ckelvin world photography+travel

Wang Lee Hom

2012-03-06T01:44:00.003-08:00

Music Man II lives in Kuala Lumpur

It's been some time since I last shot a live concert. Thus I when I was invited to shoot Lee Hom concert in KL I was pretty excited. Over the years I have seen 2 of Lee Hom concerts. First time in Kl and the second time at Hong Kong Hung Hom Coliseum. And I enjoyed both concert tremendously as I also bought his CD ( ok that was way back).

But my excitement turned to despair when I found out where the media, photographers will be placed. It is very far, like in the middle of the field with the stage at the other end. In previous concerts we were always in front just beneath the stage. And we were only allow to shoot during the first 3 songs (officially) after that we were ask to sit at the left of the 2nd block of seats behind the sponsors and VVIP, which is still too far. Officially it was not allowed to take photos but most people came with cameras, tablets and even ipad and taking picture throughout the concert.

As for the media and photographers, we too were not able to resist continue taking pictures but than how can we stop...

As for the concert its certianly a good show, Lee Hom as usual show his talent with various musical instruments, plus some interesting video effect to some of his songs. Even the rain doesn't seem to dampen the fans spirit.

Acme Bar & Café, Troika

2012-02-27T20:28:00.004-08:00

A lazy Saturday afternoon at the Troika

When Ben suggested we all meet up for lunch at Troika I waspleasantly surprised. I didn’t knowthere is a bar & café there while some of them said is expensive. Someone say its ok lah, since not everytime. Another says can still afford acup of coffee.

And so we ended up there. Or actually I ended up there firstcos when I arrived none of them were there. Anyway I got myself a table for 4, make myself comfortable and order a cappuccino.

This place is bright and airy; with glass from floor toceiling on one side of the restaurant to take advantage of the KLCC view and parkgiving it lots of greenery.

When Ah Ben and Siew Hong arrived we order our food ndrinks. The menu has a mix of breakfast sets, a selection of usual dishes anddessert. There is also a good selection of wines to choose from and on Sundayit even has a lunch buffet with sparkling wine.

While waiting for our food and also waiting for Agnes andChan to come, the 3 of us share our travel stories, talk about cameras (as Bengot himself a Nikon P300 recently). Ben entertained us about his adventuresduring his recent rip to Beijing and shows us some photos taken with his P300in his ipad.

Fresh orchid on the table give it a nice touch ( unlike plastic flower in some cafes)

My big cup of cappuccino taste really good.

Ben and Siew Hong choosing their choice of cakes.

Tempting white chocolate cakes

My Turkey ham and cheese sandwich with fried eggs, beetroot and green leaves,

looks inviting but the ham is a bit too dry.

Ben's grilled Zuchini & Ricotta served in own made tomato sauce with oregano

is good according to him.

Magic Mirror The Musical 2011

2012-02-25T00:43:00.002-08:00

The Story of Compassion

The first time I shot this Musical was in 2008 when theyperformed in Genting Highland. As the show was on for couple of weeks I managedto cover a few of the shows and was better prepared for the different sceneafter shooting the first show. But for this time a group of us have to shootduring the video taping of the performance, which made it even tougher as we werenot allow to move around or get nearer to the stage since the video camera willbe moving.

Having a fast lenses and camera with good ISO capabilitiesis vital for this type of photography as flash is not allow and some of thescene can be very dark with sudden burst of spotlights. I usually do a manualspot metering first and make sure my speed does not fall too slow. But for someof the scenes the whole stage can turn into a shade of red or orange or almosttotally dark with just a follow spotlight on the performer. Thus I have toconstantly check my exposure and speed. When the stage is not bright enough andthe dancers are moving too fast I purposely slow down my speed to capture theimage in a swirl of movements. But this can be tricky and need some luck as Igot only 1 chance to capture this.

The latest show has some changes from the originalperformance as some scenes are modified or totally changed. While I like theearlier performance, the latest show has some interesting scenes as well. Butits still a commendable show worth catching

Presented By:

Yayasan Guan Yin

www.guanyin.org.my

Watami Japanese Casual Restaurant

2012-02-20T00:29:00.000-08:00

If you are in the mood for Japanese food and yet couldn’tdecide whether you want sashimi or tempura. Or both. Don’t fret just head toWatami. Their 4-person set dinner menu comes with a choice of Value Set orPremium Set.

The Value Set is priced at RM160++, while the Premium Set atRM200++ will be a good choice as it comes with 6 types of main dishes thatinclude Assorted Sashimi and Tempura with an option for you to choice the riceand hotpot dishes. Both set come with dessert and drink for 4 persons.

The Premiumset comes in generous portion for each dish that’s just nice for 4 persons. Forsmaller eater the Value Set is an option. Either set you choose you will be assuredof an authentic Japanese meal.

Watami Japanese Casual Restaurant is in Pavilion, Kuala Lumpurand I Utama, Petaling Jaya.

Choice of beverages

Teriyaki Chicken Salad

Toyko Gyudon – Beef Rice Bowl with Hot Spring Egg in Tokyo Style

Tokusen Sushi Moriawse – Deluxe Assorted Nigiri Sushi

Tempura Morisawase – Assorted Tempura

Assorted Sashimi (3 types)

Wafu Hitokuchi Steak – Beef Bites in Japanese Style

Hot Pot – Shio Chanki Nabe

Ramen for Hot Pot

Wafu Pizza – Pizza Topped with Teriyaki Chicken

Dessert – A choice of ice cream

Watami

Japanese Casual Restaurant

www.watami.com.my

Extra Super Tanker

2012-01-31T00:34:00.001-08:00

Tucked in a little know area in PJ, this Chinese restaurant will not disappoint you when it come to their menu. Unless you went in without pre-ordering some of their most popular dishes. And some of the special are only available during the weekend making it even more necessary to pre-order if you dont want to be disappointed.

Roasted Duck in Chinese style crepe

Crispy slices of duck skin with a thin later of meat, to be wrap up and filled with crispy condiments of spring onions, dried shrimp and a special sauce.

Braised Shark's Fin Soup with Crab Meat

This may not be the most proper dish to some enviromentalist but to some diehard fan of
Chinese cusine this is a dish not to be miss. This is finely cooked shark's Fin in tasty but not gluey soup. You either love it or hate it.

Stewed Soft Bone Pork

If you are a pork lover you will love this. Available on Fridays to Sundays, it;s best to pre-order.
The soft tendons are stew for 8hours making the meat tender, the tendon soft and practically melt in your mouth.

Steam Sea Prawns with Glutinous

A unique combinations of prawn and rice steam together. Definately worth trying but only if you come in a bigger group as the servings come in large portion.

Steamed Giant Garoupa with Pickled Vegetables

Thick chunk of meat from a giant garoupa steam in slightly sour pickle vegetable make the
succulent meat most appetizing.

Extra Super Tanker
No. 48, SS20/10 Damansara Kim,
47400 Petaling Jaya
Tel: 7726 7782
www.estrestaurant.com

Lopburi

2012-01-02T07:26:00.000-08:00

The Sunflower Train

During the sunflowers season from November to January, Lopburiprovince is a popular destination for Bangkok people to escape from the hustleand bustle of the city for a day trip. You can either take a train or a privatecar to Lopburi and during the weekend the train departs from Hua LamphongStation in Bangkok to Lopburi early in the morning and returned to Bangkok inthe evening. The sunflower in Lopburi is definitely famous in Thailand if notinternationally as I found out when I went to Hua Lamphong to purchase ourtrain tickets in advance. With my limited Thai language and the ticketing clerklimited English I had a hard time trying to explain to him where I wanted togo. In an act of desperation I pull out the write-up of the sunflowers fields, whichI have printed out from the internet he instantly break into a broad smile andask me how many tickets I needed. A 3^rd class ticket cost 280bhtreturn, leaving Hua Lamphong at 6.40am and return back to Bangkok at 2.40 from PasakJolasid Dam. The train scheduled to arrive in Hua Lamphong at 5.40pm is notpunctual as it made numerous stops along the way and at times seem to stop attraffic junction. I have experienced the infamous Bangkok traffic jam but a trainthat seem to get caught in the jam can only happened in Bangkok.

The 3^rd class coaches have fans and softcushioned seats but the seats are the fixed L-shape type, which you can’t foldback making it uncomfortable after awhile. As the train pulls out of HuaLamphong Station we sit back and begin to have out breakfast. I bought a packetof rice with chicken fried with hot basil leaves and it was so spicy I have togo looking for mineral water. The almost full train begins to fill up as itstopped at a few more stations along the way. Leaving the city behind we pastwhat look like padi fields and villages and after staring at it for a while Igot restless and went for a walk through the other coaches looking for thingsto photograph. After about 3 hours later we finally see some signs of sunflowerfields and that got everyone excited. As we were in the 3^rd classcoaches we can open the windows for a clearer view but the train is moving toofast to take pictures. When we were wondering how on earth are we going to takesome decent pictures the train attendant told us that the train would soon stopfor 40 minutes for us to get down to the sunflower fields.

And as soon as the train pulled to a stop everyone rusheddown and went straight into the sunflower fields like an invading army. The brightyellow sunflowers stood out in the green fields like carpet the stretches asfar as you can see. The field is just too spread out for us the really explorewith the limited time. And where we stopped the sunflowers were already halfdead with the flowers drooping downward. But still the sights is ratherexhilarating as the blue sky makes the sunflowers stood out even more stronger.

With the sounds of the whistle the train once again continueas we settle down still feeling excited about the sunflowers. We then past moresunflower fields as the train moved on until we see a huge dam where the trainstopped again. Looking out through the windows I see that we were in the middlewhat seems like a huge lake. And then people were getting down the train butthere were not much place to stand between the railway tracks and dam. Manypeople jostled for a place to take pictures from the tracks, while otherspeered from the open windows the train tilt at a precarious angle.

Then the train started and went backwards leaving uswondering what’s going on, as we don’t understand the announcement in Thai.After a quick check we were told it will stop at the Pasak Jolasid Dam stationfor us to get down and the train will later depart for Bangkok at 2.40pm.

It was a very hot day with nice blue sky and the moment wegot down from the train we headed straight for the juice stall where we hadfresh coconuts and grapes juice. We had a 2 hours stop where some of us went upa tower for a bird eye view of Pasak Jolasid Dam and then break for lunch. Therewere many stalls to choose from and the prices were surprisingly cheap unlikethe inflated tourist prices of some other places.

Ourreturn journey was uneventful and the coaches inside were hot and stuffy in theafternoon. The train didn’t stop anymore but the 3 hours return rides seem likeforever as my friend exclaimed that is seem longer than the morning ride.

Garibaldi

2011-12-28T06:56:00.000-08:00

The introduction of their new menu in a fine dining environment is made to not only savour the food but to get to know the chef and people behind the Garibaldi Restaurant. Served in complete set of appetiser, main course and dessert, we had a relaxing lunch (and off course not forgetting to photograph each dish) over casual chit-chat.

Angel Hair Pasta

Apple Pie

Clam

Foie Gras

Lobster

Petit Four

Truffle

Wagyu

Garibaldi Restaurant is in Bangsar Village, KL

Eat, Drink and Be Merry in Taipei

2011-12-05T07:09:00.000-08:00

To me Taipei is synonymous with some mind-boggling choice of foods, a great place to party and to shop for the latest in fashion. During my recent short trip to Taipei I experienced all these and more of what Taipei has to offer. Including a 6.8 earthquake.

Most of what I know about Taiwan and Taipei in particular comes from the television programs I have seen and that have somewhat influenced my impressions of Taipei. Food is taken seriously whether it is the traditionally Taiwanese cuisine; the night market food stalls to the more modern fusion dishes in fashionable shopping malls. Fashion can be outrageous and shopping is equally exciting. Entertainment is serious business, which is often followed by loyal and fanatic fans.

Eat

Street hawker fares and night markets are some of the most popular foodie places in Taipei. Check out Shilin Night market for some cheap nice food and drinks. One of my favourites is the freshly made almond candy, which we couldn’t resist from buying a few packs to take home after we have stuffed ourselves full from the various stalls.

For authentic and classic Taiwanese cuisines, the Yin Yih Restaurant, Shin Yeh Restaurant and Chi Chia Chuang are worth a visit. The owner and chefs of Yin Yih used to serve in the old Chinese army has bought with them some classic recipes with some equally interesting names. And if you like candy and sweets, you must check out Candy and Sugar, which offers a mix of modern cakes, pastries and candies all beautifully packed in gift boxes.

If you are looking for fast modern and fusion Taiwanese foods heads to the Shin Kong Mitsukushi Xinyi New Life Square. The modern food court inside Shin Kong Mitsukushi offers a great variety of fast foods. Just the place to quickly recharged yourself and rest your poor tired feet from walking the huge mall

Yin Yih Restaurant

No. 18, 2^nd Floor, Section 2, Jin San South Rd, Taipei. Tel: (02) 2341-7799

www.yinyih.com

Shin Yeh Restaurant

www.shinyeh.com.tw

Shilin Night Market

Shin Kong Mitsukoshi

www.skm.com.tw

Drink and Be Merry

Taipei has recently become a much sort after city for those searching new places for clubbing. Whether you are in search of chill out lounge, cool restaurant or a private place to hold a personal party you will find them all in city of Taipei.

The In-house Lounge Bar and Restaurant in the city is a popular hangout place where well-known Taiwanese singers are known to drop in to chill. With a great view of Taipei ‘s tallest building the 101 Tower, In-House is most popular and is usually fully booked on special occasion when fireworks are let off from 101.

If you are looking for a more private place, a room for that romantic getaway or a room big enough for a small party then ISIS Taipei is just the place.

Hope Luxury Hotel

Isis Taipei

No.123, Lecyun 3^rd Rd, Zhongshan District.

Taipei City 104Taiwan (R.O.C.)

www.isistaipei.com.tw

In HouseDJ

Lounge RestaurantNo.90,

Song Ren Rd, Taipei.

www.inhouse19.com

Culture And Arts

Looking for something more culture, a place to soak up the history, a place to look up the latest in literature or even a place to relax, to wash away your tiredness and recharge. The following places will be well worth to spend the extra day in Taipei. Or you can just check out the latest mall in the city.

Taipei Fine Art Museum

With some of the best known artists exhibiting their works here this is the place to see the latest in contemporary art, sculpture and other exhibits of both local and international works.

Huashan 1959

This refurbished old brewery is now a cultural hangout. There are art shop and organic restaurant, teahouse and also a live entertainment center where popular live band perform in the evening. On weekend the spacious area is turned into a big bazaar with a host of activities.

Huashan1914 Creative Park

No.1, Section 1, Pa-Te Rd. Taipei 100.

www.huashan1914.com

es bookstore

B1, No. 196, Songde Rd, Xinyi District, Taipei 110.

Taipei is probably one of the best places to look for books and magazines especially if it’s in Chinese. Es started as a small bookshop is now a major store spanning a few floors space. Apart from the wide range of reading materials it housed an art gallery, place for cooking demo and sharing. And it has a good view of 101 tower too.

Bellavita

No.28, Songren Rd., Xinyi District, Taipei 11073, Taiwan.

www.bellavita.com.tw

Beitou

If you needed a quick soak in a natural hot spring while you are in Taipei then just hop onto the nearest train in the city to get to Beitou. With a convenient train station and specially painted spa train Beitou is just a short ride from the city. Beitou is a favourite place for a quick getaway with its wide range of hotels, indoor and outdoor hot springs. The public pool is cheaper alternative to the hotels, which have ensuite jacuzzi with piped in hot springs water.

Spa Spring Resort

NO. 283, Guangming Rd, Beitou District, Taipei City 112, Taiwan (R.O.C.)

Tel: 886-2-289799060 Fax: 886-2-28979065

www.spaspringresort.com.tw

The Danna, Langkawi

2011-11-28T01:47:00.000-08:00

A selection of foods shoot for The Danna, Langkawi while I was there shooting the resort before their opening. For a week we were there shooting, we stay in the hotel and have our meals there. While the hotel are not open to public at that time, the restaurant is fully staff and in operation and we can order everything that's available in the menu.

In Search of Middle-earth

2011-11-25T06:36:00.000-08:00

After watching the Lord of the Rings Trilogy I was spell-bounded by the awesome scenery of New Zealand’s South Island. Several years later and on my second attempt I finally found myself in South Island with a few friends on a self-drive journey through the South in search of those sceneries that are still vivid in my mind.

Driving through the South Island is a much easier and more pleasant journey compared to what Frodo have to endure in his journey to Mount Doom. The road is well paved and there is clear signage to point you to wherever you wanted to go without getting lost. Ok, we did get lost a couple of time but then it was only because we were too engrossed with the beautiful scenery to notice the signage that indicate that we should turn into the smaller road. Nevertheless we did enjoyed getting ‘lost’ as we find interesting surprises that includes a vineyard with a café that offers wine tasting.

What make driving through the South Island a pleasurable experience are the varieties of scenery and different landscapes you will encounter. You can be driving along the coastal road on the east and then turning west it will take you across mountain ranges and hilly pass. The weather too can changes dramatically from different parts of the South Island. In the west coast it is usually very wet and roads can be closed due to bad weather condition. Strong winds and thick clouds are common sights and while we were in Te Aneu and Milford Sound it rained for 3 days leaving us desperately stuck indoor. The road from Te Aneu to Milford South is reputed to be a most scenic drive but strong wind and thick clouds surrounded us. As we get near to Milford Sound the surrounding hills were scattered with huge waterfalls that came crashing down overflowing streams along the road and got us worried the road ahead will be closed. Luckily we managed to reach Milford Sound despite some anxious moments but we still couldn’t see much as thick mist covered most part of the surrounding hills making it even more mysterious.

Moving inland we trek into the rain forest and ended up walking on Fox Glaciers for a half-day tour. We have to walk through a mossy forest and narrow path that overlook the glacier below, inching our way up holding on to the rope we were unfortunately not allow to stop to take photo. After an evening of rest we were ready for another trek into Lake Matheson for an early morning shoot. Once inside you will be transported into another world. The early morning mist hang over the water surface of Lake Matheson, while crystal clear blue water reflected Mt. Cook and Mt. Tasman onto the lake. Walking through the pathway lined with tall trees I was half expecting to come face to face with the Orcs but instead I was rudely interrupted by a bunch of noisy tourists who not only stand in front of my tripod but also walk so heavily on the wooden platform it caused some of my slow shutter speed photos to blur.

And on the way towards Mt. Cook we were faced with thick black cloud, which blanketed the surrounding mountains until we don’t even know Mt. Cook is just ahead of us while the nearby area are enjoying a beautiful sunset. It was like Sauron has cast a spell and hidden Mt. Cook from us. And it was not till the next morning after a beautiful sunrise that we come face to face with the mighty Mt. Cook at the same location we were the previous evening.

Driving through the Canterbury area it will take you across huge farmland, rolling hills to great vistas of snow capped mountain ranges in the background. The vast golden grassy field and rolling hills remains me of the battleground of Lord of the Ring. But what I see now are herds of cows and sheep’s gazing oblivious to us shooting at them at a safe distant. And for landscapes lover this is another paradise to explore.

Faces of Thaipusam

2011-11-22T07:23:00.000-08:00

Thaipusam in KL is probably the most photographed event of the year. With photographers and tourists coming from all over the world it is certainly the most celebrated 1-day religious event of the year. I have been coming here almost every year since the first time I came years ago when I was still using my film SLR. For the first timer, the sights and sound, the colours and customary rituals will definitely overwhelm you. This year is slightly different and more challenging even to the experienced Thaipusam shooters as the location have been moved with the construction of the new flyover and KTM station. The kavadi carriers have to walk a much longer route and walking across the railway lines too.

The early morning hours is the best time to shoot starting at the riverside where the bathing and blessing rituals are performed before they start the walk up to the Temple Caves. Getting a good shot is not that easy with so much things happening around you and at times there are more photographers then devotees. Lighting condition is most challenging and extremely low before sunrise as it’s usually lighted up with only a few small fluorescent lights, some candles and oil lamps. Due to the huge crowds carrying your overloaded camera bags can be a burden and obstructive making it difficult to move around quickly. This year I chose to use the Nikon D3s to take advantage of higher ISO ability, a Nikon 24-70mm and the new Nikon VR II 70-200mm lens. It would have been much easier to have 2 camera bodies, as changing lenses among the crowd is a hassle. The D3s allowed me to use a much higher ISO to maintain a faster shutter speed to avoid blur picture and the new 70-200 works perfectly picking up the subject even in very low light conditions.

One of my favourite scenes is the shower area where devotees cleanse themselves with a quick shower. It’s better to use a longer zoom lens here as the water can get into your lens if you get too close. The longer zoom lens will also blur out messy background and helps to compose your subjects tighter as you are mostly likely to see other photographers shooting opposite you. The praying rituals near the riverbank also promise some interesting pictures, catching them the moment they go into trance or the moment when the priest pierce the cheeks of devotees. I find the faces of these devotees most interesting with their intense expressions and with the added colourful costumes and accessories it made strong visual images. The walk towards Batu Caves offers a different photo opportunity with the individual group of devotees chanting, dancing and stopping to offer blessing to the people who came before them. And if you have the energy to brave the crowds following them all the way up the 272 steps to the main Temple Cave will surely rewards you with some fine pictures.

But amidst the chanting, the drum beats and smokes from the burning incense you can get carried away and be drawn into the whole ritual. And some photographers does get carried away and get in the way of the devotees by pushing their cameras inches away from their faces.

Farmstay in South Island

2011-11-20T07:10:00.000-08:00

Most likely what you’ve heard about New Zealand, especially the South Island is true. Yes there are many more sheep than people, actually there are also as many cattle. You could drive for hours and not see anyone except long stretch of unspoilt landscape. The south is mostly wet and I have not seen anywhere that has more clouds than the south. And it can come in amazing shapes.

To experience New Zealand’s South Island its best you take your time to explore the many places and not rush through with brief stops. And there is no better way than to do a self-drive trip as the roads condition is very good and well marked making driving a smooth and pleasant experience. The only problem is that you have to keep within the speed limit of 100km/hr on the highway and 50km/hr within the town areas. So go easy on the pedal or you will find love letters from the New Zealand police when you return home.

Take your time and do not rush as you drive through South Island. Stop at the small cafés along the highway or in the small town to take in the scenery, relax with a cup of freshly brew coffee and homemade pastry. If you are a wine lover you will be happy to know there are many vineyards scattered around the South Island and some of them have café that offers wine tasting for a small fee. Some are full fledge restaurant serving fresh seafood and garden salad from the nearby farms.

While there is no lack of accommodation with the abundant of motels even in small towns, staying in a farm is the ultimate experience of traveling in the South. Farm stay is a popular alternative to motel as it gives you an authentic experience of farm lives with a touch of family warm. Don’t worry you are not likely to sleep with the sheep. In fact some farm stay is even more comfortable than motel. Like staying in a hotel there is a standard check-in and checkout time but here is where the similarities end. Upon reaching the farm you will be warmly welcome by your host who will makes you feel like you are coming home. Dinner and breakfast is provided and you will eat with the host. Some host will serve wine and beer during dinner and you are welcome to bring your own bottles to share with them. Dinner is a sitting down affair but relaxing where we share stories of our lives and generally getting to know each other better. During your stay with the host family you will also be taken on a farm tour, which you will get to experience milking the cow, or rounding up the sheep.

Glenmac Farmstay (7K Rd, Kurow)

We got lost looking for this place and that’s because the scenery along the way is too engaging. A day before we were faced with gray raining sky and so we were getting restless till we see blue sky and warm sunshine. We were too engrossed with the scenery we missed the sign that pointed to a smaller road leading to the farm. But nobody complain as we found a winery and café that we stop for wine tasting and take more pictures.

Gelnmac is a 1583-hectare high country farm of merino sheep and beef cattle. The top the hill is a great place for sunset and sunrise where you get a panoramic view of the valley to the coast. Keith and Kaye Dennison are gracious hosts and will be happy to show you around the farm.

Our host’s grand children were staying there when we arrive and we had some fun outings with them. Going out in the morning to collect giant pinecones, feeding the sheep, taking pictures of them around the farm as our host prepared to round up the cattle for sale. Before we end our stay Kaye took us in her jeep to the highest hill in the farm for a panoramic view of the farm surrounding.

Strathallan Farmstay (569 Clayton Rd, 17 RD, Fairlie)

Strathallan is a 20-hectare farm with sheep, cattle, goats, horses, a couple of dogs and a very fat cat. A rather small farm but the main house is set in a spacious and well kept garden with apples trees and rose flowers. The rooms are comfortable and warm, making us feel very much home.

John O’Connor works with the local government and Marg is a wonderful cook. We had a wonderful dinner cook by Marg accompanied by beers and wines as they told us more about the farm.

In the morning after a hearty breakfast John took us on a walking tour of the farm, showing us where the cows are milked and where the sheep are shear for their wool. The family dog is well train and always ahead of us leading us through the farm and at time keeping the fierce looking bulls and cows away from us.

Before we left we took some photos with our hosts in the garden and even pluck some apple in the garden with their blessing.

24 hours in Melbourne

2011-11-15T02:24:00.000-08:00

Last month I was in Melbourne for a day due to an urgent assignment and with barely a few hours of free time in between work I try to take in as much as possible of the city. After a tiring overnight flight I landed in Melbourne early in the morning feeling blur and sleepy and then is straight to our hotel, The Blackman in St.Kilda. After checking in I have to quickly download my files and took a quick nap before lunch. Then is off to our Melbourne office in Richmond, where I have to upload the photos and videos to our server before I rush off to Melbourne CBD.

It was an amazing race against time as it was already getting dark and I still have to shoot more video footages of the city scenes and lifestyles. First I have to meet up with my ex-schoolmate who had relocated to Melbourne many years ago with his family. Over a cup of coffee we catch up with each other lives and chats about livings in both Malaysia and Australia. After that he gave me a quick-guided tour of Melbourne CBD showing me the various popular spots, cafes and Chinatown where I took more photos and videos using the Nikon D5100. I choose the Nikon D5100 for this trip due to its lightweight body and most importantly the flip LCD screen, which allow me to shoot in more angles without being too obstructive.

Since this is my first trip to Melbourne and I’ve only a few hours to capture some scene of Melbourne lifestyle I know it’s going to be a real challenge to get some decent photos. To make it even more challenging the weather couldn’t be any worst being gloomy and cloudy most part of the day. Melbourne is a well-planned city. The Melbourne CBD is a large rectangular area with buildings arranged in a balanced manner served by Melbourne Central and Flinders St Station. Most major shops are located within this area but unfortunately they also close as early as 6pm. I went past a big photographic shop, which I wanted to check out but by the time I finished my round of shooting the shop was already closed. As it was wintertime the sky gets dark really early leaving me no choice but to shoot some night scene with a pitch-dark sky instead of the nice twilight blue that I like so much. After taking more night videos and photos of the area around Flinders St. Station I took a slow walk back to my hotel, which took me almost an hour before I finally reached my hotel exhausted.

The following morning I planned to first go to St.Kilda Beach and then back to the city center to do another round of shooting before my afternoon flight back to KL but unfortunately it has been raining since early in the morning. The morning sky was cloudy with drizzle and only brief moment of sunshine. Since it was raining I have to change plan, skip the beach and took a taxi to the Queen Victoria Market instead. Inside the Victoria Market there were a varieties of photographic subject. There are many stalls selling fresh fruits and flowers in a multitude of colours. The foods section is a must visit and will certainly satisfy the hungriest visitors. After spending an hour inside here I noticed the sky has cleared and I quickly move out to the street. Taking more photos as I walk I found myself just round the corner of Flinders St. Station again. I walk toward the bridge overlooking the Yara River and took some city skyline shots before I took a taxi back to my hotel just in time to check out and leave for the airport.

Feeling at home in Hom

2011-11-10T01:36:00.000-08:00

And there is no better place than Hom for nature and photoenthusiasts. Located in the southeast of Kanas Lake Nature Reserve in Xinjiang,Hom is an area surrounded by mountains, forest, valley and a river. Hom or Hemuis a village predominant by Tuva, which is a tribe of Mongolian and theirlivelihoods depend on grazing and hunting. The village with its many log cabinsis quiet and tranquil as horses, sheeps and cows gazed in the nearby fields.But in the recent years it have become a popular destination for touristsespecially photographers who are attracted by Hom’s unspoilt scenery. Luckilythe increase of log cabins in the village has not spoilt the serene environmentas the cabins are built in similar design to the original log cabins of thevillage.

Tourism has bought many changes to the village but the villageis still without electricity as individual guesthouses operate their owngenerator, which provides electricity for only a few hours at night. The conditionsat the guesthouses are basic but clean and comfortable. Summer and autumn fromJune to early October are the best time to visit Hom as the weather is pleasantand the air is clear with blue sky. Daytime temperature is comfortable buttemperature at night and early morning can be very cold as temperature can dipsbelow zero degrees.

The village comes alive very early in the morning astourists made their way to the nearby hills to wait for sunrise. The villagerswith their herd of horses wait at the guesthouses to offer horseback rides forthose who do not want to take the 45 minutes hike up the hills. The morning wasvery cold when I started to hike but by the time I reached the top of the hillI was dripping with sweats. The sunrise was a disappointment that morning asthick clouds blocked the sun. We spend about an hour there without much successand then took a 2km walk to a Mongolian farmhouse where we had a traditionalMongolian breakfast. We had freshly baked bread, fresh hot milk and honey fromtheir farm among other traditionalMongolian treats. After ourbreakfast and more pictures taking at the farmhouse we continued our hike backto our guesthouse reaching it just in time for lunch. The hike back is pleasantas were passed woods of warm autumn colours and the Hom River.

Later in the afternoon a few member of our group wenthorseback riding to the nearby hills while some of us decided to explore thevillage. I choose to check out the village for photo opportunity as I have sofar taken only landscape pictures of Hom. The village is surprisingly quiet,with very few people working in the field as crops have already been harvestedsince winter is just round the corner. The next few hours we took pictures ofthe villagers, chatting with some of them despite not fully understanding eachother. By late afternoon we were at the woods overlooking the village waitingfor sunset. On the way back to our guesthouse we lost our way and only afterchecking out a few lanes we finally found our guesthouse feeling hungry andcold.

Dinner that night was quite a feast as we had roast leg oflamb and lamb satay with potent Chinese wines that make us forget about thefreezing temperature. Most of us had a good night sleep that night due to maybethe potent Chinese wines or just tired from today outings.

The next morning we decided to go for another sunriseshooting at another part of the village before we leave for the nextdestination of our journey in North Xinjiang. It was a very cold morning as wegot into our bus for a short ride to another viewpoint and it was so cold that mostof us decided to stay inside the bus till we can see the sun is about to rise.Standing at the open hill my hand was frozen numb and I could hardly hold mycamera and tripod. After awhile I gave up and went back to the bus withoutgetting any worthwhile shots.

Fun and Sun at Phuket Island

2011-11-09T01:28:00.000-08:00

Phuket Island was already a popular holiday island for the European and Asian tourists when the Tsunami came and wipe off many parts of the island. A few years later I was back to the island again on last February and I was really surprised and amazed how much the island has changed. There was nothing much to indicate that fateful day except a few small signage that indicate Tsunami escape route. Business is blooming, hotels are filled with tourists while restaurants and bars are packed with tourists in the evening. During the day you can hardly find an empty spot at the beach, where hundreds of tourists lay beneath giant beach umbrellas basking from sunrise till sunset.

I was looking forward to reshoot some of these popular beaches and landmarks that I shot with film years ago. It is at the same time a trip down memory lane as I try to locate some of the places that I went before. But unfortunately I couldn’t find the open-air food court that had many stall selling cheap and tasty Thai food. In that location now is a row of fancy restaurants and many more bars. Bangla Road is now a pedestrian walkway flanked by bars and restaurant on both sides of the road.

From December to February Phuket is at the peak when European are here to escape the hash winter and the Chinese are also taking a break during the long Chinese lunar holiday. During the day tourist head out to the beaches and day trip to the islands are fully usually booked. Some of the more popular places are Phi Phi Ley, Maya Bay, Loh Samah Bay, Pileh Cove and the Viking Cave. I booked myself for a day trip to the islands and found myself packed into a small speedboat filled with tourists from all over the world. This is good for a quick sightseeing tour but if you want to do photography is best you spend more time at the island and stay overnight.

Back at Phuket Island the best and most popular place for sunset is at Cape Phormthep. By later afternoon there will be hundreds of tourists and locals who gathered there waiting for sunset. People sit and lined the cliff edge overlooking the sea while some walk down the slope and many will be taking photo with the panoramic view of the sea below. As an option you could try a sunset cruise that sail out to the Andaman Sea.

Patong Beach on Phuket Island is still the most popular beach with hundreds of umbrellas and beach chairs lining the beach each morning waiting for the hordes of tourists who will be flocking there each day. For a little more peace and quiet try the beach at the far end where there is generally less people. A bit further there is an area with some rocky paths that is great for photography especially at sunset. At the top of the cliff there is also a little hut that sells food and drinks, which is a good location for you to enjoy your drinks and wait for sunset.