Satish Arikkath | Blog

Late evening in Burano

satcat — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 18:56:25 +0000

Its a peaceful, late evening in Burano and a man prepares to put away his boat for the night.

Burano is most definitely a “Kodachrome” location. The colours and locations are so fabulous, one could spend hours, if not days, shooting here.

The Bridge of Sighs, Venice

satcat — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 12:22:50 +0000

Unfortunately, the place is covered up with hoardings but somehow the colours work.

Gondalas in Venice

satcat — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 15:01:08 +0000

A “street” scene in Burano

satcat — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 18:05:06 +0000

Burano is an island very close to Venice and is famous for its lacework. Just like Venice, its actually an archipelago of small islands connected by waterways/canals and bridges.

“Burano is also known for its small, brightly-painted houses, popular with artists. The colours of the houses follow a specific system originating from the golden age of its development; if someone wishes to paint their home, one must send a request to the government, who will respond by making notice of the certain colours permitted for that lot.”

Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore

satcat — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 21:43:39 +0000

Another icon from Italy – much photographed, this one in Firenze or Florence as it is known in the English-speaking world. This is the absolutely fabulous Duomo, completed in the early 15th century. The tall, square, white structure to the left is the traditional “campanile” or the bell tower.

Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute, Venice

satcat — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 09:34:37 +0000

A really beautiful, golden sunset and silhouette of the iconic La Salute in Venice – shot from close to the Bridge of Sighs. The basilica, consecrated in 1687, is located at the very tip of the sliver of land where the Canal Grande opens into the Bacino di San Marco.

A Venetian mask

satcat — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 20:07:23 +0000

Venezia, the Carnivale, the fabulous papier-mache masks – these are almost synonymous. One sees them everywhere in Venice, of all sizes and colours. They are so beautiful, I felt like buying them all!

There are two main types: the full-face mask is known as the “bauta”, while the other is the half mask, covering only the eyes, known as the “Columbina”.

Do I know you?

satcat — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 18:21:13 +0000

I don’t think anything or anyone can beat a cat in showing haughtiness and disdain. This fella ignored me completely as I chased him around in the hot sun, trying to get a decent shot.

And as I looked up Wikipedia, here is something that surprised me – “The earliest direct evidence of cat domestication is a kitten that was buried alongside a human 9,500 years ago in Cyprus.”

The Euro

satcat — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 09:10:50 +0000

Is the Euro a train wreck as some of my friends claim?

Kawah Ijen

satcat — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 06:58:22 +0000

Sulphur is what it is all about. And there is plenty of it in the sulphur lake of Kawah Ijen (“kawah” means crater in Bahasa). But there is no technology in use here. It is collected the old-fashioned way, by sheer human labour, by men who are really nothing more than pack horses.

Kawah Ijen nestles within the sheer volcano walls of Gunung Ijen (2,386m) in the Ijen Plateau, and the landscape is dominated by two other volcanoes – Merapi (2,800m, not to be confused with the one near Jogja) and Raung (3,332m). Ijen is currently quiet but considered still active.

The sulphur collectors (some of whom are as old as 60), like the tourists, start their trek up and down to Kawah Ijen from Pos Paltuding, the check-post located at an elevation of 1,850m.

The 3 km trail to the crater rim of Ijen is quite well laid out but is steep. I didn’t realize how badly out of shape I am – it took me two hours to get to the top, with frequent stops to catch my breath along the way.

Pic: a man carrying his empty cane baskets on the way up.

Pic: the weighing station and rest area 2 km up to the crater rim.

Pic: the sheer crater walls of Ijen

Pic: tourists take in the magnificent Kawah Ijen as smoke billows out and obscures part of the lake.

Pic: this is what it is all about – the sulphur cakes that are collected from the lake and carried down to Pos Paltuding.

From the crater rim, it is another kilometer down to the lake.

Pic: sulphur smoke billowing from the volcano vents at the lake.

Pic: for some it is pleasure and a photo opportunity, for others a way to scrape a living. Collectors with their loads on the trek back from the lake.

Pic: the crater rim

Pic: a man weighs his load at the weighing station en route. This one was 83 kg.

Men carrying sulphur loads of 80+ kg. are common. They make two trips a day, some daily, most on alternate days. Some are as old as 60 years. And for what? They get paid a paltry 600 Rupiah per kg, which is about 7 US cents per kg.

Pic: a man puts down his load for a breather.

Pic: where it all ends.