The town of Hoi An in Vietnam is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site and being a history buff I was all for making this my first destination ever in Vietnam. Like a good book that transports you to a faraway land, devoid of all worldly quandaries, Hoi An seems to have this ability…
Month: April 2017
A Dramatic Sunset
I have watched many versions of the epic story of Rama and Sita base on the Hindu text. The story, features, props, costumes and interpretation of this tale varies as you make your way around South East Asia. But I’ve got to say that the Balinese are unparalleled when it comes to injecting that extra…
Piecing the Puzzle of a Glorious Past
In May 2016, archaeologists with expertise of five main ancient civilisations – Mesopotamia, Indus, Mesoamerica, China and Greco-Roman declared their recognition for the historical significance of the Sungai Batu archeological findings, just 6km from Sungai Petani in Kedah. Carbon dating on smelted iron found at this archaeological site places this civilisation in 535 Century BC, which…
Dead Men Do Tell Tales
Penang is one of my favourite spots in Malaysia. This island is famous for many reasons – the food, the beaches, the heritage buildings, the architecture, and the cool respite of Penang Hill and its forests when the weather is hot. However, some find one of my favourite spots in Penang – the old Protestant…
Magical Land of Fairy Chimneys
We landed at the Kayseri Airport late in the evening and some of the spectacular scenery that greeted us during the flight descent was fading in the twilight. When we got into the Natureland Cave Hotel that I had booked online, Terence looked like he was about to bite my head off. “I’m not a…
Down Memory Lane: Kolkata Picturelogue
I pulled out these pictures from an old hard drive I found at the bottom of my drawer recently. It’ll be a cliche to say it took me back in time, but it did – technically by more than a decade – but visually more than that. I shot these pictures while on assignment in Kolkata…
Maria Dass the World 