phnom penh

from kuala lumpur, tara and i flew to phnom penh, the capital and largest city of cambodia. we very much enjoyed out time in phnom penh, and i would highly recommend cambodia as a destination for travelers. the photo below is a monk walking in front of the royal palace.

the picture below is of fried insects for sale - grasshoppers and large cockroaches. i am sorry to say that i did not try them, and i have no good excuse for not doing so. the woman in the next photo was sitting beside the food stand. 

the photos below were taken at on open air market not far from the mekong river, which flows through the city.

malaysia

tara and i flew from dhaka to kuala lumpur, the capital of malaysia. malaysia has a high level of ethnic diversity, including malays, chinese, indians, and other indigenous peoples. (in the twentieth century, this diversity has been intertwined with economic and political conflicts). an officially muslim country, there are also large communities of buddhists, christians, and hindus. after a few days in KL, we traveled to the perhentian islands, a beautiful and quiet set of islands off the northeastern coast of peninsular malaysia.

from there we went to georgetown, penang, an early center of british colonial activity in malaysia. georgetown is the home of fort cornwallis - named after a general whom americans will remember as a first-class surrenderer. georgetown is also home to many interesting and well-preserved buildings, and the architecture of the city blends malay, chinese, and european elements. at china house, we ate in one of the most well-designed and lovely restaurant spaces i have ever visited.

a river otter. hotel pet on the perhentians.

last week in chittagong

i am back in the united states now, after the end of the term in chittagong and some time traveling in southeast asia with my friend tara. i plan to post pics of those travels in the near future. for now, here are some photos of my last week in chittagong.

the first four photos are of kids who live in rooms on the alley just behind AUW. the next three photos are from a trip to a local outdoor market. 

this might be my favorite photo from the year. i love the delight in the smiles and faces of these boys.

i am not sure why these heads were arranged so carefully, as if posed for a picture, on the edge of the butcher's table.

i am hesitant to take photographs of people begging, out of concern that doing so will exploit or objectify or otherwise disrespect them. but this man was obviously delighted to have his picture taken, and to be center of attention for a few moments. at least in this instance, it seemed that taking his picture conveyed his importance, rather than highlighting his lowly status. and what a marvelous smile!

chittagong: shrine of bayazid bostami

yesterday my friend christa and i visited the shrine of bayazid bostami. bostami was a medieval persian sufi, and locals believe that he is buried at this site. along with a tomb and mosque, there a pool that is home to a number of very large black, soft shell turtles, known as "bostami turtles." 

tradition holds that the turtles are the descendents of evil spirits, whom bostami turned into turtles and condemned to stay in the pool. visitors to the shrine feed the turtles bananas and chapati, which are sold by vendors in bags for 20 taka. the turtles are protected by a committee that overseas the shrine.

man at work: barber (or, illya gets a haircut)

yesterday i went with my friend illya to the barber shop. in addition to being a budget analyst and choir director at auw, illya also sings and makes music with the whisperlights and there is danger. 

illya was going to get a haircut, and asked me to come along and take some pictures. the barber was all business, and completely unfazed by the presence of a camera. here are some of my favorites. i especially like the last two below.

banshkali: charak puja

here are some photos of the charak puja festival in banshkali.  at the beginning of the festival, the men of the village erect a large wooden pole, lifting it into a hole dug in the ground. bamboo is tied to the top of pole, forming a "T" shape.

the main event of the festival involves a man from the village, who is dressed to represent (to be?) the god shiva. the man is tied to rope that hangs from one of the bamboo arms of the shiva tree. a group of men then pull rope hanging from the other arm, and the top of the "T" spins, so that shiva swings around the wooden pole. at the same time, the people around the pole release birds into the air. 

i was told that in former times, the man-as-shiva was not tied to the rope, but suspended by hooks in his back. it seems that the use hooks in this festival is no longer practiced. i was also told that the man-as-shiva is supposed to capture the birds as he swings, and to eat them. but i did not see this happening, and from what i could tell, he seemed to be focusing all his energy on hanging on. 

before the swinging, there was a series of sacrifices, involving two goats and some fruits and vegetables - what looked like a large cucumber and an ordinary banana. there was a comic aspect to this, since the cucumber and banana where sliced on the same altar as the goats, and with the same impressive sword - over a meter long. 

during the swinging, the women of the village ululated. throughout the festival, a group of musicians played drums and trumpet. after the swinging, there was what may be fairly described as a "dance party."

preparing to raise the pole

birds brought to be released during the celebration

bringing the goat to the muddy altar

women ululating