Travel and Photography

The Good Life, Aussie-style in Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia

2009-11-11T16:49:00.002+08:00

Location: Somewhere near Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia (27°51'5.88"S 153°21'46.67"E)
Date: 13 May 2008, 10.15am
Camera: Canon 400D with Sigma 17-70/f2.8-4.5

To many Asians where property prices in cities are expensive and most abodes are small, Australia really seems like the “Lucky Country” where large houses with huge gardens are relatively cheap. That’s why many middle class Asians chose to buy a place and retire in Australia. The only thing that works against that dream is the higher costs of living as well as the current high exchange rate. One only needs to survey the bigger Australian cities such as Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and so to notice the huge Asian influx. The change is so profound in the last 15 years that when I told one of my Australian friends that I wanted to have Australian food, he asked if I want to have Vietnamese, Thai or Malaysian style.

Even Ronnie McDonalds do the Thai gesture in Thailand

2009-11-09T16:15:00.002+08:00

Location: McDonalds at Amarin Plaza, Bangkok, Thailand (13°44′37″N 100°32′29″E)
Date: 28 October 2009, 11.15am
Camera: Canon 400D with Sigma 17-70/f2.8-4.5

Thailand is known as the “land of smiles” but probably more accurately refers to as the “land of politeness”. Thais has a special way of greeting known as wai. This consists of a slight bow with hands clasped together as if in a prayer. If the hands are held higher in relation to the face and a lower bow, more respect or reverence is being shown by the wai giver. The wai is also commonly used as a gesture of thanks or seeking forgiveness. It is speculated that the wai originated from an ancient greeting as a means to show that neither individual had any weapons. However, it is more likely to originate from Buddhist tradition where one claps their hands together and bring it down towards the ground three times after prayers.

Sunrise rays on Gunung Merapi at Borobudur, Java, Indonesia

2009-11-06T23:30:00.002+08:00

Location: Borobudur, East Java, Indonesia (7°36′29″S 110°12′14″E)
Date: 21 July 2008; 6.00am
Camera: Canon 400D with Sigma 17-70/f2.8-4.5

Borobudur is the largest Buddhist monument in the world. Many tourists like me get up early to enjoy the view of the sunrise over Gunung Merapi looming over Borobudur in the distance. It is also a better time to take it the site as there are less tourists about because those on tourist buses do not normally troop in till around 10am. The best strategy to enjoy this morning serenity had already been described here.

Slideshow for Oct 09

2009-10-31T23:32:00.000+08:00

Mani stones of all shapes and sizes, colours and designs in Tibet

2009-10-29T15:14:00.003+08:00

Location: Ngari, Tibet, China (31° 4′ 0″ N, 81° 18′ 45″ E)
Date: 5 August 2007, 11.30am
Camera: Canon 400D with Sigma 17-70/f2.8-4.5

Mani stones are smooth stone plates, pebbles and rocks usually inscribed with the universal mantra “Om Mani Padme Hum” (which translate to "Hail to the jewel in the lotus"). Images of deities and sutra texts are also commonly inscribed on such stones. Sometimes there are decorated with sheep and yak horns. Mani stones are regarded as sacred, used as a sacrifice and a form of prayer in Tibetan Buddhism. Mani stones and mani stone mounds can be found almost anywhere in Tibet and Tibetan areas- in monasteries, along paths and rivers, crossings, on mountains, lakes and most prominently in high vantage points such as passes. Normally Tibetans will walk around a mani stone mound in a clockwise direction .As Tibet is sparely populated, in more remote places the mani stone mounds actually become prayer halls and shrines for local Tibetans.

Old and new Chinese Door Gods

2009-10-26T16:51:00.002+08:00

Locations: Various villages in Yunnan. China
Date: April/May 2005
Camera: Canon Ixus IZoom

Door Gods are Chinese decorations placed on doors of homes, temples, business premises and so on, to ward off evil spirits and bad luck. Wiki has a brief but good article on this subject. However these days things have changed a lot in China. As opposed to the traditional and still well-practiced tradition by Overseas Chinese of having righteous, well-known generals (who became deities later on) as Door Gods, China Chinese have a new hero- the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). As readers may know, the PLA is China’s unified military, the military arm of the Communist Party of China and the very same outfit that “liberated” China from the Kuomintang (Nationalists) in the 1950s. However, unlike the traditional Door Gods who are well-known personalities, the “new” Door God is an entity- an unknown soldier.

Boudhanath Stupa, Kathmandu, one of the world’s biggest

2009-10-23T22:57:00.002+08:00

Location: Boudhanath, Kathmandu, Nepal (27° 43′ 17″ N, 85° 21′ 43″ E)
Date: 6 May 2003; 4.20pm
Camera: Canon G1
Boudhanath is one of the holiest Buddhist site in Kathmandu. It is easily recognisable and popularly known as Buddha’s Third Eye Stupa. The stupa itself is one of the largest in the world; itself is surrounded by a massive mandala of three platforms. Each platform has twenty angles. The stupa is believed to be built in the 5th century lies on the ancient trade route from Tibet. Tibetan merchants have rested and offered prayers here for many centuries. However, since the 1950s Tibetan refugees from China had come and lived around here in big numbers, so much so that one mainly sees Tibetans around this part of town.

Tequila sunset at Santa Monica, California

2009-10-21T14:26:00.002+08:00

Location: Santa Monica beach, California, USA (34° 1′ 5.99″ N, 18° 29′ 25.01″ W)
Date: 3 September 2006; 7.15pm
Camera: Canon Canon 300D with kit lens

Just another nice sunset shot in addition to this previous post/photo.

Sunrise over the reservoir of Srah Srang, Siem Reap, Cambodia

2009-10-19T21:55:00.002+08:00

Location: Srah Srang, Siem Reap, Cambodia (13° 25′ 51.6″ N, 103° 54′ 24.15″ E)
Date: 12 November 2002; 6.40am
Camera: Canon G1

Srah Srang is a baray or man-made lake within the Angkor compound. The lake is a 900 year-old reservoir, which according to recent research forms part of the reservoir complex engineered to provide irrigation to the rice fields in the Greater Angkor area. This place is now a popular site for viewing sunrise. On the west end of Srah Srang, there is a multi-tiered sandstone terrace. The terrace is gorgeously adorned with lion carvings, naga balustrades, and other Khmer carvings. The sunrise is best viewed from atop this terrace.

The current mood on Wall Street- Charging Bull

2009-10-16T15:22:00.000+08:00

Location: Charging Bull, Bowling Green, New York City, USA (40° 42′ 19.48″ N, 74° 0′ 48.53″ W)
Date: 9 February 2006; 1.20pm
Camera: Canon 300D with kit lens

This statue of the charging bull representing a bull market is apparently one of the major tourist attraction in New York. Well, the stock markets around the world is certainly experiencing a bull run currently with the Dow Jones at its highest for a year (since the mortgage and credit crisis) and most stock markets around the world elevating towards the stratosphere. However, the enthusiasm on the various stock markets had yet to filter down to the real market and the economies around the world are still struggling along. In fact one of the reasons for the bull run is that company earnings are improving due to costs and staff cutting- which by itself feed negatively into the real economy by increasing unemployment. That said, the financial institutions are reaping in the benefits, paying its staff and management even higher pay and bonuses pre-crisis! Such short memories and greed must be plugged before another major crisis developed and ending with taxpayers paying these fat cats.

The magnificent sand dunes of Mingsha, Dunhuang, China

2009-10-14T16:01:00.001+08:00

Locations: Mingsha, Gansu, China (40°5'18"N 94°40'33"E )
Date: 5 June 2004; 8.00pm
Camera: EOS 300D with kit lens

China, the 3rd largest country in the world has a few big deserts including the Taklamakan which covers a major part of Xinjiang and part of Gansu province. The Mingsha Desert in Gansu is at the eastern reach of the desert, circling the oasis town of Dunhuang. The Mingsha (“Singing Sands”) Desert is named for the sound that the sands produce when blown by the winds. It boasts some of the highest sand dunes in the world, at an average of 1,200 meters above sea level. The Mingsha is one of the major attractions of Dunhuang, lying along the ancient Silk Route between China and the West. The edges of the dunes are sharply shaped by the winds with clear edges and corners. I made the mistake of walking on the sand dunes in sandals on a hot May afternoon. The sands are so hot and soft that there are like molten sand that one’s foot just sinks into. And of course, it is burning hot to the bare feet in a pair of sandals. I virtually hopped down the dunes looking for a gravel patch to rescue my feet! Having learnt that, the next time I visited, I made sure that I wore a pair of socks even in sandals to avoid direct contact with the sands.

The biggest mosque of the world’s 3rd largest Muslim population nation

2009-10-12T16:05:00.001+08:00

Location: Jama Masjid, Delhi, India (28° 39′ 3″ N, 77° 13′ 59″ E)
Date: 2 October 2005; 8.30am
Camera: Canon IXUS iZoom

The just released comprehensive report by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life maps the world Muslim population and distribution. The report makes interesting reading with some surprising facts. Unsurprisingly the two most populous Muslim nations are Indonesia and Pakistan. But many people may be surprised to learn that India with a Muslim population of 161 million has the 3rd largest Muslim population. This is only 13% of India’s population. In fact 317 million of Muslims live in countries where Islam is the minority religion. About three-quarters of Muslims living as minorities are concentrated in five countries: India (161 million), Ethiopia (28 million), China (22 million), Russia (16 million) and Tanzania (13 million).

London Arch of Port Campbell National Park, Victoria, Australia

2009-10-08T16:11:00.002+08:00

Location: London Arch, Port Campbell National Park, Victoria, Australia ( 38° 37′ 19″ S, 142° 55′ 57″ E)
Date: 22 May 2008, 7.15am
Camera: Canon 400D with Sigma 17-70/f2.8-4.5

The London Arch is one of a few interesting rock formations in the Port Campbell National Park. It is a natural arch formed through erosion. It was previously known as the London Bridge, due to the close resemblance of it's double arches to the actual bridge. However, it was later changed to London Arch after one of its arch collapsed. This part of Victoria is a popular tourist destination. I have previously written a post on the 12 Apostles which also described the travel and accommodation options around here.

Travelling on a mokoro in the Okavango Delta, Botswana, Africa

2009-10-06T16:09:00.002+08:00

Location: Okavanga Delta, Botswana, Africa (19° 15′ 0″ S, 22° 45′ 0″ E)
Date: 23 April 2001; 11.25am
Camera: (analogue) Canon 500N with slides and scanned

Okavango Delta is the world’s largest inland delta. The delta is irrigated by the Okavango River which originates from Angola, where it is known as the Cubango River. The river has no outlet to the sea but empties into the Kalahari Desert and irrigating the desert in the process. The delta is flooded for about 3 months every year between June and August, curiously during Botswana’s dry winter months. The reason is that the river water comes from summer rains in Angola that takes about 5 months to reach the Okavango Delta. When the delta is flooded, it swells to at least 3 times its permanent size. During this time, the delta is a magnet for animals, creating one of Africa’s greatest concentrations of wildlife. Islands, the majority of which began as termite mounds, can disappear completely, being consumed by the flood. However, the water would disappear relatively quickly through evaporation and transpiration from the leaves of plants as a result of the high temperature in the desert. A major means of transport during the flood is by poling a mokoro, a traditional dug-out canoe made from an ebony or sausage tree log, like that in the photo. Since both the ebony and sausage trees are now protected, mokoros are now made from fibreglass.

Technorati Tags: Okavango,Botswana,mokoro,Cubango

The majesty and showcase of Christianity’s biggest church, St Peter’s Basilica

2009-10-03T13:19:00.000+08:00

Location: St Peter's Basilica, Vatican, Italy (41° 54′ 8″ N, 12° 27′ 23″ E)
Date: 23 March 2005; 11.40am
Camera: Canon 300D with kit lens

There are so many churches and cathedrals in Rome that one can easily mistake the interior of one church with another. Furthermore, one would easily be bored after seeing a few. Be it as it may, if you are only going to visit one church/cathedral, let that be the St Peter’s Basilica of the Vatican, the largest church in the world. To start with, it can be hassle to get into the cathedral as it is often packed with pilgrims and there is normally a queue to get in. However, the sheer size, history, arts collection and its significance in Christianity means there is no equal to it. Personally, I was awed by the arts and sculpture collections, the history and its opulence. An example is the (central approach to the altar) and Bernini's "Cathedra Petri" and "Gloria at the High Altar of the Cathedral as seen in the above photo.

Technorati Tags: Maderno's nave,Bernini,Cathedral Petri,Bernini Gloria,St Peter's Basilica,Vatican

Slide for Sep09

2009-10-01T15:37:00.005+08:00

Changi Airport has it all, including a mobile post office!!

2009-10-01T15:28:00.003+08:00

Location: Changi Airport Terminal 2, Singapore (1°21′26.54″N 103°59′19.81″E)
Date: 2 May 2009; 9.20am
Camera: Canon IXUS IZoom
Singapore has great pride in its national carrier (Singapore Airlines) and airport terminals at Changi. Both are icons of Singapore and had consistently topped surveys by travellers. More terminals are being added to Changi Airport while the older ones are constantly being upgraded. Unlike some other airports where it is boring and uncomfortable to transit or wait for flights, Changi has lots of amenities, entertainment, shopping and probably the airport with the most number of free internet terminals (and also free wifi connections for those with their own laptops) in the world. A lot of thoughts must have gone into trying to make the airport as user-friendly as possible including providing a mobile post office (on wheels) and souvenir stand like this in the photo.

Eiffel Tower, Louvre and other Paris landmarks in Las Vegas

2009-09-30T12:07:00.001+08:00

Location: Paris Las Vegas, Nevada, USA (36° 6′ 45″ N, 115° 10′ 20″ W)
Date: 9 September 2006; 1.15pm
Camera: Canon 300D with kit lens

Paris Las Vegas is one of many replicas one sees in Vegas, along the Strip. It is actually a hotel and casino- as its name suggests, it is Paris-themed. It has many replicas of Paris’ landmarks. These include those in the photo- a 165m replica of the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre and the La Fontaine des Mers. It is one of the older complex, completed in 1997. Vegas had transformed into a more family-oriented destination in the last few years after losing out as the biggest gambling enclave to Macau.

Technorati Tags: Las Vegas,Paris Las Vegas

Lake McGregor with the Southern Alps, New Zealand

2009-09-28T22:36:00.004+08:00

Location: Lake McGregor, South Island, New Zealand (43°56'10.96"S, 170°28'12.71"E)
Date: 26 May 2009, 11.30am
Camera: Canon 400D with Sigma 17-70/f2.8-4.5

Lake McGregor is a small, very deep lake in the McKenzie Basin, next to the bigger and better known Lake Tekapo. The lakes are surrounded by mountains, with the year-round snow peaks of the Southern Alps to the north- which is the backdrop of the above photo. Lake McGregor is fabulous for fishing, mainly brown trouts. There are many small bays around the lake with shelf of shallow water that drops off into the depths. Fish cruise around these edges especially during the warmer months. However, there can be excellent fishing at all times of the year at the outlet channel that leads to Lake Tekapo. Apart from fishing, it is just another of many lakes around this part of New Zealand.

China has many minorities including Miaos in Zhaoxing, Guizhou

2009-09-23T20:45:00.001+08:00

Locations: Zhaoxing, Guizhou China (25° 54' 39 N, 109°10' 35 E)
Date: 18 April 2005; 11.45am
Camera: EOS 300D with kit lens

China officially recognised a total of 55 ethnic minority groups apart from the Han Chinese majority. These are distributed all over China, with more diversity in those provinces bordering other countries. For example, Yunnan which share borders with Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam has the largest number of minority tribes, numbering in excess of 50. However, even though Guizhou does not have any national borders, it is home to the second largest diversity of ethnic tribes in China. Unlike Yunnan, the minority tribes in Guizhou are not often found in other countries, e.g. Dong and Buyi. Furthermore most of these ethnic groups live in isolated hillsides and along rivers deep in the hinterland, which are difficult to reach. This ensures that their culture and traditions to remain fairly intact till now. Very often, the minorities still go about their daily lives in their traditional costumes. This may not continue for long as China is developing so fast that these places are not "spared". In fact, tourism has reached these places as one can see from the incredible number of s0-called "minority tours" these days being advertised. Their culture and way of life is likely to change with all such developments and influences. In fact, one of the ugly side effects of tourism development in these places is the corruption of their values by materialism, as I have posted before regarding Chenyang. In any case, Zhaoxing was still a very warm and hospitable village when I visited in early 2005. I wonder how much it has changed since. If you have been there recently, please leave your comments and updates here about the village.

View from a shikara, Srinagar, Kashmir, India

2009-09-19T23:06:00.003+08:00

Location: Dal Lake, Srinagar, Kashmir, India (34° 5′ 24″ N, 74° 47′ 24″ E)
Date: 18 August 2009 5.50am
Camera: Canon 400D with Sigma 17-70/f2.8-4.5

This is just a shot that I think is fun to post after writing about going to the morning market. This is the view from the shikara while rowing on the way to the morning vegetable market.

Morning floating vegetable market, Srinagar, Kashmir, India

2009-09-18T10:52:00.001+08:00

Location: Dal Lake, Srinagar, Kashmir, India (34° 5′ 24″ N, 74° 47′ 24″ E)
Date: 18 August 2009 6.15am
Camera: Canon 400D with Sigma 17-70/f2.8-4.5

Srinagar is well known for its produce- fruits and vegetables. It is supposedly also well-know for flower cultivation. There is a daily floating market in the morning, selling vegetables mainly. It is on Dal Lake and is just a normal affair for locals but attracts a fair number of curious tourists, like yours truly. Actually, it is not much of a big deal but rather a little novella bit like the floating markets in places like Bangkok but smaller. Nevertheless, I still enjoy watching the local people going about their own way of life, which has not changed for decades. In fact, what I enjoy most was not so much the market but the nuances of the people, such as the friendliness, the bargaining and the most interestingly the lack of females in the market; Srinagar is mainly Sunni but is not dogmatic or fundamental.

To get to the floating market on Dal Lake, one needs to start early- preferably around 5.30am. It takes about 30-45 minutes for the shikara to get to the market from the Dal Gate area. You should budget to spend between 1½ to 2 hours for this activity. It is advisable to make your arrangements the day before with the shikara owner on the timing and rendezvous place. Of course, you should have negotiated and agreed on a price. The price varies depending on the duration and the season of the year. I paid 200 INR for 2 hours in August.

Colourful shikaras on Dal Lake, Srinagar, Kashmir

2009-09-16T14:49:00.001+08:00

Location: Dal Lake, Srinagar, Kashmir, India (34° 5′ 24″ N, 74° 47′ 24″ E)
Date: 17 August 2009 5.50pm
Camera: Canon 400D with Sigma 17-70/f2.8-4.5

Srinagar, the capital of the Indian state of Jammu & Kashmir had been touted as a very beautiful place, a city with a huge lake, Dal Lake, in the centre and flanked by a couple of mountain ranges. The lake is, in turn flanked by slumbering and beautiful houseboats; staying in one is supposedly a fabulous experience. I came with expectations set by reading such accolades over the years and my verdict is mixed.

I visited Srinagar in the summer (mid-August) when the mountains are a little bare and green-brown in most places. Hence, I could not experience the so-called mountain beauty of the lake backed by snowy mountain ranges. The lake is pleasant but is really not that nice, if one look closer. It is pretty with good reflections but that is because it is rather shallow, stale, blackish and unmoving. In fact, in many places, it is filled with weeds- workers in boats manually de-weed parts of the lake every morning. Certain parts of the lake are actually smelly, stink of the human and other wastes that are either discharged into the lakes via canals or directly from houseboats or dwellings along its shores. In short, it is polluted.

Staying in a houseboat is touted as the ultimate Kashmiri experience. There are about 1,800 houseboats in total on Dal Lake and the smaller adjoining Nagin Lake. These houseboats range from fabulously decorated luxury options to somewhat ordinary ones. The prices range also varies according to the state of the boat, the meals offered etc but prices would start from 500 INS per night excluding meals in the summer high season. Apparently, in the usual summer high season, all the houseboats and most of the hotels in Srinagar are fully packed by mainly Indian tourists (this summer was not that great for tourism after mainly Indian tourists shunned Srinagar due to the Amarnath Nagar episode last year). Personally, I did not quite enjoy my houseboat experience:

inconvenient to get out-and-about onto land, having to have someone to row me to shore
restricted to meals provided by the houseboat or endure the trouble of getting to shore
being captive to the occasional souvenir sellers, and
just not spending enough time on the boat to make it worthwhile.

Despite all the above, the lake itself can be quite photogenic especially with the colourful shikaras (Kashmiri gondolas) plying the lake. All the shikara owners belong to an association and there is an official rate for renting the shikaras. The rate is posted on signboards along the shore. The official rate (2009) is 200 INR per hour; one can easily negotiate a rate of 100-150 INR per hour.

(next post on Srinagar- the floating market)

Technorati Tags: Srinagar,Kashmir,Lake Dal,Jammu & Kashmir

Houseboats on Dal Lake, Srinagar, Kashmir

2009-09-14T16:04:00.001+08:00

Location: Dal Lake, Srinagar, Kashmir, India (34° 5′ 24″ N, 74° 47′ 24″ E)
Date: 18 August 2009 6.15pm
Camera: Canon 400D with Sigma 17-70/f2.8-4.5

Jammu & Kashmir is known to be a beautiful place. However, its main claim to “fame” had been the cause of four wars between India and Pakistan (and one between India and China). It was on the radar of many travellers but could never get there due to the bombings and disturbances perpetuated by separatists as well as the resultant Indian military lock-down- the latter is still very much evident in many parts of Srinagar, the capital. The situation had only turned better in the last couple of years due mainly to the dialogue and peace overtures between India and Pakistan. As a result, it never featured in any guidebooks- the only one that has a section on Kashmir is the latest issue of the Lonely Planet. However, I find that Lonely Planet did a horrendous job in the practical guide to Srinagar. Contrary to the information in the guide, there are loads of budget accommodation in Srinagar. Most of them are concentrated on the shore of Dal Lake, opposite Boulevard Road, only a few meters to the left of Dal Gate. Clean doubles with attached bathroom and 24-hours hot running water can be had for 200 INR at hotels such as Hotel New Zeenath and the likes.

(more posts soon on Srinagar itself)

Technorati Tags: Srinagar,Dal Lake,Kashmir & Jammu,Kashmir,houseboat

Wonders built over the centuries- rice terraces of Yuanyang, China

2009-09-09T17:10:00.004+08:00

Locations: Yuanyang, Yunnan, China (23° 9' 15 N 102° 44' 52 E)
Date: 26 February 2007; 2.10pm
Camera: Canon 300D with kit lens

Rice is the main staple for most Asians, including Chinese. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that it is the most commonly grown crop in China. In many parts of China, rice is grown on terraces cut over hundreds of years into hillsides. Paddy fields need a lot of water for irrigation and terraces aid the flow and irrigation. One of the most amazing places to see rice terraces in China is Yuanyang in Yunnan. Over the years, it had become a photographers' haven. During the pre-planting season in the first couple of months of the year, the rice terraces are flooded and soaked with water to allow the soil to loosen up as well as to absorb the water. This is the most beautiful period to photograph the terraces as they changes colour and hue during the course of the day as water reflects the sun, sky, mist and so on. Most early mornings (about 5 am), one can see hordes of photographers scrambling for the best vantage points to photograph the sunrise and mist amongst the terraces.