The late afternoon in Bangkok saw Graham Ware, Kayla Keenan and I spending a couple of hours in Bangkok's Chinatown district, "de-rusting' our shutter fingers with some street photography.
While having dinner with some of the photo-expedition's members at The Irish Pub on Silom, news of the 6.3-magnitude earthquake in Bhutan reached me. The AP report said that the earthquake killed at least 11 people, damaging an ancient monastery and forcing hundreds to flee, with at least 15 people injured.
The afternoon earthquake was centered in Monggar, a little-populated eastern region of the tiny nation of Bhutan, close to Gauhati in Assam, India. The AP also reports that most buildings in that region are small farmhouses built from mud and stone.
At this time, all signals are green for the photo-expedition to proceed as planned. The quake-hit region is far enough from our routing that it shouldn't have any effect, however it may have caused landslides in the main road leading to Bumthang, which is our ultimate destination.
Further information will be obtained in the morning from our agent in Thimpu.
The Lost World Of Tambun, Perak
"Time stands still in this Malayana civilization where ancient man hunted, gathered and built their temple. Now amidst the gigantic ruins are the five elements of fun rides and sights. Wet park, amusement park, twin waterfall sandy beach, natural hot springs and the home to a family of big cats. But one thing hasn't changed. The 400 million year old limestone cliffs that surround the park is still as majestic as if frozen in time. The Lost World of Tambun at Sunway City Ipoh, a theme park in a land 400 million years old. Now open to Homo Sapiens." Source from the official website : The Lost World Of Tambun.
The Lost World of Tambun (N4°37.555' E101°09.294') is located along Jalan Tambun main road and it's about 10KM away from the hotel where we stayed.
Main entrance of The Lost World
This water theme park is developed by the Sunway Group which is same as The Sunway Lagoon at Subang Jaya, Selangor.
When arrived at the park, seems like not many peoples and it's looks empty! I was so surprised because it's our National Day and it's a National Public Holiday! That's make me more curious to visit it.
The empty parking lot
The ticket booth
The entrance fee is MYR25.00 for adult and MYR19.00 for children below 12 years old. Small kid who below 90cm is free. It's reasonable because of the facility and the fun inside, I got to know from the map below...
The Lost World Of Tambun map
Too bad we were not prepare for the water theme park, and we don't have any spare or extra cloths! My daughter was nagging that she wanna go in! Haha!
Then we only can walk around the building...visit the souvenir area and have a drink at the restaurant.
The restaurant
They serve fast food like McDonald or KFC
Accidently I noticed there was a boat ride that cruise at the river in front of the park. The ride was 15 minutes and the ticket is MYR6.00 per person. So we quickly jump in the boat and we were enjoy the ride because of the beautiful scenery surrounding...
I managed to snap some photos along the ride...
The first bridge we passed through...
The Green and the Limestone Hill
The Restaurant on the right of the park.
Residential area
The ride and after short 15 minutes. It's actually nothing much around, you can skip it if you visit the park.
Suddenly we spotted a Gorilla running around the park and seems like it lost the way!! Haha! That's funny!
The spotted Gorilla
It's actually a small kid and his costume!
I believe all the fun are inside, and there's nothing interesting before you enter the park. And I cannot understand why this place is not popular at Ipoh? It's because of the entrance fee? I don't think they are charging too much! Or....peoples at Ipoh don't like water theme park? What do you think?
The special way they parked their cars
I definitely will visit the park on our next visit to Ipoh. I just curious to know....
View Larger Map
Our Ipoh Trip (Aug 2009)
* New Caspian Budget Hotel at Ipoh, Perak (D1)
* Lou Wong Bean Sprout Chicken Rice at Ipoh, Perak. (D1)
* Ipoh Railway Station, Perak (D1)
* Tuck Kee Noodle Restuarant at Ipoh, Perak (D1)
* Chang Keong Dim Sum at Ipoh (D2)
* Perak Cave at Ipoh, Perak. (D2)
* Tat Seng Salted Chicken at Ipoh, Perak (D2)
* Yee Fatt Dry Curry Noodle in Ipoh, Perak (D3)
* Yong Tau Foo under 'The Tree' in Ipoh, Perak. (D3)
MY TRIPS - Home
The Lost World of Tambun (N4°37.555' E101°09.294') is located along Jalan Tambun main road and it's about 10KM away from the hotel where we stayed.
Main entrance of The Lost WorldThis water theme park is developed by the Sunway Group which is same as The Sunway Lagoon at Subang Jaya, Selangor.
When arrived at the park, seems like not many peoples and it's looks empty! I was so surprised because it's our National Day and it's a National Public Holiday! That's make me more curious to visit it.
The empty parking lotThe ticket boothThe entrance fee is MYR25.00 for adult and MYR19.00 for children below 12 years old. Small kid who below 90cm is free. It's reasonable because of the facility and the fun inside, I got to know from the map below...
The Lost World Of Tambun mapToo bad we were not prepare for the water theme park, and we don't have any spare or extra cloths! My daughter was nagging that she wanna go in! Haha!
Then we only can walk around the building...visit the souvenir area and have a drink at the restaurant.
The restaurantThey serve fast food like McDonald or KFCAccidently I noticed there was a boat ride that cruise at the river in front of the park. The ride was 15 minutes and the ticket is MYR6.00 per person. So we quickly jump in the boat and we were enjoy the ride because of the beautiful scenery surrounding...
I managed to snap some photos along the ride...
The first bridge we passed through...The Green and the Limestone HillThe Restaurant on the right of the park.Residential areaThe ride and after short 15 minutes. It's actually nothing much around, you can skip it if you visit the park.Suddenly we spotted a Gorilla running around the park and seems like it lost the way!! Haha! That's funny!
The spotted GorillaIt's actually a small kid and his costume!I believe all the fun are inside, and there's nothing interesting before you enter the park. And I cannot understand why this place is not popular at Ipoh? It's because of the entrance fee? I don't think they are charging too much! Or....peoples at Ipoh don't like water theme park? What do you think?
The special way they parked their carsI definitely will visit the park on our next visit to Ipoh. I just curious to know....
View Larger Map
Our Ipoh Trip (Aug 2009)
* New Caspian Budget Hotel at Ipoh, Perak (D1)
* Lou Wong Bean Sprout Chicken Rice at Ipoh, Perak. (D1)
* Ipoh Railway Station, Perak (D1)
* Tuck Kee Noodle Restuarant at Ipoh, Perak (D1)
* Chang Keong Dim Sum at Ipoh (D2)
* Perak Cave at Ipoh, Perak. (D2)
* Tat Seng Salted Chicken at Ipoh, Perak (D2)
* Yee Fatt Dry Curry Noodle in Ipoh, Perak (D3)
* Yong Tau Foo under 'The Tree' in Ipoh, Perak. (D3)
MY TRIPS - Home
On The Road: Bhutan Photo-Expedition
Well, I've packed my last few items in my bags and as you read this, I'm on my way to meet up with the rest of the Bhutan: Land of the Druk Yul photo~expedition participants in Bangkok (after stopping en route in London) on September 21. The 8 photographers are all US-based, except for one who hails from Canada.
Being in Bangkok for a couple of days will allows us to get to know each other before getting to Bhutan, and perhaps take the opportunity to photograph in the city's Chinatown and other areas. What I do know for a fact is that I'll splurge on as much sushi and glorious Thai food as I can...Bhutan is not really a gastronomical destination, so tucking in goodies is always a good idea.
I will try to update the blog whenever I get the chance...certainly it won't be a problem in London and Bangkok, however it may be difficult to find the time and accessible internet connections in the Dragon Kingdom...so expect sporadic (but informative posts) on the progress!
NPR: Traveling Down The Amazon
Here's Traveling Down The Amazon, an intelligently produced NPR multimedia feature that combines audio, stills and graphics to tell the story of transcontinental highway being built in Peru and Brazil which promises to bring economic opportunities, and also acute environmental problems, to one of the most remote places on earth.
NPR correspondent Lourdes Garcia-Navarro and staff photographer John Poole traveled the Peruvian route to produce this series.
I found this via a Twitter post (aka a "tweet") by Tracy Boyer, the editor of the excellent Innovative Interactivity blog, that deals with new multimedia and which she appropriately calls "a digital watering hole for multimedia enthusiasts".
Traveling Down The Amazon is not the kind of feature that one can watch in one sitting...it's too long and too dense to absorb in one go. So bookmark it for whenever you have the time to follow it properly.
I haven't had the time to watch except the first chapter The Road, and found it surprising that the producers of the piece haven't sync'ed the stills and the narration by Garcia-Navarro together. It hasn't bothered me much because I could return or go forward to the still photograph I was interested in, and still keep the narration going on.
Perak Cave at Ipoh, Perak.
(N4°38.663' E101°05.953')
Perak Cave (霹雳洞; Perak Tong), has a steep, tall staircase in the interior of the cave rising up to the top of its hill where one is greeted by a panoramic view of Ipoh and its surroundings. The statue of Buddha in Perak Tong was the tallest and largest of its kind in Malaysia when first commissioned. Source from Wikipedia.
Perak Cave Temple and the entrance
They are 40 Buddha statues Perak Tong temple, a main altar, and a passage that leads to the caves’ interior. Soon after, you will come to some 385 steps that will beckon to you. After climbing those stairs, you will be rewarded with a beautiful view of the countryside. Perak Tong was built in 1926 by a Buddhist priest from China. Source from allmalysia.info.
The Main statue and other Deities in this Limestone Cave.
This was our First time visit to the Famous Cave in Perak, Malaysia. The cave was so cooling while we enter, even it's under hot sunny day. I Love the cool air in the cave. We had a rest on the Rock along the walkway, and I can feel the cold! It's peaceful and cooling until I almost sleep on the rock!
We continue our journey by climbing up the 385 steep & long staircase. But we stopped at halfway, because my daughter was tired. The place has a nice scenery and I saw many tourist climb to the top...I wish I can finish it on my next visit...
The Steep staircase on the left after you enter the cave
The rest area where many peoples enjoy the scenic view of Ipoh town.
Scenic view part of Ipoh town
Along the way, I saw many interesting limestone in all kind of shapes...when you touch it. it's cold. Below are some photos of the Limestone.
After some climb, you will reach a small house which I'm not sure what was that for, and I had been attracted by the surrounding...
Another Steep staircase to the top. I called this 'Stairway to Heaven'.
There is another staircase going down at the back of the house...it's a small jungle within the city...
Tourists just came down from the Top of hill
After about an hour walk around the cave, we leave the cave and my wife went to the souvenir centre located at the left of the main entrance.
And we finish the visit at Perak Cave after we finish our two scope of Ice-Cream. Haha!
It's a peaceful place, I Love it!
View Larger Map
Our Ipoh Trip (Aug 2009)
* New Caspian Budget Hotel at Ipoh, Perak (D1)
* Lou Wong Bean Sprout Chicken Rice at Ipoh, Perak. (D1)
* Ipoh Railway Station, Perak (D1)
* Tuck Kee Noodle Restuarant at Ipoh, Perak (D1)
* Chang Keong Dim Sum at Ipoh (D2)
* The Lost World Of Tambun, Perak (D2)
* Tat Seng Salted Chicken at Ipoh, Perak (D2)
* Yee Fatt Dry Curry Noodle in Ipoh, Perak (D3)
* Yong Tau Foo under 'The Tree' in Ipoh, Perak. (D3)
MY TRIPS - Home
Perak Cave (霹雳洞; Perak Tong), has a steep, tall staircase in the interior of the cave rising up to the top of its hill where one is greeted by a panoramic view of Ipoh and its surroundings. The statue of Buddha in Perak Tong was the tallest and largest of its kind in Malaysia when first commissioned. Source from Wikipedia.
Perak Cave Temple and the entranceThey are 40 Buddha statues Perak Tong temple, a main altar, and a passage that leads to the caves’ interior. Soon after, you will come to some 385 steps that will beckon to you. After climbing those stairs, you will be rewarded with a beautiful view of the countryside. Perak Tong was built in 1926 by a Buddhist priest from China. Source from allmalysia.info.
The Main statue and other Deities in this Limestone Cave.This was our First time visit to the Famous Cave in Perak, Malaysia. The cave was so cooling while we enter, even it's under hot sunny day. I Love the cool air in the cave. We had a rest on the Rock along the walkway, and I can feel the cold! It's peaceful and cooling until I almost sleep on the rock!
We continue our journey by climbing up the 385 steep & long staircase. But we stopped at halfway, because my daughter was tired. The place has a nice scenery and I saw many tourist climb to the top...I wish I can finish it on my next visit...
The Steep staircase on the left after you enter the caveThe rest area where many peoples enjoy the scenic view of Ipoh town.Scenic view part of Ipoh townAlong the way, I saw many interesting limestone in all kind of shapes...when you touch it. it's cold. Below are some photos of the Limestone.After some climb, you will reach a small house which I'm not sure what was that for, and I had been attracted by the surrounding...Another Steep staircase to the top. I called this 'Stairway to Heaven'.There is another staircase going down at the back of the house...it's a small jungle within the city...
Tourists just came down from the Top of hillAfter about an hour walk around the cave, we leave the cave and my wife went to the souvenir centre located at the left of the main entrance.
And we finish the visit at Perak Cave after we finish our two scope of Ice-Cream. Haha!It's a peaceful place, I Love it!
View Larger Map
Our Ipoh Trip (Aug 2009)
* New Caspian Budget Hotel at Ipoh, Perak (D1)
* Lou Wong Bean Sprout Chicken Rice at Ipoh, Perak. (D1)
* Ipoh Railway Station, Perak (D1)
* Tuck Kee Noodle Restuarant at Ipoh, Perak (D1)
* Chang Keong Dim Sum at Ipoh (D2)
* The Lost World Of Tambun, Perak (D2)
* Tat Seng Salted Chicken at Ipoh, Perak (D2)
* Yee Fatt Dry Curry Noodle in Ipoh, Perak (D3)
* Yong Tau Foo under 'The Tree' in Ipoh, Perak. (D3)
MY TRIPS - Home
Black Rapid R-strap: Reinforcement
As reported here on The Travel Photographer's blog, I'm a fan of the Black Rapid R-straps and have used mine for over a year on my various photo-expeditions. Many participants in my photo-expeditions like and use them as well, however they're all wary about having expensive cameras dangling from their bodies.
One of the common fears is that the Fasten R which attaches the strap to the bottom of the camera's tripod mount gets undone. If that attachment/fastener is not tightly screwed in, it could get undone because as the camera hangs from one's body, it wiggles and swivels around; such movements can loosen the attachment. Naturally, if that were to happen, the camera and lens would fall to the ground with potentially ugly consequences. I make it a habit to check the tightness of the attachment/fastener every now and then, and a couple of times found it to require a turn.
The company produces the newer FastenR-2, but as I don't have it yet, I can't speak to whether it's an improvement or not in that respect.
Since I'm about to travel in the coming few days on my Bhutan Land of the Druk Yul photo-expedition, during which we'll be frenetically photographing the various festivals and rituals, I've decided to adopt the suggestions of many photographers...and tether a length of lanyard to the Canon 1d's eyelet (originally for the optional hand strap). I also replaced the L-shaped Fasten R with a 1/4"x 2" eye bolt from a hardware store. This makes me feel much more comfortable, since should the eye bolt get loose, the lanyard will keep the camera from dropping to the ground.
Does it look classy and elegant? No, but it's good insurance....and no, it doesn't impede my photographing vertically. Well, maybe just a little bit. Another advantage is that I can easily check and tighten the eye bolt (if need be) with one hand as I walk around.
I'm carrying my other camera (5d Mark II) in a Lowepro holster-style bag, so I don't need to retro-fit another Black Rapid strap in the same way. Even if I wanted to, I couldn't use the same method as 5D Mark II doesn't have an eyelet for a handstrap....but necessity is the mother of invention, and I'm bound to come up with a solution.
Naturally, if anyone has a better idea (or simpler), do let me know!
Note: My thanks to Alex Marino who introduced me to an alternative strap called Sun Sniper. However it's similar to the R-Strap, and has the same weak spots.
Mansi Midha: Kashmir
First things first. I believe if Mansi hadn't been involved with the Foundry Photojournalism Workshop in Manali this past month, it would never have succeeded as it did. She was the hidden (and frequently, visible too) energy behind all the arrangements, big and small, that are crucial to the viability of such a complex venture. Mansi's cajoling, threats and perseverance made the Foundry Workshop click, and she deserves ample recognition of this here.
Mansi also happens to be a damn good photographer. I chanced upon her as I was walking out of our small hotel on my way to Manali town, and saw her hard at work editing the beginnings of her project "Aditya" on her laptop; a poignant story of a disabled child and his struggling family.
However, for the purpose of this blog, I highlight Mansi's Srinagar, Kashmir project. Kashmir is a long term project for Mansi, and this is merely its start.
A graduate of the International Center of Photography in New York City, she also graduated with a BA in Communication Design. Currently based in New Delhi, Mansi's photographs have been exhibited in various venues in New York, India and China, and she was awarded a clutch of recognitions for her work.
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