Once a poor fishing village with a black history of lepers and witches, Kuta became a key point on the sea route from India through Southeast Asia to Australia. Originally, this beach was discovered by tourists as a surfing paradise and today tends to be a popular stop for backpackers. Australian visitors seem to be the most common set of tourists, seeing that Bali is as close to Australia as Mauritius is to South Africa. It can come across as the 3c’s – overcrowded, congested, and chaotic and has a bad infrastructure with a ton of horrible drivers but I can argue that it is one the prettiest beach fronts I visited while traveling in Bali. It is also one of my favorites for capturing the Balinese sunsets, and you can see by these images why this beach is notorious for them. The beach is 5km long, safe, and well-maintained. By day, the main beach is crowded with sunbathers, beach vendors, and surfers offering a really nice “holiday” vibe. The northern parts of the beach (Legian & Seminyak) is a lot quieter and this is where I spent a lot of time capturing the traditional outrigger fishing boats silhouetted against the sunset. The traditional Balinese fishing canoes silhouetted against the sunset offers photographers the perfect opportunity for landscape […]
Recently The Hub Presents hosted our Travel Massive group on a walkabout through Alexandra Township, commonly referred to as Alex. A stone’s throw away from the affluent suburb of Sandton, Alex’s tourism sector is fast increasing, offering township tours to many of our country’s international visitors. Having visited many townships before, Alex was one that I shied away from, having previously heard so many negative stories. Curious children watch us as we pass by So when the opportunity arose to visit, I jumped at the opportunity to challenge my own fearful boundaries. Just to be on the safe side, I left all my jewelry, my fancy cell phone, and my purse at home, and headed to the township. On arrival, I was greeted by our friendly tour guides – Sifiso and Semadi, who began telling us all about the history of the township. We were created by this lady with a beautiful smile. It still bogs my mind how they can carry such heavy things on their heads. Like many people, I was under the impression that Soweto was Johannesburg’s oldest township. I was surprised to learn that it was in fact this 104-year-old township and that Nelson Mandela first resided here when he came to Johannesburg. Residents cross over the nearly built bridge […]
A year ago I was commissioned for a wedding close to Port Elizabeth. I can’t help but feel excited when I get booked for an out-of-town shoot. This means that I have an opportunity to take a couple of days off work and explore new areas that I haven’t been to. In a conversation with my friend Jarrod Cross, he mentioned that I just had to make a turn past his favorite place while in the area – Addo Elephant National Park. This is South Africa’s third-largest national park which is internationally renowned as being the best place to view elephants in the wild. Starting out with only 11 of the remaining elephants in the region this park has grown tremendously, today housing 600 or so elephants. Elephants are not the only animal you can spot there. Addo is one of the only parks in the world to be classified as a “Big 7” reserve, conserving the elephants, lions, rhinos, leopards, buffalo as well the southern right whales and great white […]
For the last month, I have been in search of some really interesting and different date ideas for couples living in Joburg, South Africa. I came across the idea of a Fire Walk Friday concept through one of my Meetup groups – a network-based organization of like-minded people looking to partake in different activities and share their experiences and knowledge in their hometowns. That was the second time that week that I was exposed to the concept. A client of mine recently did a team-building outing with his staff, and every single person in the office ranted and raved about what an awesome experience it was. And how much they loved Cobus Visser‘s energy and how much fun he was. I was curious to learn more about the experience and why people would want to walk barefoot across burning coals. Was it something on people’s bucket lists? I decided to contact the guys from Fire Walking Africa to see if they would be interested in hosting Donovan(Those that don’t know, his my better half) on one of their Friday sessions. Romy responded to my email in a heartbeat and was excited that I had made contact. She didn’t share much information on the experience and said she would fill me in in the evening. I was one of the first to arrive at the Conscious Healing Centre in Fourways and was greeted by an Indian couple full of life; their energy was appealing warm and welcoming. I really liked them. The History of a Fire Walk The fire walk experience dates back to 1200 BC and was used to test people’s individual strength and courage, provide healing to those in need or in religion, to test one’s faith. Preparing the fire Outside, the team prepared the fire, and we were all welcomed by Cobus himself. Pictures here tell a story. The motivational briefing After everyone arrived, we were escorted into a hall that appeared to resemble a classroom of some sort. Little did I know that we would be receiving a motivational briefing by Cobus and Willem Gous who I met a few weeks prior at an event. Lights were turned off, and a music video began being projected onto a white wall. Justin Bieber’s “Never Say Never”.What? Why? Am I in the right place? I needed an understanding of what was happening in this place. And then I heard it. The words of the song. “See I never thought that I could walk through fire […]
Sommarøy, Norway We can all appreciate islands for what they are: white sandy beaches that stretch for km, crystal clear waters, and summer sunbathing opportunities. But visiting an island in winter is not something on many people’s bucket lists. I visited northern Norway earlier this year and wanted to have an experience that was different from your average tourist. I hope that through my unique experience, you will feel inspired to visit this winter island and find my 48-hour guide of things to do useful. Norway can work out hellishly expensive if traveling on the South African rand so instead of paying a ridiculous amount of money on tours to see the northern lights I opted to “chase” them myself. These natural light phenomena after all can be seen all around you provided you are in areas that are away from the city’s light pollution. Being a photographer I am a pro at sourcing great photo shoot locations, so I was confident in my scouting abilities, in addition to receiving tips from Norwegian locals. They assured me that these islands would offer the best sightings of the northern lights with the wide-open sky’s it has on offer. Effort spent on finding ways to save on costs is what led me to the Sommarøy Islands, to begin with. Advice before visiting The weather is ever-changing in the region and locals couldn’t place more emphasis on the importance of constantly monitoring weather forecasts for any changes. Especially when you are planning on road-tripping through the mountains. It’s not a natural habit for me coming from a country that has constant daily weather patterns, and the day that I forgot […]
Flamingo Beach, Aruba Ever wondered what it would be like to swim with Flamingos in the crystal clear blue waters of the Caribbean? Sounds like a postcard scene right? 24km off the coast of Venezuela you can experience the flamingo beach at the Renaissance Island in Aruba. This 40 acres secluded island is privately owned by the four-star Renaissance Aruba Resort and Casino. Guests of the resort have free access to the Island, which […]
I first became aware of the process of head shrinking (tsantsas) at the Ripley’s Believe it or Not a museum in NYC. Common amongst tribes in the upper Amazon region of Ecuador and Peru, these strange palm-sized human heads have undergone a unique shrinking process that can be traced back to 1100 BC. You may […]
The Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum is an absolute must when visiting New York City. Situated in the heart of Times Square this unique attraction opened its doors in 1939, and has been entertaining guests ever since with Robert Ripley’scollection of rare artifacts and thrilling interactive exhibits. The museum is open daily from 9 am – 1 pm, and tickets can be purchased both online and at the door. NYC can become a costly affair with all its cool attractions, so make sure you save a buck or two by purchasing your tickets online. Here is a sneak peek of some of the wonders you can find in there. But be warned make sure you set aside a good few hours to take it all in, as the facts below only just scratch the surface of the 500 unique and engaging exhibits. You have to SEE IT to BELIEVE IT. AFRICA>SARA DISK – WEARERS The women of the Sara Tribe in Chad, Africa, have their lips pierced when young, and as they grow older, they insert wooden plates in them to make them unattractive to raiders. Believe it or Not. ECUADOR & PERU> SHRUNKEN HEADS The practice of head shrinking has been documented in the northwestern region of the Amazon rainforest by the Jivaroantribes, specifically those found in Ecuador and Peru. Shrunken heads were specially prepared and used for trophies, rituals, or trade purposes. Each human head undergoes an in-depth shrinking process and once completed can fit into an average-sized hand. Believe it or not… This was by far the most interesting attraction to me, and still plays over in my mind today. This inspired me to write a separate blog post for this one. Read more here> www.kzaravisual.com CUBA> THE MAN WHOSE EYES CAN BE DISLOCATED Avelino Perez Maos of Baracoa, Cuba, could dislocate his eyes out of their sockets at will. TEXAS>THE WORLDS MOST UNUSUAL MAN Eric Sprague of Austin, Texas, has had his entire body tattooed with green scales! In addition, he has had surgical Teflonimplants put into his forehead, and he has had his tongue split in two, all part of his gradual transformation into the world’s only “Lizard Man.”. Starting in the late 1990’s Erik has spent over 700 hours having his body tattooed green based on a design of his own creation. When asked what he plans to do when he is 100% green, Erik says he is contemplating having a tail grafted onto his spine. WORLD TOILET DAY ……. takes place on November 19th each year! HEREDITARY TONGUES I bet you didn’t know this . . . . AMERICA> HALF-SIZED MAN LIVES TILL AGE 79. Born along with a perfectly normal twin brother in 1911, Johnny Eck’s torso ended where his hips should have been! Although doctors doubted he would survive past infancy, half-sized Johnny lived a full life, becoming an honor student, musician, composer, bandleader, movie actor, painter, race car driver, and performer, before passing away at the age of 79. ZIMBABWE > THE PHANTOM OF THE SAVANNA Called Twiga Mweupe or the “Phantom of the Savanna” by a local tribesman, this rare Albino giraffe was taken from theGonarezhou National Park in Zimbabwe Africa in 2004. Measuring nearly 17″ tall it was only the third recorded albino giraffe in history and the first since 1969. ILLINOS> STAND IN WADLOW’S SHOES Also known as the Alton Giant and the Giant of Illinois, Robert was an American who became famous as the tallest person ever recorded in history. Robert reached 2.72m in height and weighed 199kg at his death at age 22. His great size and his continued growth in adulthood were due to hyperplasia of his pituitary gland, which results in an abnormally high level of human growth hormone. He showed no indication of an end to this growth even at the time of his death. Robert became a celebrity after his 1936 U.S. tour with the Ringling Brothers Circus. In 1938, he did a promotional tour […]
Lying on the beach watching this wondering woman. I can’t help but be intrigued by the fact that she seems completely comfortable in her own skin. Lonely, but comfortable. I guess all of us are wondering souls in search of our own adventure. An adventure out of our norm, where we challenge and push our own boundaries, in turn creating excitement and uncertainty for what’s to come. My best experiences while traveling the world are those where I don’t plan, I swim out to sea not thinking about the consequences or the fear of being eaten alive by the unknown. Without fail these are the best moments of my life -memorable experiences come the moment u are not living with fear. Fear of getting hurt, fear of failing, fear of getting lost, fear of loving: FEAR. A demon that enters u, and robs you of all the simple and pleasurable things that life has to offer u. Through these experiences, I have learned u only fear the unknown. If u have been lost before and found your way, I don’t fear being lost again. If you have fallen down and grazed your knee, u don’t fear grazing them again. At least I don’t. But some people do, and those are the ones I find myself dating. Guys who have been battered and bruised and closed off from fear of further pain. I have always been a nurturer, and a caregiver, possibility because I can acknowledge a person deep seeded pain and potential for growth for I have seen both in me. Perhaps I get lost in fixing people as I have fixed myself, and tend to get stuck in the wrong relationships and in love with potential. Perhaps my purpose in these is to challenge mindsets, lead by example, and develop individual potential. Or perhaps they happen for me to acknowledge that through these experiences I lose sight of my own potential, my own standards, my own direction, and my wants for my future. In the past, I settled; hoping that one day the person can reach their own potential as I see in them. Truth is it will never happen. It’s an individual journey, that only that person can ride if they are willing to. If they can swim out to sea and not fear the unknown. To find themselves in those moments of complete solitude. For me; finding peace in this is a challenge, and accepting that someone else’s brokenness can result in your brokenness. After many failed relationships of not understanding this, this is what I had become – broken. Fear-driven- battered and bruised, closed off by the fear of future pain. But like all great travelers it’s sort of lived and instead of staying in your pool, u swim out back into the ocean all alone and welcome all the new adventures. Was the wondering woman wondering because she was alone, or was it her moment to reflect and redirect before taking her next leap? Probably the latter. Fifa Photoshoot – Rob Sheppard Kzara Visual, Photo Stories, Photography EVENT – Stutiaga Kzara Visual, Photo Stories, Photography Open Mic Kzara Visual, […]
Prior to the most exciting trip of my lifetime, the South African rand dropped drastically, and my life’s savings went from abundance to not much at all. Daunted by one of the world’s most expensive countries – I frantically searched the net for alternatives for all my travel arrangements. Luckily for me, a week prior I had not booked a thing, despite my month’s worth of planning that had gone into this trip. Tour Prices were hellishly expensive and on average R2500 – R5000 per day to get in a decent amount of activities. I did not have this kind of money on hand. I gave up quickly looking for alternatives when the net (for the first) served me little purpose. Information for all these remote locations I planned to visit wasn’t readily available and bus routes to these locations were closed off during these extreme winter months. I realized at that moment how untouched this spectacular place was, and I felt both nervous and excited to explore it. So, I decided to wing it and crossed the seas with this mindset – “If you don’t know where you going – any road will get you there”. 46 countries of Sola traveling down, this should be a piece of cake. Fifa Photoshoot – Rob Sheppard Kzara Visual, Photo Stories, Photography EVENT – Stutiaga Kzara Visual, Photo Stories, Photography Open Mic Kzara Visual, Photo Stories, Photography Madikwe Game Reserve Africa, Kzara Visual, Photo Stories, Photography