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Times
5 days ago
- Times
12 of the world's best bioluminescent beaches
Bioluminescence might have a tidy scientific explanation — think trillions of light-emitting plankton reacting to movement — but no biology lesson can prepare you for the real-life spectacle of the 'underwater northern lights'. Wade into Mosquito Bay on Puerto Rico's Vieques island and watch in wonder as your fingers leave ethereal, glowing blue trails in their wake. Paddle Vietnam's Ha Long Bay at midnight to witness the Gulf of Tonkin perform a glittering dance as your kayak slices through the stillness. In Japan's Toyama Bay, it's firefly squid that steal the show, rising from deep canyons each spring to transform fishing boats into floating electric-blue constellations. Even the Jersey Shore — just an hour south of New York City — has its moment: in summer, Manasquan Beach glows blue by night, red by day. Yes, a new moon, dark skies and minimal light pollution help, but anyone who's experienced this phenomenon will surely harbour a suspicion that magic also plays its part. From Tasmania to Thailand, these are the world's best bioluminescent beaches. This article contains affiliate links that will earn us revenue Sprinkled across the East China Sea, this group of islands is named after a statue of Mazu, the Taoism goddess of the sea, on the main island of Nangan. Each year, their rocky shorelines begin to glow from May, and there's a chance to spot the phenomenon until September. Travellers can witness the spectacle, romantically referred to as 'blue tears' by locals, around a few of the islands. There are no guarantees of seeing the blue tears in the wild but Nangan is home to the Matsu Blue Tears Ecological Museum, where algae is cultivated and you can see the phenomenon in a lab-like environment. Accommodation in the Matsu islands tends to be quite basic, but home stays can offer a good way to experience the off the beaten track destination. Try Matsu Seaside View Homestay on Nangan, which is close to one of the beaches where blue tears appear. Set your compass for magic on the tropical paradise that is Havelock Island. Officially known as Swaraj Dweep, and one of the largest of India's Andaman Islands, it's accessible via a short hop by ferry or seaplane from capital Port Blair. While days are best spent exploring the island's wildlife-rich rainforests, after dark, it's the mangrove forests that dazzle — particularly around the new moon phase from November to January, when weather and water conditions are optimal for a bioluminescent extravaganza. Join a night kayaking tour from Havelock Jetty to explore the mangrove-lined waters in which plankton thrive, witnessing the glowing waters — and some of the island's best beaches, including Elephant, Radhanagar, Beach No. 5 and Kalapathar — up close. For luxury with exceptional service, book a stay at the Taj Exotica Resort & Spa, Andamans. The balmy summer and autumn months are your best bet for catching a bioluminescent display on the enchanting Caribbean 'Spice Isle' of Grenada, where — when conditions are right — coastlines literally light up with life. Luminous nightly shows come courtesy of the marine algae noctiluca scintillans, which glows an atypical bold amber-orange — a reaction to organic matter in the tides. Locals often liken the drifting spots to embers dancing across the waves, with the spectacle having been seen in recent years from beaches including La Sagesse and Grand Anse. Spice Island Beach Resort is one of Grenada's best hotels and has a prime location right on Grand Anse beach. Hidden on the southern coast of Vieques, off the east coast of mainland Puerto Rico, this narrow inlet widens into a dolphin-shaped bay of mangroves that protects the brightest occurrence of bioluminescence in the world according to Guinness World Records. Mosquito Bay is thick with diamond-bright dinoflagellates that shimmer come nightfall. To protect the delicate ecosystem, no swimming is allowed. You can arrange a boat tour, but we recommend booking a glass-bottom kayak tour for an otherworldly immersion. The nearest town to Mosquito Bay is Esperanza, where Puertas at El Quenepo offers a characterful stay on the seafront. Nicknamed the 'Sea of Stars' island, Vaadhoo sits in Raa Atoll in the Maldives and is home to fewer than 500 people. Visit during the dry season, between December and March, to improve your chances of a sighting. Come nightfall, head to the uninhabited northern tip of the islet to stroll barefoot amid the stars and trace messages in shining letters in the sand. Experience the bioluminescence during a stay at Vaadhoo View Inn, a homestay close to the Sea of Stars beach. • Best all-inclusive hotels in the Maldives• Best family hotels in the Maldives The months of March to May mark hotaru-ika (firefly squid) season in Toyama Bay. Situated on the west coast of Japan, a couple of hundred miles northwest of Tokyo, this deep v-shaped canyon fills with mass gatherings of the three-inch-long squid. During the day, these cephalopods live at great depths, but each evening they ascend to the surface to mate and the photophores at the end of their tentacles light up. Sightseeing boats depart at 3am from the fishing port of Namerikawa for a two-hour tour to the spawning grounds where you can watch fishers (the squid are a delicacy) haul up an illuminated catch that turns their boats into turquoise beacons. The 13-day Cycle Japan tour from Explore! includes an overnight stay in Toyama Bay with a chance to sample the local seafood — keep your fingers crossed to see those firefly squid while you're there. • Best hotels in Tokyo• Unmissable Japan adventures This unassuming tree-fringed shallow-water beach on the Whangaparaoa Peninsula, 26 miles north of Auckland on New Zealand's North Island, is usually frequented by families visiting for a safe paddle. Matakatia is a quiet suburb punctuated with pockets of nature reserve and home to just over 2,000 people — and when the tides are right, 'blue gold' can be seen. Locals report algae blooms are strongest when heavy rain is followed by a hot evening, with peaks occurring two hours either side of high tide. Tindalls beach, just a little further north, is also a good spot. Consider visiting this remote spot on a self-drive holiday. Travelbag has several options including a 21-day Ultimate New Zealand Campervan Adventure. • Best New Zealand itineraries Warming seas brought bioluminescence to Tasmania in the early 1990s. For the best sea sparkle make a beeline for Coles Bay — incidentally, the first town in the world to ban plastic shopping bags — which sits inside Freycinet National Park, a three-hour drive from Hobart. Its knuckles of greened granite mountains punch into azure bays and the lack of light pollution makes phytoplankton easy to spot. Start your search at Honeymoon Bay or the oh-so-photogenic perfect smile of white sand at Wineglass Bay. The seven-day Tasting Tasmania & Flinders Island tour from AAT Kings is a small-group adventure that includes a two-night stay in Coles Bay. • Best Australian experiences Known for its limestone pinnacles jutting from the emerald Gulf of Tonkin, Unesco-listed Ha Long Bay in northeast Vietnam is a popular tourist destination and a bit of a gamble due to a rise in sediment. You'll need to book a reputable overnight boat tour, as they know the safe paddling spots. Most tours include squid fishing and shine lights on the water. You'll usually need to wait until midnight for these to be switched off. Then you can swim and swish your arms to see bioluminescent algae sparkle. The 14-day Vietnam & the Reunification Express tour from Wendy Wu includes a two nights cruising in Halong Bay, and will take you from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City as part of the itinerary. • Best hotels in Vietnam Selected as a filming location for Survivor, this tropical island, a 40-minute ferry ride from Sihanoukville on the Cambodian mainland has developed only 15 per cent of its land, so there's very little light pollution if you avoid the main tourist area of Koh Touch. On moonless evenings, head around the corner to the sugar-sand Long Set Beach for a sparkly swim, or book one of the boat tours advertised on the beach. The 14-day Ultimate Cambodian Adventure from G Adventures visits Phnom Penh, Battambang, Siem Reap, Kratié, Kampong Cham, Kampot, Kep, as well as Koh Rong. Unbelievably, just an hour south of New York City, this strip of sand, which is one of the most popular Jersey Shore beaches, experiences algal blooms between July and September. During the day, the dinoflagellates mass together until the water turns red and creates a red tide, but at night they appear as electric blue waves. If you turn up at sunset, you'll be able to experience both. A 20-minute drive north, Asbury Ocean Club Hotel is one of the nicest places to stay on this stretch of coast. • Best value hotels in New York On the east coast of Bali, an hour from the capital of Denpasar, Padangbai is the main departure point for ferries to the neighbouring island of Lombok and one of the island's busiest ports. It's the last place you'd expect to see bioluminescence. But join a night dive and they'll take you beneath the waves and encourage you to turn off your torch and kick your fins to discover an Avatar-esque world of blue. The beachfront OK Divers Resort & Spa is the perfect base — it's Padi-certified and suitable for new and experienced divers. • Best hotels in Bali Additional reporting by Julie Alpine and Qin Xie
Malay Mail
17-07-2025
- General
- Malay Mail
Penang celebrates Guan Gong's birthday with prayers and offerings for his role as protector and god of wealth
GEORGE TOWN, July 18 — The celebration marking Guan Gong's 1,865th birthday, which falls on the 24th day of the sixth lunar month, began earlier this week at various temples and clan associations. Over at the 215-year-old Thai Pak Koong (Ng Suk) Temple in King Street, special offerings and prayers will be held to honour the God of War today which is the 24th day of the sixth lunar month. The worship of Guan Gong is common among the ethnic Chinese community of both Taoism and Buddhism faiths because of what he represented – unwavering loyalty, righteousness, and moral integrity. Once a real-life general during China's Three Kingdoms period, Guan Yu's transformation into a deity reflects a cultural reverence that has endured for nearly two millennia. During the Three Kingdoms period, Guan Yu's pact with Liu Bei and Zhang Fei as sworn brothers to revive the Han Dynasty symbolised his loyalty in looking out for his friends in times of hardship. As a general, he was known for his bravery, moral integrity, and righteousness. After his death, he was officially bestowed titles of Guan Laoye (Grandpa Guan), Guan Gong (Duke Guan) and Guan Di (Emperor Guan). Guan Yu was deified in the official Taoist canon by Emperor Huizong of Song Dynasty (960-1279) and it was during the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) that he was given the title of 'heavenly emperor'. Though he was deified in Taoism, he is highly revered by those practicing Chinese folk religion, Confucianism and Buddhism. To the Buddhists, he is the Sangharama Bodhisattva. It was his sense of righteousness and loyalty that led to Chinese migrants on foreign lands installing him as a kind of patron saint or protector god. This is evident when one walks into any of the clan associations, provincial guilds, workers' associations or many Chinese businesses in Penang, where the imposing red-faced statue of Guan Gong holding his sword stands at the main altar of worship. Guan Gong at the Thai Pak Koong (Ng Suk) Temple in King Street. — Picture by Opalyn Mok Interestingly, he was also widely worshipped by Chinese triads as he represented brotherhood and loyalty. In some places, there are statues of Guan Gong sitting and holding a book or a scroll to reflect his intelligence. Therefore, he was also worshipped as a god of literature, and since he was also worshipped by merchants, he become one of the gods of wealth. Over at the Sun Wui Wui Koon in Penang, the statue of Guan Gong, without his signature red face, is one of him sitting down holding a book and flanked by his son, Guan Ping, and his personal aide, Zhou Chang. Meanwhile, the Guan Gong statue at Thai Pak Koong (Ng Suk) Temple is of him in his signature red face with his sword. Regardless of the pose of his statue, devotees often pray to Guan Gong to seek blessings for their health, safety and success in career and academic achievements. As devotees pay homage to Guan Gong today, the deity remains a timeless symbol of loyalty, righteousness and protection that will continue to guide the generations to come.
India.com
17-07-2025
- General
- India.com
Immediate Need? How to Arrange Funeral Services Singapore Quickly
At a time of sudden loss, families are typically unprepared to make fast but sensitive decisions. The emotional burden of mourning, along with the practicalities of arranging a funeral, can seem like a lot. This is exactly where trustworthy Funeral Services Singapore comes into play – helping with advice, consolation and quick arrangements, when time is running out. In Singapore, the multicultural and multi-religious society means that funeral arrangements have to be adjusted to suit diverse customs and traditions. Whatever method is used, the funeral planning should be as respectful and timely as possible in order to properly honor the deceased and provide comfort to a bereaved family. This article takes you through the key aspects of doing a funeral in secret in Singapore where you can also find great service providers whose service you can utilise in your time of need. Understanding the Urgency of Funeral Planning Sudden death, particularly when it happens at home or outside the hospital, demands the immediate help of an expert practitioner. In Singapore, the process of the law and the procedures after one's death are well laid out but have to be done properly and speedily. These include getting a Certificate of Cause of Death, letting the relevant authorities know and getting a funeral director in place to start the required preparations. The pressure to plan is not giving parents much direction, and they are confused and terrified. Here's where experienced Funeral Services Singapore professionals come into the picture – a systematic and supportive approach to eliminate guesswork and slashes time lags. A reliable funeral firm will take care of legal issues, religious ceremonies and all the intricacies so that things are handled in a most orderly manner that reflects proper respect and honour to the departed. First Steps: What to Do Immediately After a Death Grief, desperate earnestness, delirium, fear: The first few hours when a loved one has died can be flooded with confusion. But knowing what to do can help make a little sense of the chaos. At time of death in a hospital, the attending medical staff is generally responsible for a death certification and death certificate. If the death takes place at home, a doctor must be summoned to certify the cause. As soon as you have the certificate in your hands, prompt families should call a licensed funeral director. Reliable funeral service providers in Singapore also have 24/7 hotlines set up for grief-stricken families to call upon. They will then send a team to manage the transfer of the body and make arrangements, in the event that the funeral is taking place at a parlour, void deck or at a place of worship. Their participation early on means time-critical jobs don't get put on hold. Choosing the Right Funeral Package Quickly Established service providers provide complete sets that cover various religions such as Buddhism, Taoism, Christendom, Catholicism, Hinduism and freethinker. These packages cover everything necessary – casket, embalming, transportation, viewing, prayer items, and coordination of religious leaders. Families may lack the time, in urgent circumstances, to compare every detail. A reputable agency is able to guide families to the perfect package for their values and their price, with pricing up front and immediate confirmations. Selecting an event package is a great way to relieve stress and make certain that every detail-whether it's big or small-is taken care of and done your way, and on your time. Coordination of Venue and Logistics Finding a location for the wake, and arranging for transportation are some of the logistical details that must be taken care of when one's time is limited. From void deck to HDB multi-purpose hall, church, or funeral parlour and a private home, funeral services providers can easily discuss with town councils, management offices and religious leaders, and arrange for booking and follow ups. This happens when you engage in the services of the leading Funeral Services Singapore enterprises due to networks and in-depth local knowledge put at their disposal. Their crew will also take care that tentage, electrical installation and water supply permits are in effect ahead of time to prevent delays. Dead and mourners are transported punctually and without hitch, using hearse and shuttle services. Professional Embalming and Body Preparation When you're having to plan a funeral on short notice, the preparation of the body for visitation is a sensitive and most necessary consideration. A professional embalmer is dispatched to wash, embalm, and clothe the body in accordance with religious traditions. Families sometimes want one last opportunity to see their loved one at peace, and embalming can enable an open-casket wake. Funeral directors can also help to choose appropriate clothing, makeup if desired and religious items, such as prayer beads or texts, to be set with the body. All of which is conducted in the most respectful and professional manner, families will find extreme comfort knowing that their loved one is being taken care of with respect. Conducting Religious and Cultural Rites Singapore has a mixed race with many religious traditions and funerals frequently have certain rites that need to be performed within certain time-marks. The monks, priests, pastors, or other spiritual leaders must be informed immediately for the fast preparation of the funeral. Each tradition might have its own particular needs — chanting sessions, offerings, prayer services, or wakes that take multiple days. A professional Funeral Services Singapore has experience in the spiritual aspects of this. They take care of the religious, the offering, the service arrangements and guide the family through everything. This means that the funeral will maintain its meaning and significance as a spiritually based funeral, and will not lose its relevance if it is arranged at short notice. Live Streaming and Remote Participation In today's global world, many families have family members living in other parts of the world where they cannot be present at the funeral. For emergencies, this only makes it harder. Live funeral streaming Funeral homes in Singapore can organize a live stream service where the friends and family from around the world can participate in it virtually. This is a particularly useful offering in the context of travel bans, or for those requiring additional time to return home. With the high quality of video and clear audio, those at a distance can see rites, recite prayers and express condolences — allowing the farewell to be inclusive and comforting for both parties. Post-Funeral Support and Documentation There are still things to deal with after the burial or cremation — death registration and certificate collection, memorial services and estate matters, for instance. We don't leave the family at this point,' funeral-service providers insist. For grieving families, struggling through this sudden loss, their ongoing support offers helping hands. Knowing that the support lasts beyond the funeral helps families properly grieve without being burdened by logistics. Why Choosing the Right Funeral Partner Matters in Urgent Situations When planning a funeral fast it is important to move quickly, but also to be sensitive. Unfortunately, not all providers are capable of making urgent plans empathically and promptly. The right funeral partner won't just step in when the time comes but will treat every stage with the care, attention and respect it deserves. What makes them unique is their expertise in dealing with a variety of funerals, their understanding of legal regulations, as well as their capability to arrange your requirements under one platform. Families in need should search for a provider with a quality track record and positive testimonials, and one that has a strong passion for serving people during one of the hardest times of his or her life. Conclusion When you lose someone you love suddenly, there is nothing more important than providing a swift and dignified funeral. With the best Funeral Services Singapore, families are assured that all aspects—logistics, rites, location, and care—will be managed with professionalism and empathy, even for last minute arrangement. If you are in immediate need of dependable funeral services that prioritize respect, compassion, and efficiency, trust . Having served all religions and races for funeral service in Singapore for over many years, Ang Brother is a 24 hour funeral parlour that is here to support and assist you through this difficult time with compassion and sensitivity. Disclaimer: This article is from the Brand Desk. User discretion is advised.
South China Morning Post
03-07-2025
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
Chinese football team fined for channelling evil spirits to help beat rivals
A football club in China has been fined 30,000 yuan (US$4,000) for channelling evil spirits to help them beat their rivals. Changchun Xidu Football Club, who play in the country's third tier, were found guilty of putting 'feudal superstition items' in their opponents' dressing room. Second in League 2 North, they were finally caught after placing the paper talismans in Shanxi Chongde Ronghai's changing room before their home match on Saturday. Changchun went on to win the game 2-0 against their eighth-placed opponents. The use of paper talismans, known as fu in Chinese, is a Taoist practice believed to use spirit energy to bring positive outcomes, but they can also be misused to bring harm or misfortune. The yellow talismans placed in Shanxi's dressing room read: 'By imperial decree, Shanxi Chongde Ronghai will fail.'
The Guardian
02-07-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
The spiritual economy: young Chinese turn to fortune tellers as anxiety about the future rises
Pass my exams. Meet Mr Right. Get rich. Pinned to a board by the entrance of a dimly lit fortune telling bar in Fengtai, an urban district in the south of Beijing, handwritten notes reveal the inner worries of customers coming for cocktails with a side of spiritual salvation. One As All is one of several fortune telling bars to have opened in Beijing, Shanghai and other Chinese cities in recent years. Hidden on the 12th floor of a commercial building, the bar serves a wide range of drinks starting at an auspicious 88 yuan (£9) (eight is considered to be lucky number in China). As well as enjoying a sundowner with a view over Beijing's skyline, customers can consult the in-house fortune teller who specialises in qiuqian, known in English as Chinese lottery sticks, an ancient style of divination often found in Taoist temples. From a private side-room, the smell of incense burning in front of a genuine Taoist shrine wafts into the bar. Derrex Deng, a 20-year-old student-cum-savant interprets the lottery sticks for customers. Adorned with jade jewellery, his nails manicured with sparkly black and white cats, Deng is a decidedly Gen Z fortune teller. He first felt a mystical calling when he was three or four years old and started seeing spirits, he says. 'Everybody trusted me, because I was so correct in telling them the truth in a direct way'. To divine the future with qiuqian, customers pose a question before pulling a flat wooden stick from an intricately carved cylinder. Each stick is engraved with numerals and texts, which Deng interprets. His divination skills are as Gen Z as his fashion sense. Interpreting a stick drawn in response to a question about how to improve communications with an overseas relative, he suggests using more emojis in text messages. Worries about relationships and jobs are hardly unique to China. But as the country grapples with slowing economic growth, many young people are feeling particularly anxious about the future. So some are turning to xuanxue, or mysticism. Cece, an astrology app backed by Tencent, has been downloaded more than 100m times. The trend has been dubbed the 'spiritual economy'. 'The most obvious sign of economic downturn is that, a few years ago, it felt like hardly anyone believed in metaphysics or fortune telling. But in the past two years, such beliefs have clearly become more common,' wrote one Weibo user. 'Drinking and so-called mysticism have something in common, especially in the current environment, when everyone is under a lot of pressure,' says Ma Xu, 33, co-owner of One As All, which opened in April last year. 'They both give people an outlet for their emotions or a way to vent.' As a Taoist believer himself, Ma also wanted to accrue good karma for the afterlife by opening a bar that could lift people's spirits. An economic downturn might seem like an odd time to open a bar. But Ma disagrees. 'Now the economy is going down, people can't buy expensive things, such as travelling abroad. But they can come and drink a glass of wine and chat all night.' Plus, he says, as a Taoist he's not focused on making a lot of money. 'Before we used to go to temples to do qiuqian,' says Dong Boya, 29, who works in public relations. 'But this combination of drawing sticks and having a drink is interesting.' Dong and her friends have come to One As All armed with questions about how to find love and get rich. Neither is easy in Beijing, they say. 'The way to make money fast is by breaking the law. The best ways are already written in the criminal law. Or you need to know someone,' jokes Hu Jiahui, 30, who works in artificial intelligence. Qiuqian is one of several types of Chinese fortune telling to be enjoying a resurgence among young city-dwellers. While there is some interest in western-style divination such as tarot, it lacks the cultural resonance of Chinese traditions. 'Tarot comes from overseas, so I treat it with some suspicion,' says Ning Ning, 37. She prefers Taoist or Buddhist fortune telling. Yaling Jiang, a consumer trends analyst, says the interest in Chinese-style fortune telling can be connected to a rising sense of cultural confidence. In recent months, several Chinese brands or products have gone global, from Labubus to DeepSeek. Ne Zha 2, an animated film based on ancient mythology, broke worldwide records for its takings in the Chinese box office 'The young audience is starting to connect to traditional Chinese culture,' says Jiang. But mysticism occupies a sensitive place in Chinese society. The Communist party is officially atheist and has repeatedly cracked down on what it describes as superstitious beliefs. Last year, state media reported that nearly 300 people had been 'criminally dealt with' since 2018 for activities relating to spiritualism, with individuals sentenced to up to 17 years in prison. Still, many people maintain individual beliefs in Taoism, Buddhism and other types of spirituality, and praying to deities or ancestors for good luck and guidance is common. Ma, the co-owner of One As All, says that he's careful to stay on the right side of the 'clear red line' of government controls. The bar doesn't charge for qiuqian, and he also reminds customers not to be superstitious. 'There's big a difference between having a belief and being superstitious,' he says. In China's current economic predicament, more corporeal factors may create a space for fortune telling bars. Consumer confidence is at historic lows and the government is desperate to get people spending more, especially as the part of the economy that has traditionally propped up growth, exports, is under pressure from the US-China trade war. Any trend that gets people spending is likely to be welcomed by the authorities says Jiang. 'If the final outcome is that it drives consumption, I don't think it will cause any backlash'. Additional research by Lillian Yang
