Sunday arvo around Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Royal Botanic Gardens

It was another clear blue fine wintery Sunday day in Sydney and I cannot resist taking pictures of this beautiful city. I lived here for almost three years and I maintained a love-hate relationship with this place. As a student, I depend on much on public facilities for most services and Sydney’s public transport and infrastructures is absolute basket case.
However each time just when I want to give up on this city, around the corner there will be an quintessential Sydney scene or experience that reminds me what a fantastic city can be particularly if you are affluent and do not depend on woeful current state government.
This weekend I took pictures from the Sydney Opera House, the Royal Botanic Gardens (Sydney Botanic Garden) including views from Mrs Macquarie’s Point.  Hope you like the small selection and be encouraged to view the entire set.

A Day out at Cockatoo Island – 17th Biennale of Sydney

Over the Queen’s Birthday long weekend, I spent the afternoon at Cockatoo Island, the major venue of the 17th Biennale of Sydney. Even before getting to the island,  the scenic ferry ride from Circular Quay across the Sydney Harbour to the island certainly raised the anticipation. Cockatoo Island was a very unique setting to experience contemporary art because its was also former prison and shipyard.  Many of these buildings and workshops’ content still remains.

Below are some of the photos I took on the island, while here is the link to the entire collection.

A Sunday Cyclist along the Sydney Harbour Bridge

A Sunday cyclist along the Sydney Harbour Bridge by Berno (bernardoh3rd at gmail)

Late night tea stop along a 19 hours journey to Goa

Singapore ever changing city skyline from my bedroom – 010909

My June 2009 Holiday in China: Huangshan, Hangzhou, Suzhou, Nanjing and Shanghai

Last month in a period of three weeks, I visited five China cities. This trip could be sum up in three phrases: physical exhilarating, cultural enriching and  geo-political awareness enlightening.The visit included UNESCO World Heritage sites such as Huangshan (often referred by Chinese as “The number one mountain under the Heavens”), the ancient Chinese Village of Hongcun, the classical gardens of Suzhou,  the burial ground of the founder and first Emperor of the Ming Dynasty – Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum and Hangzhou’s West Lake (featured on the RMB 1 dollar note).

Despite making this trip by myself, I never felt alone. I had the good fortune of travelling and interacting with many kind, helpful and interesting people (backpacking tourists and local residents) in every city along my journey. There is always a friend company in a hostel or along the streets. Such are the joys of backpacking

My travel began from Anhui Province (Tunxi, Huangshan, Yixian, Shexian) to Zhejiang Province (Hangzhou) to Jiangsu Province (Suzhou and Nanjing) and finally China’s largest city – Shanghai. These authentic sights and the opportunities to interact with the local residents are captured in the following highlights.

	A. Shanghai – Huangshan Overnight Sleeper Train My journey began when I caught an soft-sleeper overnight train from Shanghai to Huangshan (K8418, cabin interior). During the 15 hours journey, I chatted and shared my travel plans with many other travellers from different countries including Japan, USA, Sri Lanka and of course China. Soon I got acquainted with a young Chinese couple and we decided to hike Huangshan together. Pictures of K8418 Shanghai to Huangshan overnight sleeper train ride
	B. Tunxi Old Street After a long train ride, I decided to stay overnight in Tunxi town (where the Huangshan railway station) was located. I stayed in Old Street Youth Hostel, where the area’s old architectures were preserved and now transformed into tourism-oriented enclave. Pictures from the Tunxi downtown,youth hostel and the Old Street.
	C. Huangshan Huangshan in Anhui’s province is one of China’s most scenic spots. The mountain range is characterised by numerous gravity defying odd-shaped pine trees, steep trails, deep gorges with lush greenery and grotesque rock formations representing the arch-typical Chinese landscape (shanshui) paintings. With my new founded Chinese friends, we began our 2 days hike from the Western Steps (also known as the back entrance) and exit from the Eastern Steps as recommended by the hostel. The Western Steps landscape is filled with numerous strange and interesting rock formations such as Monkey Gazing at the Sea, Fairy Lady Flower and the Mobile Phone rock. The Eastern Steps is more steep and gives you the opportunity to appreciate the majestic mountainous range. Many other celebrated sights include Yingke Song (Welcome Guest Pine) and the Tiandu Feng (Apex of the Celestial Capital Peak). Pictures of my hike around Huangshan.
	D. Hongchun and Tangyue Memorial Archway Apart from the Huangshan, there are another two popular tourist attractions which can be easily managed by oneself without booking those overpriced guided tours. They are Hongcun village and the Tangyue Memorial Archways. Just travel like the locals and use the long distance public buses from Huangshan long distance bus terminal to get to Yixan and Shexian counties respectively. D1. Hongcun Village Fans of Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon movie must make a trip to Hongcun. Part of the movie was filmed in this village. Hongcun and (nearby) Xidi are two ancient Chinese villages listed in UNSECO World Heritage. Hongcun with its water features and distinct Anhui architecture has becomes a popular subject amongst many Chinese art students. In 2004, this cherished village was commemorated as part of a China Post “Ancient Villages in Southern Anhui” stamp series. Pictures of Hongcun village. D2. Tangyue Memorial Archway The Tangyue Memorial Archway is a series of seven arches built between the Ming and Qing dynasties. These arches commemorated the virtues of loyalty, filial piety, women’s chastity, justice, moral integrity and charity by the village inhabitants and served as a reminder for future generation. Pictures of Tangyue Memorial Archway
	E. Hangzhou – West Lake, Lingyin Temple, Longjing Village Around the prosperous city of Hangzhou lies one of China’s most popular attraction, the famed West Lake or Xihu. The beauty and the wealth of this city led to a claim that Hangzhou“beyond dispute (is) the finest and the noblest in the world” attributed to Marco Polo. When I was finally able to pull myself from West Lake sights, I visited Lingyin Temple (Temple of the Soul’s Retreat), one of China’s largest monastery and Longjing Village. Longjing Village is the famed green tea growing area that grows the popular Longjing tea (龙井茶). During my visit, I was invited to a farmer’s actual house and had the opportunity to sample the different grades of Longjing tea. Pictures of the West Lake , Lingyin Temple, Leifeng Pagoda and Longjing tea.
	F. Suzhou 上有天堂, 下有苏杭 Above is heaven, below is Suhang (Suzhou and Hangzhou) This famous saying praises the beauties of Suzhou and Hangzhou. Suzhou often referred as the “Venice of the East” for its gardens, stone bridges and canals across the city. The beauty of Suzhou’s classical gardens was recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage under the “Classical Gardens of Suzhou”. These gardens include Master of the Net Garden. The Master of the Net garden is the smallest of the classical gardens but because of its size, it was easy to appreciate the beauty of the garden. Pictures of Master of the Net garden and downtown Suzhou.
	G. Tongli About 27km from Suzhou, lies the small water village of Tongli. Within Tongli are picturesque waterways and bridges, famed garden (Tuisi Garden -Retreat and Reflection) and also China Sex Museum. Pictures of Tongli Village
	H. Nanjing Nanjing is capital of Jiangsu Province which include Suzhou. Nanjing (the Southen Capital), together with Beijing (the Northen Capital), Luoyang and Chang’an (now Xi’an) formed the “Four Historical capitals of China” (中国四大古都). Nanjing is also home to one of the largest concentration of tertiary institutions in China. This city is also the final resting places of major statesmen in Chinese history including Sun Yat-sen (founder of the post-imperial China) and Emperor Hongwu (Zhu Yuanzhang, founder and first emperor of the Ming Dynasty). Travelling to Nanjing from Shanghai is easy and comfortable via a 3 hours train ride on China Railway Highspeed (CRH) trains Pictures of Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum and modern downtown Nanjing.
	I. Shanghai Shanghai, China’s largest city and the symbol of China’s growing economic stature on the world’s stage. Ever since the days of the Western nations trade concessions settlements, Shanghai has been one of Asia’s financial and trading hub. The modern Shanghai is now a buzzing, vibrant and energetic metropolis. The energy of this city is simply tremendous.There is something for everyone in this city. For arts fans, the Shanghai Museum is a treat. This museum housed an mind boggling first class collection of Chinese arts including pottery, ancient currency and sculptures. To appreciate the origins and the development of this city, the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Centre is a must, even just to see the mini model of the city sprawl. Fans of la mien and xiao long baos, you can finally have one’s fill in Shanghai. While you’re there, get introduced to shenjian too, a dish similar to xiao long. The Shanghainese cuisine is more noodles and bread based. Let’s just say, I had my fill of xiao long and dumplings for a very long time. For the defenders of the world’s economy (aka shopaholic), after your saving rounds in Ginza or Fifth Avenue, you will have your hands full in Huaihai Lu and Nanjing Lu. Pictures of downtown Shanghai (including the Bund, Jinmao Tower and the Bund). Pictures of artistic shots of the city (Art in the City- Shanghai). Pictures of Shanghai Museum (a selection from the pottery, ancient currency and sculptures). Pictures of St Ignatius Cathedral (Xiujiahui).

You can view my additional China holiday pictures trip from my 2009-Anhui-Zhejiang-Jiangsu-Shanghai-Trip collection.

Climbing to the top of Singapore – 2008 Swissotel Vertical Marathon

This is the view of the Singapore financial district from the very top of South-east Asia’s tallest hotel – Swissotel the Stamford.

This morning, I took apart in my first “Swissotel Vertical Marathon“. Having trained (in)consistently in the gym’s Stairmaster on 4 grand occasions, I felt I was all set to attempt my tallest challenge – a 73-storey climb.

The overall turnout was huge. I was proud to see the encouraging numbers of female participants. The event emcee also mentioned that there were about 150 nationalities registered for this event.

I maintained an easy pace during the climb and the result was 13mins 53secs. I reckon next year I want to achieve 13min 15secs timing.

Here is a selection of the pictures taken during the 2008 Swissotel Vertical Marathon in Singapore.

Related link: 1,500 take part in Swissotel Vertical Marathon (Channel NewsAsia)

Pictures from my Oct 08 New Zealand adventure

Last month, I took a personal holiday back to Australia (surprise!) and New Zealand. It was mainly to catch up with my friends in both Sydney and Melbourne and also try something new before I turned 29.

The highlight of my New Zealand stay was my trip to Queenstown. If you are into adventure holidays and winter sports, Queenstown is your place. This place is just action packed, naturally beautiful and simply worth the money and time to get there. There are so much things to do and to see there.

During this trip, I took the plunge (literally) and tried bungy jumping of the original Kawarau Bridge. I even had a dip when I free-fall into the river. It was such an exhilarating experience!

The second highlight was the trip to Milford Sound. It is a 12 hours day trip but the view along the way is quite special on its own. Miles and miles of flat green pastures, spring lambs with their mums, thick snowfall on the way to Milford Sound makes the trip rather enjoyable. Milford Sound takes the experience another level up. You feel in awe of nature.

You can find the remainder of my New Zealand (including Auckland) pictures from here.

My Personal Photo of the Day – Cemetery in Queenstown, New Zealand

Queenstown Cemetery from my Queenstown, New Zealand photo set.

This picture was taken in the local cemetery in Queenstown, New Zealand during a recent holiday. The cemetery was located on a hilly slope with breathtaking view of The Remarkables. The cemetery was a beautiful and peaceful final resting place.

The picture was taken a bright clear fine day but I decided to tone down the colour with the BW features of my camera.

PhotoSynth 1.0 Avaliable for Download

Remembered the dazzling PhotoSynth 3D-demo of St Mark’s Basilica and the NASA?  Imagine all the photos of your favourite holiday pictures all joined together to form your own 3-D panoramic vistas.

You can now download the officially released Photosynth version 1.0.

PhotoSynth was based on Photo Tourism, a joint research project between University of Washington (UW) and Microsoft Research. You can read more about it’s history from here or watch an early version of this technology presented during the 2006 SIGGRAPH.