The above was taken at Tenganan Village in Bali, which is famous on the island for its classic representation of traditional Balinese life (before its subjugation by the Javanese). The inspiration for the title comes from the Monopoly board game 🙂 … the irony is that the prized roosters are kept confined, whereas the more ordinary ones are left free to roam the village.
Contrary to many modern cultures, where the New Year is celebrated with much pomp and revelry, Balinese celebrate their New Year, or Nyepi, with a day of silence. Nyepi is usually preceded 3-4 days by the Melasti ceremony, during which communal prayer sessions are held toward the ocean. Effigies of God and temple accessories of each village are also brought in a long and colorful procession to the beach to be cleansed. The Melasti ceremonies are colorful events during which many opportunities arise for candid photography. The above is one of the candid pictures I managed to get during the session we witnessed at Pantai (Beach) Lembeng.
“The Best Camera Is The One That’s With You” — I came across this quote on this site while browsing for photography applications on my iPhone. How apt this quote became when I found myself with a flat battery on my Powershot S90 while visiting a temple during Chinese New Year. While dad busied himself with his Canon point-and-shoot with a similar shot to the one above (of Chinese guardian lions), I fell back on the little 3-megapixel camera on my iPhone. Given the limitations that I had, I was pretty happy with the final result I got 🙂