Continuing with my blog series on Iceland, this one focuses on Reykjavik, Iceland’s capital and only city. All roads in Iceland lead to Reykjavik and this is the first place that almost everyone will go to once they land in Iceland. So it is best to know what Reykjavik has to offer for the visitor.
As the plane flew over the alien landscape, I could see that Iceland was going to be a very different world compared to other destinations. Lava fields extended below me as the plane came in for landing at Iceland’s only international airport at Keflavik. It was the middle of winter and snow covered the lava fields. Jagged black lava formations stuck out of the snow everywhere forming a contrasting landscape of black and white. There is no room for error during landing, miss the runway and the plane would be shredded to bits on the sharp and knife-like volcanic rocks. Building an airport out in the middle of an ancient lava field, what were they thinking?
After a couple of days in Chiangrai trying to make like a Natgeo photographer among the hill tribes, it was almost time for the Loy Krathong festival which fell on 25th November 2015. We found ourselves back in Chiangmai on the eve of Loy Krathong. The city and it’s people were already busy preparing for this important festival with decorations being put up along the Ping River, temples and major hotels and buildings. Continue reading “Yi Peng Sky Lantern Festival 2015”
Continuing on with the photography tour, one of the places I visited in Chiangrai was a settlement for the ethnic minority hill tribes. The most well known of these hill tribes are the Long Neck Karen tribe. I’ve been fascinated by them ever since I saw their photos in National Geographic when I was a kid. Continue reading “Hill Tribes in Northern Thailand”
After my short stay in Chiangmai I joined up with the photography tour. Besides having photo shoots in Chiangmai, one of the places that we visited was the White Temple in Chiangrai. Not to be confused with Chiangmai, the former is the northern most city in Thailand before crossing the border into Myanmar (Burma). Continue reading “The White Temple”
“In the clearing stands a boxer,
And a fighter by his trade,
And he carries the reminders,
Of every glove that laid him down,
And cut him till he cried out,
In his anger and his shame,
‘I am leaving, I am leaving,’
But the fighter still remains.”
So goes Simon & Garfunkel’s song in my head just as the crowd roared out their support for the 2 fighters in the ring and drowning out all sense of sobriety. It was the last fight for the evening and already into it’s last round. The 2 fighters, tired and bleeding were trying to outlast each other. Continue reading “Muaythai Fight Club”
In my previous blog post, I mentioned that Chiangmai would be worth another visit. Finally, I got my chance in November of 2015 when I joined a photography tour to capture the sky lantern festival during Loy Krathong. It was my first time joining a specialty tour just for photography, and it was a good experience to join with fellow photographers and enthusiasts, sharing a common interest. Continue reading “Chiangmai Streets 2015”
During my last trip to Penang, I also visited Ipoh. This sleepy small town is the state capital of Perak and used to be the tin mining capital of Malaysia. It’s glory days of tin mining are long over and although it’s frequently missed out by visitors to Malaysia, it’s starting to get more popular these days, as people are attracted by it’s low cost of living and good food. Continue reading “Cave Temples of Ipoh”
Like an old friend that you’ve known for a long time but only superficially, just meeting once in a while to say hello and catch up on old times, but never knowing each other well. That’s how I view Penang personally. I’ve been there many times since school days, always for short business trips, occasional visits for holidays at the beach resorts but without actually seeing much of the island. Continue reading “One Day in Penang”
My first time travelling in China with nothing but a backpack was in 1998 when after an industrial exhibition in Shanghai, myself and 2 other colleagues decided that it would be a worthwhile adventure to visit Huangshan. Planning for the trip was minimal. We only applied for vacation leave, a quick check on the weather conditions in Huangshan and we were off. What else could go wrong? Continue reading “Trekking the Yellow Mountains (黄山)”
Beyond the Little Red Dot 