ASIA
Nirvana refers to the ultimate unfettering of the mind from earthly bonds. A quietude of mind and body, a total connection and merging with one’s inner self, a release from all desire and suffering. Enlightenment. The spiritual journey of Siddhartha from crown prince to the “Enlightened One” is one of the most profound stories of transformation […]
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The swirling gilded zodiac ceiling opens slowly to dramatic sound and light effects. The floor splits open and a golden dragon emerges in a cloud of pink fog with smoke billowing out of its nostrils…a phantasmagorical spectacle that is supposed to symbolise “vitality, good fortune and well-being”! The Dragon of Fortune show in the rotunda of […]
Read MoreFor centuries people across the world have tried various means to divine what the future holds for them……pendulums, spirit boards, tarot cards, crystal gazing, palmistry or even from the pattern left by tea leaves or coffee dregs in the bottom of a cup! Heck, I have tried a few just for the fun of it. […]
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Chennai City – Background and photos of the adopted city I’ve been calling home for over two decades.
Read MoreThe centerpiece of the Beijing Olympics, the National Stadium, sits at the other end of the spectrum from my ‘solid’ post. A seemingly light and airy elliptical network of crisscrossing columns and beams, support asymmetric, translucent roof panels that challenge every rule book on architecture. The brief entrusted to architects Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron was to design a stadium […]
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Built by a dutiful son for his retired parents, the Yuyuan is a 400 year old classical Chinese garden in the midst of the urban jungle that is modern Shanghai. Located in the heart of the old town in Puxi, not far from the bund, it is high on every tourist itinerary. Not surprisingly therefore – […]
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I have always been captivated by images of this marvelous, triple roofed, vibrantly painted building. Supposedly built entirely of wood without using a single nail, ‘The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests’ is considered one of the best examples of traditional Chinese architecture. Imagine my surprise then, to discover that this building is not actually a […]
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The cable car whisked us up through the lush green hills to tower 14 of the Wall snaking deep into the hazy horizon. According to legend the Great Wall was built along the tracks of a ‘friendly’ dragon that helped trace its course. The meandering ramparts interspersed with beautiful watchtowers, did seem to lend credence […]
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Our first sight of the Forbidden City from the panoramic vantage point of Jingshan hill (above) was a great introduction to its immense scale! This place is huge…..I mean HUGE! Considered the world’s largest palace complex, consisting of nearly 8704 rooms across 980 buildings spread over more than 72 hectares of land!! Did I mention huge? […]
Read MoreThe ICBC building* rising in stark contrast against the traditional roof tops of Yu Yuan Garden in Shanghai’s old city. Thank you for visiting and have a great weekend! * The building in this image is actually the ICBC building in Puxi and not the Jinmao Tower as mentioned earlier in my post. Apologies for […]
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Small is relative in this country of superlatives, but Xian (pronounced Shi-Aan) wasn’t small by any stretch of the imagination. With a population of over eight million* and the wrecking balls in full swing, Xian is fast catching up with its larger counterparts. Despite all this, despite our surprise at its bigness, the constant grey skies and […]
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Although the Terracota army of Emperor Qin is the main attraction in Xian, there is another lesser known subterranean army that is just as, if not more, impressive! The underground army of Han Emperor Jing Di Liu Qi and Empress Wang Zhi at Yangling, is six times larger, houses around 40,000 individual figures, and is supposed to have […]
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The Urge To Wander 