His Grace

Exploring Lorong Halus & Serangoon Reservoir

2011-07-22T17:55:00.009+08:00

Lorong Halus Wetland along Serangoon Reservoir collects and treats water passing through the former landfill, preventing it from flowing into the reservoir.

This helps safeguard the quality of water in Serangoon Reservoir.

Like the Sengkang Floating Wetland, the Lorong Halus Wetland is developing into a natural habitat for wildlife over time.

Members of the public can also go on the nature trails to learn more about wetland, the plants, and various wildlife that thrive there.

Tibet June 2011 - Journey to Namtso, The Highest Lake In The World

2011-07-22T17:39:00.004+08:00

In Nov. 14, 2005, Namtso Lake in the Tibet Autonomous Region was selected as one of the five most beautiful lakes in China by Chinese National Geography magazine.

Namtso Lake's touching beauty should not be missed by any traveler who visits Tibet. Its purity and solemnness are symbols of Qinghai-Tibet Platean. In Tibetan, Namtso means 'Heavenly Lake.' It is considered one of the three holy lakes in Tibet.

Namtso is famous for its high altitude (4720 meters (about 3 miles)), vast area (1961 square kilometers (about 757 square miles) and beautiful scenery.

Being the second largest saltwater lake in China only after Qinghai Lake, Namtso Lake is the biggest lake throughout Tibet. Meanwhile, it is the highest altitude saltwater lake in the world.

The water here is a storybook crystal-clear blue. Clear skies join the surface of the lake in the distance, creating an integrated, scenic vista. Soul of every visitor who has ever been here seems to be cleansed by the pure lake water.

Tibet June 2011, Potala Palace

2011-07-22T10:07:00.017+08:00

The Potala Palace - This ancient architectural complex is considered a model of Tibetan architecture. Located on the Red Hill in Lhasa, Tibet, it is 3,700 meters above sea level and covers an area of over 360,000 square meters, measuring 360 meters from east to west and 270 meters from south to north. The palace has 13 stories, and is 117 meters high

Jokhang Temple - One of the most famous temple or monastery of Lhasa, the Jokhang stands on the Barkhor Square.

Buddhist tourists make it a point to pay a visit to this monastery during their visit to Tibet. In the year 2000, it was included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Sceneries along the Lhasa to Qinghai express train

2011-07-21T18:28:00.015+08:00

All photos taken on train using Canon Power Shot E1 camera.

As the Tibet Railway traverse three ranges and many rivers and lakes, the sceneries along the Railway to Tibet are marvellous and majestic.

45 railway stations offer vistors picturesque sceneries among which nine sightseeing stations have sightseeing platforms. Some of the famous charming sights along the line are Qinghai Lake and Bird Island, Kunlun and Tanggula mountain ranges, Kekexili, Tuotuo Rivers, Yangpachen, and Potala Palace etc. Not only rivers, lakes, grasslands and forests, but also Jokul can be admired along the line.

The World's Highest Railway - The Beijing-Lhasa train will run at a speed of 160 km per hour on the plain, but will slow down at 120 km per hour when it reaches the Qinghai-Tibet section.

The line includes the Tanggula Pass, at 5,072 m above sea level the world's highest rail track. More than 960 km, or over 80% of the railway, is at an altitude of more than 4,000 m. There are 675 bridges, totaling 159.88 km, and over half the length of the railway is laid on permafroston

Photos of Xian - Tibet - June 2011

2011-07-21T14:39:00.024+08:00

Historically known as Chang'an, it was home to the ruling house of 13 dynasties, notably, the Qin (221 BC – 207 BC), Han (206 BC – 220 AD), Sui (581 AD – 618 AD) and Tang (618AD – 908AD) Dynasties. The Emperor Qin Shihuang united China for the first time and left Xi'an and the world one of the most extraordinary archeological finds in history - the Terracotta Warriors, which attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors a year. The city reached its peak in the Tang dynasty, boasting 2 million taxable inhabitants and the largest, most cosmopolitan, settlement in the world during the reign of Xuanzong (712 AD – 756 AD).

Surviving monuments open a window to this ancient city. The short-lived totalitarian state of Qin Shihuang is mirrored in the awe-inspiring massed terra-cotta armies of the Terracotta Warriors.

Lunang means “valley of the dragon king” in Tibetan. It lies 3,700 m above sea level and is nestled alongside the Sichuan Tibet Highway. It is a narrow strip of typical alpine meadow, about 1 kilometer wide and 15 km long.

The mountains on its sides are called the Lunang Forest Seas, made up of bushes, dragon spruces and pines at the highter altitudes, while at the mountains’ base are alpine meadows.

Streams wind through the meadows, which are strewn with winter jasmine and various other wild flowers.

The spectacular Lunang Valley, a pristine environment of alpine forests, clear mountain streams and lakes, and flowering meadows.

Touring Guilin 2010

2011-07-21T13:35:00.010+08:00

In November 2010, my wife and I joined CTC Travels on a 8 day tour to Guilin. The stunning landscape in which the city is situated has a kind of magic that is all its own. River cruise from Guilin to Yangshuo is the centerpiece of any trip to northeastern Guangxi Province. Gorgeous Karst peaks give you surprises at each bend of the limpid river under the blue sky. Water buffalo patrol the fields, peasants reap rice paddies, school kids and fisherman float by on bamboo rafts. With its breathtaking scenery and taste of a life far removed from the concrete metropolis, the scenery along the Li River become one of China's top tourist destination. Another attraction is the Liu San Jie show designed and directed by Zhang Yimao with a cast of 500 singers, dancers, bamboo boats and cormorants bids. However, the stand out performer is definitely the background scenery. The lighting of the karst peaks is truly amazing and was the highlight.

The Trainees' 6 months journey in Norway..

2009-06-04T10:25:00.002+08:00

It all started in December 2009. 6 months have passed by so fast just when you are about to enjoy the beautiful spring time in Norway.

Team Building, Sailing the Telemark Canal

2009-06-04T09:32:00.002+08:00

Towards the end of the trainees'assignment in Norway. This was the best team building outing we had on May 16th 2009 cruishing along the Telemark Canal system.

The Telemark Canal was etched in the mountains for well over 100 years ago, and when the canal was completed in 1892 the rest of Europe called it “the eighth wonder of the world". Five hundred men had worked for five years, blasting their way through the mountains. With a total of 28 lock chambers, the route was cleared from Skien to the ancient Norwegian town of Dalen, a sailing route of 105 km and with an elevation difference of 72 meters.

Many people return year after year to enjoy the peace and quiet of the canal. The journey is travelled at a slow pace from Langesund in the beautiful Telemark skerries via the towns of Porsgrunn and Skien, and up into the canal system.

The Telemark Canal is the only canal system in Norway connected to the sea. 18 lock levels divided over 8 lock systems lift boats 72 metres above sea level to the lake of Flåvatn. From here beautiful lake and river reaches take the traveller on to Dalen, 150 km inland, in the heart of the mountains of southern Norway. The contrast between the broad agricultural districts, the wilderness and the old industrial sites makes the Telemark Canal one of the most attractive tourist destinations in Europe. In addition, the water is clean and the fish live well! The Telemark Canal was completed in 1892 and 500 men had worked for 5 years to bring this waterway into the heart of Telemark. The canal is a living heritage site, and has kept its nineteenth century air, with manual operation of most of the lock gates. The beautiful old walls and lock systems have been preserved in their original form. Along the banks of the canal you can still see the old lock-keepers' houses, the smithies, the sawmills, the watchmens' cottages and the jetties with warehouses and other buildings.

Touring Flam Valley, May 2009...

2009-06-04T08:58:00.004+08:00

In the first week of May 2009, we took a trip to Bergen and to visit Flåmdalen, one of the most popular tourist resorts in the country. It is a narrow valley stretching from the Hardangervidda in the south, to the Aurlandsdalen Valley – a branch of the Sognefjorden - in the north.

Flåm is an excellent starting point for excursions by car or boat to other well known resorts in the Sognefjorden. Part of the tour include a famous ride on the Flåmbanen Railway - A masterpiece set in wild and wonderful scenery. A train ride on the Flåmbana will provide you with the experience of a stretch of railway that is quite without precedence in Europe: 20km long and involving a climb of 865 metres. In order to manage such a great degree of elevation on such a short stretch, the railway has been placed in spiral tunnels that go in and out of the mountains.

Trail from Hybel Hotel to Brevik

2009-04-23T19:20:00.006+08:00

It took about 6 hours to hike the ~12KM trail near Heroya to Brevik on Sunday. Snow has melted already and trail is quite pleasant to walk now. The main highlight is the awesome view at the end of the trail in Brevik overlooking the suspended bridge.

Hamburg, Schwerin, Bremen...

2009-04-16T14:48:00.005+08:00

Hamburg has a special character set apart from the rest of Germany. As Europe's second biggest port, Hamburg has always been open to adventurers and travellers from the whole world and is full of history, fame and wild nights.

Schwerin is surrounded by many picturesque lakes. Main sights - The landmark of the city is the Schwerin Castle, located on an island in the lake of the same name. Schwerin Cathedral, built in 1260–1416 in Brick Gothic style. The Alter Garten (Old Garden) square, surrounded by buildings such as the 18th-century Altes Palais (Old Palace), the neoclassical Staatliches Museum Schwerin (State Art Museum), built in 1877–1882, and the Staatstheater (City Theater), erected in 1886. The town hall (18th century) Schelfkirche (Saint Nicolai, originally built 1238, but rebuilt in 1713 after destruction by a storm). Television mast Schwerin-Zippendorf.

Many of the sights in Bremen are found in the Altstadt (Old Town).The oldest part of the Altstadt is the southeast half, starting with the Marktplatz and ending at the Schnoor quarter. The Marktplatz (Market square) is dominated by the opulent façade of the Town Hall. Two statues stand to the west side of the Town Hall: one is the statue (1404) of the city's protector, Roland, with his view against the Cathedral and bearing Durendart, the "sword of justice" and a shield decorated with an imperial eagle. The other near the entrance to the Ratskeller is Gerhard Marcks's bronze sculpture (1953) Die Stadtmusikanten (Town Musicians) which portrays the donkey, dog, cat and rooster of the Grimm Brothers' fairy tale.

Other interesting buildings in the vicinity of the Marktplatz are the Schütting, a 16th-century Flemish-inspired guild hall, and the Stadtwaage, the former weigh house (built in 1588), with an ornate Renaissance façade. The impressive Cathedral St. Petri (13th century), to the east of the Marktplatz, with sculptures of Moses and David, Peter and Paul, Charlemagne and Christopher Maki. The Liebfrauenkirche (Our Lady's Church) is the oldest church of the town (11th century). At the end of Böttcherstraße, by the Weser bank, stands the Martinikirche (St Martin's Church), a Gothic brick church built in 1229, and rebuilt in 1960 after its destruction in World War II. Tucked away between the Cathedral and the river is the Schnoor, a small, well-preserved area of crooked lanes, fishermen's and shipper's houses from the 17th and 18th centuries, now occupied by cafés, artisan shops and art galleries. Schlachte, the medieval harbour of Bremen (the modern port is some kilometres downstream) and today a riverside boulevard with pubs and bars aligned on one side and the banks of Weser on the other.

Spring time in Hamburg, Schwerin & Bremen

2009-04-16T03:32:00.004+08:00

Spring has arrived in Hamburg,Schwerin and Bremen. Flowers in the streets and parks as we see it between April 10th and 13th. Many varities can be seen.

The Telemark Canal...

2009-03-27T20:46:00.014+08:00

On March 26th 13 of us participated in a team building outdoor activity trekking some parts of the Telemark Canal. It was a 6 hours outing.

The Telemark Canal stretches 105km from Skien to Dalen. The canal consists of eight lock chambers and a difference in height of 72m. Before the Locks were built, the waterway consisted of three different stages. The first stage was Bryggevannet in Skien, in direct contact with the sea. The second stage was Norsjo and the river up to Heddalsvannet. The upper stage was Flavatn, Kviteseidvatn and Bandak - the so called Western Lakes.

The Norsjo-Skien canal joins Skien and Norsjo together. The Bandak-Norsjo canal is the connection between Norsjo and the Western Lakes. By the building of the locks a continuous and sailable waterway was achieved, which connected the inner part of Telemark with the Sea.

The entire waterway is called the Telemark Canal, and it carries the boats 72m from Bryggevann up to Strengen in Flabygd.

Eidanger, Norway

2009-03-23T00:46:00.003+08:00

Eidanger is a former rural parish and municipality of Telemark county, Norway.

Eidanger was established as a municipality January 1, 1838. It was merged with Porsgrunn January 1, 1964. The main part of Eidanger is a peninsula between the Eidangerfjord and the Frierfjord. Situated between the urban communities of Brevik and Porsgrunn, and with excellent natural conditions for building harbours, it became the home of major industrial sites as Norsk Hydro's plant at Herøya, and the Dalen Portland (now part of the Norcem corporation) concrete factory just outside of Brevik. Another major industry is Heistad Fabrikker, which makes products for diabetics. Another factory in Eidanger is Isola fabrikker and is the only factory of its kind in the world.

A day trip in Telemark - Team Building Day in Norway

2009-03-01T19:12:00.004+08:00

We had our team building day at Vierli Turitsenter. Vierli is located at 1010 m above sea level and has a panoramic view out over Raulandsfjell and Hardangervidda. Vierli has a unique range of activities for all visitors who come to Rauland. The ski Centre operates five skiing areas comprising 6,575 metres of piste divided between nine downhill runs. The ski centre also caters to snowboarders, with a half-pipe, quarter-pipe, plenty of jumps, a big jump, rails and so on. Ski hire and ski school. Vierli Sledging Centre is the largest in Norway, with more than 100 sledges for hire and three private runs - an activity for all the family! Vierli and the surrounding countryside are ideal for all skiing enthusiasts, both on our 140 km of prepared trails and off-piste.

Stathelle

2009-02-22T16:09:00.005+08:00

It was snowing heavy today and temperature around -4 deg C. Stathelle is located between Brevik and Langesung.

Stathelle is a town in Norway in the municipality of Bamble in the county of Telemark, Norway. With a population of about 8000, Stathelle is situated at the junction of the Langesundsfjord, Frierfjord and Eidangerfjord. Stathelle is an old trading town.

Larvik, Norway

2009-02-21T01:13:00.002+08:00

The municipality is approximately 105 kilometres southwest of Oslo. The municipality covers an area of 530 square kilometres and has a population of 41,211 (23,100 of which in the town). The economy of the municipality relies heavily on agriculture, commerce and services, light industry and transportation. The district also includes the town of Stavern (population: 5,000) and the villages of Nevlunghavn, Helgeroa, Kvelde, Hvarnes, and Tjølling. Notable geographical features include the lake Farris and the river Numedalslågen, locally called Lågen, which terminates in Larvik, east of the town. Larvik is also noted for its natural springs of mineral water, Farriskildene, which have been commercially exploited under the brand name Farris. At Kaupang in Tjølling, lie the remains of the medieval Skiringssal trading outpost. Larvik is also home to the world's northernmost natural occurrence of Fagus sylvatica forests (European Beech tree or Norwegian: Bøkeskogen).

If this is earth, what will heaven be?

2009-02-17T21:34:00.005+08:00

If we have such beauty on earth, then no word can fully comprehend what heaven is like!

A brisk Sunday walk...trail near the hotel

2009-02-09T23:35:00.006+08:00

Walking in the knee height snow wasn't easy. We planned to take a 2 hours brisk walk from Heorya to Brevik but ended up only making it half way. The snow was simply too thick to go forward. It took us 3 hours instead. All in all, it was physically taxing and aerobic for me..

No sacrifice we make is too great for the One who sacrificed His all.

Visiting Oslo, Museums and attractions...

2009-02-07T01:49:00.006+08:00

The train ride from Porsgrunn to Oslo S was about 3 hours. Once in Oslo, we bought the 1 day Oslo Pass. It's the best way to experience Oslo for a day. The pass entitles us unlimited public transport and free admissions into 35 museums.

Visits to a few attractions: Frammuseet [Museum for The Polar Ship Fram]. Fram is the world's strongest wooden ship and the one that has sailed the furthest to the North and to the South. Fram was used for three great polar expeditions by Fridtjof Nansen 1893-1896, otto Sverdrup 1898-1902 and Roald Amundsen 1910-1912. Fram was built in 1892.

Kon-Tiki Museun - house original boats and exhibits from Thor Heyerdahl's world famous expeditions. The museum is home to permanent exhibitions about Ra, Tifris, Fatu-Hiva, Kon-Tiki and Eatser Island.

National museum. The museum exhibits Norwegian and International applied art and design froom the 7th century to the present. It also includes Norway's most impressive collections of silver, glass, ceramics and furniture, East-Asian department and Royal Norwegian costume gallery.

Norsk Folkemuseum. The open-air museum shows 155 traditional houses from all over Norway including Gol Stave Church from the 1200AD. Unfortunately during winter time there is limited activities. Most activities are in summer: folk dancing and music, baking, handicrafts, etc.

Norwegian Maritme Museum. It offers a unique experience of Norway as a coastal and maritime nation. The super-videograph shows Ivo Caprino's fantastic panoramic film across five screens, where the audience is taken on a voyage of coastal Norway.

Vigeland Museum. This is Oslo's only museum for sculpture. the museum was originally built as a studio and residence for sculptor Gustav Vigeland (1869=1943). The permanent collection contains amongst others Vigeland's early works, his portraits and monuments, as well as the sculptures in the Vigeland park.

Vikingshiphuset. The museum has put on display the best preserved Viking Ships ever found. The ships were found in three royal burial mounds by the Oslo fjord. The ships were buried more than 1100 years ago to carry their royal owners "to the other side". The museum also has on display the unique finds from the graves; small boats, sledges, textiles, kitchen utensils and the only carriage from the the Viking aga ever to be found.

The mystic winter sky of Norway...

2009-02-05T05:09:00.002+08:00

The mystic sky of Norway in winter creating a beautiful constrast between day and night something to marvel at.

Langesung Revisit...

2009-02-03T23:28:00.009+08:00

Just when we thought we had enough of the beauty of Langesung, we decided to go back to complete the trail along its coast. A very much different terrian from the previous trail. Here are the video clips of a 2 hour journey we have taken on a bright Sunday morning.

Heroya, Porsgrunn

2009-02-01T01:54:00.006+08:00

Heroya industrial park is home to the REC Scanwafer manufacturing of solar wafer. Surrounding the industrial park is beauty all around. There is much to see without having to travel too far if you are willing to explore the nature around you...

Sceneries of the neigbourhood for memories.

Trekking to the TV station in Porsgrunn..

2009-01-28T18:49:00.008+08:00

Four of us went trekking yesterday starting from Skien to the TV station somewhere in Porsgrunn. It took us about 4 hours back and forth from Skien to near the near by location. The snow was too thick to access right up to the station somewhere in the mountain.

"Take time for all things: great haste makes great waste."
Benjamin Franklin

Celebrating CNY in Downtown, Porsgrunn

2009-01-27T17:41:00.003+08:00

Wow, what a joyful CNY re-union celebration for all the 37 Singapore trainees together with 9 other Norwegian friends. DowntomePorsgrunn was where we had our dinner party on January 25th.

Weather in the evening was good. Temperature was around zero.

Excellent food, ample to drink, everyone had a good time together. None seem to miss home!

The ang pow lucky draw was another main highlight - everyone had a chance to win something. The lucky ones get to pick up to S$50 to usher in a prosperous New Year. Some only receive a humorous note instead. Nevertheless, everyone had something to take away - A good time indeed celebrating the Lunar New Year. We also celebrated the birthdays of 3 individuals.

Drinking sweet glutinous peanut balls was something I have not seen practiced in Singapore for a long time.

Here is a video clip of the occassion to remember by.