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Legian Offerings

Travelling in SE Asia you constantly run across little reminders of the locals’ religion. Maybe it’s just me, but their religious beliefs seem to be more a part of their daily lives than what you experience in the States. Walking around wherever it is I landed, invariably means stumbling upon small tableaus of religious observations, offerings being the most common. And in Bali, stumbling is the right word.

The sidewalks of the touri ghetto from Seminyak to Kuta are festooned in the mornings with these small trays of flowers, food, and incense. You have to keep an eye on the ground in front of you to avoid stepping on them. At least until later in the day when several dozen of your fellow travellers have already smashed them into Jackson Pollock paintings. I’m not sure if they are just general displays of reverence or are suppose to bring good luck or prosperity, but I tend to step over them even late into the evening when they are hardly identifiable any longer. No good reason to piss off the gods, even if they are not yours.

Penang Shrine

This second shot is from Penang. George Town to be exact. Many of the pillars supporting overhangs along George Town’s streets have these small shrines mounted to them. Almost as numerous as the daily offerings seen in Bali, the locals in Penang have been smart enough to mount theirs above the sidewalks and avoid having the unsuspecting trod all over them.

I’ve taken dozens of shots of these shrines. Each is unique, each is different. And while I’ve seen similar in other Asian countries, in Penang they are more numerous. And more picturesque thanks to the pastel colors the colonial era buildings are painted with.

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