Festivals are our way of celebrating the strangest things in a group of like-minded individuals. However, when we say ‘strange’, some festivals certainly go some way towards tipping the crazy-scale towards ‘insanity’. Festivals such as…

5. New Years Party, Thailand

It goes without saying that across the world, no matter where you go, New Years is a pretty crazy time by all accounts. However, we’re willing to bet to bet that no matter how wild and badass your attempt to recreate The Hangover is every year, it can never ever compare to the insanity that takes place in Thailand. So what do they do? They whip out the Super Soakers and have an epic water fight. Seriously. And everybody plays. The cities shut down for the day, super-hot babes in bikinis roam the streets, and some villains even decide to cheat by bringing out Mother Nature’s own watergun: the Elephant.

Well, that settles where we’re heading this year at least.

4. El Colacho, Castrillo de Murcia (Spain)

If we said ‘El Colacho’ to you, what would suspect this festival was about? Food? Because that Colacho stuff sure does sound tasty. What would you then say if we told you that this festival, held in the Spanish town of Castrillo de Murcia, involved grown men dressed as the Devil…jumping over rows and rows of babies? Nope, don’t bother calling child services. We already have, and they’re completely cool with this shit.

However, we should probably fulfil our legal obligations by this point, and say that you probably shouldn’t do this with yours or any of your neighbour’s babies. Although we guess that if you needed to be told that by a comedy website, you’re probably not reading this and are already staging an assault on the local kindergarten as we speak. Good luck crazy man!

3. The Festival of Colors

No, that’s not the national holiday in whatever freaky universe My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is set in. It’s an annual celebration held in India to celebrate…erm…colors, we guess. And how do they do this? In the insanest way you can imagine: by buying colored powders and throwing them in people’s faces! And eyes!

However, one massive problem the celebrants have is that tradition states that they’re supposed to use colored powders made predominantly from herbs and spices. But, needless to say if you’ve ever had the misfortune to walk around Walmart nearer a big public holiday, local vendors of these powders massively inflate their prices, leading people to buy much cheaper powders made from much more dangerous stuff such as aluminium bromide, lead oxide, and copper sulphate. Hey, did we mention that this stuff goes in your eyes? Don’t celebrate this. Please.

2. Cheese Rolling, Gloucestershire (England)

We always knew secretly that the English had something wrong with them. We mean, what sort of twisted country thinks coffee is disgusting and Monty Python’s Flying Circus makes sense? Well, funny you should ask that, because it’s the exact same country which made an annual festival out of some people rolling cheese down a hill. And that’s not all. The objective of the competition is for people to race the cheese downhill, which is about as hilarious and painful as it sounds.

We’re not the only ones to think this either. The local government recently tried to ban the festivities citing, strangely enough, the high-probability of injury and the very low-probability that someone will break their goddamn neck just for the purposes of racing a ball of congealed cow effluent down a hillside. No doubt if that ever happened though, these nutcases would think it was a worthwhile injury.

1. La Tominata, Bunol (Spain)

OK, so it’s a festival held in Spain with a delicious-sounding name. You’re probably a bit more hesitant to guess at what it is now thanks to that whole ‘Crazy-Devil-jumping-over-babies’ thing we talked about above. But, don’t worry, because this does involve food, more specifically tomatoes. La Tomatina is the name given to a massive annual food fight fought between over fifty thousand people in the city of Bunol, where the only weapons are tomatoes and the only prayers made are those about not finding out you have a sudden allergy to a certain type of vegetable (or fruit depending on how anally retentive you are).

Despite looking like an excuse to writhe around half-naked in piles of rotting juice, or to put it another way, re-enact 300, the festival does actually have some meaning. It is rumoured to have originally started when a group of local townspeople did what many of us do: get pissed off with the government. But, unlike us, they didn’t sign an online petition or change their profile picture on whatever the oldy-timey equivalent of Facebook was. No, they simply hunted the government men down and pelted them with tons of over-ripe tomatoes. If only democracy was that simple today, we’d all be so much more happier.

While traveling, it is advised to eat light. Any food item that can be prepared easily and is easy on the stomach should be preferred during journey.

Travelling is all about food, fun, and good company. People like to plan their whole travel itinerary before heading out. In which one of the most important things is what food to have on what time so that you can enjoy travel without falling ill. A variety of food items are available in the market but one has to be wise while making a choice, especially while traveling. Many people prefer having food that is light on the stomach as it is easily digested and also requires less time in preparation. If you have a tendency to fall ill more frequently and you do not want to upset your stomach while traveling, then you can avoid these food items to maintain good health.

1. Hot drinks that have been served like tea, coffee, or soup are fine to drink until they become warm or cool down. It is suggested not to have them once they are cool.

2. Avoid having raw food items like fruits, vegetables, raw meat, or uncooked seafood. Even if you are having them make sure that they are washed properly. These food items are more likely to carry germs that can make you fall sick on your traveling journey.

3. Try to avoid having street food as it may lack proper hygiene in preparation and cooking. Try eating at clean restaurants where they serve you hot food prepared with full hygiene.

4. Avoid eating food that is served in a buffet. The food gets prepared and is allowed to sit at room temperature for hours which gets contaminated after a while.

5. Try and avoid drinking tap water, especially in places that do not have proper hygiene. Try to get a bottle of clean water for drinking. Boil tap water to kill the germs.

6. Try and avoid fountain drinks. Whenever you place an order for a fountain drink, remember that it is made with carbonated water and artificial flavours may also be mixed.

7. Avoid eating fruits like apples, berries, grapes, and others that do not require peeling. Fruits like bananas and oranges are safer to eat as their skin is required to be peeled before eating them and it also keeps the bacteria away, unlike other fruits.

8. Refined and processed food items like bread, biscuits, and cakes can make you feel bloated after a while of consumption. Avoid having them as much as possible and try to replace them by having fresh hot food.

9. Try to avoid having bushmeat. The meat is generally found in bats, rodents, and monkeys which carry the animal to human diseases, like ebola.

10. Avoid having fresh salsas and sauces made from fresh raw fruits and vegetables. It becomes contaminated after some time.

Going for a road trip can be the equivalent of a system reboot — experiencing all the nature and adventure that the world has to offer, while out on the road.

Before you set out on your journey, there may be some travel essentials you’d want to keep in mind. Here’s a list:

1. Neck pillow and eye mask

Getting good sleep whenever and wherever possible is one of the most important things. Using a good pillow can position the neck well in a way that minimises the chances of aches. Meanwhile, an eye mask works well in sleep initiation and to avoid light from entering your eye. Both items are made of soft materials for comfortable usage. The pillow can be hooked to the baggage and needs no additional space.

2. First aid kit

Always carry a kit with basic medical aids to manage any immediate accidents. What you put inside this kit is a personal choice. Some must-haves are plaster, band-aids, antiseptic cream, cream or spray to relieve insect bites and stings, thermometer and painkillers. Take frequent looks at expiry dates and replace/refill accordingly. The pouch has enough room for all such essentials.

3. Toilet Seat Cover

It’s always scary to use public toilets in India, especially for women. The issue of hygiene can be partially solved by carrying disposable toilet seat covers. This ensures zero contact with germs and is ideal for those who are prone to infections. The pack contains 30 single-use disposable covers. Made of biodegradable material, the covers are eco-friendly too.

4. Mobile holder

For hassle-free driving, mobile holders are important. They can help you avoid frequent stops to check the map for finding a route. This product’s system locks and releases the device with just a push of a finger. A two-step locking lever provides additional mounting support for multiple surfaces. Any device can be placed on it. It also rotates 360 degrees which is an advantage in capturing photos/videos.

5. Coolbox

This icebox, which can be placed inside a car or any other vehicle is another essential. It can keep things like drinks and medicines cool for up to 48 hours. Additionally, it can be used to carry tiffin boxes, lunch boxes, or bento boxes. The product is made of high-quality material, and food and drinks can be safely kept inside.

6. Tyre puncture repair kit

Repairing a punctured tyre is a basic life skill, especially for frequent travellers. Make the process easier by always keeping a repair kit inside the vehicle. The kit is ideal to repair any vehicles like bikes, cars and vans. It contains a reamer, probe, puncture repair strips, cutter, nose plier, chalk, tyre valve, valve cap and gloves. These come in a nylon bag which can be easily carried.

7. Sunglasses

Sunglasses are not a luxury, but an essential to protect eyes from UV rays, dust and other harmful matters. Go for an eco-friendly option by picking wooden framed sunglasses available online. It gives a rustic and classy look too. The product comes with UV400 protection and polarised glasses.

8. Water bottle

Rather than buying mineral water bottles everywhere, carry your own bottle that you can refill. It can help in reducing the usage of single-use plastic and maintain good health. Choose a stainless steel, bamboo or copper water bottle which can be used for a long period of time. The given product is a black stainless steel 1-litre bottle. It is safe to use even if the water heats up during the journey.

9. Steel straws

The perfect partner for your juices and aerated drinks, this steel straw can be washed and reused for a long time to avoid contributing more waste. It requires tiny space in your pouch but benefits the planet a lot.

10. Journal

A really fun part of a road trip is also what comes after — going through photos and videos you took during the vacation In the same breath, why not jot down memories, details, and things you learnt along the way? This classy handcrafted leather journal is a perfect item to keep those memories alive. It is hand-stitched with 240 pages and can be easily carried. The pages are made of recycled paper.

Does Studio Flash Photography Affect Newborn Babies?

The quick answer is: most probably studio flash does not affect a newborn’s eyes . There are studios across the world that photograph young children and newborns, and we have not seen any widespread adverse effects, so rest assured.

Having said that, you may be a cautious parent, and want to avoid using flash immediately after birth. Here are some guidelines that you can follow if you want to be cautious.

Guidelines For Newborn Photography Without Flash

If you’ve just had a baby, this question may cross your mind before taking your baby’s portrait at the studio.

If you must have your child photographed, but are hesitant to use flash despite the data at the links below, we have formulated some guidelines for you to minimize the risk. Using these guidelines, you can go ahead with taking beautiful portraits. Here are some Dos and Donts.

Do This While Photographing Newborn Children

• Avoid using Flash. Make sure you have reflected sunlight light coming in through large windows while taking pictures. It goes without saying that a good time to take the picture is during the day when the sun is bright.
• Use large apertures (i.e. smaller numbers) to let enough light in.
• Use faster ISO such as ISO 400-1600, but it would bring in more noise. Don’t worry too much about noise, though. You can get less noisy pictures by using slow ISO such as 100, but best taken when you have a tripod, and when the child is asleep.
• Use longer exposure (this is the shutter speed) while indoors. This is doable only when the child is asleep and not moving. The longer, the better for brightness, but very long shutter speeds are again … not good. Using a tripod is advised.
• Photograph them when they’re asleep. This is a good idea for multiple reasons. There will be less movement, and you can use slow exposures with low ISO. However, you may want to capture the beauty and expressions while they’re awake too.

A mix of various types of images, in different locations, moods, and lighting photographed as they grow, up will allow you to have a wide range of images for your memory.

Do Not Do This While Photographing Newborns

• Do not use flash in a dark room and while she is awake. I do not know whether it is harmful to the eye, but strong flash can be irriting to the eyes and I am sure the babies feel it too. If you absolutely must use flash, remember that a dark room increases the contrast, and the apparent intensity of the flash. If the newborn is asleep, their eyelids offer some additional protection.

Conclusion: Flash is Safe, But Play it Safe

There seems to be conclusive evidence that Flash is safe for babies. However, I would avoid it. After all the child’s well-being is more important than a photograph.

The easy way to do it is; you can tell the camera to turn off the flash, take photographs in a bright location, and buy yourself a tripod & a zoom lens. This will be less intimidating to the child and you will be guaranteed to get stunning pictures that will tell the story for life.

But one thing that I always have a problem with, is that I do not know how to command the baby to stay still, do you know how?

Happy Taking-Pictures.