ULUWATU – Handmade Balinese Lace Fashion @ the Curve

A model looking good in a traditional Balinese Uluwatu’s lace-trimmings dress that is both beautiful and comfortable for the hot and humid weather in Malaysia.

If you have been to the Island of Bali, you will most definitely heard of the Uluwatu brand of women’s comfy dresses. At the very least you might have heard of Uluwatu temple. if not never mind, this is not  for you.

Uluwatu Handmade Balinese Lace is from the the beautiful island of Bali.

Balinese children learn the skills to produce the finest Uluwatu lace from their parents, learning the techniques from a young age.

Lace work is called “krawang” in Balinese. Uluwatu’s krawang is made traditionally where lace is stretched on bamboo hoops and sewn by hand on foot-powered machines. Then they are carefully cut away with little scissors.

A single piece from Uluwatu lace can take up to five or more days to complete.

Uluwatu lace dresses are both beautifully designed and comfortable to wear. They are also very suitable for hot and humid whether, especially if you are traveling to some breathtaking breezy beaches and staying up to party during the long summer nights.

Crescent Moon Lake @ Dunhuang. (Old Silk Route in China)

As part of our journey along the Silk Route, we made a half day journey to Mingsha Shan sand dunes. Amidst the shifting sand dunes lies the Crescent Moon Spring that has been a vital source of water here for thousand of years.

Ever since that day, I had been captivated by the beauty and tranquility of this dream destination. This Ken Burns Effect video is my own little dedication to Dunhuang and the Mingsha Shan’s Crescent Moon Lake.

Bayview Hotel in Hualien – a home away from home

The entrance to the Bayview Hotel - Visitors were transported to a virtual world of beautiful Santorini Architecture (a group of the Cyclades islands in the Aegean sea) where white-painted walls with blue doors and windows were the order of the day.

After a nerve-wracking and max-out adrenaline rush of the more than 6-hour taxi ride from the serene hot spring village of Lushan to beautiful Hualien via the breathtaking Taroko Gorge, the last thing on my mind would be the architecture or the interior designs of my next hotel – Bayview Hotel. However when we reached the hotel, the first thing we noticed was the bold white and blue color theme of the hotel’s exterior walls. Its simplicity belies what we would normally expect from such boutique hotel. But still we placed high anticipation on what to expect from this hotel. It truly doesn’t disappoint.

Colors of Halong Bay, Vietnam.

Halong Bay or “descending dragon bay” is truly a magnificent collections of over 3,000 islets along its 120km long coastline. Its breathtaking view and beautiful emerald-green coastline are really a sight to behold. A trip to Vietnam is never complete without a visit to Hạ Long Bay. Below are a few photos to represent the artistic colors of Halong Bay as envisioned by the author.

Green

Yellow

Blue

Travel and People Series – Kids of Sapa.

Kids of Sapa.

Kids of Sapa. They might be poor. They might be messy and dirty. Their clothes might be in tatters. But their determination to eke out a living from the tourists and their “never-give-up” attitude is a sight to behold. How can you not give in to their demand when they asked you to buy some souvenirs from them? How can you say “NO” to such faces of hope and perseverance? And they DID NOT BEG! I couldn’t. And I gave in. And I did it happily.

Travel and People Series – Borobudur

An early morning view of the trees and the serene landscape as viewed from the main stupa of the Borobudur Temple.

7:40am – Early morning view of the secondary forest surrounding the Borobudur Temple. If you would like to have a taste of man-made nirvana, then this place is for you. Be there at around 5am and walk up the stairs to the upper level of the temple and enjoy the serene atmosphere, beauty of sunrise and the quiet contemplation of your own life.

Travel and People Series – Yogyakarta II

5:36pm – Traditional pedal-powered trishaws (aka becaks) are perhaps the most popular mode of transport in the city of Yogyakarta. It’s cheap, fast and easy to maneuver in the ever narrow stretch of roads in the city. Even horse cart and taxi have to give ways to them when they are in motion. So, if […]

Colors of Halong Bay, Vietnam.

Halong Bay or “descending dragon bay” is truly a magnificent collections of over 3,000 islets along its 120km long coastline. Its breathtaking view and beautiful emerald-green coastline are really a sight to behold. A trip to Vietnam is never complete without a visit to Hạ Long Bay. Below are a few photos to represent the […]

Travel and People Series – Borobudur

7:40am – Early morning view of the secondary forest surrounding the Borobudur Temple. If you would like to have a taste of man-made nirvana, then this place is for you. Be there at around 5am and walk up the stairs to the upper level of the temple and enjoy the serene atmosphere, beauty of sunrise […]

Life is about your journey, not your destination.

Travel photography is sometimes random, exciting, fun and for the most part hard work. Yet many of us traverse the world and explore the many unbeaten paths for that elusive “the best” photograph that we could capture in our lifetime. And then we would hang up our camera and live our life happily ever after. […]

Crescent Moon Lake @ Dunhuang. (Old Silk Route in China)

As part of our journey along the Silk Route, we made a half day journey to Mingsha Shan sand dunes. Amidst the shifting sand dunes lies the Crescent Moon Spring that has been a vital source of water here for thousand of years. Ever since that day, I had been captivated by the beauty and […]