Cityscapes

Timeless Bazor

One of the most unique aspects of travel in Central Asia is visiting the ubiquitous bazors that form the center of life in the communal atmosphere of the towns and cities. Historically, these bazors formed the focal point of commerce along the Great Silk Road. In one of these great bazors in the friendly city of Bukhara, stalls full of ripe produce stand shoulder to shoulder with delicious sweets and delicacies, colorful handicraft and beautiful woven goods.

Standing at one of the exits of the bazors, I captured this scene overlooking one of the main alleys in Bukhara, a scene I believe hasn't changed much over the last few centuries.

Bukhara

Uzbekistan

Lighting the madrasah

Registan: one of the most beautifully restored triad of madrasahs: an imposing darwazah (door) lined with intricate tilework, beautiful wall paintings, swirling pillars and gracefully arched doorways. And while the structures look spartan under the mid-day heat, the well-executed lighting adds a unique shine to these imposing structures.

Walking under the eaves of these tall monuments is walking over centuries of history, the oldest one more than 6 centuries old, and breathing the very same air of piety that has permeated this region for millenia.

I for one, am glad to have visited and experienced this amazing wonder of the world.

Samarkand

Uzbekistan

Evening Market

Walking around a sleepy old bazaar in the heart of Samarkand transported me back to an era when this beautiful city developed at the crossroads of the trade routes that formed the Great Silk Road. Spanning from the mystic Orient to the mighty Persian empire, this network of trade routes was responsible for spreading everything from flavorful spices to algebra all over the Eurasian continent.

It is a city with layers of history hiding in plain sight, a Central Asian city worth the visit.

Samarkand

Uzbekistan

Temples of Japan

As I am going to spend the next few months recuperating from surgery, I figured it would be a good time to go through my archives of my travels.

I distinctly remember Nachi Taisha, a beautiful temple complex near the Nachi falls. I had seen photos of a famous red pagoda rising from the verdant greenery against the backdrop of Nachi falls, and as I was exploring the Kii peninsula, I found out where that photo had been taken - the pagoda by the Nachi Taisha. I made my through the multiple levels of the complex, until I came to this viewpoint. And despite it being the Golden week in Japan, when seemingly every Japanese traveled around the country, it was remarkably empty.

The vermillion orange of the four-tiered pagoda was striking against the mountainous landscape draped in contrasting greenery. The Nachi falls, a 400ft waterfall, looked positively tiny when juxtaposed next to this beautiful pagoda. I spent quite a bit of time exploring this relaxing temple complex, absorbing the sights and sounds of a traditional Japan.

Nachi Taisha

Nachikatsuura Japan

Welcoming the New Year

I have spent many a New Year's eve welcoming the turn of the midnight clock in various different ways: from witnessing flare guns going up in the Galapagos, to dancing along atop the walled colonial city if Cartagena, to gathering around with friends and enjoying the fireworks launched from the iconic Space Needle of Seattle. But perhaps nothing was as unique as watching the clock turn while monks chanted away through the night.

I was walking through the bustling night market of Chiang Mai on New Year's eve when I noticed an old temple decked out with lamps and festive lights. As I wandered in, the din of the crowds outside died away, leaving behind a peaceful chant of monks from within the temple. As I proceeded further, I came across this beautiful setting: a Golden Buddha sitting beneath a festive Bodhi tree with oil lamps flickering all around. As I watched, monks, young and old, walked silently along a bamboo pathway, and kneeled down interspersed between the lamps. And they started praying, recreating the famous enlightenment of Siddhartha Gautama under the Bodhi tree, with the disciples receiving blessings from him.

I paused from photography, put my camera down, and closed my eyes to immerse myself in the moment.

Chiang Mai

Thailand

Not your average market

It was not your average Saturday market.

One lane was replete with shops selling scarves and sweaters ranging the entire gamut of colors. The next was bright sheets and linens made from the regional favorites - alpaca wool and sheep wool. A third was fruits and nuts from the equatorial mountains of Equador. And interspersed in-between were tiny shops selling colorful handicrafts, local farmers selling their wares, weavers selling baskets, bags and shawls, and intricately designed native artwork.

This was the Otovalo Saturday market, one of the largest Saturday markets on the continent, attracting buyers and sellers from all over the country, and its neighboring one (Colombia and Peru). Buyers arrive by the bus loads on Saturday morning, hoping to catch some great deals. And by 11am, the entire market is thronging with foot traffic.

Having stayed the previous night, I got to experience the market in the wee hours of the morning, just as the stalls were setting up. And I got to witness some solemn scenes of the market-life, including this tired owner catching a quick nap while waiting for business to pick up.

Otovalo

Ecuador

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The Village Life

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The bus took it's own sweet time, winding through and around the forested mountain ranges in the eastern part of Honshu island. Through the wide windows, the life and landscape of rural Japan sped by: snow-capped peaks waiting for the summer sun with glacial blue waters heading down from them, terraced farms in every available piece of arable land in the valleys below, and bright green buds of the deciduous woodlands standing side by side with the evergreen conifers in the hills above. And in-between were tiny farmhouses with the vestiges of cherry blossoms, the perfect epitome of village life in Japan.

My destination was the village of Shirakawa-go, an old village in the Gifu Prefecture of Japan, that was so set back in time that it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site, partily due to the unique farmhouse style called the gassho-zukuri. And while the day, with gentle spring sun and mild temperatures, was perfect for visiting a place like this, it also drew in a thousand other tourists who all had the very same idea. I wandered through the village, transported back to a simpler era of feudal farming and sericulture. And were it not for the contrivances of modern civilization, I most certainly would have been. To be fair, that is the main draw of this picturesque village set amidst snow-capped peaks.

Here is a sampling of that beautiful timeless village, replete with cherry blossoms and modern selfie-stick carrying tourists...

Shirakawa-go
Gifu Prefecture, Japan

Morning in the Medina

The narrow alleyways of the medina, vibrant and full of life the previous night, was now a series of shuttered shops. The street-cleaners were making their way around, sweeping away memories, stories and remnants of the last 12 hours. The loud cries of the daily newspaper delivery crew, echoed through the long hallowed hallways and dark alleys, the only sign heralding the new day.

Here and there, a few shops opened up, the owners still recovering from their sleepy stupor, with some clutching the mass of crumpled newspapers, while others were trying to start their daily routine with morning tea. The air was cool and refreshing, filled with the scent of earthly petrichor, as well as the strong scents of mint tea and spices. The noise levels, quiet at first, rose slowly with the arrival of shoppers and tourists. It was going to be another great day of routine business in the medina of Marrakech.

I spotted these two gentlemen waiting to being their daily routines while still trying to catch up on sleep.

Jemaa el-Fnaa
Marrakech Morocco

 

Holy Light

I have been duly impressed by the awe-inspiring cathedrals of continental Europe, with their dazzling architecture inside and out, their intricate inlays, beautiful frescoes and colorful stained-glass windows, and had been hard-pressed to find something equivalent on the other side of the Atlantic. That held true until I visited the beautiful Notre Dame of Montreal.
Ornate documentation and vibrant colors add life to a rectangular floorplan lacking a nave and transept, while complex woodwork in the pulpit and the altar showcase the creative strengths the original designer. It was a memorable experience to wander around the peaceful cathedral, admiring the showmanship of its creators.

Montreal
QC, Canada