6.0 Prologue

With the arrival of low cost carrier in the region many can afford to fly now. And fly we did, to explore the many fascinating places around our region. In this part of Asia, there’s lot of interesting places that are rich in history, culture and natural wonders. We traveled to these places with our backpack and camera to experience the culture and capture the beauty of those places. And then we compile, sort, select and publish them in the issues of Vignettes.

Even before Vignettes started publishing; we grew the ambition to backpack around Asia and beyond on a photography world tour. Although the words “world tour” is kind of a misnomer since we rarely travel out of this region on assignment, but it does express our desire to pack up and go photograph the world!

In Oct 2006, Alex and I traveled to Bali on a 10 days assignment and the result of the trip is published as the cover story in this issue. Bali is more than a leisure destination. Beside sunbathing and surfing on the wave of Kuta’ beaches, there are many aspect of the Balinese culture that worth delving into such as the various Balinese dances and performances. We’ve include a photo essay on the famous Balinese’s Kecak Dance in this issue. So sit back at soak in the magic from the magical island.

Your Balinese sun-tanned editor for Vignettes,
SaltSugarPepper

Chen Wai Hing