Sunday, March 28, 2010
Earth Hour Singapore, Before & After
The effect was not as dramatic as I thought - the street lights are too numerous, and Singapore is just too well lighted :|
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Earth Hour 2010
Support Earth Hour tonight (27 Mar) at 8.30pm. Switch off all your lights for 1 hour (and if you want, more also can)! What started out in 2007 in Australia is now a global phenomenon!
Check out who/where/how/why is this celebrated in Singapore!
Earth Hour Singapore
Cherish Mother Earth so that future generations can see the wonders that we see today!
Check out who/where/how/why is this celebrated in Singapore!
Earth Hour Singapore
Cherish Mother Earth so that future generations can see the wonders that we see today!
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Merry Cemetery
While Maramureş is considered as rural Romania, it boasts a tourist attraction well-known throughout the country. Strange as it may sound, this star attraction is a cemetery.
Merry Cemetery is situated in the village of Săpânţa, just kilometres south of Ukraine. Interestingly, this cemetery celebrates death with humour, and life with the simplicity of a single picture. Founded by a wood sculptor, who started carving wooden crosses for the tombstones in the old church cemetery in 1930s. He painted them blue (the colour of hope of freedom) and inscribed humorous or witty epitaphs for the dead. The tradition was carried on by his apprentice, and now, there are hundreds of such crosses. Unfortunately, I could not understand the Romanian epitaphs, and so could not appreciate the humour. However, each tombstone is also painted a picture that depicts the life of the decreased, and wandering through the cemetery, you could almost imagine yourself walking through the traditional community of the past.
Besides the tombstones, the church in the cemetery have been refurbished, and the frescoes inside them are certainly worth seeing. We got to Săpânţa by a rented car, but if you are alone, there are buses to-and-fro from the nearest town Sighetu Marmaţiei. You may not feel "merry" visiting the cemetery, but I think it is still worth a visit!
Merry Cemetery is situated in the village of Săpânţa, just kilometres south of Ukraine. Interestingly, this cemetery celebrates death with humour, and life with the simplicity of a single picture. Founded by a wood sculptor, who started carving wooden crosses for the tombstones in the old church cemetery in 1930s. He painted them blue (the colour of hope of freedom) and inscribed humorous or witty epitaphs for the dead. The tradition was carried on by his apprentice, and now, there are hundreds of such crosses. Unfortunately, I could not understand the Romanian epitaphs, and so could not appreciate the humour. However, each tombstone is also painted a picture that depicts the life of the decreased, and wandering through the cemetery, you could almost imagine yourself walking through the traditional community of the past.
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Besides the tombstones, the church in the cemetery have been refurbished, and the frescoes inside them are certainly worth seeing. We got to Săpânţa by a rented car, but if you are alone, there are buses to-and-fro from the nearest town Sighetu Marmaţiei. You may not feel "merry" visiting the cemetery, but I think it is still worth a visit!
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Rabat, Morocco
I didn't visit all the imperial cities of Morocco (I skipped Meknes), but from my readings, it appears that Rabat is the least popular. However, Rabat's charm I feel, is exactly that - a less touristy city for a more relaxing and less harassed stay.
The highlight in Rabat for me, is the Kasbah des Oudaias. Overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, the kasbah is a delightful place to walk around in. The streets and the residential houses in there are all painted white and blue, and really pictureque. And as you reach the kasbah walls on the coast, the views over the Atlantic Ocean and the city of Sale are amazing! While there are quite a lot of people, most of them are actually locals enjoying the sun, air and the beaches. It was good talking to them, and knowing that they have nothing to sell to you ;). The 2 days that I was in Rabat, I came back each day to enjoy the sunset on the beaches... (as well as some photography)
The medina in Rabat was also enjoyable for me. It was unpretentious and walking in it, I saw daily life as it is, though I didn't really realise it then. Rabat was my first stop, and so I have not experienced what the medina was like in Fez and Marrakech. So, I'm glad I spent 2 days in Rabat, though sadly, most of my photos of Rabat was lost due to a harddisk crash during my trip. Ah well, at least the memories are still there....
The highlight in Rabat for me, is the Kasbah des Oudaias. Overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, the kasbah is a delightful place to walk around in. The streets and the residential houses in there are all painted white and blue, and really pictureque. And as you reach the kasbah walls on the coast, the views over the Atlantic Ocean and the city of Sale are amazing! While there are quite a lot of people, most of them are actually locals enjoying the sun, air and the beaches. It was good talking to them, and knowing that they have nothing to sell to you ;). The 2 days that I was in Rabat, I came back each day to enjoy the sunset on the beaches... (as well as some photography)
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The medina in Rabat was also enjoyable for me. It was unpretentious and walking in it, I saw daily life as it is, though I didn't really realise it then. Rabat was my first stop, and so I have not experienced what the medina was like in Fez and Marrakech. So, I'm glad I spent 2 days in Rabat, though sadly, most of my photos of Rabat was lost due to a harddisk crash during my trip. Ah well, at least the memories are still there....
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Changbaishan Canyon (大峽谷)
Another attraction in the Changbaishan scenic area is the Changbaishan Canyon (大峽谷). It is quite a deep canyon (going down 100m), with some interesting rock formations within it. However, it requires a separate entrance ticket, and its actually quite a distance from the Changbaishan park entrance at the northern slope.
The canyon itself is surrounded by pine forests, and looks really pretty in winter. There is a boardwalk running through the canyon, and makes for a very pleasant walk. The guidebook suggested that its a 40min walk, but I took almost 2hrs as I love photographing the winter scenes. Moreover, I seem to be the first and only visitor, as the boardwalk is covered with snow with no footprints at all. The boardwalk is on a raised platform, and with heavy snow, the edge of the boardwalk became barely distinguishable. So, extra care must be taken not to accidentally step off the boardwalk!
So, is the additional trip and entrance ticket worth it? Well, I enjoyed myself quite alot in there. However, in other seasons, the sceneries will be different, so your enjoyment mileage may vary :)
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The canyon itself is surrounded by pine forests, and looks really pretty in winter. There is a boardwalk running through the canyon, and makes for a very pleasant walk. The guidebook suggested that its a 40min walk, but I took almost 2hrs as I love photographing the winter scenes. Moreover, I seem to be the first and only visitor, as the boardwalk is covered with snow with no footprints at all. The boardwalk is on a raised platform, and with heavy snow, the edge of the boardwalk became barely distinguishable. So, extra care must be taken not to accidentally step off the boardwalk!
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So, is the additional trip and entrance ticket worth it? Well, I enjoyed myself quite alot in there. However, in other seasons, the sceneries will be different, so your enjoyment mileage may vary :)
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Great Ocean Road
The Great Ocean Road is a famous stretch of road in south eastern Australia, and is one of the most popular drive trips for that region. One of the highlights along the journey is the Twelve Apostles, and some drive through just for that. So while the Great Ocean Road can be done in 5 hours, me and my friends went through it in 5 days.
Well known as a scenic coastal drive, a large portion of the road hugs the coastline. However, besides just coastal views, there are many other interesting stops along the way.
Lorne, a beach town popular with tourists, has other attractions including nice forest walks as well as Erskine Falls, a pretty waterfall not far from Lorne.
Further down, you'll drive through the Great Otway National Park, housing temperate rainforests and temporarily hiding the coast from view. There is also Cape Otway Lighthouse, Australia's oldest operating lighthouse till it was decommissioned in 1994.
And as you go further westward along the Great Ocean Road, there are other rock formations besides the Twelve Apostles : Island Arch, Blowhole Gorge, and London Bridge (which has fallen down) etc. And of course, lots of beaches.
So, when you do go for the Great Ocean Road drive, do it slowly and enjoy the journey!!
Well known as a scenic coastal drive, a large portion of the road hugs the coastline. However, besides just coastal views, there are many other interesting stops along the way.
Lorne, a beach town popular with tourists, has other attractions including nice forest walks as well as Erskine Falls, a pretty waterfall not far from Lorne.
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Further down, you'll drive through the Great Otway National Park, housing temperate rainforests and temporarily hiding the coast from view. There is also Cape Otway Lighthouse, Australia's oldest operating lighthouse till it was decommissioned in 1994.
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And as you go further westward along the Great Ocean Road, there are other rock formations besides the Twelve Apostles : Island Arch, Blowhole Gorge, and London Bridge (which has fallen down) etc. And of course, lots of beaches.
So, when you do go for the Great Ocean Road drive, do it slowly and enjoy the journey!!
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Fangchuan (防川) - A View of 3 Countries
Fangchuan (防川), a small village in a sliver of land wedged between Russia and North Korea, finds itself in some travel guides for one reason - to be able to view 3 countries from a single viewpoint.
Situated in the Yanbian (延边) Korean Autonomous Prefecture in Jilin Province of Northeast China, the area does contain quite interesting histories for those who enjoy the subject. For the casual traveller, the notion of being at the border of 3 countries is the main draw. In fact, the moment I arrived in Hunchun (珲春), the town that connects to the rest of the prefecture, the cab drivers started quoting prices to Fangchuan. When I asked, "What to see in Fangchuan?", the driver exclaimed incredously, "To see the view of 3 countries (一眼望三国), why else would you want to come to Hunchun??!"!
Well, Hunchun itself is very similar to the other towns/cities in Yanbian. Korean seems to be spoken as widely as Chinese, and dog meat restaurants, barbeques, and kimchis are all over the town. While the road and shop signs in the other Yanbian towns are in bilingual, here the signs are all in 3 languages : Chinese, Korean and Russian. However, I did not see many Russians when I was there.
The journey to Fangchuan and the viewpoint eventually follows a road hugging the Tumen river, and you can see the mountains of North Korea - so near yet so far. When you reach the viewpoint, what do you expect in China? Entrance fees of course. But still, it was interesting, and the closest I've gotten to Russia and North Korea to date! :P
View Larger Map
Situated in the Yanbian (延边) Korean Autonomous Prefecture in Jilin Province of Northeast China, the area does contain quite interesting histories for those who enjoy the subject. For the casual traveller, the notion of being at the border of 3 countries is the main draw. In fact, the moment I arrived in Hunchun (珲春), the town that connects to the rest of the prefecture, the cab drivers started quoting prices to Fangchuan. When I asked, "What to see in Fangchuan?", the driver exclaimed incredously, "To see the view of 3 countries (一眼望三国), why else would you want to come to Hunchun??!"!
Well, Hunchun itself is very similar to the other towns/cities in Yanbian. Korean seems to be spoken as widely as Chinese, and dog meat restaurants, barbeques, and kimchis are all over the town. While the road and shop signs in the other Yanbian towns are in bilingual, here the signs are all in 3 languages : Chinese, Korean and Russian. However, I did not see many Russians when I was there.
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The journey to Fangchuan and the viewpoint eventually follows a road hugging the Tumen river, and you can see the mountains of North Korea - so near yet so far. When you reach the viewpoint, what do you expect in China? Entrance fees of course. But still, it was interesting, and the closest I've gotten to Russia and North Korea to date! :P
View Larger Map
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