Man Mo Temple on Hollywood Road is one of the best known and most photographed temples in Hong Kong. “Man” translates to civil and “Mo” translates to martial. The temple is so named as it is dedicated to King Emperor Man who is the Civil God (Man Cheong) or God of Literature and King Emperor … Continue reading Man Mo Temple of Hong Kong May 2021
Time for another adventure in Hong Kong! 😃 The destination this time is Po Toi Island (蒲台島) which is the main island of the Po Toi Islands (10 islands in total) located in the southernmost part of Hong Kong. The name Po Toi is said to have come from the fact that the main industry here … Continue reading Po Toi Island, Hong Kong May 2021
Many people visit Tai O together with Ngong Ping in the western part of Lantau Island, home to the Tian Tan Buddha. Tian Tan Buddha is also known simply as the Big Buddha and is the 2nd largest outdoor bronze seated buddha in the world. I have visited the Big Buddha before when it was first … Continue reading Wisdom Path, Ngong Ping April 2021
Since traveling abroad is still out of the question, I might as well explore more of Hong Kong where I live. I’m ashamed to say that even though I’ve been all over the world to 100 countries, I actually haven’t seen that much of my own home town. The last time I visited Tai O … Continue reading Tai O Fishing Village April 2021
It’s been a year since I have written a blog post, travelled, or even picked up my camera. Last week I had the privilege of visiting the beautiful Tsz Shan Monastery (慈山寺) in my own backyard that is Hong Kong. Tsz Shan Monastery covers an area of 500,000 sq ft in Tai Po in the New … Continue reading Tsz Shan Monastery March 2021
Yogyakarta means “a city that is fit to prosper” and is named after Ayodhya which was the birthplace of Rama from the Indian Ramayana epic. Yogya, as the locals call it, is no doubt the soul of Java where the traditional arts and culture are still very much alive. It is a royal city still … Continue reading Faces of Central Java Jan 2020
Most probably built to rival the Buddhist Borobudur temple 19 km away is the 9th century Hindu Prambanan temple in Yogyakarta. Prambanan, dedicated to the Hindu gods: Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva, is the largest Hindu temple in Indonesia and declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991. Archaeologists believe that Prambanan was first built between … Continue reading Prambanan Temple Central Java Jan 2020
On my recent trip to Central Java, I had the privilege of visiting the most famous kris maker in Yogyakarta, Empu Jeno Harumbrojo. The Keris or Kris is an asymmetrical dagger made by pounding iron and meteorite nickel together layer by layer over 250 times. After which it is meticulously polished and designed. The alternating … Continue reading The Javanese Kris Jan 2020
I vaguely remember coming to Yogyakarta and Borobudur as a child with my family. Sometimes memory is a strange thing, you remember the most random things. I actually don’t remember much of this mesmerizingly beautiful temple that is the Borobudur Temple. What I do remember from that trip was seeing ladies in sarongs without their … Continue reading Borobudur, Central Java Jan 2020
Burana Tower is one of the best known archaeological sites in Kyrgyzstan, near the town of Tokmok, about 1.5 hours drive east of Bishkek. Burana Tower is a 24-meter high brick minaret standing alone in the fields with the backdrop of the beautiful Tian Shan Mountains. It was originally 45 meters high but the upper … Continue reading Burana Tower & Ala-Archa Oct 2019
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