pain to the other vehicles but are treated with respect due to the inconvenience of an accident. Despite the chaotic ratrace appearence of the traffic in Jogjya and Solo I never came upon
and accident and not even a fender bender.The food is another story, it is a little more expensive wherever I went and the choices were limited if not minimal. The taste of the average local dishes si not something I would want to brag about at least according to my personal taste. I am a little bias when it comes to food as I am a Penangite, born to eat the best varieties of food ever found in a small island. The 'nasi padang ' offers a variet of dishes but if you have eaten at one of these restaurants you have eaten at all of them as they are like Mac Donald's where the choice of food is all alike anywhere. Being careful of where you eat and what you eat while travelling is a very good practice if you wish to remain healthy throughout your journey. Nothing is worse than having to visit the toilet every fifteen minutes due to an upset stomach and toilets can be a challenge for those with weak dispositions.
Spending and dealing with any form of financial transactions can be a bargain in itself especially if you are travelling on a tight budget. You often felt like everyone is after your wealth or out to kill you for all you have. Trusting your fellow human beings can become a rare trait when you are not familliar with currency values or the actual cost of products as compared to you own home. You often have to resort to speedy mental calculations before making a transaction. When it comes to making a purchase in a foreign country one's sense of trust flies out the window and even newly made friends can become a suspect. I learned that sometimes to fully trust one's instinct can have an advantage but it is a gamble. Once you have created a trust between friends it becomes more easier to deal with anything having to do money. Usually your friend will not allow for you to taken advantage of even if the person is of the same country man as your friend.
Hence the advantage of creating a friendship with a local on a personal level can be very helpful and maintaining that friendship throughout your stay will ensure your safety as well as comfort.
It does not cost much to make friends and most of the time all it takes is a little trust and charitable heart, be willing to
give and before you know it you will be receiving.The prime motive of my travels is to learn and get to know as much culture and as many people of all walks of life as I can. To understand how or what they do for a living and how they view themselves as well as the world around them. What are their dreams and visions their desires and wishes and how do I fit into their scheme of things, their environment, their culture. I have set out many years go earlier in my life to get to know who I am through the lives of others, through their perspective of who I am. My journey of reflections has taken me to many parts of the world and into many homes and lives and every time I embark upon these journies I discover a small piece of myself that i never knew i had it in me. With every new discovery I feel myself growing within and without. I am far from being the whole person that i have strived to become but I know I have become alot more than i ever was what that means is difficult to express but suffice it is to say that there is a whole lot more to life that is waiting to be discovered and that is waiting to discover who you are or wha
t you are.I crawled out of my cave to see the world,
Given the sense of sight I have seen more than my share,
Given the sense of feeling I have felt the triumph and despair of many I have come in contact with. Everywhere the plight of human suffering and the celebration of life coexisted.
Given the sense of creativity I have tried to recreate and preserve what I saw imbued with my own interpretations and expressions sometimes I hit the mark and sometimes what is that i saw is not really what it seems.
Given the sense of aesthetics I try to see beauty in all that I see, there is beauty in the aged and the poor the models and the debonaires, all have their own value aesthetically. If beauty is to the eye of the beholder than I saw beauty in evertything even the worse of the worse.
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