The Fire Burns Bright in Heart's Sanctuary (Photo by LGS)
Poem and Picture by LGS.
Fire in the Sanctuary
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Kecak
Our friend Mago does a series on his blog called “Sunday Music” and just recently he covered a song by Annette Hanshaw (1901-1985). In his post, he included the use of that song in an animated version of the Ramayana story. A rather unusual combination which you should check out.
Anyway, this reminded me that I had a related post that had long been on the back-burner and I decided it was time to bring it to a boil.
In Bali, Indonesia, there is a dance called the kecak dance in which dancers enact the Ramayana story with musical accompaniment provided by the rhythmic, hypnotic chanting of a large group of men. It is quite an experience. I have had the good fortune of witnessing it twice. Once, I saw it as part of a dinner performance at an international beach hotel in Nusa Dua (which is where all the photos below were taken) and once at a sunset ceremonial performance at the clifftop temple at Uluwatu. Of the two, I really must recommend the spectacular setting at the Uluwatu temple which also includes a fire dance. If you are ever in Bali, this is definitely one of the highlights not to be missed. To tantalise you, I have included a video by Hawaiian filmmaker and reknown hula dancer Kimokekahuna at the Uluwatu temple.
The Ramayana is a classic Hindu story. In brief, the kecak dance is about the hero Rama and his beautiful wife Siti. One day while in the forest, Siti sees a golden deer and begs Rama to capture it for her. He leaves Siti under the protection of his brother Lakshmana and chases after the deer. Sometime later, Siti is misled into thinking that she hears Rama calling for help. Fearful for her husband, she pleads for Lakshmana to go and search for Rama. Lakshmana is reluctant to do so at first but eventually gives in to her pleas and disappears into the forest looking for Rama.
But it was all a ploy to get Siti alone and unprotected and she is kidnapped by the demon King Ravana and taken to his kingdom of Lanka. The rest of the story is about how Rama defeats Ravana and rescues Siti with the help of the white monkey king, Hanuman and his army of monkeys.
Kecak Dance and Dinner at the Grand Hyatt, Nusa Dua, Bali.
The Bad Guy Appears
Fight! Fight! Fight!
Left to Right: The Golden Deer, Little Tourist and Some Character that I Can't Remember
The Bad Guys After Losing Again
The White Monkey King Giving Me the Thumbs Up
Mongolian Beasts
This post is about two beasts that I encountered in Mongolia. The first is the rare Przewalski’s horse. When we think of wild horses, we might often think of the American Mustang or other such horses. However, these are really just domesticated horses that have gone feral. The Przewalski’s Horse is the only surviving true wild horse. It is a possible ancestor of the modern domesticated horse.
It has 68 choromosones whereas the modern horse has only 66 chromosomes. It also has faint striping on its legs which is a sign that it is a more ancient species. Scientists believe that it and the modern horse diverged from each other some 160,000 years ago.
The horse is named after the Russian geographer and explorer Nikolai Przhevalsky; hence its unusual name. However, the Mongolians call it the Takhi. The Takhi disappeared from its home range in the Mongolian Steppes in the 1960′s but since 1998 an international effort has successfully introduced takhi taken from zoo populations and reintroduced them into three Mongolian protected areas. This is a rare example of a successful reintroduction of a species into the wild and the Mongolians are rightly proud of this.
One of the places to see the takhi is in Hustai National Park near Ulaanbaatar. However, you still need a bit of luck to see them.
We first saw the Takhi against this spectacular backdrop.
Rubbing It's Behind on the Rough Rock
The Herd
My blogging friend Geewits always speaks of “synchronicity”. By this she means, the strange phenomena when suddenly a topic or an item keeps appearing in a short period from different sources. Well, this second beast of this post is an example of synchronicity.
Just before going to Mongolia, I did my Halloween post which was about the Beast of Gevaudan. While researching for the post, I discovered that some cryptozoologists proposed that the animal may be a surviving member of a group of wolf-like animals called Mesonychids which were believed to have gone extinct 32 million years ago.
When I was in Ulaanbaatar, I had the opportunity to visit the Mongolian Natural History Museum and guess what I saw there? The top part of a skull of the Andrewsarchus mongoliensis. This animal is known from fossils dug up from the Mongolian Gobi Desert and is thought to be the largest of the Mesonychids. What would be the odds about posting about this and then coming face to face with its fossil within a week in a foreign land? That’s synchronicity.
Hopefully I will now not meet one of these creatures alive and biting. That would not be synchronicity. That would be a story from the Twilight Zone.
Andrewsarchus mongoliensis skull
Carolina Squirrel – Tomb Raider
The Carolina Squirrel may not be as pleasant to the eye as Lara Croft (or Angeline Jolie as Lara Croft) but he still risked life and limb by first traveling by China Airlines where the toilets are as gross as any gross scene from Indiana Jones movies (like the cave floor full of squirming insects), and the airline food is highly toxic. Having arrived in exotic Mongolia, he had to negotiate life threatening traffic, choking “poisonous” fumes ( I am sure of this!), shaky pavement stones, a four wheel drive adventure into the Mongolian Steppes and an encounter with ferocious local animals (like grumpy camels) to get to the Ongot Archaeology Site in Hustai National Park.
Mongolian Camel - Alternative Transport and Food
Located in the plains between the mountains and the Tuul River, the Ongot site contains a tomb of a ruler or king from the Ruan-Ruan Khanate from about 742 – 552 BC. At this time, a turkic speaking tribe had gained influence over the Mongolian steppes. The Ruan-Ruan people liked to bury their leaders in carved stone tombs and then erect stones carved to represent lions, birds and people. The man-shaped stones were erected facing the fallen king and were arranged and carved to look like they are mourning the king and holding their hands against their chest in respect. There are over 30 of these carved standing stones at Ongot.
The Tomb of a Turkic Leader of the Ruan-Ruan Khanate (742 - 552 BC)
The Lion Guardian - Represents Safety and Peace
The Sheep Guardian - Represents the Offering of Sacrifice
Man Statues of Ongot Burial Site
As if having so many carved stones at the site is not enough, the Carolina Squirrel throws in for no extra charge, a fine young Mongolian explorer with finely chiseled features amongst another 552 balbal or standing stones which stretch in a curved line into the horizon. The meaning of these stones are not clear, although local legends give two possible explanations. In the first explanation, the balbal stones represent the number of enemy killed or battles won by the deceased king. In the second explanation, the stones are supposed to help guide the spirit of the deceased king along its journey into the afterlife.
Mongolian Eye Candy for the Ladies
The 552 Standing Stones Stretching into the Distance.
The Carolina Squirrel was impressed with the location of the site that seemed to be the centre of the plain no matter which direction one comes from. There is a real sense of the vast expanse of space and infinity there.
Ulaanbaatar Walkabout
Here is a slice of life from Ulaanbaatar.
The Fashion Savvy Modern UB-ite
Modern UB
World Peace Bell
Let it Toll for Peace
The Lack of Paved Sidewalks
The State Department Store from the Soviet Era
Along One of UB's Main Commercial Streets
A Supermarket in an Outer Suburb
Street Vendor Selling Pine Nuts
The Ger - the Traditional Moveable Home of the Nomads Can Still Be Found in Outer UB
Bird Watching Out
Despite having worked with in a nature conservation job for some 15 years and having been surrounded at times by fervent birdwatching fanatics who are lovingly referred to as “twitchers”, its only in the last two years that I have given in and spent sometime doing birdwatching.
You have to understand that while birdwatching may have a large appeal to humans, generally with squirrels it is more a case of “bird watching out” as it seems a number of species of birds like to make a meal of squirrels. One of the squirrels that I got to know, Speedy, was quite brave and would stand his grown and fight off crows twice his size who were attracted to the nuts that I left out for him. But generally for squirrels it is; “Bird! Watch Out!”
Fortunately, all the birds which I photographed below are squirrel friendly and taken at no serious risk to this squirrel. (All Photos by LGS and taken in Bali, 2010 and 2011)
A Heron? Maybe a Juvenile Chinese Pond Heron?
An Intermediate Egret?
Spotted Dove (This one I am sure!)
White-breasted Waterhen
Black-crowned Night-heron
Collared Kingfisher
Final Post From Borneo?
Last year I posted about my visit to the Borneo Rainforest Lodge in the Danum Valley Conservation Forest in Sabah which is in North Borneo (Pygmies of Darkest Borneo and Nocturnal Perambulations in Borneo). Well, last week I had the good fortune to be there again on work assignment but as the project is coming to an end, this may possibly be my last visit.
As before, there was lots to see. On the night walk and night drive, we saw the rare and enchanting Western Tarsier again. This creature can look very cute and yet at other times with its large eyes can look quite evil. Some remark that it may have been the inspiration for Gollum from The Lord of the Rings movie.
Also seen on the night drive were a few Sambar deer, Angle-headed Lizard (Gonocephalus borneensis), a Tarantula spider and the Thomas’s Flying Squirrel. The latter was a highlight for me as I had never seen one before.
One morning, I went for a walk and fighting my fear of heights, went onto a canopy walkway with suspension bridges and platforms which are about 30 m off the forest floor. While I was struggling across one of the bridges, suddenly a small flock of Scarlet Minivets flew in and started dancing in the tree foliage around me. Temporarily forgetting my fears, I struggled to take pictures of the birds while trying to remain steady on the swaying bridge.
During the walk there, there was another surprise. A colugo came flying out of the forest with its skin stretched out between its limbs, very much looking like Batman with his cape and landed on a tall tree next to the trail. I have seen colugos before and have indeed posted on them (We Are Family) but this sighting was special. The colugo was flying almost directly at us and from that vantage point, we could see his “flying skin” perfectly.
It takes me 2 seconds to register the sight of the colugo, one more second for my brain to decide that I should try to take a photograph, 3 seconds to switch on my camera, another 3 seconds to aim the camera and focus and one second to press the shutter. That makes a total of 10 seconds. Unfortunately, the colugo’s flight lasted just 5 minutes which explains why I have no photo of it. Ah, well. You’ll just have to believe me.
In the meantime, I hope you will enjoy these photos.
Rough Ride into the Forest
Western Tarsier or evil Gollum: "Precious....."
Anglehead Lizard
Thomas's Flying Squirrel (a distant cousin)
Tarantula
Scarlet Minivet in the Tree Canopy
Beautiful Hoya Flowers
Dolphins of Mandurah
The city of Mandurah is the second largest city in Western Australia. Located about 70 km south of Perth and well-connected by highway and more recently by train, it has boomed and become a favored place for retirees as well as the playground for the rich. It also happens to be where my mother-in-law has lived for more than 15 years. My wife and I have made a few trips during that time to visit her and have seen the place grow from a small community to the city it is today.
If you take a boat ride through the wonderful waterways and canals, you will get to see many multi-million dollar homes along the waterfront.
Canal Homes of the Rich
But for me, of greater interest is that Mandurah sits astride the shores of the Peel-Harvey Estuary which makes it an important place for waterbirds and marine life. Therefore, on that same boat ride, you may also be fortunate to see dolphins.
First Tantalising Sign of Dolphins
On one such trip some years ago, the dolphins played alongside the boat for quite a long while. Dolphins like to swim just in front of the boat where they get the extra push of the bow wave created by the boat. Anyway, this all gave me the opportunity to take the following shots. These were originally taken as slides and was only recently scanned into digital format. The quality of the photo was unfortunately affected by the process. Still, I hope you enjoy these.
Riding the Bow Wave
Dancing on Sunlight
Flirting with the Tourists
Watching Me Watching You
Old Man of the Forest
The Orang Utan is one of the four species of great ape and the only one that is exclusively Asian. In fact, it can only be found on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra. It’s name actually means “man of the forest” but it has often been romanticised in older writings as the “Old Man of the Forest”.
Risking severe injury from airline food, the Lone Grey Squirrel flew to the town of Sandakan, Sabah and took a 50 minute hair-raising limb endangering taxi ride to the Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre. This Centre which is run by the Wildlife Department receives Orang Utans which have been orphaned or displaced by forest clearing. They also received animals which were kept as pets cause they are so cute as babies but were then abandoned by their owners when they grew up and became too much to handle.
The centre tries to re-train them to survive by themselves in the jungle. More than 100 orang utans have gone through this rehabilitation program. Many have been successfully returned to the jungle, appearing occasionally to visit and to free load on fruits made available twice a day at a feeding platform. Some though, never graduate to freedom and remain dependent on human feeding for their entire lives.
Armed only with my new Canon EOS 60D camera (Birthday/Christmas gift from the wife. Thanks dear) which was making its very first field debut, this intrepid squirrel risked being mistaken for a banana to bring you (dear readers), the following picture report.
Informing Both Tourist and Apes About the Feeding Times
The Trail into the Dark Heart of Borneo
Ooi! Where's the Grub? Don't Keep an Old Lady waiting....
Mother & Baby & Feeder Makes Three
Platform A - Feeding Time
The Other Great Apes seen in Sepilok
Young Training Recruit Showing What He Thinks About Lessons
Learning the Ropes - Literally
"The One That Got Away Was This Big!"
Meet Baby "Chiquita" Wearing Diapers
Going Home With the Rehab-er in a Hand Basket
Little Chiquita Sticks Her Tongue Out
"Well, that was all rather interesting but you will please excuse me ....it's my nap time. Bye-bye"
Basilica of the Holy Family
I am not normally impressed by large cathedrals. I know this may just be my personal bias but I find beauty more in the simple places of worship where the focus is on the majesty of God instead of the works of man. I may be wrong but I feel as those places seem to elevate man rather than glorify God especially when you think of how much was spent on things like silver altars and golden lamp stands; funds that could be spent helping the needy.
But there is something special about the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Spain which was just consecrated by Pope Benedict XVI last weekend and honored with the designation of Basilica. I really think it is special. It has been a labor of love for God starting with architect Antoni Gaudi who gave his all to the erection of this church and it has been a labor of love since for all who have worked on her for more than 100 years. The work began in 1882 and is expected to be finally completed in 2026. For most of this time the funding has been raised through public donations and entry fees from its 3 million annual visitors. I have paid the fee twice so I am fairly sure there is a brick with my name on it somewhere.
If I were to summarize Sagrada Familia in one sentence, it would be “This has been an act of worship through the loving creation of a work of living art modeled in stone.” I have posted before on this and there is a video which I put together and both can be seen here.
Apart from the Pope’s consecration, it was also noteworthy as being the first time the central nave was used for a service. Until now, services had been held in Gaudi’s crypt. Hence this post to mark an important milestone in this Basilica’s story. Enjoy the pictures (all taken by LGS).
The Intricate Sculpture that is the Sagrada Familia
4 of 18 Spires
The Graceful "Forest" of Columns in the Basilica's Interior
A Sense of the Heavenly Inspiration
