One of the most stunning places to visit in Bali is Ulu Watu Temple in Indonesia.

NW Bali is a mostly undiscovered treasure.  Where the southern third of Bali is sinking under the weight of Australian tourists & all the bars & souvenir shops catering to them, NW Bali has only recently emerged on the tourist radar.

Keep watching this blog & you will have an opportunity to go on a cultural photo tour where you can set up your tripod in the same place where mine was when I took these images.  Wait & see if the sunrise you witenss is more spectacular, or your skills better, so that you produce better images than mine!  

In the northwest corner of Penang island, Malaysia is a fishing hamlet called Teluk Bahang—roughly translated “Heatwave Bay.”  Because this small town is majority Malay Muslim, it comes as a surprise that here is located a Hindu temple that’s fairly important to local devotees—Kuil Sri Singamuga Kaliamman. 

It’s not important because it was featured on “The Amazing Race” (Season 16, Episode 8), but because it’s the venue for an occasional annual Hindu events.

Penang island in Malaysia is a fascinating place because it’s one of those unique convergences of several civilizations.  Where those civilizational tectonic plates come together one of two things can happen.  Either they create a lot of friction & heat that leads to ethnic clashes, or people manage to find some way to get along, & everyone profits from the multi-faceted culture.

Malaysia is a place that has long succeeded at the latter.