Want Ice Cream?

Want Ice Cream?
Prior to Nyepi day in Bali, the Ngrupuk parade is held during which papier-mâché statues known as ogoh-ogoh are paraded on a convoy around the town. They are then traditionally burnt to ashes in a cemetery as a symbol of self-purification (although I’ve read that these are usually recycled in recent times). We attended the parade in Denpasar on our trip and it was really crowded and humid-hot!. In between taking pictures of the parade, I managed to catch this ice-cream seller in great light. With the hot weather, he certainly was enjoying good business that day!

Glowing Lalang

Glowing Lallang
I commented at the end of my recent Bali trip that it would probably be difficult to get nice pictures in a while when I get back to Singapore. Guess I was wrong 😛 A morning trip today to the Botanical Gardens yielded a number of interesting shots of which my favourite was the above shot of a back-lit leaf blade of lalang grass (or to use its scientific name, Imperata cylindrica). Although generally considered a weed by many, I am surprised by its many uses, which include being used in Papua New Guinea to thatch the roofs of traditional homes, as well as for its medicinal properties. Young shoots may even be eaten cooked!

Got Milk?

Got Milk?
Contrary to many modern cultures, where the New Year is celebrated with much pomp and revelry, Balinese celebrate their New Year, or Nyepi, with a day of silence. Nyepi is usually preceded 3-4 days by the Melasti ceremony, during which communal prayer sessions are held toward the ocean. Effigies of God and temple accessories of each village are also brought in a long and colorful procession to the beach to be cleansed. The Melasti ceremonies are colorful events during which many opportunities arise for candid photography. The above is one of the candid pictures I managed to get during the session we witnessed at Pantai (Beach) Lembeng.