Whispering Shadow

An artist making traditional hand-painted paper-mache masks  Today was my second day in Hoi An. I spent the morning at the Ancient Town, which unlike the previous night, was a bit less bustling and frantic. The blue skies, pastel yellow walls, and the people going about their chores offered interesting avenues for photography. I even visited some of the ancient houses, assembly halls, museums and even saw a cultural performance. Later in the day, I went to the coconut palm eco farms on the outskirts of Hoi An, taking a tour in a basket boat with a lady named Tinh. I closed the day with a visit to Rehahn's Photography Gallery as well as the Precious Heritage Art Gallery. Any architecture against blue skies is always stunning A local fisherman, at the Cam Thanh Village, casting the net The highlight of the day was seeing Vietnam through Rehahn's lens. He came to Vietnam in 2011 like a tourist. He clicked a picture of a 78-year old lady who took him on a bo...

I spent today morning visiting the Thien Mu Pagoda in Hue. I then traveled to Hoi An where I spent the evening at the Ancient Town which is an 'exceptionally well-preserved example of a small-scale trading port active the 15th to 19th centuries' (UNESCO).  Each level is dedicated to a Buddha that appeared in human form Both these places attract hordes of tourists given their historic and cultural significance. Both are incredibly stunning sights for very different reasons -Thien Mu Pagoda, because of its idyllic setting and the harmony with which it stood in its surrounding and Hoi An Ancient Town because of its traditional architectural design and layout against the riverbank.  However, the feelings they evoked in me were exactly the opposite. The Thien Mu Pagoda made me feel extremely peaceful and calm while Hoi An made me feel agitated. It was not to do so much with the physical setting as it was to do with the people.  Guarding the sanctity of the Pla...

Typhoon Jenny which was supposed to hit the Philippines Coast turned towards North Vietnam and China. While Hue is away from its path, it has led to non-stop rains for the last 15 hours. Initially, I was a bit disappointed about the weather playing spoilsport.  Given I had little time in the town, I didn't want to spend it sitting in my room.  Leveraging all my experience of dealing with the Mumbai Rains, I spent much of the morning visiting the Imperial Citadel and the tomb of Tự Đức the longest-serving emperor of the Nguyễn dynasty. In hindsight, it worked well in my favor given many travelers chose to stay indoors. Besides, rains have the magical quality to drown all the ambient noise, almost providing a background score to your travel. The only downside was not being able to use my camera to click photographs.  The rain didn't go away but didn't keep the fun at bay either As I was reading about the stories of the different emperors, I was reminded...

I had the opportunity to visit the Vinh Moc Tunnels and the Ben Hai River Crossing today in the Demilitarized Zone that separated north and south Vietnam during the Vietnam War. While the visits were quick, I couldn't imagine what the Vietnamese people would have gone through. Many near the border lived in poorly ventilated tunnel systems built so deep and concealed so well that American bombs couldn't breach them. The first level was used by the soldiers, the second level was the residence of villagers and the third level the weapons, ammunition, food and medical supplies. Remember, this was also a time when electricity was uncommon, when food was hard to find and when sanitation didn't exist in its current form.   The Maternity Room was closest to the exit facing the sea so that it was well-ventilated The largest room in the tunnels - the only one in which I could stand upright The effects of war are still felt in the region. Quoting from  the MAG...

After spending two days of time in the Phong Nha Ke Bang National Park exploring its landscape, I decided to spend day three on a bicycle along the country-side. The state of the cycle at the homestay was not top-notch, but it was a fully-functional basic cycle. I decided to take my chances given the direction I was headed in was not going to take me through steep slopes.   Companion for the Morning I have never cycled long distances before so I thought I will go as far and as long as I can. In the process, I experience life in the villages surrounding the national park, with its creatures - humans, buffaloes, cows, ducks, hens, dogs and butterflies.  Just the AVERAGE setting for the ride The second best part of the journey was visiting the Moi Moi Potato Farms to meet their many animals as well as eating the home-made peanut dumplings with some chilled beer. However, the best part of the journey was meeting many local children traveling to school on t...

Phong Nha Ke Bang National Park has offered the most unique travel experience I have had till date. My first two days in Phong Nha Ke Bang have been nothing short of being on a fantasy and action movie set. I visited four of the Park's caves. One may think that all caves are the same, but they actually weren't. Boating through the Phong Nha Cave On day one, I took a boat into Phong Nha Cave. It reminded me of the scene in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince when Dumbledore and Harry recover the fake Horcrux. I then climbed 800 steps to enter the Tien Son cave. It reminded me of the expedition through the Goblin cave in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. On day two, I walked through the first kilometer of the 31 kilometers long Paradise Cave. It is so large that it could fit a flying helicopter in it, with formations as long as a coconut tree. I could totally visualize an Indiana Jones film being shot here with the stalagmites and stalactites perfect for a shoot-off....

Anyone who knows me will know that I love sunrises and sunsets. In fact, I am writing this backdated post watching a spectacular sunset while sitting on the balcony of my homestay. It is hard to stay on task and resist the urge to capture the sunset on my phone. I am going to show self-control and continue writing given I have committed this time for writing my reflections. On the plus side, I get to save this sunset for only my eyes.  I think sunsets and sunrises offer a window into the soul of a place. It is the time of the day when the place's inertia changes - sunrises are when the day starts and sunsets are when it ends. In the process of change, there is a lot more action which you can see than at any other time of the day - birds heading to their nests, fishermen casting their nets, children leaving for their schools, people getting ready for their days, flowers blooming, etc, etc. In addition, the beautiful soft light allows you to capture each of these sights much mo...

In my last 24 hours, I set myself a task of capturing and curating everything I thought represented Hanoi for me. However, this post is not about the photographs itself, but how photography makes me feel  (scroll down to see a few unedited snapshots) .   Over  the last few months,  I had not spent time photographing, much like writing . When I say photograph, I mean to observe a scene, identify a story, capture the frames and post-process to fill in the blanks.  With smartphones, we create an illusion we're reproducing the process but we're not. We often jump to sharing sooner than we should - thus, giving in to the need for instant gratification.  When I click photographs, I feel still. It is like all the sounds go on mute. At that point in time, the world through the viewfinder is everything and the only thing that I see and know. There are a few things that keep me undistracted and focused like photography does.  While the picture...