
Arjuna from a Kathakali performance, Fort Cochin, India. Seth Rosenblatt (c) 2006
While I would’ve been very appreciative at the time for a more detailed explanation of the Kathakali show that the FMA and I saw in Kerala, it remains one of my strongest memories about India. The strange costumes with their hoop skirts and elaborate make-up were certainly the foundation of that, but since it’s performed nowhere else, it also served to remind me of just how utterly different people and their culture can be, even within the same country.
September 26, 2006 · Filed Under India

Weaving fabric for saris, Madurai, India. Seth Rosenblatt (c) 2006
No big message today, just thought I’d take a break from my China obsession and show a bit more from India. Despite not liking India as much as I’d hoped, the way that Indians really do live their lives on the street, and not behind closed doors, makes for excellent photography.
The FMA and I came across these men hand-weaving fabric for saris by accident. We were stumbling around, just about as lost and confused as current U.S. foreign policy, turned a corner and came smack into 30 meters of thread – this was probably the best thing about Madurai, for us.
September 25, 2006 · Filed Under India

Rice terraces on the Dragon’s Backbone, Ping’An Village, China. Seth Rosenblatt (c) 2006
When I wrote about the Dragon’s Backbone rice terraces in Guanxi Province, I probably waxed a bit too poetic about how impressed I was with the scenery. I honestly expected my photos to be able to say what I wanted to about the landscape in a stronger, more emotionally convincing way.
Boy, was I wrong.
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September 24, 2006 · Filed Under China

Grandmother and baby, Ping’An, China. Seth Rosenblatt (c) 2006
Children are built cute, obviously, but have you ever wondered why? I’ve figured it out: it’s a survival technique.
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September 13, 2006 · Filed Under China

Looking south from Moon Hill, near Yangshuo, China. Seth Rosenblatt (c) 2006
The bottomless treasure chest of images ripe for the plucking in Yangshuo had my camera drooling. Everywhere I went, something was worth photographing, and in no small part because of the breathtaking karsts that framed the background of nearly every shot I took. The town pictured is Ma Ling, about five kilometers east of Yangshuo. (At least, I think it is: my notes are a bit unclear, so it could be Gaotian, not Ma Ling, and it could be west of Yangshuo, not east. But you get the idea.)
September 11, 2006 · Filed Under China

Night market chef with cell phone, Yangshuo, China. Seth Rosenblatt (c) 2006
It’s no secret that the food in China is reason alone to visit the country, and the night market in Yangshuo was no exception to that rule.
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September 8, 2006 · Filed Under China

Karst formations along the Li River and the 20 RMB note, Yangshuo, China. Seth Rosenblatt (c) 2006
It’s no secret that China was the highlight of my trip, not just for the “big wow” moments, but also the smaller ones that encouraged a little bit of a chuckle.
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September 7, 2006 · Filed Under China