There's a fishing village on Penang's border.  Here you find a long-kept & unique tradition. The fishing village is called Kuala Muda. They run a fish market, &  hold an auction to sell their catch. But what’s really unique is that for some wildly bizarre reason they hold a whispering auction.

When the Dutch colonized Java in modern-day Indonesia they struggled with the equatorial heat.  They eventually figured out that the high volcanoes of Java provided cool temperatures—if you could get there.  So they built roads into the highlands & then developed hill stations where they could retreat.

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.

Everyone goes to Borobudur—the largest ancient Buddhist shrine in the world—and to the hotels & shops immediately around it.  But within a couple kilometers of the shrine, if you head in the right directions, you’ll soon get into Javanese village settings almost untouched by outsiders. 

Stay tuned!  You could be photographing these same scenes when you sign up for a soon-to-be-announced workshop to be held next year.  We won't only be visiting Borobudur shrine; we will also focus on the Javanese villagers in her rice farming vicinity.