Lonely Planet Bali

The Australian government has issued a travel advisory for Bali. The island is on high alert with the impending execution of the three JI terrorists responsible for the senseless bombings in October 2002 which killed 202 people. These “holy warriors” have promised revenge if they are executed. And I think these guys really mean business.

This picture was taken at Jimbaran beach where the second Bali bombing took place in 2005. With its golden sunsets, great surf, verdant rice terraces and hospitable people, it makes one wonder how a place so idyllic can also be so dangerous.

Lonely Planet Indonesia

This photo was shot at a kindergarten in Magelang, Central Java. The little girl’s cherubic face, wholesome smile and sparkling eyes make her a beautiful covergirl.

Lonely Planet Sri Lanka

What I like about this picture is its energy and spontaneity. It makes a great cover for Lonely Planet Sri Lanka, don’t you agree?

Lonely Planet Singapore

We usually see glamorous shots of the Singapore skyline, its skyscrapers, and iconic buildings like the Durian (Esplanade) in Singapore Tourism Board’s advertisement campaigns. What we don’t see is the real Singapore – the heartlands where folks dress down and literally put their feet up. I think this picture of an old man playing Chinese chess is uniquely Singaporean. It may not be a pretty picture that shows a squeaky clean modern Singapore, but it’s a lot more interesting than the generic and staid images we are bombarded with.

Lonely Planet Laos

I reckon this shot of a young man bathing in the Nam Kham River, Luang Prabang makes a prefect cover for Lonely Planet Laos.

Lonely Planet Bhutan

Here’s my dream cover for Lonely Planet Bhutan. This picture was taken at Dechen Phodrang Monastic School, Thimphu, Bhutan.

Lonely Planet Cambodia

No, you’re not looking at the new cover for Lonely Planet Cambodia. It’s just something I did for fun. But seriously, if I could I would love to do it for real. I’ve told a few friends that it’s my dream to do a cover for Lonely Planet travel books. Maybe my wish will come true someday?

Happy Go Lucky?

A trip to Cambodia last October was a life changing experience for me. It was my first time in Phnom Penh and never in my life had I encountered so many destitute children begging in the streets. “Please mister, give me money, please!” they would plead with sad puppy dog eyes. While I really wanted to help them, I knew that if I gave them money, it would encourage them to beg even more. And who knows where their hard begged money went?

Prompted by what I saw, I started a project littlematchkids.org to raise awareness about their plight, but sadly that didn’t take off. Despite numerous emails to friends about the project, the response was pathetic – as bad as the plight of the Cambodian street kids. Maybe I’m not trying hard enough? While I am discouraged by the underwhelming response, I have not given up my hopes and dreams for these children. Ironically, the kids may be poor and live in slums, but their smiles are aplenty (but for how long?) as this picture shows.

Three Sisters

A smile never fails to brighten up someone’s day. Here are three lovely sisters from Galle Fort, Sri Lanka, with smiles worth a million dollars. With that, I wish you all a great week ahead!

Amangalla – The Legacy of Luxury

At the heart of Galle Fort, lies Amangalla, a beautiful reincarnation of the New Oriental Hotel (or NOH as it is affectionately known). I had the privilege to photograph this historic hotel which operated as the NOH for 140 years before its acquisition by Amanresorts.

Amanresorts had done a fine job with the restoration. Nesta, the previous owner would surely approve. The original teak wood floors and antique furniture – planter’s chairs and pettagama chests are left intact. One can relive the glorious yesteryear and even feel the presence of colonial ghosts. Rumour has it that Room 25 (the room has since been renumbered after the renovation) is haunted. Fact or fiction, one thing’s for sure, Amangalla is a classy hotel deserving of the many accolades it has received and definitely worth the splurge.

The River House

Here’s another lovely hotel from Taru Villas. With the Madhu River at its doorstep and verdant jungle all around, The River House is a gorgeous hideaway, offering peace and quiet for the tired soul. The five suites are spacious and luxurious. I would recommend the Kanya suite as it has wonderful views of the river and boasts its own private garden. Bliss.

Tamarind Hill

Here are more pictures of Tamarind Hill, Galle. The boutique hotel has 11 rooms and two suites all exquisitely decorated with antiques and objects d'art. The food as I’ve mentioned in my previous blog is outstanding – must try the rice and curry set. The manager, Mr Manoj and his staff are warm and friendly. They really made me feel at home. I highly recommend this lovely hotel.

Twiglight Zone

I love nightfall when the sun goes down and the sky is bathed in pink and purple hues. And I love shooting silhouettes of people and plants against the beautiful backdrop.

This picture was taken in the gardens of Tamarind Hill, Galle. I stayed two nights there and loved everything about it – great food, romantic ambience and elegant décor. The owner of the hotel happens to be Sri Lanka’s most sought-after designer, Nayantara Fonseka aka Taru. She did a magnificent job with the hotel. A must-stay if you’re in Galle.

Miss Sad

Here’s a picture of gloom. I couldn’t help but notice this pensive looking lady walking very slowly along Church Street in Galle Fort. The sadness in her eyes was intense. I wonder what’s bothering her? The global financial crisis maybe?

Dusk Ritual

There is a thriving muslim community in Galle Fort. At dusk, you can see men in traditional garb gathering at the Meera Masjid mosque, adjacent to the Galle Lighthouse for evening prayers.

The Lady and Her Bird

I shot this picture at Kahanda Kanda hotel, inland of Galle. Whilst I did not really enjoy my stay there (it’s a sanctuary for insects so mosquito repellant is a must), I had a field day taking pictures of the hotel which I must say is quite photogenic. And the food especially the curried pumpkin soup was delicious.

Black Beauty

I came across this unusual flower for the first time in Sri Lanka. It’s known as the Black Lily. I’ve been trying to find more information on this mysterious flower, but there seems to be none. Any clue, Teow Li?

A Little Church on the River

For a predominantly Buddhist country, it is a pleasant surprise to find a church in Sri Lanka, especially one which is on the tiniest island I’ve ever seen. As you can see, Madhu River has tons of treasures to be discovered!

Virgins & White Tea

It is said that only virgins are employed to pluck tea leaves at Handunugoda Tea Factory, purveyors of fine white tea. If that’s the case, maybe I can apply for a job there ;-)

I had the privilege to tour this lovely lowland tea estate in Tittagalla, Ahangama, with Mr Malinga Herman Gunaratne (the proprietor himself) as my guide. He’s a learned man with many interesting anecdotes to share, including one of his golf game with Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew.

Appended is an article from Associated Foreign Press – best enjoyed with a cup of Handunugoda’s Kilburn Imperial white tea of course!

Sunday March 6, 2005
New Cuppa for Kings
BY AMAL JAYASINGHE

INSPIRED by a French perfumer and egged on by an English aficionado, a Sri Lankan master tea maker has revived a centuries-old Chinese tradition to make a brew that few but an emperor could afford.

Connoisseurs will have to pay through the nose for the “white” tea – the price is a staggering US$1,250 a kilogram, or 750 times more than the average price of high-quality pure Ceylon tea.

Malinga Herman Gunaratne, 60, said he is recreating a Chinese method of producing a tea that was demanded by finicky emperors.

For the manufacture of “Kilburn Imperial”, the tender-most innards of the tea bud are prised out with gloved hands to be sun-dried under surgically sterile conditions, all without any direct contact with human hands.

Gunaratne said his product is possibly the world’s most expensive tea commercially marketed. It is not available except at his own plantation, about 160km south of Colombo, and at a tea museum in Seoul, Korea.

Named after Seoul-based Englishman David Kilburn, who pushed him to making the exotic variety, Gunaratne said the new tea would be mainly sold at Kilburn’s museum in Seoul.

Visitors to the tea plantation can see, but not touch, the tea bushes that give the most expensive tea that Sri Lanka, the world’s top tea exporter, has ever sold.

Great care is taken to keep out oil and perspiration from tea pluckers’ skin that would contaminate the buds and spoil the delicate aroma for connoisseurs who may be hyper-sensitive to the scent of people.

Gunaratne hit on the idea after Kilburn told him how a French expert perfumer is able to distinguish between jasmine oil from Morocco, China and elsewhere simply by the smell of the sweat of the flower pickers.

Chinese emperors of the Tang Dynasty are said to have demanded that their special tea be untouched by human hands. Gunaratne claims to have perfected the method. “The only time the tea will come into direct contact with a human is when it is drunk,” he said.

Sri Lanka’s tea trade has welcomed his initiative and believes there should be more like him producing high-end speciality teas to boost revenues.

Chairman of the Sri Lanka Tea Association, Mahen Dayananda, said the high-priced Kilburn Imperial underscored the niche market for exotic teas. “The way it is made is what makes the difference to this tea. I have not drunk Kilburn Imperial, but one of the country’s top tea tasters described it to me as being ‘very interesting’.”

Kilburn Imperial is known as a “white tea” because it is not fermented and put through a process of “firing” and instead allowed to wither in the sun.

Tea experts say most white teas, such as Golden-tips and Silver-tips, do not have a great aroma although they still appeal to connoisseurs.

“This tea is about perceptions. Only the very rich will buy this tea. It is usually placed on a platter and shown to guests before drinking,” Dayananda said. “It is also said to be an aphrodisiac and to have some medicinal properties.”

The time-consuming process carried out by five tea-pluckers means that Gunaratne’s Handunugoda plantation, where tea grows in the shade of coconut and cinnamon trees, can produce only about 35kg a year.

Common or garden black tea is made by first plucking two tender leaves and a bud of the Camellia Sinensis, or the tea bush, with bare hands.

The gourmet Sri Lankan Golden-tips and Silver-tips teas, said to be aphrodisiacs, are made using just the buds. The Kilburn is even more specialised.

Sri Lanka’s tea industry earned US$683mil last year by exporting 298 million kg of black tea, marginally up from the 292 million kg exported in 2002. – AFP

Keeping it Brief

If there is such a thing as a secret garden then Brief would be it. The garden located in Alutgama, nearby Bentota, is the creation of the late Bewis Bawa. Fun, fantastic, erotic and quirky, Brief garden and house are filled with astonishing artworks, including an impressive mural by Donald Friend (completed in a week), that would make visitors go “wow” and raise a few eyebrows. And this is where time (and phallic symbols) seems to stand still.

Sunset Rendezvous

I took this photo at Galle Fort, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The 400 year old fort built originally by the Portuguese is very quaint and atmospheric, it’s like stepping back in time. The best time to walk along the ramparts is at dusk. In fact, it’s a daily ritual for many Sri Lankans, especially lovers who’d hold hands or sit on a stone bench, whispering sweet nothings as the sun sets. A truly romantic sight.

Munch

My fixer cum boatman spotted this squirrel eating a banana on one of the Madhu River islands in Balapitiya. The river is a great place for photography with lots of interesting inhabitants. And the best thing about it is that it’s virtually tourists-free (it’s not even listed in Lonely Planet!).

Splash!

It’s the 1st of October – Children’s Day! Let’s make a splashing start to the new month with this photo taken at Madhu River in Sri Lanka. It was just before dusk when I spotted a few kids playing in the river. But there was a snag. I was at the other side of the river from where they were. To reach them, I could either swim (with my expensive camera and lenses, I didn’t think it’s a good idea), kayak or take a boat. In the end, I took a boat which was half filled with water from the previous day’s rain. All went well until I tripped when I was getting off the boat and cut my knee… things we do for a great shot.