A Blogography of Photography

Leopard - Panthera pardus

2012-01-27T05:53:00.000-08:00

The leopard, Panthera pardus, is a member of the Felidae family and the smallest of the four "big cats" in the genus Panthera, the other three being the tiger, lion, and jaguar. The leopard was once distributed across eastern and southern Asia and Africa, from Siberia to South Africa, but its range of distribution has decreased radically because of hunting and loss of habitat. It is now chiefly found in sub-Saharan Africa; there are also fragmented populations in the Indian subcontinent, Sri Lanka, Indochina, Malaysia, Indonesia, and China. Because of its declining range and population, it is listed as a "Near Threatened" species on the IUCN Red List.

Compared to other members of the Felidae family, the leopard has relatively short legs and a long body with a large skull. It is similar in appearance to the jaguar, but is smaller and more slightly built. Its fur is marked with rosettes similar to those of the jaguar, but the leopard's rosettes are smaller and more densely packed, and do not usually have central spots as the jaguars do. Both leopards and jaguars that are melanistic (completely black or very dark) are known as black panthers.

The species' success in the wild is in part due to its opportunistic hunting behavior, its adaptability to habitats, its ability to run at speeds approaching 58 kilometres per hour (36 mph), its unequaled ability to climb trees even when carrying a heavy carcass, and its notorious ability for stealth. The leopard consumes virtually any animal that it can hunt down and catch. Its habitat ranges from rainforest to desert terrains.

These photos were taken in 2002 at the Ngala Private Game Reserve which is adjacent to the famous Kruger National Park in South Africa. Having arrived at the reserve only a couple of hours before we immediately left on the early evening safari in an open land rover and this one one of the first sights we saw - this magnificent leopard in a tree with a kill of a young impala (African antelope) in the next tree. As we sat directly below the tree it allowed me a wonderful opportunity to capture multiple images of this beautiful cat as she lounged, yawned and then casually leapt to the other tree to gnaw away at the impala.

The Year of the Water Dragon

2012-01-23T02:15:00.000-08:00

Gong Xi Fa Cai! .... or Happy Chinese New Year ..... the Year of the Water Dragon is upon us.

Chinese New Year is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. In China, it is known as "Spring Festival," the literal translation of the Chinese name 春節, since the spring season in Chinese calendar starts with lichun, the first solar term in a Chinese calendar year. It marks the end of the winter season, analogous to the Western carnival. The festival begins on the first day of the first month in the traditional Chinese calendar and ends with Lantern Festival which is on the 15th day. Chinese New Year's Eve, a day where Chinese families gather for their annual reunion dinner, is known as Chúxī (除夕) or "Eve of the Passing Year." Because the Chinese calendar is lunisolar, the Chinese New Year is often referred to as the "Lunar New Year".

Chinese New Year is the longest and most important festivity in the Chinese calendar. The origin of Chinese New Year is itself centuries old and gains significance because of several myths and traditions. Chinese New Year is celebrated in countries and territories with significant Chinese populations, such as Mainland China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Macau, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and also in Chinatowns elsewhere. Chinese New Year is considered a major holiday for the Chinese and has had influence on the lunar new year celebrations of its geographic neighbors. These include Korean (Seollal), Bhutanese (Losar), and Vietnamese cultures.

Within China, regional customs and traditions concerning the celebration of the Chinese new year vary widely. People will pour out their money to buy presents, decoration, material, food, and clothing. It is also the tradition that every family thoroughly cleans the house to sweep away any ill-fortune in hopes to make way for good incoming luck. Windows and doors will be decorated with red colour paper-cuts and couplets with popular themes of "good fortune" or "happiness", "wealth", and "longevity". On the Eve of Chinese New Year, supper is a feast with families. Food will include such items as pigs, ducks, chicken and sweet delicacies. The family will end the night with firecrackers. Early the next morning, children will greet their parents by wishing them a healthy and happy new year, and receive money in red paper envelopes. The Chinese New Year tradition is to reconcile, forget all grudges and sincerely wish peace and happiness for everyone.

Although the Chinese calendar traditionally does not use continuously numbered years, outside China its years are often numbered from the reign of the Yellow Emperor. But at least three different years numbered 1 are now used by various scholars, making the year beginning in AD 2012 the "Chinese Year" 4710, 4709, or 4649.

Please Mr. Postman

2012-01-15T05:46:00.000-08:00

Wherever I travel I try to capture images of post boxes and letter boxes. These brightly colored boxes can be quite different in many different parts of the world and it has been a sort of unwritten, background activity of mine whenever I'm traveling. So when I spot a post box I grab an image for what purpose I just don't know .... call it a letter box fetish! So here I have decided to collate all my most beautiful post box images and post them (pun intended) here on my blog.

Sleep

2012-01-11T05:34:00.000-08:00

All over Asia I have witnessed an incredible ability of people to sleep almost anywhere. No matter what cramped situation, noisy location or downright dirty environment people have no problems in making themselves comfortable and getting some shut eye. Oh how I wish I could learn that ability. Even on long haul flights of 12 hours I am the guy who is sitting straight up with eyes wide open while everyone around me is making the most of it.

The meat market above in Siem Reap was a great example where this lady simply slung up her hammock over the stall and got busy with the Zzzz's.

So whether it's a hammock a floor mat or a chair Asians are well experienced of getting horizontal if only for a short while. This lady above has neatly propped her legs up the wall and placed a straw fan over her eyes as shades.

And ... it doesn't really matter what you look like. Again the Asians have apparently no shame or worry about appearances ..... this old guy in Urumqi in West China has laid himself out in the middle of the town square and taken off his shoes to get comfy. Holy socks ...... not a problem. They call it ventilation!

This guy in Hangzhou, China has chosen a perfect spot in front of some grand old doors and complete with his "Nordic Casual Style" sleeping bag he can sleep throughout the cold winter night.

Or if you're a taxi driver, lorry driver or trishaw rider you have already the perfect place to stretch out and snooze as seen here with this trishaw rider in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.

A Perspective of Shih Chung School, Penang

2012-01-06T20:59:00.000-08:00

This imposing old tumbledown, heritage building in Georgetown, Penang used to be the Shih Chung School but actually has a much longer and interesting history. The once glorious mansion was called Goh Chan Lau (literally meant five-storey bungalow) by the local Chinese and was built by millionaire Cheah Tek Soon, founder and partner of Penang Khean Guan Insurance Company (the first Chinese insurance company in the Straits Settlement in year 1885). The Cheahs are one of the big five Hokkien families in the state. In 1908, the building was sold off to Tye Kee Yoon, another eminent personality at that period. and the mansion then housed the Chinese Residency for a point of time before it became a hotel, the Raffles-by-the-Sea. The hotel was a failure and had to be shut down.

Later on, Kee Yoon, who was a Hakka, collaborated with another millionaire Leong Fee to set up the Shih Chung School within Goh Chan Lau in the same year. Leong Fee, whose full name is Liang P'i Joo, also set up a girl's school called P'i Joo Girls' School which occupied the upper floor of Goh Chan Lau. In 1929 Shih Chung School was moved to Love Lane. By 1938, the school became so overcrowded that a branch had to be established and Goh Chan Lau became the choice destination again. From then on, Shih Chung existed as a main school and a branch school. The periods in between had the mansion leased to the Government Branch School.

During the Second World War,Goh Chan Lau was used as an administrative headquarters for the Japanese Military and therefore the branch school had to relocate to its main body. There the combined school co-existed until 1949, when the Shih Chung Branch School returned to occupy Goh Chan Lau. In 1961, the launch of the Uniform Salary Scale for Teachers saw the full severance of Shih Chung Main School from Shih Chung Branch School. The branch school again relocated, this time to its current premises at Sungai Nibong in year 2000, when the urbanisation of Penang Island brought forth a collapse in the population of the Inner City, hence a precipitous drop in student attendance. Goh Chan Lau was later sold by the Tye family trustee, when the restriction period in the will expired (after three generations). The building had been purchased by a new owner, Malaysia Vegetable Oil Refinery Sdn Bhd in 1993. Now an abandoned building, the new owner had initially planned to turn it into a columbarium (a place for the respectful and usually public storage of cinerary urns - i.e. urns holding a deceased’s cremated remains) but was met with harsh protest by the people of Penang. The site is apparently now set for demolition and a condominium built on the site.

An interesting point to note is that the Tye family trust was an early example of a Hakka family that left a will for the descendants, which provided that the family estate including the Goh Chan Laucannot be sold for at least three generations, and 10 per cent of estate revenue is to be donated for education purpose. It is Chinese belief that the estate of a family cannot be passed more than three generations or will be finished by the third generation. The will of the Tye family provides clauses to mitigate the risk on that belief and provided clauses in the will, that the family estate cannot be sold prior to three generations. It also provided for a clause that 10 per cent of estate revenue to be used for education purpose. This reflected the wisdom of the Tye family, and their trust was able to support the Chinese education in Penang for long time.

Tilt-Shift Lens Comparison

The main image above was shot using a Canon TS-E 17mm L lens and is an HDR processed image from 7 bracketed shots. Just to show the comparison between a shifted image and a normal one, the two photos below illustrate the shot:

1) using the TS-E 17mm L lens without shift and the camera body then tilted up to capture the entire building

2) using the shift function of the lens to properly align the vertical perspective of the architecture.

The un-shifted photo shows the typical leaning verticals giving the viewer an impression that the building is falling backwards. This is caused by the wide angle lens and the tilt of the camera body which is needed to capture the whole building.

The shifted photo gives better perspective control of the verticals. This tilt-shift lens is therefore very useful for properly capturing photographs of architecture where perspective control is important.

1) Canon TS-E 17mm L - no shift

2) Canon TS-E 17mm L with vertical shift to align perspective

The Blue Mansion

2012-01-05T06:40:00.000-08:00

Having had a few days break from the blog over Xmas and New Year it's time to start the occasional post again as we make our way into 2012. I visited Penang over the festive period and had the opportunity to stay at the wonderfully historic Blue Mansion .... or Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion which has been beautifully and meticulously restored to its former glory. This venue provided some great photo opportunities and the above shot exemplifies that with the deep indigo blue colored walls, the rustic floor tiles and the stunningly detailed and colored spiral staircase.

I also had the opportunity during this trip to test out a new lens which I have added to my arsenal of Canon L lenses. I have often wondered about the benefits of a tilt-shift lens and given the high cost of these particular lenses plus the fact that I may not use it enough to justify the cost I have put off this purchase. However I eventually relented (as I often do with camera equipment) and picked up the shiny new Canon TS-E 17mm f/4.0L just prior to the Xmas break.

I love my existing wide angle 16-35mm f/2.8 L lens but one small aggravating feature it has, particularly when taking architecture, are the sloping perspectives which give the impression of the tall buildings falling backwards. At times this can be used to good advantage but in many circumstances it's good to be able to keep everything orthogonal.

I will share some comparison shots of this new tilt-shift lens in a later post but this shot here shows the power of such a lens. Placing the camera body on a tripod and leveling this it's a simple job then to shift the lens up or down to frame the shot and retain perfect verticals. The other great advantage here is the ability to take three shots, one with no lens shift, the other two shots with positive and negative lens shift to capture the scene upwards and downwards. Then it's a very simple task to stitch the three frames into a portrait panorama and as there is no lens distortion makes the stitching process simple and flawless compared to when I have previously done this with a standard wide angle lens. In a similar fashion with the tilt-shift lens adjusted by 90 degrees you can easily capture a landscape panorama with three shots.

I think the shot shown here convinces me of the great benefits of a tilt-shift lens and I am sure that this will probably become one of my favorite lenses to use especially for architectural shots or panoramas.

Best of 2011

2011-12-31T01:00:00.000-08:00

For this final post of 2011 I have chosen the best 12 photographs from the year with a few words about each image.

The year got off to a great start when we hosted a "Red & Green" theme party. These are my two friends Loz and Huw dressed appropriately. Huw donned a Mexican sombrero and complete with red painted mustache was in charge making the the "Red & Green" colored marguerites.

I made a first time visit to Sri Lanka in late January and took the opportunity of grabbing some images from the wonderful city of Colombo. It's always good to visit somewhere new and Colombo certainly delivered some great pictures with colorful painted houses and the brightly decorated auto rickshaws.

In February I made a visit to the Kuala Lumpur railway station which is a great example of moorish architecture adopting a mixture of Eastern and Western designs. It's funny that when things are right on your doorstep you tend to ignore them so I need to make more of an effort to try and capture some "local" scenes like this.

An early morning visit to Putrajaya to see the annual balloon festival was in vain as I had the wrong date! But at least I had the opportunity to capture the stylish Seri Wawasan Bridge and Putra Mosque in the early morning light.

In March I re-visited the atmospheric Birch Road Christian Cemetery in Kuala Lumpur. I love the old, decayed headstones and the way the tropical undergrowth and jungle slowly envelopes everything in the graveyard.

My Dad sadly passed away in March and a month later we made a pilgrimage to his favorite part of north west Scotland to lay his ashes in a very personal spot in Wester Ross. The weather was wonderful offering some great photo opportunities. At last I managed to capture a clear shot of the famous Eilean Donan Castle on Loch Duich near Dornie.

In April I finally managed a visit to New York City which I have been wanting to do for many years. I was very impressed with the art deco style architecture and the Empire State building seen here still looks very grand.

On the return trip from New York and Scotland in April we stopped in Amsterdam which is a lovely, laid back city with beautiful canals like this one pictured here, Prinsengracht which is one of the main canals.

In September we visited Penang in Malaysia, a place we had not been to for 10 years or more. The main town Georgetown has a wonderful array of heritage buildings which have been renovated and one of the more interesting ones is the Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion, or Blue Mansion.

Langkawi is another island in Malaysia we had not been to for many years so a return visit in November was arranged. This is a view over the Andaman Sea taken from the Westin Langkawi Resort & Spa.

I once again attended the One Asia Photo Festival in Singapore in early December and this time had the opportunity to meet with Steve McCurry who was one of the key speakers along with Michael Yamashita and Michael Freeman.

A visit to Phuket in late December to attend a friend's birthday party closed out the travels for the year. We visited the Blue Elephant Restaurant in Phuket town which is located in a wonderful old heritage building with this surprising modern blue bar which somehow fits well with the older decor.

This is the last post for 2011 and brings to a close a personal project of mine to post a daily photograph with some brief text on the blog. Sometimes this was tough to do with time constraints and other priorities but I achieved this and certainly think it gave my blog some exposure. It is now time to reflect on 2011 and start to make plans for 2012. I think next year I will be taking a different approach to my photographic work as well as my blog with tentative plans to redesign the site as well as focusing on more detailed photo projects. So quality rather than quantity going forward. So bear with me as I make this transition during the first part of 2012 and I hope that a redesigned and more focused site will raise the bar a little in terms of professionalism and quality. I have a large number of projects I would like to do during 2012 as long as other work does not get in the way so hopefully will be able to bring a number of these to fruition next year.

I will take this opportunity to thank everyone who follows this blog or even those who stumbled upon it by accident. It has been reassuring to see the hit rate statistics on the site improving during the year and it has been great to receieve all the comments from people all over the planet.

Happy New Year To All.

Angkor Thom South gate

2011-12-30T01:00:00.000-08:00

Angkor Thom (literally: "Great City"), located in present day Cambodia, was the last and most enduring capital city of the Khmer empire. It was established in the late twelfth century by king Jayavarman VII. It covers an area of 9 km², within which are located several monuments from earlier eras as well as those established by Jayavarman and his successors. At the centre of the city is Jayavarman's state temple, the Bayon, with the other major sites clustered around the Victory Square immediately to the north.

Angkor Thom was established as the capital of Jayavarman VII's empire, and was the centre of his massive building programme. One inscription found in the city refers to Jayavarman as the groom and the city as his bride.

Angkor Thom seems not to be the first Khmer capital on the site, however. Yasodharapura, dating from three centuries earlier, was centred slightly further northwest, and Angkor Thom overlapped parts of it. The most notable earlier temples within the city are the former state temple of Baphuon, and Phimeanakas, which was incorporated into the Royal Palace. The Khmers did not draw any clear distinctions between Angkor Thom and Yashodharapura: even in the fourteenth century an inscription used the earlier name. The name of Angkor Thom — great city — was in use from the 16th century.

The last temple known to have been constructed in Angkor Thom was Mangalartha, which was dedicated in 1295. Thereafter the existing structures continued to be modified from time to time, but any new creations were in perishable materials and have not survived. In the following centuries Angkor Thom remained the capital of a kingdom in decline until it was abandoned some time prior to 1609, when an early western visitor wrote of an uninhabited city, "as fantastic as the Atlantis of Plato" which some thought to have been built by the Roman emperor Trajan. It is believed to have sustained a population of 80,000-150,000 people.

Singapore Botanical Gardens

2011-12-29T01:00:00.000-08:00

The Singapore Botanic Gardens is a 74-hectare (183-acre) botanical garden in Singapore. It is half the size of the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew or around one-fifth the size of Central Park in New York. It is the only botanic garden in the world that opens from 5 a.m. to 12 midnight every single day of the year, and does not charge an admission fee, except for the National Orchid Garden. The garden is bordered by Holland Road and Napier Road to the south, Cluny Road to the east, Tyersall Avenue and Cluny Park Road to the west and Bukit Timah Road to the North. The linear distance between the northern and southern ends is around 2.5 km (1.6 mi).

Himeji Castle

2011-12-28T01:00:00.000-08:00

Himeji Castle is a hilltop Japanese castle complex located in Himeji in Hyōgo Prefecture. The castle is regarded as the finest surviving example of prototypical Japanese castle architecture, comprising a network of 83 buildings with advanced defensive systems from thefeudal period. The castle is frequently known as Hakuro-jō ("White Egret Castle") or Shirasagi-jō ("White Heron Castle") because of its brilliant white exterior and supposed resemblance to a bird taking flight.

Himeji Castle dates to 1333, when Akamatsu Norimura built a fort on top of Himeyama hill. The fort was dismantled and rebuilt as Himeyama Castle in 1346, and then remodeled into Himeji Castle two centuries later. Himeji Castle was then significantly remodeled in 1581 by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who added a three-story castle keep. In 1600, Tokugawa Ieyasu awarded the castle to Ikeda Terumasa for his help in the Battle of Sekigahara, and Ikeda completely rebuilt the castle from 1601 to 1609, expanding it into a large castle complex. Several buildings were later added to the castle complex by Honda Tadamasa from 1617 to 1618. For over 400 years, Himeji Castle has remained intact, even throughout the extensive bombing of Himeji in World War II, and natural disasters such as the 1995 Great Hanshin earthquake.

Himeji Castle is the largest and most visited castle in Japan, and it was registered in 1993 as one of the first UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the country. The area within the middle moat of the castle complex is a designated Special Historic Site and five structures of the castle are also designated National Treasures. Along with Matsumoto Castle and Kumamoto Castle, Himeji Castle is considered one of Japan's three premier castles. In order to preserve the castle buildings, it is currently undergoing restoration work that is expected to continue for several years.

Island in The Sun

2011-12-27T01:00:00.000-08:00

Langkawi, officially known as Langkawi, the Jewel of Kedah (Malay: Langkawi Permata Kedah) is an archipelago of 104 islands in theAndaman Sea, some 30 km off the mainland coast of northwestern Malaysia. The islands are a part of the state of Kedah, which is adjacent to the Thai border. On July 15, 2008, Sultan Abdul Halim of Kedah had consented to the change of name to Langkawi Permata Kedah in conjunction with his Golden Jubilee Celebration. By far the largest of the islands is the eponymous Pulau Langkawi with a population of some 64,792, the only other inhabited island being nearby Pulau Tuba. Langkawi is also an administrative district with the town of Kuah as largest town. Langkawi is a duty-free island.

Boxing Day

2011-12-26T01:00:00.000-08:00

Boxing Day is the day after Xmas on 26th December. The exact etymology of the term "boxing" is unclear and there are several competing theories, none of which is definitive. The tradition has long included giving money and other gifts to those who were needy and in service positions. The European tradition has been dated to the Middle Ages, but the exact origin is unknown and there are some claims that it goes back to the late Roman/early Christian era; metal boxes placed outside churches were used to collect special offerings tied to the Feast of Saint Stephen.

In the UK, it was a custom for tradesmen to collect "Christmas boxes" of money or presents on the first weekday after Christmas as thanks for good service throughout the year. This is mentioned in Samuel Pepys' diary entry for 19 December 1663; This custom is linked to an older English tradition: in exchange for ensuring that wealthy landowners' Christmases ran smoothly, their servants were allowed to take the 26th off to visit their families. The employers gave each servant a box containing gifts and bonuses (and sometimes leftover food).

This year we are spending Xmas at home having been away the last 2 years. Last year we were in Shanghai, China visiting friends and this photo was taken at the beautiful Waldorf Astoria Hotel on The Bund. The hotel is located in an old heritage building which has been wonderfully restored as you can see in this image.

Merry Xmas

2011-12-25T01:00:00.000-08:00

Wishing all my readers and followers a very Merry Xmas.

I thought this photo would provide a little feeling of Xmas with the snow. The photo was taken some years ago at the top between the Franz Josef and Fox glaciers in New Zealand with Mount Cook in the background. My wife and I didn't climb up here but took the easy way by helicopter. However I will say that we did trek up the glacier the day before for many hours in the rain. This day however was magnificent allowing us to land the helicopter in the snow field and take a brief walk.

The Eve of Christmas

2011-12-24T01:00:00.000-08:00

'Tis Christmas Eve and as we can see here Santa's Elves are frantically working to prepare all the presents for delivery.

Christmas Eve refers to the evening or entire day preceding Christmas Day, a widely celebrated festival commemorating the birth of Jesus of Nazareth that takes place on December 25. It is a culturally significant celebration for most of the Western world and is widely observed as a full or partial holiday in anticipation of Christmas Day.

One reason celebrations occur on Christmas Eve is because the traditional Christian liturgical day starts at sunset, an inheritance from Jewish tradition, which in turn is based in the story of creation in Genesis: "And there was evening, and there was morning – the first day." This liturgical day is followed for all days in the Eastern rite and the custom of beginning Christmas celebration (as well as Sunday and the other major festivals) in the preceding evening is preserved in western Churches that have altered the liturgical day to start at midnight, for example the Roman Catholic Church. Many churches still ring their church bells and hold prayers in the evening before holidays; for example the Nordic Lutheran churches. In some languages, such as the Scandinavian, Christmas Eve is simply referred to as "Christmas Evening".

Since Christian tradition holds that Jesus was born at night (based in Luke 2:6-8), Midnight Mass is celebrated on Christmas Eve, traditionally at midnight, in commemoration of his birth. The idea of Jesus being born at night is reflected in the fact that Christmas Eve is referred to as "Heilige Nacht" ("Holy Night") in German, "Nochebuena" ("the Good Night") in Spanish and similarly in other expressions of Christmas spirituality, such as the song "Silent Night, Holy Night".

Nominally religious people, or people who are not formal with definitions, may see the whole day as a day of celebration or as just the day before Christmas. Millions of people around the world with no Christian or religious affiliation or background also celebrate Christmas and Christmas Eve. The emphasis of celebration on Christmas Eve varies from country to country and region to region.

Heart of Christmas

2011-12-23T01:00:00.000-08:00

Our tree this year is looking especially good as we managed to get a real pine which not only looks great but smells good too. Hopefully by Christmas morning the tree will be brimming with gifts and parcels, assuming of course I have been a good boy and Santa has included me in his rounds.

Cafe Marktbar Innsbruck

2011-12-22T01:00:00.000-08:00

Innsbruck is nestled between two sets of mountains on the Sill river and is the capital city of the federal state of Tyrol in western Austria. It is located in the Inn Valley at the junction with the Wipptal (Sill River), which provides access to the Brenner Pass, some 30 km (18.6 mi) south of Innsbruck. Located in the broad valley between high mountains, the Nordkette (Hafelekar, 2,334 metres or 7,657 feet in the north, Patscherkofel (2,246 m or 7,369 ft) and Serles (2,718 m or 8,917 ft) in the south. It is an internationally renowned winter sports centre, and hosted the1964 and 1976 Winter Olympics as well as the 1984 and 1988 Winter Paralympics. It is to host the 1st Winter Youth Olympics in 2012. The word bruck comes from the German word Brücke meaning "bridge" which leads to "the bridge over the Inn".

Tehran Treats

2011-12-21T01:00:00.000-08:00

This is a traditional old restaurant in the middle of Tehran in Iran. As you can see there is a group of local musicians set up to entertain the packed restaurant. I found the people of Iran to be very warm and friendly and unlike the pre-conceived perception many people have of this country.

San Vicente de la Sonsierra

2011-12-20T01:00:00.000-08:00

San Vicente de la Sonsierra is a small medieval town in the heart of La Rioja province in Spain. The old bridge pictured here crosses the River Ebro with the castle of San Vicente de la Sonsierra overlooking the river on the hill.

Sacred Sites

2011-12-19T01:00:00.000-08:00

The mysterious and enigmatic temples of Cambodia are from a lost civilization which prospered in this region many centuries ago. Like other civilizations which rose to great heights the Khmer empire disappeared leaving these faded and overgrown reminders of what must have been an enormous city complex. The grandeur, scale and areal extent of these temple complexes hints at the advanced lifestyle of this lost city and walking through the remains of these temples certainly leaves you with an intense and atmospheric feeling.

Santa María la Real de La Almudena

2011-12-18T01:00:00.001-08:00

Santa María la Real de La Almudena is a Catholic cathedral in Madrid.

When the capital of Spain was transferred from Toledo to Madrid in 1561, the seat of the Church in Spain remained in Toledo; so the new capital – unusually for a Catholic country – had no cathedral. Plans were discussed as early as the 16th century to build a cathedral in Madrid dedicated to the Virgin of Almudena, but construction did not begin until 1879.

The cathedral seems to have been built on the site of a medieval mosque that was destroyed in 1085 when Alfonso VI reconquered Madrid.

Francisco de Cubas, the Marquis of Cubas, designed and directed the construction in a Gothic revival style. Construction ceased completely during the Spanish Civil War, and the project was abandoned until 1950, when Fernando Chueca Goitia adapted the plans of de Cubas to a baroque exterior to match the grey and white façade of the Palacio Real, which stands directly opposite. The cathedral was not completed until 1993, when it was consecrated by Pope John Paul II. On May 22, 2004, the marriage of Felipe, Prince of Asturias to Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano (known thereafter as Letizia, Princess of Asturias) took place at the cathedral.

The Neo-Gothic interior is uniquely modern, with chapels and statues of contemporary artists, in heretogeneous styles, from historical revivals to "pop-art" decor.

The Neo-Romanesque crypt houses a 16th century image of the Virgen de la Almudena. Nearby along the Calle Mayor excavations have unearthed remains of Moorish and medieval city walls.

On the 28th of April 2004, Cardinal Antonio María Rouco Varela, Archbishop of Madrid blessed the new paintings in the apse, painted by Kiko Arguello, founder of the Neocatechumenal Way. The cathedral is the seat of the Patriarch of the Indies and the Ocean Sea, an honorific patriarchate created in the sixteenth century, and subsequently an honorific title for the Spanish court's chaplain.

Fried Green Chillies

2011-12-17T20:48:00.000-08:00

This was one of my favorite tapas dish during a trip to Spain .... fried green chillies. Wonderfully pungent with a slight spicy taste was a great way to start a meal washed down of course with some sangria or wine. This shot was taken in a small restaurant just off the Plaza Mayor in Madrid, Spain.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Xmas

2011-12-16T01:00:00.000-08:00

Bangsar Shopping Centre in Kuala Lumpur, one of my favorite haunts, has made a great job this year of their Xmas decorations as you can see. Shot with my i-phone using the 360 app which stitches a number of individual images together to create a large panorama.

Steamed Up Dogs

2011-12-15T01:00:00.000-08:00

This amusing sign was seen at the small train station at Boat of Garten in Scotland. The station master must have a sense of humor as well as a love for dogs.

Siem Reap Procession

2011-12-14T01:00:00.000-08:00

Siem Reap Celebration by HighlanderImages

This procession appeared on the main street in Siem Reap opposite the Old Market blaring out music and with a lorry full of people dressed up. There were also two masked figures in the lorry and looked like they may be depicting a couple to be married .... but who knows what this ceremony actually was.

Kokoen Garden

2011-12-13T01:00:00.000-08:00

Kokoen Garden lies next to Himeji Castle, Himeji, Japan and is a recently constructed Japanese style garden, which was opened in 1992 on the former site of of the feudal lords' west residence (Nishi-Oyashiki). It consists of nine separate gardens designed in various garden styles of the Edo period.

Among the gardens are the garden of the lord's residence which features a pond with a waterfall, a tea garden where visitors can enjoy green tea in a tea ceremony house, a pine tree garden, a bamboo garden and a flower garden.