David M. Byrne
Well-Known Member
Hello once again,
Gosh, week 15 already! Well, we’re back in Asia. Back to the heat, the smells & the sounds of a continent I’m very familiar with… & very comfortable with. I've spent the last 7 days on the tourist haven Indonesian island of Bali, using the central town of Ubud, the island’s cultural capital, as a base. While I've been here I've gotten reacquainted with Bali's hectic beauty; it’s an island seemingly overrun with people, temples, rice paddies, galleries and arts & craft stores. All that means Bali is a great, albeit exhaustive place to bring a camera – those aforementioned temples & rice paddies, not to mention the hustle & bustle of everyday life on the streets, means there is always something to photograph. Here is a selection of pictures taken over the last 7 days, days 100-107 of Mave On The Move.
Picture 92, Day 100 – New Arena Hotel, Kuta, Bali, Indonesia. June 13th 2012
A 15-second exposure of the central courtyard of the hotel we called home for our 1st night in Bali. Having landed from Sydney late at night on day 100 of the trip we traipsed around the back lanes of Kuta, the island's entertainment & beach hub, in the early hours trying to find somewhere that would have us. We settled on this place, the IDR180,000 (€15) a night New Arena Hotel. I couldn't resist that warm lighting & those glass-like reflections of the courtyard pool, even after a full day of travelling & at 3am.
Picture 93, Day 102 – Petulu, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia. June 15th 2012
Hiring bikes is a great way to experience the Balinese countryside. I did so one afternoon & I captured this picture of a local tending to her baskets by the side of the road outside the village of Petulu, north of Ubud. She proceeded to place the baskets on her head and walk down the road away from me. This proved very photogenic but I preferred this picture, captured at 28mm, a little bit more.
Picture 94, Day 102 – Monkey Forest, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia. June 15th 2012
I’m not a big fan of monkeys, especially the light-fingered ones found in the Ubud Monkey Forest, the most popular tourist attraction in Bali’s most touristy town. But say what you will about them they sure proved photogenic. I spent about an hour in their company & in that time I took quite a few pictures that I liked, with this picture probably being my favourite of the lot. Note: If you want to see more pictures taken at the Monkey Forest you can visit my Ubud Monkey Forest blog entry.
Picture 95, Day 104 – Banjar Offerings, Singakerta, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia. June 17th 2012
Upon reflection the vast majority of the pictures I took in Bali centred on people. In hindsight that's not really too much of a surprise - I spent a lot of time on the streets & outside temples with my 28-75mm Tamron & 50mm prime capturing people going about their business. It just seemed the thing to do here. This is a picture I like of a local entering a banjar, a temple, carrying offerings for the Gods.
Picture 96, Day 104 – Balancing Act, Singakerta, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia. June 17th 2012
Another picture I captured while skulking around the streets of Ubud was this one of a local walking down a lane while balancing a basket on her head. I think it's the shadows in this one that I like the most.
Picture 97, Day 106 – Paddy Worker, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia. June 19th 2012
Bali offered none of the order I’d become accustomed to having spent the previous 70+ days of the trip in Australasia. It took a little bit of getting used to… but not too much getting used to. Driving around the island & sharing its roads with gung-ho, devil-may-care locals was precarious at best & it always had me on my toes. But it was the only way to get out into the countryside to see the real, postcard Bali. I’m not saying that this, a picture of a farmer tending to his rice paddy, is a postcard–worthy shot but it is one I like as it captures a typical Balinese countryside scene perfectly.
What’s Next?
I’ll be spending the next week, days 108-115 of the trip, in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. There’s a mountain there, Mount Kinabalu, that I have wanted to climb for a while so hopefully by this time next week I’ll have done so & I will have captured some nice pictures to boot. Check back next week to find out!
Until next time.
David M
Links: If you want to see more pictures of my time in Bali you can do so by visiting the Bali entry of my photography blog. And of course you can keep up to date on my present whereabouts by visiting the dedicated Travel page of my photography blog, a page I set up specifically to chronicle my trip.
Gosh, week 15 already! Well, we’re back in Asia. Back to the heat, the smells & the sounds of a continent I’m very familiar with… & very comfortable with. I've spent the last 7 days on the tourist haven Indonesian island of Bali, using the central town of Ubud, the island’s cultural capital, as a base. While I've been here I've gotten reacquainted with Bali's hectic beauty; it’s an island seemingly overrun with people, temples, rice paddies, galleries and arts & craft stores. All that means Bali is a great, albeit exhaustive place to bring a camera – those aforementioned temples & rice paddies, not to mention the hustle & bustle of everyday life on the streets, means there is always something to photograph. Here is a selection of pictures taken over the last 7 days, days 100-107 of Mave On The Move.
Picture 92, Day 100 – New Arena Hotel, Kuta, Bali, Indonesia. June 13th 2012
A 15-second exposure of the central courtyard of the hotel we called home for our 1st night in Bali. Having landed from Sydney late at night on day 100 of the trip we traipsed around the back lanes of Kuta, the island's entertainment & beach hub, in the early hours trying to find somewhere that would have us. We settled on this place, the IDR180,000 (€15) a night New Arena Hotel. I couldn't resist that warm lighting & those glass-like reflections of the courtyard pool, even after a full day of travelling & at 3am.
Picture 93, Day 102 – Petulu, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia. June 15th 2012
Hiring bikes is a great way to experience the Balinese countryside. I did so one afternoon & I captured this picture of a local tending to her baskets by the side of the road outside the village of Petulu, north of Ubud. She proceeded to place the baskets on her head and walk down the road away from me. This proved very photogenic but I preferred this picture, captured at 28mm, a little bit more.
Picture 94, Day 102 – Monkey Forest, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia. June 15th 2012
I’m not a big fan of monkeys, especially the light-fingered ones found in the Ubud Monkey Forest, the most popular tourist attraction in Bali’s most touristy town. But say what you will about them they sure proved photogenic. I spent about an hour in their company & in that time I took quite a few pictures that I liked, with this picture probably being my favourite of the lot. Note: If you want to see more pictures taken at the Monkey Forest you can visit my Ubud Monkey Forest blog entry.
Picture 95, Day 104 – Banjar Offerings, Singakerta, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia. June 17th 2012
Upon reflection the vast majority of the pictures I took in Bali centred on people. In hindsight that's not really too much of a surprise - I spent a lot of time on the streets & outside temples with my 28-75mm Tamron & 50mm prime capturing people going about their business. It just seemed the thing to do here. This is a picture I like of a local entering a banjar, a temple, carrying offerings for the Gods.
Picture 96, Day 104 – Balancing Act, Singakerta, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia. June 17th 2012
Another picture I captured while skulking around the streets of Ubud was this one of a local walking down a lane while balancing a basket on her head. I think it's the shadows in this one that I like the most.
Picture 97, Day 106 – Paddy Worker, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia. June 19th 2012
Bali offered none of the order I’d become accustomed to having spent the previous 70+ days of the trip in Australasia. It took a little bit of getting used to… but not too much getting used to. Driving around the island & sharing its roads with gung-ho, devil-may-care locals was precarious at best & it always had me on my toes. But it was the only way to get out into the countryside to see the real, postcard Bali. I’m not saying that this, a picture of a farmer tending to his rice paddy, is a postcard–worthy shot but it is one I like as it captures a typical Balinese countryside scene perfectly.
What’s Next?
I’ll be spending the next week, days 108-115 of the trip, in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. There’s a mountain there, Mount Kinabalu, that I have wanted to climb for a while so hopefully by this time next week I’ll have done so & I will have captured some nice pictures to boot. Check back next week to find out!
Until next time.
David M
Links: If you want to see more pictures of my time in Bali you can do so by visiting the Bali entry of my photography blog. And of course you can keep up to date on my present whereabouts by visiting the dedicated Travel page of my photography blog, a page I set up specifically to chronicle my trip.
