Author: Tricia A. Mitchell
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Stairway to Heaven: Hiking Through the Batad Rice Terraces in the Philippines
The Ifugao people carved the Batad Rice Terraces out of the Cordillera Mountains more than 2,000 years ago. Often cloaked in a mysterious fog, these magnificent rice paddies are located on the Philippine island of Luzon, about 470 km (290 miles) from Manila. Thanks to their grand scale and their amphitheater-like appearance, the terraces have…
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Photo Du Jour: A Tricycle Commute in Banaue, the Philippines
In the small town of Banaue, which is perched high in the Cordillera Mountains overlooking 2,000 year-old-rice terraces, a girl rides on the back of a tricycle. Tricycles are a popular form of public transportation in the Philippines. They’re the equivalent of a tuktuk (Thailand) or rickshaw (India).
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Vignettes From Phnom Penh’s Riverside
Carrying salmon and ivory-colored lotus blossom offerings, the Buddhist worshippers entered the crowded courtyard in front of a small temple along Phnom Penh’s riverside. Once inside, they left their spiritual contributions. The green, pink and white pile of offerings inside was apparently growing so vast that officials periodically tossed the decorated green coconuts and buds…
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Georgetown, Malaysia: An Illustration of Contrasts
A stroll through Georgetown gives one a sense of being whisked to several countries in a matter of hours. In this largely Chinese city, bundles of smoldering incense scent the maze of bustling streets as crimson red lanterns sway overhead. Bollywood music rumbles in Little India, echoing off storefronts dotted with colorful saris and bins…
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Nagas, the Fire Serpents of the Mekong
Some Laotian and Thai people believe that serpent-like creatures (nagas) inhabit the chocolate-colored waters of the Mekong River. In Lao mythology, nagas protect Laos’ capital city, Vientiane, and beyond. These snake-like creatures also adorn many nooks and crannies of Laos’ jewel city, Luang Prabang. Some followers of Buddhism even attribute mysterious fireball-like projectiles to the…
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From Gong and Drum Awakening to Sunset at Luang Prabang’s Wat Wisunarat
Our home away from home in Luang Prabang, Laos sat opposite from the city’s oldest operating temple, Wat Wisunarat (also spelled Vat Visounnarath). The temple was built in the early 1500s. Known for its quiet lanes and thirty temples, Luang Prabang feels authentically Asian. Monks of all ages, clad in saffron-colored robes, pound the pavement…
