a tear falls

Photo from Photobucket

a tear falls
frozen in midair
by your coldness

Beijing Sojourn

We visited Beijing (formerly known as Peking) in China in April 2006. It was spring and the beautiful blossoms of the plum, peach and magnolia were in full bloom. The first places that we visited were the Tianamen Square and the Forbidden City. They were large and it took us a few hours to cover these two places. Next we took a rickshaw ride through Beijing’s Hutong which is a neighbourhood of narrow streets surrounding the Forbidden City. The Hutong gave us a glimpse of how ordinary people live. That night, and for a few nights more, we feasted on Peking Duck. To me, Beijing’s Peking Duck is the best that I have ever tasted!
And then, it was to the Great Wall! We went to the Badaling Section of The Wall which is said to be the easiest to climb. While up The Wall and looking down at the barren rolling hills below on the outside, I suddenly felt a sense of déjà vu. I felt as if I was back among my comrades defending The Wall against the Mongolian hordes and I joyfully shouted out to them, “I have returned!” (in Chinese, of course). My wife and daughter were startled but not surprised; they know that I can be strange at times. However, the other sightseers seem to keep their distance after that.

Bali - Kecak and Fire Dance

The photos are of the “Kecak and Fire Dance” that we watched at a place called Uluwatu in Bali in November 2008. It was performed in the evening at an open-air theatre above a sheer cliff high above and overlooking the Indian Ocean and close to the famed Uluwatu Temple.
Accompanied by a choir of chanting and singing men dressed in sarongs, the dance around a fire tells the story of how Rama defeated the evil Rhawana to rescue his love, Sita. It was an enchanting evening as night quickly fell and the moon and the stars came out to watch the dance too!
This holiday is my favourite because it was the very first time that my family (the kids and us) went on an overseas trip together.

Huddled in the cold

Pic by kellied263

huddled in the cold
beyond the glare of neon lights
a forlorn Christmas