Footprints Custom Travel

Kitty cat on a morning safari in Willpattu...

Beautiful sunset views from Tea Trails...

Travelling by train to Hatton, in Sri Lanka’s tea country...

Sidewalk backpack repair in Kandy....a study in concentration...

My new friend Sucharta, filled with light, joy and happiness on top of Sigiriya

Amazing Sigiriya in the ‘cultural triangle’ of Sri Lanka...

India court legalises gay s*x in landmark ruling

In a historic decision, India's Supreme Court has ruled that gay s*x is no longer a criminal offence.
The ruling overturns a 2013 judgement that upheld a colonial-era law, known as section 377, under which gay s*x is categorised as an "unnatural offence".
The court has now ruled discrimination on the basis of s*xual orientation is a fundamental violation of rights.
Campaigners outside the court cheered and some broke down in tears as the ruling was handed down.

For more details see….

Historic India ruling legalises gay s*x The ruling is a victory for many who have fought to end discrimination against same-s*x couples.

A fascinating use of technology and maps…

This new website wonderfully combines technology and mapping to demonstrate what is happening in our world in a variety of contexts, including environmental changes taking place on land and in the sea, demographic changes and refugee movements over the past 20 years, and more...

Check it out at https://earthtime.org ….. Or for a summary of the technology, see the following report on the BBC…. Maps reveal hidden truths of the world's cities

EarthTime

Mount Merapi volcano eruption

Early this morning (Friday, 11 May 2018), there was been a phreatic eruption (i.e. steam/ash only, not lava) of Mount Merapi in central Java, about 25km north of Yogyakarta, and about 42km east of Borobudur.

There were no other eruptions or any seismic activity. Ash rain can be expected in some areas, and a safe radius is considered to be 2km from the peak.

The airport in Yogyakarta was briefly closed because of ash, but is already open again. Tours to the Merapi area are temporarily halted, however the main tourism sites such as Borobudur Temple, Prambanan Temple and Yogyakarta city are all open and operating as normal.

Google's 3D scans aim to preserve historical sites...

High resolution 3D scans of more than 25 historical sites from around the world are being released.

CyArk used cutting edge digital archaeology techniques including laser scanning and drones to capture the images which have been released by the Google Arts and Culture project. The project coincides with World Heritage Day on Wednesday 18 April 2018.

check it out at:

3D scans help preserve historical sites High resolution 3D scans of more than 25 historical sites from around the world are being released.

Gaggan in Bangkok is #1...again...

Dubbed the "Oscars of the Asian gastronomic world," the Asia's 50 Best Restaurants awards brings together the best restaurants and chefs across the largest continent on the planet. As the sixth edition of the contest kicked off on Tuesday, the question on everyone's lips was, "will there be a new winner?"

Read more at:

Asia's 50 best restaurants in 2018 Dubbed the "Oscars of the Asian gastronomic world," the Asia's 50 Best Restaurants awards brings together the best restaurants and chefs across the largest continent on the planet.

Happy Holi 2018!