What do I remember from Jaipur, India? Aggressive Tuk-tuk drivers, more aggressive monkeys, a kite festival that happened to be happening when we arrived, and the fireworks that dominated the sky later that night...
As I was pouring over what photos I should submit to the #monomad contest today, I came across the below photo of the Hawa Mahal - AKA The Palace of Winds - and all those memories flooded back.
To you, this image may be an aesthetically pleasing collection of lines and shades. For me, it's a memory of sipping beer at a rooftop bar across the street, telling my friends I'd be right back, and then running around the palace to find this shot.
I can't say Jaipur was my favourite place in India (a little too touristy for me) but I will say this was one of the best days I spent in the country.
Hawa Mahal, rear.
Speaking of good days, let's fast forward a few months to another area with aggressive monkeys. (Tip: Monkey are just always ready to rumble. Don't bring food around them, and leave them alone.) The below photo is of a dancer in Ubud, Bali, Indonesia.
This is an event I don't need a photograph to remember - although I took thousands of them at the time, to the annoyance of my friend beside me.
I couldn't help it. I was captivated by the intricate ways the performers moved their bodies. A key component of Balinese dancing is that the entire body is choreographed. Fingers, eyes, and even toes all point in a specific way, at specific times. It's incredibly intricate and wholly enchanting.
Balinese Ramanyana
If anyone's interested in buying prints (or printing their own images) reach out to me. I have a large format fine art photo printer that I repaired several months ago, and we can work something out in terms of shipping and costs.
I have been to Bali and I had the chance of watching a dancing show, I loved. I experienced aggressive Tuk tuk drivers in Bangkok. I travelled a lot, but almost all of my pictures are not digital.
Bali is b-e-a-utiful! A little too touristy for my personal preference. But there are reasons for that.
If you get the chance to go back to Indo, check out Yogyakarta. That is one of my all-time favourite places.
We had the hotel in Nusa Dua but we had the chance to have a private guide so we could visit almost all the island. Then we moved to Lombok and the Gili around it and came back to Bali. I really loved that time. It was after the bombing attacks in 2005. The security was at the maximum level. I do not know if I will have the chance to visit it once again.