Showing posts with label pictures. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pictures. Show all posts

Photos from a homeland

Sorry for my absence, dear readers - I took a last-minute trip to my 'homeland' for my Grandma's 90th birthday, and have been playing catch-up ever since. Lots of little posts in the making, don't worry.
In the meantime, a few photos of beautiful Vancouver island in summer. I find few places  as peacefully breathtaking as the temperate rainforest in British Colombia. It's funny how after all these years of living overseas, in some ways that part of the world still feels like 'home'. It's an area where I spent many summers as a child, sailing up and down the coast, playing in the ocean and camping the forests. Looking back, I'm so grateful to my parents for having given me that early education about the natural world - the rhythms of nature, the creatures of the land and sea.  I remember encounters with deer and racoons, and then there were the expeditions to the beaches and tide-pools, which usually resulted in my sister and I bringing back buckets full of crabs, limpets, starfish and even gooey jellyfish. I am still fascinated by all the ocean's creatures, but nowadays I prefer not to bring them home!

Before you ask, no, I didn't practice yoga in that forest or by that lake - but walking around them in the company of loved ones was as good as any yoga practice - and I did get lots of good practice in. Jet-lag (and a 4:30am sunrise) is great for early-morning yoga!







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Never miss an opportunity...

To take yoga photos in nature!!






What yoga opportunities do you never miss?




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In pictures: Langkawi, Malaysia

True to my gypsy name, I am in my third country in as many weeks... Visiting my mom in Langkawi, Malaysia! Apart from some wonderful mother-daughter time (including yoga - remember last time?), Langkawi itself is a beautiful island with much to offer.

For those of you who aren't familiar with this part of the world, Malaysia is a country that includes a peninsula connected to South-East Asia (south of Thailand), as well as part of the island of Borneo. Langkawi is a small island just south of Phuket. Predominantly a muslim nation, Malaysia has three main cultural / ethnic groups, mainly Malay, Chinese and Indian, making for an diverse tapestry of local life! Here close to the Thai border there is a lot of Thai influence as well.

Anyway, the other day Mom and I went up to the Friday market (because it happens once every Friday!) and I used my Leme Cam app (it's free!) to take some snapshots.

Enjoy!

The Friday market is the place to be after evening prayer on Fridays!

Fresh, local (mostly) fruits and veg - yum!

Malaysian tofu delicacies

Busy shoppers

Girls being girls...

The beautiful new mosque around the corner



Our friendly tree frog (one of about 4 who live in the house!)




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TGI Friday blanks

Thanks to everyone who has commented on my last post about learning from teaching, and keep it coming!  I'm seeing you into the weekend with some more photographs from scenic Oxford...






and of course a few blanks courtesy of Lauren to ease the transition into the weekend!


1.   If I could only read one magazine publication for the rest of eternity, I would choose  National Geographic.  Absolutely no contest! It's my favourite read ever.

2.  If I were to run my own magazine it would be  a lot of hard work! Seriously, hats off to those guys!

3.  I buy my magazines (at the grocery check stand or via subscription)   at airports. It's almost the only place I buy a magazine.

4.  I prefer my magazines (in print or online)   Oh, this is too hard, I am split down the middle.  Yes, I love the tangibility of a glossy paper magazine.  But I am crazy about the new features in electronic magazines like interactive pages, videos etc.  I get so excited about it, ooohs and aaaahs all around!

5.  The number of magazines I buy each month is     not even 1, I buy one maybe every few months. I like subscriptions where it's just a lovely surprise when one arrives!

6. My favorite magazine genre is (lifestyle, gossip, home, etc...)       National geographic, does that count as a genre all by itself? ;)

7.  The magazines I read regularly are       Nat geo and yoga journal... and that's pretty much it!

Have a great weekend everyone!



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In pictures: where has culture gone?

Last week I went to a cultural festival at the base of East Timor's highest mountain, Ramelau.  The purpose of this amazing gathering was to provide an opportunity for young people from Timor-Leste's 13 diverse districts to come together and showcase their culture.  It was a great celebration of Timorese tradition and an opportunity for young people to meet and interact in a way that wouldn't ordinarily be possible.

While day-to-day these young people live in the modern world of jeans, t-shirts, cell phones and mp3 players, their cultural identity is obviously alive and well.  It was great to see youth celebrating their tradition so proudly, through the creative means of music and dance.


It was a real festival atmosphere!
Young people from all over the country gathered to show off their talent & traditions
A professional dance troupe combines traditional and modern elements in a celebration of Timorese identity
A woman wears her traditional hand woven (!!) cloth and a bell bracelet.

It made me wistful in many ways for my own lost cultural heritage.  What were the dances my ancestors performed to mark the passage of time or special occasions?  What were the words they sang, what did they wear?  My heritage is mostly British, Scottish and Welsh, yet none of those traditions were passed on down to me.  I guess in the New World people made new traditions - but where have those gone?  Apart from my tendency to don a cowboy hat when embarking on an adventure, I can't really say that I have carried any of those traditions, either.

I feel that in the Western world, many of us feel the emptiness of this cultural vaccum.  We grasp at spiritual traditions from the past, including goddess-worship, paganism, and yes, yoga, we try to create new traditions that we feel reflect our values more than our modern commercialized holidays.  These traditions are no longer celebrated on a communal level, but built in isolation around our nuclear-family model.

So much we have lost along the way...  I wish this country luck and strength in preserving their amazing cultural identity.  What are your cultural or family traditions?


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Underwater Joy - In Pictures

I'm back! I had a fabulous break in neighbouring Indonesia and spent a great deal of my time underwater in and around Komodo national park.

Scuba diving is one of my favourite ways to spend my time.  It's a visit to another world teeming with amazing colours and creatures. It's blue and you get to blow bubbles.  It's a breath-centered moving meditation.  In short, it's like a  form of yoga - but with fish!

This holiday I was blessed to spend some time with some of the rarest creatures beneath the waves: the majestic rays.  In particular, a large and beautiful Eagle Ray, and a gathering of Reef Manta Rays.  Be still my heart!!  Witnessing the magnificence of these creatures underwater is an absolutely amazing experience and one I will never forget.  It really hits home just how precious the oceans are and just how little we know about them and the amazing creatures who live there.

So here are some pictures for you all to enjoy!



Eagle Ray
Manta Rays!!


Did you know...
  • Rays are related to sharks, but they have no teeth!  They use a type of filter to feed exclusively on plankton and other microscopic organisms.
  • Manta rays and stingrays are related, but Mantas no longer have a stinger.
  • Mantas are the largest rays. The Giant Manta can be up to 25 feet in length, and they "fly" through the water using their wing-like fins.
Also...  Today is my birthday!!

Namaste~~~

PS - yes, I did see a Komodo dragon.  Horrible lizard.  I much prefer what's under the water.


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East Timor in pictures

Dearest readers, this past week I have been up in the rural country, and tomorrow I am heading to Komodo national marine park in Indonesia for some underwater fun!  I will be back in about 2 weeks time so in the meantime, here are some images of this country that I love, for you all to enjoy.

And if you're in the neighbourhood... Well, come on over!

Sunrise
Mount Matebian (All Souls) at sunrise
Looking north towards the ocean
A girl waters the paddy fields before (hopefully!) school
Majestic Banyan
Local pots for sale
A woman sprays water over her produce to stave off the heat
Yum!
This man asked me to take his picture with his goat. :)



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In pictures: Ubud, Bali

 Well, I am back home from a lovely break in a small town in the mountains of Bali, Indonesia!  Ubud is a town nestled in the hills, surrounded by rice-fields and in the last decade or so has become a veritable mecca for tourists seeking culture, yoga, healing and other delights.  Despite the throngs of soul seekers and art purchasers, it is one of my favourite places and I always manage to have a lovely time there.  Here are a few pictures for you all!

The entranceway to my homestay compound...
 

Once inside... my little room was upstairs on the right-hand side.

Some good advertising...


Kafe, one of my favourite hang-out spots

Check out the fabulous menu!

The Yoga Shop...

The specials menu at another favourite restaurant, Sari Organik

Which is located in the middle of rice fields and surrounded by their very own organic gardens!


Mmmmmmm.  But of course, despite it all, there's no place like home! No place, that is, with a mountain of work waiting for you, an empty fridge and a lovely fluffy cat who is in need of a LOT of attention after you left her with a babysitter for 10 days. :) 

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