Friday, December 3, 2010

The Twenty Niners






When I was in Rajasthan, I took a safari excursion to a Bishnoi village. Bishnoi is a unique sect founded by Guru Jambheshwar who laid down 29 principles to be followed by the sect. Bish means 20 and noi means 9. Hence, Bishnoi literally means Twenty-niners. Strictly vegetarians, the eco-loving villagers are against killing animals and felling trees. They also take great pains to protect and conserve the black buck antelopes which are believed to be their guru’s manifestation after death.

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

God's Own Country?










I love the rugged beauty of Rajasthan, but I can't say the same for Kerala. Honestly speaking, Kerala is over-hyped. It's old school in a bad way. Totally unlike what you see in Kerala's tourism brochures. I expected Fort Cochin to exude old world charm, but it failed to impress. The famous Chinese fishing nets look dirty in real life. Vembanad Lake is scenic with gorgeous sunsets and sunrise, but that's about it. If you want an exotic beach destination rich in history, I recommend Sri Lanka instead. All photos copyright © 2010 LimZhu Photography.

Monday, November 29, 2010

Jaisalmer The Golden City











The Jaisalmer Fort in Jaisalmer is a living fort where you can find shops, hotels, age old havelis (homes) inside. It gets very crowded on weekends and festivals.

By the way, my 17-85mm lens was damaged during my trip so I could only use my macro 100mm lens to take these pics. Which explains why all the shots are so tight.

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Jodhpur The Sun City













I recently travelled to India - Jodhpur, Jaisalmer and Fort Cochin/Kerala.

My favorite is Jodhpur. The people, especially the children of Jodhpur, aka the Sun City are really friendly and photogenic. These pics were shot in the walled city of Jodhpur and Sardar Market, "a full-on bustling Indian market with a barely contained riot of sights, sounds and stinks" (Wikitravel)

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Ghosts







No visit to Phnom Penh is complete without a visit to Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum. And for the uninitiated, a word of caution: Tuol Sleng is certainly no Disneyland. The museum (Former Khmer Rouge S-21 Prison) is made up of four nondescript school buildings. Each building was the actual site of unimaginable atrocities. The original tools/apparatus used by the Khmer Rouge regime to torture the prisoners are on display. So are the interrogation rooms and cells that housed these poor souls – their restless spirits still linger the desolate grounds… you could just feel their presence!

I planned to spend an hour at the museum, but ended up more than two hours there. And mind you, I am not a fan of gory movies or ghost stories. I am actually very faint hearted. The torture rooms and cells reeked of death, so I didn’t spend too much time in there. But at the gallery where thousands and thousands of mug shots of actual prisoners were on display, I couldn’t help but look at each and every one of them. While many looked afraid (and resigned to their fate), there were also many who smiled for the camera – obviously they were too innocent to know what was in store for them… and there were many children! My heart sank. How could they do such a thing? By taking away the children’s right to live as children! Their childhood robbed in broad daylight and their lives drowned in the mass graves at Choeung Ek.

For a tourist attraction, Tuol Sleng is unusually dead (pun unintended) silent. Visitors, even the noisy tourist-bus types, looked at the displays silently, almost all with a heavy heart and a perturbed look. Indeed, it’s hard to be unaffected by the sheer horror of the events that took place there. It’s that horrific!

As I left the museum, a middle-aged amputee approached me at the gate and asked for money. While I empathized with his predicament, I feel that one should not exploit the situation to gain something. And one should not exploit the many innocent children who need a roof over their heads, good education, healthcare and proper nutrition by promising them money in exchange for sex or slavery.

The ghosts of Tuol Sleng still haunt many in Cambodia today. And the legacy of Khmer Rouge continues to live on. While we can never erase the past, we can build a better and brighter future for Cambodian children… Do you care enough to help make this possible?

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Old Bangkok















I shot these photos on Rattanakosin Island aka Old Bangkok City. The area is bursting with vibrant colours and intoxicating smells. All photos copyright © 2010 LimZhu Photography.