HOLY DAYS

holiday
ˈhɒlɪdeɪ/
noun

1. an extended period of leisure and recreation, especially one spent away from home or in travelling.

Most of the holidays I have been on, whether it's in Europe, South America or Asia involve monuments, many of which are meant to have some form of religious and historical resemblance. Temples, Mosques or Mausoleums, Churches, Chapels or Cathedrals, these were built and in most cases remain as places to seek refuge, practice religion and faith, or just appreciate. 

I have tried to pick a few of the most memorable 'holy' places I have been to, using my Instagram photos.

1. angkor wat 
siem reap, cambodia

ASIA

This is the largest and most impressive temple I have been to, despite having to wake up at 3am for it. We dressed up in conservative clothes, covering our legs and arms and hopped on a mini bus to get to Angkor Wat (temple). The sunrise and the reflection of the whole temple on the still waters, were totally worth it. 

For some reason, I attract sales people. Even if they're kids. They (especially one little boy) were trying to sell me everything from magnets, bracelets, those elephant-print trousers (you know the ones I am talking about), postcards... upon dismissal, I was even called a 'bad person'. Ouch.

Anyway, once we escaped the little pests, the day got hotter and in over thirty degrees heat, we walked up way too many steps.
The tour guide rambled on for ages, like they always do, but we learnt how this Hindu temple in Cambodia, with all the carvings of 'God-Kings' and 'Apsaras' (beautiful Goddesses), was built by over 300,000 labourers and 6000 elephants, using 'holy' sandstone from the Phnom Kulen mountain, transported by rafts over the river*. And we thought our jobs were tough... 
No wonder it took forty years to build. 

*Source: Lonely Planet

5am in #angkorwat #sunrise #cambodia #nofilter #gadv #SRtravels✈️

A post shared by San R. (@superdupersan) on Jun 29, 2015 at 10:18am PDT

2. wat rong khun (the white temple)
​chiang rai, thailand

ASIA

I did no research on this temple beforehand, so I was absolutely amazed by it when we entered the gates. Wat Rong Khun was clearly a new-ish temple, with its modern vibes, created by a local Thai artist in 1996. 

I could see the intentionally dramatised contrast between 'heaven' and 'hell', carvings of skulls and hands in the 'bad' area and the dragons in the 'good' area. The colour white signifies the purity of the Buddha. 

The temple hasn't had much luck itself, surviving one earthquake and a lack of funding. It's still slowly, but surely, being rebuilt and expanded. 
Once you're near the temple, it's worth paying the local Akha hill tribe a visit (they have pretty long necks!) as well as the Elephant Nature Park in Chiang Mai. ​

My favourite temple in the whole of South East Asia! #thailand #chiangrai #temple #heaven #amzthld #SRtravels✈️

A post shared by San R. (@superdupersan) on Jul 27, 2015 at 11:34am PDT

3. SAGRADA FAMILIA
​barcelona. spain

EUROPE

...it's still not complete (expected to in 2028). 

Before my first visit to Spain, anyone who has been to Barcelona wouldn't stop talking about [Antoni] Gaudí, the architect. One of his largest projects, Sagrada Familia was commenced in 1880s. This Basilica, also known as the 'Church of the Holy Family' is the largest Roman Catholic church in the world. 

They have their own blog here, which gives you real time updates on the construction, history and more. Personally, I thought the outside is much more impressive than the inside (in case you want to save the not-so-cheap entrance fee). 

Gaudi's creations #sagradafamilia #gaudi #antonigaudi #1882 completion date 2026 #SRtravels✈️

A post shared by San R. (@superdupersan) on Nov 8, 2015 at 6:41am PST

4. st paul's cathedral
london, england

EUROPE

I work 2 minutes away from this beautiful cathedral, and I consider myself lucky to be doing so. When I (accidentally) get to work a bit early, I usually take the longer route via St Paul's Cathedral just to 'say hi'. The city of London has made no mistake of hiding it's beauty either. No matter which angle you look at it from, it's perfect. ​It's dome gives the cityscape a bit more charm, sat amongst all the office blocks and skyscrapers. 

You can look at St Paul's from the terrace of One New Change (for free) or just off Paternoster Square, or from Millenium Bridge, or even from Bankside in lovely restaurants like the OXO Tower or the Tate Modern.

The cathedral itself goes back to the 17th century and was one of the biggest rebuilding projects after the Great Fire of London in 1666 and to add to that, it has a 'whispering gallery' inside. Pretty awesome. 

Views of #Stpauls #cathedral #London

A post shared by San R. (@superdupersan) on Aug 6, 2015 at 4:22pm PDT

5. holy trinity orthodox church
riga, latvia

EUROPE

This Russian-style church built in 1893, a replacement of an older version from the 1400s, was a pleasant surprise in the middle of February, when it was freezing cold and raining on and off... We had been walking for a while, from old to new parts of Riga, across the bridges and river, when we saw the blue domes from a distance and decided to track it down. 

We didn't go inside, but the outside was nice enough.

Lovely Orthodox Church #riga #latvia #srtravels✈️

A post shared by San R. (@superdupersan) on Feb 23, 2017 at 8:39am PST

6. wat arun (TEMPLE OF DAWN)
bangkok, thailand

ASIA

We took an UBER ride from central Bangkok to get to Wat Arun, but it's not too far from Khao San Road (backpackers' hangout in Bangkok) and the Grand Palace. Wat Arun is another serene, intricately detailed Buddhist temple that shows it's symmetry all around it. It's a shame that we aren't allowed to climb the steps to the top, as I can imagine that the view would have been pretty awesome of the river and that side of Bangkok. 

We took a ferry across the Chao Phraya River, which cost us less than USD 5 and the entrance was equally cheap (compared to the Grand Palace which is around USD 25). Wat Arun is also known as the Temple of Dawn as the first light of the morning reflects off its white surface. This was certainly a less busy temple, compared to Wat Pho (the temple of the reclining Buddha).

⛩ #watarun #temple #thaitemple #wataruntemple #bangkok #thailand #architecturephotography #buddhisttemple #srtravels✈️ #asia #southeastasia #culture #□□

A post shared by San R. (@superdupersan) on Jan 2, 2018 at 3:10am PST

7. st peter's basilica
vatican city, italy

EUROPE

We were hoping to bump into the Pope here... he must have been busy. 

You need almost half a day (at least) to see the Vatican City, the smallest 'country' in the world. It was wise of us (me) to book the entrance tickets for the Vatican Museum online, as we managed to skip the queues. The conservative dress code applies, and I was given a (very unattractive) disposable poncho to cover my shoulders. 

The inside and outside of the basilica were stunning and the museum was the most impressive I have seen. The only problem was the number of tourists in July... it felt like I was back into my morning commute in London. Apart from that, a must for all bucket lists.

#□ #tbt #2014 #vatican #vaticancity #italy #□□ #srtravels✈️ #travel #travelphotography #travelblogger #travelgram #bnw #photography

A post shared by San R. (@superdupersan) on Feb 17, 2018 at 3:46pm PST

8. spanish synagogue
prague, czech republic

EUROPE

My friend guilt-tripped me into going into this synagogue. I didn't really want to as I was running out of cash, but I am glad I did in the end. For around EUR 20 you can go to a number of museums and synagogues, most of which gave a lot of insight into Jewish history in the country. 

I was mostly impressed by the unusual decor inside the dark-coloured monument. This was my first visit to a religious monument of its kind and the pin drop silence inside made it even more of an experience. 

Perfect detail in the Spanish synagogue #2017 #jewishhistory #synagogue #prague #czechrepublic #srtravels✈️ #travel #spanish

A post shared by San R. (@superdupersan) on Feb 10, 2018 at 11:49am PST

9. catacumbas (church of san fransisco)
lima, peru

AMERICAS

Looking at this Catholic church (San Francisco) in Miraflores, you wouldn't think that there were around 75,000 bodies buried under it, would you? 

From the outside, the church is pale yellow with local sales people trying to sell you paintings. The inside of the church is like a fairly standard, nice church, but visiting the Catacumbas (Catacombs) gave me the chills. It was quite unusual to see all the bones and skulls of humans organised neatly in sections of the types of bones.

​That must have been a fun job for some lucky people. 

#Cathedral above #catacumbas with 2500 bodies buried centuries ago #lima #peru #SRtravels✈️

A post shared by San R. (@superdupersan) on Sep 29, 2016 at 9:30pm PDT

10. Ulugh Beg Madrasah, registan
​samarkand, uzbekistan

ASIA

One of the three Madrasah's in Registan of Samarkand, made me happy for three reasons: 
a) it kept me cool from the ridiculous heat outside
b) the insides were decorated with detailed gold-plated designs
​c) the outsides were decorated with numerous little ceramic tiles (mostly blue and white)

In a country that was ruled by Persians, Greeks, Turks, Mongols, Chinese and Russians, the old city of Samarkand is still famous mainly because of Registan, previously occupied by bustling markets and caravanserai (roadside inns). King Timur's presence was felt in every building we entered and the pride the locals take in the history and heritage of the sites, makes visitors respect them even more. 

Stunning gold leaf paper mache in the insides of the mausoleums of Samarkand #mausoleum #Uzbekistan #samarkand #centralasiatour2017 #centralasia2017tour #srtravels✈️ #registan #centralasia #goldendoodle

A post shared by San R. (@superdupersan) on Aug 2, 2017 at 9:37pm PDT

11. batu caves
GOMBAK, malaysia

ASIA

This was quite a drive from Kuala Lumpur, especially with a driver who insisted on taking us to random shops on the way (for commission), but when you get there, the size of the Hindu idol marking the Batu Caves is unbelievable. 

I did find both the driver and the people at the entrance of the temple quite irritating as they tried to force us to see the fish pond (or something like that) at the bottom of the temple and almost made us buy a ticket for a good USD 10, or so. Why they thought I would see a fish pond instead of what was up there in the caves, is beyond me.
Basically, ignore these people and just walk up the 272 steps... for free! 

The monkeys will greet you on the way up, especially if you have visible food. I started with: "Ahh how cute!!" to "Get out of my way!" about half way up the steps. The caves are quite interesting, but the temples inside were a bit of a disappointment. Nothing special. However, the view from the top and the large sculpture, as well as the whole concept, was very special. 

272 steps up to the caves and the tiny temples (once you get past all the monkeys) #batucaves #2012 #tbt #malaysia #travel #travelogger #asia #templeinacave #caves #temple #srtravels✈️

A post shared by San R. (@superdupersan) on Feb 22, 2018 at 5:22pm PST