The 2024 Shinnyo Lantern Floating Festival is an enlightened ceremony that honors our fallen soldiers and loved ones lost. It brings closure for family members regarding friends who recently passed. We will never forget our own friends Wayne Spencer from Oregon, Frank Grillo from Ecuador, and several other close friends who have passed recently. The candle-lit floating lanterns provide a guiding light to those who have departed. This year there were floating lanterns launched for the victims of the Lahaina fires in Maui, the Oceans, victims of war and conflict, natural disasters, famine, dise ..read more

Varanasi is considered the religious capital of India and the mecca for Hindus. This is where many Hindus come to die and where they want to be cremated, since those who believe in reincarnation believe that it will free them from the cycle of rebirth and lead to salvation. Imagine not having to return in the next life as a scorpion or a pet monkey. It may be worth the pilgrimage. Varanasi is also known as the City of Death, where about 100 people are cremated daily. The corpses are carried through the streets to the death ghats (cremation platforms) leading down to the holy Ganges River. The ..read more

When you think of India, the image of the Taj Mahal emerges near the top. A UNESCO World Heritage Center and one of the new seven wonders of the world, the tourists line up starting around 5 AM. It’s considered the greatest love monument ever constructed. Taj Mahal, Crown of the Palace, is an ivory white marble mausoleum built in 1643 for the wife of a maharaja, then a tomb for himself. It was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1983 for being the jewel of islamic art in India and considered regarded by many as the best example of Mughal architecture. More than 8 million people visi ..read more

Seeing a Royal Bengal Tiger in the wild, a fantasy or reality? At the Ranthambore National Park Tiger Reserve near Jaipur, we spotted our first wild tiger by sheer luck and Mehmet’s lucky bangles. After three 3-hour game drives, we had all given up since the park closed in 30 minutes. Our guide got a phone call, which is not allowed, and asked us to hang onto our seat belts. After bouncing over the long dirt road, we spotted four jeeps all lined up on the bridge, which meant there was no place for another jeep. One by one, the jeeps started to leave, which meant the tiger was leaving. From ou ..read more

Jaipur is the capital of Rajasthan and holds the distinction of being the first planned city in India. It is also called the “Pink City” and is a destination for romance. This metropolis combines the advantages of a new city with the charm of an ancient heritage city. It has magnificent palaces, forts, temples, parks, and step wells. In addition to the heritage and rich history, Jaipur is also known for their textiles and colored gems. As mentioned before, we visited Jaipur in 1995 enroute to see the Pushkar camel fair and only remember seeing Hawa Mahal and the silly tourist elephants riding ..read more

Jodhpur is the second largest city in Rajasthan and popularly known as the Blue City, for its blue painted buildings in the od districts. Jodhpur is also filled with forts, temples, palaces, murals, friendly people, hovels, and located in the Thar Desert. It is a strategic military site for the Indian Air Force, as it is only 250 km from the Pakistan border. Jodhpur has a population of more than a million and now declared as a metropolitan city. We last visited Jodhpur in 1995, but didn’t see the same places. It is amazing how having a different focus gets you to see more. Back in 1995, wee w ..read more

The sounds of honking motorbikes, tuk tuks (auto rickshaws), and cars were incessant in Old Dehli. We were told that if a vehicle honks its horn and there’s an accident, then the driver is not at fault, since he warned the other person. People say to the other party that they’re sorry and move on or simply hit and run. The traffic was chaotic, and it’s a wonder why there are not more collisions and incidences with serious injuries. Many times, we were gently pushed aside while walking down the alleys as two tuks tuks were trying to get by from opposite directions down alleys meant for only on ..read more

In 2019, we passed through Dehli, enroute to the Holi Festival. At that time, we stayed in the Old City and took a culinary tour tasting the Indian Street foods at hole in the wall eateries where much of the food was deep fried. On this current photographic scouting tour with Mehmet and his Fantastic Photo Tours, we had a chance to explore a number of other landmarks in Dehli. Humayum’s Tomb, a mausaleum belonging to Isa Khan, and a mosque with an ancient minaret where the women in pink was gracious to pose walking between the columns. We had a chance to explore the Jama Mosque, seen above ..read more

After watching the sumo wrestler’s training session, we visited the Sumida Aquarium in Oshiage, located on the 5th and 6th floor of the Tokyo Skytree. We almost skipped this aquarium as we couldn’t find the entry from inside the Skytree building. It turns out you can only enter from an outside courtyard, but there were no directional signs we could understand. We’re glad we made the extra effort, as it is a beautiful medium-size aquarium with a wonderful display of jellyfish. What is unique is the use of artificial sea water (instead of transporting ocean salt water) making it easier to maint ..read more

A fun part of traveling is finding great places to eat. We really enjoyed our meals in Tokyo, not only for its freshness in ingredients, but also for the unique types of food. For one birthday meal, Burt selected eel for lunch. Then for another meal, we were shown some of the best sushi restaurants right at the Toyusa Fish Market Auction area. We experienced the best grilled octopus ever, that practically melted in our mouths instead of being chewie. The best surprise was tasting the wagyu beef, which is considered Japan’s national living treasure. The genetics of the Wagyu cow yielded one of ..read more