SUNSHINE PHOTOGRAPHY AND VIDEO

Winter Wanderings

Wed, 18 Mar 2009 04:55:00 +0000

As most of my close friends know I like my home comforts - nice clean bathroom and fresh, crisp bed linen, so when I mentioned I was thinking of travelling, some of my friends actually laughed!! But I love new experiences and new challenges, so not going was never an option.

First stop India - Incredible India!!! Landed in Delhi but 1 night was enough in the massively overpopulated and over polluted city so headed to the colourful, romantic and wonderful state of Rajasthan.

My first taste of this amazing place was from a rickshaw whilst constantly dodging the frantic traffic of camels, motorbikes, horses, cars, cows and even the odd elephant!!!! I spent my birthday on the back of an elephant, on a ride up to the magnificent, skyscraping Amber Fort, one of many stunning forts in this area.

Henna is an ancient Indian tradition so of course I had to get it done. The young girl who did it was an excellent artist, and so fast and precise. As the story goes, the darker the ink reacts with your skin, the more loved you are by your husband. Well, I don't have a husband, but it was very dark so I guess someone loves me :-)

Christmas day was spent playing with wild Langur monkeys and New Years eve spent partying with my new friends. I'm extremely lucky to have started 2009 in such a fantastic place, surrounded by people I love.

Moving on from India was extremely difficult. The people, the places, the food - everything has just been perfect, but Burma beckoned...............

So, Burma......... For a country so downtrodden by it's government the people are so wonderfully friendly. Don't quite know how I managed it but for the 1st week I stayed in a 5 star executive suite - for free!!! It was heaven - I finally had my clean bathroom and crisp, fresh bed linen!!! I eventually had to tear myself away, with great difficulty, and start exploring the rest of the country. And what a beautiful country.

There were so many highlights to this part of my trip. Talking to a monk for 3 hours about his life in the monastery was definately one. It was very fascinating to learn about his beliefs and way of living.

Without a doubt though, my best moment, was the hot air balloon ride over Bagan. The view of the land, dotted with thousands of stupas was simply breathtaking. Our very English captain, Crispin, has flown balloons all over the world yet he says this is the best place he's been.

After 4 weeks in Burma, Bangkok was the next stop. Just a week here to relax a bit and recharge the batteries. It was busy, fun and vibrant. Totally different from where we'd just been. Spurred on by a little bit of alcohol I was brave enough to try some of the local delicacies. Ants, crickets, grubs and even a cockroach!!! As you'd expect it was crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside.

I visited a Tiger Sanctuary whilst in Thailand. It was quite a sad place as the tigers were chained up so you could touch them. But the aim of the sanctuary is to look after tigers, expand their breeding program and stop them becoming extinct, so it's not all bad.

Philippines wasn't in the original travel plan, but after a week in Bangkok I found myself on a flight to Manila. So happy that the plans changed and we ended up here.

First, we headed up North to see the 2000 year old rice terraces, rightly dubbed "the eighth wonder of the world". Then it was a little bit of island hopping on some very dodgy looking boats, eventually landing in Donsol where I spent the most amazing day of my life.

I swam with a 30 foot whale shark. Wow, wow, wow. The feeling of being that close to something so huge and so powerful is truly indescribable. The only thing I can say is if you ever get the chance to do it, do it.

The next day I went to Legaspi and saw the world's most perfect volcano, with smoke still spewing from it's top. ANOTHER breathtaking sight. So many times on this trip have I been wowed by the natural beauty in front of me.

I'm now on a paradise island with white sands, clear blue waters and coconut trees everywhere you turn. It really is heaven. So I'm writing this with a rum and coke in my hand, trying to come to terms with the fact that in 4 days time I'll be on a plane bound for Heathrow :-(.

I'll be very sad to leave but excited to see all my friends and family. Especially the new addition, baby Reece, who was born while I've been away. And believe it or not I'm ready now to get back to Cyprus and get back to work.

Jill x

Marriage License for Cyprus

Tue, 17 Mar 2009 22:35:00 +0000

What you need to do if you are going to get married in Cyprus. Here is a quick note about what is

needed when applying for a marriage license in Cyprus. In future posts we will discuss and take you through a typical wedding day in Cyprus.

Some of the basic rules and requirements are as follows;

Under the provisions of the Marriage Law Cap. 279 you must apply personally to the marriage officer at a Town Hall

For either - a date for the marriage to take place after the lapse of 15 days from the date of the application of notice or until the expiration of three months from the date of the notice. However in urgent or time sensitive applications, a special license for implementation after 3 days can be arranged.

Things you must have with you;

Your documents, legal identification or travel documents (i.e. passports). You must also be in possession of evidence that you are free to marry, such as confirmation from the competent authority of your country (i.e. the Ministry of Foreign Affairs). Have this information before you travel to Cyprus.

All documents regarding legal divorce certificates in cases of divorces, certificates of widowhood, etc., must be dully certified by a competent authority of their country (i.e. the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or an attorney, solicitor, notary, etc.) as a true and valid document at the period of the application for civil marriage in Cyprus.

So remember to have the following;

Certificate of No impediment of Marriage (each country has a different department that can provide this certificate)

Birth Certificates
Passports
Decree Absolute, (if you are divorced)
Death Certificate, in the case of widows or widowers.

India and Beyond

Mon, 09 Mar 2009 13:59:00 +0000

WInter Travels

Been a busy winter, set off for India (8th time), and then it was to Burma, Thailand and finally to the soft sandy islands of the Philippines. Got some great images of some of the locals of each area. And finally got to do a life long dream, swim with a whale shark! Being a free diver, it was a real treat to be able to be totally natural with such magnificent creatures. Was even happy not to have my camera, gave me a chance to enjoy it without trying to get the "shot". However next year may be a different story all together.

Some more shots;

For more of these images you can go to SIMONHACK.com

Simon - In the Philippines

Silver Star Mountain

Mon, 09 Mar 2009 13:22:00 +0000

For me it has been a very cold and white winter. Having spent the Christmas holidays in Canada this year, I got a chance to get up to the ski hill a few times. It was a bit of hazard however since it has been, about a decade since I last strapped on the sticks. Of course me being me, I thought I could also master the snowboard. Man, those things are tricky and those young tykes make it look so damn easy! A few falls and no helmet sure knocked some sense into me however and the next time I went up I stuck to the traditional skis. Leaving my snowboard envy to merely taking photos.

Adion - Canada