Trip to Vatican. Things to do in the City State.

The Channel created by the tall walls around Vatican amplified the chill in the wind. It's a great feeling to visit a city country with a geographical area of just 44 hectares and a permanent population of just 840! That's less than the number of people that travel in a morning Mumbai local. Phew. The chill disappeared rather quickly as the sun made its way strongly through the clouds. Life was back!

Vatican City - Clouds overhead

Vatican City is quite within Rome itself. So it's better to stay in Rome, and then come around to visit the place. The magnificent St. Peter's Square will make its way to the pious Basilica. St. Peter's square is a fairly large square that is not only a home to several seminaries, but also as a tourist place worth spending few hours. Be it the famed Christmas tree or Obelisk(originally brought from Egypt), its grandeur may leave you speechless. There are a few fountains where the birds chirp effortlessly as people soak in the beauty of the place. The colourful Swiss guards, for sure, will catch your attention.

Basilica, few steps ahead, has a breath taking architecture. Its frescoes, lighting perhaps everything that is in it makes it extraordinary. Heavily guarded, there are a lot of volunteers to help and guide around the place. There are functional amenities in the complex. 

St. Peter's Square

The Vatican museums, quite near to the place are spectacular with Michael Angelo's frescoes and their unique design.

Excellent Architecture - Inside the Basilica

After spending close to 6 hours in the Vatican, we went back to the country we came from, Italy. Albeit it was only quite close. We again took the Hop-on Hop-Off bus.

Shop What:

• Buy Vatican City's stamps at the Local Post office
• Basic Souvenirs

Bottom Line:

• It's a beautiful place and feeling of being in the tiniest country should not be missed.
• Do visit it at night time also. It's brilliant.

Travel Facts:

• Stayed : Few Hours.
• Travelled with my better half. 
• Travelled from Rome in Bus(Hop-on Hop-Off).
• Stayed at Hotel Milan, Rome

Hội An | Report 10 | The People of Tay Bac

Ms Hiền Trang. Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved

Undoubtedly, Hội An is now a tourist haven but it still is a wonderful little town, with a myriad of photo opportunities whether candid, serendipitous, posed or set up. Its ancient town is an exceptionally well-preserved example of a South-East Asian trading port dating from the 15th to the 19th century. Its yellow textured mustard walls are an ideal backdrop for photographs, and some of us took advantage of that feature. Even its plentiful restaurants seem to have an interesting ancient history to them.

The group's assignment in the streets of Hội An was to try to emulate the chiaroscuro style of Alex Webb...but unfortunately, while it was sunny (and humid), the sun's angle didn't cooperate. There was however, alternatives that occupied us the too few days here.

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved

Our day started at 4:00 am, when we boated to the mouth of the Thu Bon River to photograph the large fishing nets (reminiscent of the Chinese nets in Cochin). These large contraptions are lowered into the water to catch fish during the night. They are slowly raised and lowered by the fishermen using foot-powered winches.

I had booked a morning boat through Dang Ke Cuong, a talented local photographer who I had met on my previous stay in Hội An two years ago, and whose images of similar fishermen are wonderful.  The setting was just splendid, and the sunrise happened on cue and cooperated fully. Most of us either ran out of batteries or storage space in their cameras during this outing, which included time at the fishing wharf a few miles from Hội An itself. There the activity was frenetic, and the buyers of fish (that ended on the restaurants tables) were relentless arguers and hagglers.

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved

As I wrote above, the streets of Hội An are rife with photo opportunities; some contrived and others not. Elderly ladies are largely ambivalent about being photographed, and some require some coaxing to allow it. This elderly lady was quite happy to be photographed in front of what I thought was her restaurant. She must've been quite a beauty in her days, and I could easily imagine her in an ao dai, being courted by eager young men.

Speaking of which, I am extremely fortunate to have finally met with the adorable Ms Hiền Trang (top photograph), who was willing to pose for our group in various interesting places in Hội An. Accompanied by her friend, photographer Minh Nhat Nguyen, who acted as photo shoot director, we spent two hours emulating fashion photographers in the field. Not perhaps the purview of travel photographers per se, but a worthwhile exercise fusing exotic location photography, fashion photography with travel photography.

The day ended with dinner at a local restaurant (not a tourist trap by any means) where cau lay and squid dishes...and La Rue beer, of course.

Photo © Minh Nhat Nguyen-All Rights Reserved

Matjaz Krivic | Urbanistan

Photo © Matjaz Krivic - All Rights Reserved

"As soon as you hear the word Urbanistan your imagination is whisked off into the traffic mayhem of Calcutta, the tawdriness of the neon sex nightlife in Bangkok, the unbelievable structuralised yet frenzied Tokyo, the suffocating and dusty streets of the (hardly) living body of the decaying Cairo, the roundabout of the hedonistic and aggressive Rio, the unstoppable narcissistic Manhattan, the global supermarket of turbo consumerism."

I suggest you start off by reading the preamble for Matjaz Krivic's Urbanistan, which introduces and describes his photo gallery of 74 photographs with intriguing prose, such as "it (Urbanistan) is a story of survival through play, prayer, tradition, rituals, traditions, travel, socializing and especially a special light..."

The 74 exceedingly well composed photographs were made over Matjaz's 15 years of traveling, and include images from remote places such as Lalibela in Ethiopia, Hatgal in Mongolia, Shugruf in Yemen, Oraman Takht in Iran, and of course Varanasi...among many others. His photo essay will take you to these places that some of us have never been...or to those we already know well.

Matjaz Krivic is a globe-trotting photographer from Slovenia specializing in capturing the personality of indigenous people and places. He has covered the face of the earth in his intense, personal and aesthetically moving style that has won him several awards. He has made the road his home and most of the time you can find him traveling with his camera somewhere between the Sahara and the Himalayan region.

Trip to Bhaktapur, Nepal - Resonating Resilence

As the Ganesh Himal vignetted past my window on the Araniko Highway,the lifeline of Nepal , my thoughts pervaded through the stories of the devastation and subsequent resurrection after earthquake in 2015. These thoughts were based on the conversations and the media reports. All of them had an underlying spirit. That of Hope.

Display of Artifacts

The Several brass handicrafts amplified the message of the sources of livelihood as we entered the city, that is a UNESCO heritage in itself, echoed the misery and the foundations laid by the human spirit.

Lane across the Temporary Settlements of Relief Camps of Nepal Earthquake

After entering the kilned street, we passed by the sides of the temporary earthquake shelters and deserted motion and verve.

Temporary Settlements of Nepal Earthquake

Temporary Settlements of Nepal Earthquake

The blue synthetic tarpaulin sheets meticulously covered the intrinsic architecture of what once stood of marvels of Newari architecture. But, the craft and the crafted wood had to bear the brunt of nature's fury.

Buildings Damaged in the Nepal Earthquake

The epitomes of the curly haired twin Sinhas (Lions), stood guards to the nothingness of the vacuum created by the shambles of perimeter walls.

Curly Lion Statues in Nepal

The Shikhar of the temple built in its namesake architecture, the Shikhar style, was covered by the tarpaulin sheets, what otherwise would had been a sky of hope was a hope of sky.

Temples Damaged in Nepal Earthquake. Resurrection

The story of Bhaktapur is the story of resilience, resonating in hope against all odds, with an unmatched firmness.

Read Next : Bhaktapur Durbar Square - Melting pot of energy

Canang Sari | Tewfic El-Sawy

This might be the my last post for 2014, and I chose to feature a few of the photographs I made during a handful of photo expeditions-workshops I led on the island of Bali.

These photographs represent a sampling over the course of the past few years, and some are purely stock travel images in style, whilst others have a somewhat more documentary flavor to them. This is in a way intentional, to show the evolution in my style of shooting during these past years.

Once again, I chose the Exposure platform to feature Canang Sari; a collection of 15 full sized color photographs.  Canang Sari is one of the many daily offerings made by Balinese Hindus to thank and praise the supreme deity. We have all seen these offerings in the Balinese temples, on small shrines in houses, and on the ground or as a part of larger offerings.

I look forward to 2015. A new year marks a new beginnings, new people to meet, new adventures to enjoy and new memories to create.

The Travel Photographer wishes you all a Happy New Year!

The trip offers great opportunity to discover Halong Bay

The excursion offers incredible chance to find Halong Bay, the wonderland of karst geology with 3,000 limestone and dolomite islets sprinkled over a territory of 1,500 square km. Amid the visit you could get Halong Bay closer to feel and touch. Kayaking is the most ideal approach to investigate the magnificence of the inlet .You paddle through islets, visit shrouded holes, tidal ponds or some unspoiled shorelines or angling town, meet and converse with neighborhood fish-man or having mixed drinks in the Sunset o­n the deck of Vietnamese Junk…  all incorporate in the 3 days outing with Travel Vietnam ..

There are some short breaks along the route for refreshment and photograph opportunity. Upon entry in Halong City we board an extravagance garbage for a fine fish lunch and a short voyage to Thien Cung Cave. After a short investigation of the hollow we begin our investigation of the straight paddling through an astonishing territory of limestone islets. We will pass a coasting town to achieve Luon Cave, which is a passage pushing through a mountain. Paddling through the passage to investigate a delightful confined tidal pond. We will meet the before the cavern. On board the garbage for supper and overnight in AC, private lodge o­nboard.

See more: Vietnam travel packages

After breakfast we begin paddling to "Van Gia" Floating town and afterward keep paddling to Dark Cave. Tide allowing, we investigate this stunning surrender by kayak. The hole is a 200m long, dim shaft pushing through a limestone mountain. The passage is the o­nly section to a disconnected and wonderful tidal pond. We can likewise investigate some different gives in close-by. Lunch served o­n help vessel in the most wonderful piece of the Bay. Evening we oar to Ba Trai Dao Lagoon, along a shocking and reasonably harsh ocean channel, to investigate its excellent shorelines. Keep paddling to Lan Ha Bay, which is more modest than Halong Bay yet a great deal additionally intriguing with loads of isolates shorelines. Voyage again to Halong Bay for supper and overnight o­n mother pontoon.

Delight in the taichi lesson on the sundeck of the garbage while she explores stunning rock creations of Bai Tu Long Bay to return to Halong City. Brunch  of crisp fish served o­n the garbage before leaving Halong Bay for Hanoi.

Travelling in Vietnam - Useful information

A long and limited nation, Vietnam shares its outskirts with China, Laos and Cambodia and has tall mountains, rice paddy patios on moving slopes, white sandy shorelines and wonderful conduits. Most explorers choose to begin off their Vietnam trek in the capital city of Hanoi and after that end their excursion with a couple of days at the shoreline. It's likewise conceivable to fly into the nation's previous capital, Saigon. Nowadays the city is known as Ho Chi Minh City, after the individuals' saint 'Uncle Ho'.

See more: Vietnam travel

More than 86 million individuals live in Vietnam and most live in the bigger urban communities, however there are still truly a couple of mountain tribes, particularly in the far north. We suggest investing eventually in the hilly range of Sapa to meet local people on a Sapa trek. On the off chance that you'd like to experience Vietnamese society you could visit the town of Hué. Then again, in case you're searching for a fun time in Vietnam, you can visit Hoi An- a town overflowing with character. Amid our Hoi A trek you'll get an opportunity to investigate this beguiling tailortown at your own particular pace. You can bicycle through the encompassing rice paddies, visit a close-by shoreline or take a cooking class to figure out how to make customary Vietnamese dishes.

Time contrast: It after 6 hours in Vietnam than here in the UK. An extra hour is added to that amid our winter time.

Best time to travel: Generally the best time to go to Vietnam on a Vietnam occasion is from December through May, however you can go whenever truly. Click here for more data about when to head out to Vietnam.

Dialect: Vietnamese is the authority dialect, however numerous individuals comprehend English also. At the point when an aide and driver are going with you they will likewise talk English. Menus and books are likewise accessible in English. In a few zones you may even hear individuals talking French, since Vietnam was previously a French state.

Money: The nearby coin is the Vietnamese Dong, however numerous spots acknowledge and quote costs in Us$. The conversion scale vacillates every day, except to provide for you some sign £1 is around 25,450 VND (Vietnamese Dong).

Phone calls: You shouldn't have any issue utilizing your portable to get back to home amid your Vietnam trek, yet relying upon your supplier this could be truly lavish. It's conceivable to purchase a worldwide telephone card that you can use from a phone box. In the event that you might want to call our nearby executor utilizing your portable amid your excursion, you'll have to dial the Vietnamese nation code +84 first.

Web: You can discover Internet get to just about anyplace in Vietnam. Now and again you'll have Internet access from your inn room, in different lodgings you'll have entry to an Internet lounge, else you ought to have the capacity to discover an Internet bistro in bigger urban communities. Remember that the association may be a little slower than you're usual to back home.

Photography: Most Vietnamese are regarded to have their portraits taken (particularly in less touristy territories) - however keep to ask their consent and remember as a top priority that you may not have the capacity to take pictures all over Vietnam.

In case you're going in Vietnam with a gadget that does not acknowledge 220 Volts at 50 Hertz, you will require a voltage converter. The electrical attachments are not the same as what you're acclimated to, so its best that you bring along an all inclusive fitting connecto

Everest 2009: First Ascent Team Prepares For the Icefall

Yesterday I mentioned that the Icefall was opening up for the climbers, and I even wrote a small piece on the Icefall Doctors over at Gadling this morning. Now we have some video of the First Ascent Team preparing to tackle the Khumbu Icefall as they train on climbing the ladders and working with the rigging.

According to the team's blog entry this morning, climbing legends Dave Hahn and Ed Viesturs were the first to cross through the dangerous icefall this morning, reaching Camp 1 in just three hours time. Something tells me we might hear more about these guys in the weeks ahead.

Amer Kapetanovic | Whirling Dervishes

Photo © Amer Kapetanovic -All Rights Reserved

The Whirling Dervishes is one of the many branches of the Islamic Sufi tradition, and is generally associated with the Mevlevi order in Turkey. The most well known Mehlevi Sufi ceremony is the Sema, which is one of many different Sufi ceremonies performed in order to achieve religious ecstasy.

Sema means listening in Arabic, and is performed as "zikr", which means the devotional remembrance of glorifying God and the Prophet Muhammad. The use of music and song can range from somewhat raucous and repetitive (as the Egyptian zikr) to the more subtle (musically-speaking) of the Sema in Turkey. In the same vein, the Gnaoua (or Gnawa) of Morocco perform their characteristic African Islamic spiritual religious songs and rhythms.

It is said that performing the Sema is a way to spiritually meditate through melodies and dancing. It brings out a person's love of God, purifies the soul, and is a way of finding God. It represents the mystical journey of individuals on their ascent through mind and love to union with God.

Although I photographed the Gnawa Sufis in Morocco, the Badawi Sufis in Egypt and various Sufi manifestations and ceremonies in India, I was only able to photograph the Whirling Dervishes in Istanbul along with hundreds of tourists; a delightful experience but not one that I found particularly intense at all . Due to time constraints, I wasn't able to visit Konya; the city where the Sufi saint Jalaluddin Rumi is buried. 

Until I do visit Konya, the wonderful (and large) monochromatic photographs of a Whirling Dervishes sema by Amer Kapetanovic will suffice. 

Amer Kapetanovic is based in Sarajevo (Bosnia & Herzegovina), who's been photographing for over twelve years. Apart from commercial work, his personal photography gallery featured work from India, Turkey, France and Sweden.