In honor of the last night of Hanukkah, a menorah found in the Musmeah Yeshua synagogue in Yangon. It is the only synagogue in Myanmar and was built in 1896 for the Baghdadi Jews, the Bene Israel Jews and the Cochini Jews from India that arrived during Burma’s colonial-era. It is listed on Yangon City Development Council’s list of Heritage Buildings.
I come from a diverse family of various cultures and religions, from all corners of the world. One of my paternal great-great grandfathers was a Jew from Baghdad, Iraq. This was his synagogue. He and his family were prominent members. He is buried in the Jewish cemetery in Yangon.
An old church in Pyin Oo Lwin, Myanmar formerly named Maymyo, a British Hill town. I come from a diverse family of various cultures and religions, from all corners of the world. One of my great grandmothers was Anglo-Burmese (her
mother Burmese, her father from England). She was raised Anglican and then she and my grandmother became Seventh Day Adventist. This was their church after the war in the late 1940s when they lived in Pwin Oo Lwin.
I usually bring my 40-150mm 2.8 pro lens for a whale watching tour without a second thought as the whales are never close enough to use a shorter focal length. For the first time, I stood at the trunk of the car and questioned whether I should take the shorter focal length lens.
I had been on 2 whale watching trips during my visits to British Columbia this summer and didn’t even think about it before, but for some reason I had 2 minutes of photographer anxiety. In the end, I didn’t take it because I know that when wildlife appears closer than they normally do, there’s not enough time to change lenses.
Maybe I just knew I was going to see orca whales up close.
We came upon a pod of transient orcas after about a 20 to 30-minute ride from where we departed at Fisherman’s Wharf in Victoria, British Columbia. Transient orca whales are also known as Biggs killer whales. We watched them alternate between shorter 2-minute and deeper 4-minute dives. In those longer dives, they were hunting.
As our captain vied for position and stopped a safe distance away, my best friend who is from British Columbia and is Nlaka’pamux and Cree First Nations was quietly singing her ancestral songs. We were the only 2 on the back of the boat.
Suddenly, a spy hop!
At that moment, I knew they were coming.
Spyhop!
Shortly after the spyhop, some of the orcas started poking their head out of the water as if they were checking us out.
Orca whale in the Straight of Juan de Fuca near Race Rocks, about 17 km from Victoria, British Columbia.
I started to notice more surface activity but weren’t sure what the whales were up to. Then, we could see a harbour porpoise. They seemed more interested in playing with it than eating it as they would push it along and disappear with it under the water. The naturalist on board our Eagle Wings Tours boat thought that they were teaching the baby orca how to hunt. The truth is, he wasn’t sure, as he said that he had never seen anything like it before.
While the large male orca swam close to Eagle Wing tour’s other boat, my friend started to sing a little louder. I knew she was trying to communicate.
An orca shows us a belly roll.
Two orcas and a harbour porpoise.
Then, two orcas were straight out in front of us with their heads above the water looking towards us with the porpoise between them. It was as if to say ‘look what we have’.
The next moment they came towards us.
Two orcas show us their catch, a harbour porpoise.
As they got closer, I switched to video mode and captured the moment they swam under our boat, twice! I said hello and thanked them, out loud.
I thought they’d reappear on the other side of the boat, but instead they resurfaced on the same side that they started from, right beside us.
Orcas with Race Rocks in the background, about 17km from Victoria, British Columbia.
We saw humpback whales too, we think we saw 2 different ones. Humpback whale tail.
A humpback whale tail against a British Columbia sunset.
A beautiful sunset behind Trial Island, near Victoria, British Columbia
Every now and again I’d hear my friend say “kuk’stem” which is thank you in the Nlaka’pamux language. She was following Indigenous protocol in giving thanks to the whales and the Creator.
In August 2014, Toronto Travel Massive, a community I’ve been a part of since May 2013, celebrated its 4th anniversary. It was an India inspired event with Intrepid Travel and India Tourism as co-sponsors. Intrepid Travel gave away a 15-day tour and I was the lucky winner! In February 2015, I went to India for the first time on the Unforgettable India tour.
We began the tour in Old Delhi touring the markets and temples, experienced Ganga by boat in Varanasi and further down river where we ‘sailed’ and camped overnight, saw the elusive Ganges dolphins, journeyed through rural India to Bandhavgarh National Park, Khajuraho and Chanderi and ended it all by visiting Agra and the iconic Taj Mahal.
All scenes were shot with my iPhone 5s & 6+ except for the final scene which was shot with an Olympus OMD em1.
A rainy day at the Taj Mahal in Agra, India – March 2015.
In August 2014, Toronto Travel Massive, a community I’ve been a part of since May 2013, celebrated its 4th anniversary. It was an India inspired event with Intrepid Travel and India Tourism as co-sponsors. Intrepid Travel gave away a 15-day tour and I was the lucky winner! I journeyed my way through India with an iPhone in hand and have compiled my 20 favourite iPhone photos.
In February 2015, I went to India for the first time and travelled through Madya Pradesh and Uttah Pradesh on the Unforgettable India tour
Some of my favourite iPhone photos from the trip:
An auto rickshaw and a street ‘barber shop’ in New Delhi, India.Fellow ‘Intrepid’ travellers enjoy fresh vegetable juice in Old Delhi, India.In the kitchen of a Sikh temple in Old Delhi, India where 10, 000 meals are prepared daily and offered to anyone that visits, for free.Street Art on the wall of a ghat in Varanasi, India.Sunrise on Ganga (Ganges River) in Varanasi, India.A flower and candle ceremony as the sun sets on the Ganges River in Varanasi, India.Camping overnight by the Ganges River after ‘sailing’ for 4.5 hours.Waiting at a waterhole in Bandhavgarh National Park hoping to catch a glimpse of a Bengal tiger or leopard.A 19th century temple in Khajuraho, India, though most of the Western temples of Khajuraho are 1000 years old.1000 year old temple in Khajuraho, India. Some depict carvings from the Kama Sutra.An auto rickshaw drives through the Second Old Gate in Orchha, India. Took this shot through the window of the auto rickshaw that I was in.The Raj Mahal Palace in Orchha, IndiaTARAgram: Tribal women make recycled paper products in Orchha, India.A cow wanders through a market in Chanderi, IndiaThis 15th century Badal Mahal Darwaza gate stands in Chanderi. It is said to have been built as a triumphant gate.A view of the open court of the15th century Jama Masjid mosque in Chanderi, India. The foundation for this mosque, still in operation today, was laid in 1251. There are many monuments in Chanderi. We enjoyed a 2 hour walk through the town.A clothesline in Chanderi, India. Enjoyed a 2 hour walk through this off the beaten path town.A man passes through a doorway at Agra Fort in Agra, India.First glimpse of the Taj Mahal in Agra, India.An unusually rainy day in March at the Taj Mahal in Agra, India. Photo taken March 2015.
