Tag Archives: Asia

Lion of Singapore

Posted on June 29th, 2015 by

Lion in the Urban Jungle

A quick photo for today, but one that I hope illustrates the importance of keeping a sharp eye out! If I was hurrying, I would have missed this statue of the Lion of Singapore enshrouded in the jungle-like fauna of The Garden by the Bay in Singapore. The lion is everywhere in Singapore, sometimes hiding even in plain sight!

Lion of Singapore
Lion of Singapore

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Rows of Golden Buddhas

Posted on June 25th, 2015 by

Further Feelings

I said the other day I wanted to bring photos to the blog that evoke the feeling of a place, rather than its plain reality. Wat Pho temple is another world…Thailand itself is another world. The heat and humidity are unlike other hot places I have visited. The weather adds a weight that I found extremely difficult to bear. Everything seems a bit more difficult moving in the powerful sun when its 90% humidity and over 90 degrees! Today’s photo is part of a hall of a large courtyard surrounded by these golden Buddha statues. It is quite interesting standing in the heat, complaining, while the enlightened ones sit calmly, cool as can be.

Rows of Golden Buddhas
Rows of Golden Buddhas

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Chinese Lanterns in Singapore

Posted on June 22nd, 2015 by

Little China

Everywhere I go there seems to be a Chinatown. I don’t know why I find this odd, but it always seems peculiar to me. This was generally (as everything is in Singapore) a very nice area, if not terribly touristy part of town. I hit very close to Chinese New Year and since there is a large Chinese population IN Singapore, there was color out in full force. These lanterns were one of the first things that caught my eye exiting the subway.

Chinese Lanterns in Singapore
Chinese Lanterns in Singapore

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Buddha of Chains

Posted on June 15th, 2015 by

How Does it Feel

I walked into the Buddha Tooth Relic Shrine to find a sea of Buddha’s covering the walls. To say thousands of statues might be underestimating. Within all of the chaos, the chants, bells, people and prayers, this single Buddha stood out to me, a beacon. It was small, perhaps 8-12 inches, but nothing in the huge hall shone brighter. Perhaps a divine message.

My goal here is to bring you photos that evoke how a place felt. I try and recall back my mood and experience, the sights and smells, the passion, the pain. Most of the time I feel I fail utterly, this time…this time I pray you feel this statues power too.

Buddha of Chains
Buddha of Chains

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Tokyo Sunrise

Posted on June 1st, 2015 by

Big, Big City

The sunrise endlessly is interesting to me, it’s just SO incredibly difficult for me to get up for. There are two problems. First, I am not a morning person, though this is frequently aided by jet-lag. Hawaii is a great example…I am usually awake by 3 or 4 am easy. The second problem is breakfast. If you want to eat at the hotel (one of my economizing tips) you have a problem. Generally there is not a pre-dawn buffet and if you get out, it’s often difficult to make it back in time to partake of the (in my case) free food! Sure this gives you a great opportunity to sample cafe’s, but I tend to like to save that for an economical lunch (free breakfast, econimical lunch, then a dinner wow). This sunrise was captured from the hotel breakfast! Since I was on a really high floor, it was the perfect compromise!

Tokyo Sunrise
Tokyo Sunrise

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Early Spring Flower at the Imperial Palace, Tokyo Japan

Posted on May 25th, 2015 by

Gardens of the Imperial Palace

I had not visited the grounds of the Imperial Palace on my previous trips to Tokyo. The Palace is not a site you can just visit. There are a limited number of tickets and you have to plan in advance which is not exactly my strong suit. I tend to like to go with the flow on trips and when you have an appointment for a site at 10am, you HAVE to be somewhere despite what wonders you find along the way. The East Garden is completely open to the public, but given that I couldn’t see the palace, I never bothered. After my visit, I am sorry this was only my first visit to the gardens. The site is a huge green-space and though I was too early for the cherry blossoms, other flowers were blooming. This flower was perhaps a bee’s paradise!

Early Spring Flower at the Imperial Palace, Tokyo Japan
Early Spring Flower at the Imperial Palace, Tokyo Japan

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Biter Melon in the Little India Street Market, Singapore

Posted on April 9th, 2015 by

Unknown Fruit

The market was packed tight, pressing out from the store-fronts. Further and further they creeped into the sidewalks as the vendors forced you to walk through their stalls. The space was barely wide enough for two people to pass without turning. In reality most of the time in Singapore’s Little India, you had to turn when passing another shopper. I often just veered into the street for a few steps, then back to the maze. Men sitting at sewing machines tailored shirts, hawkers yammered loudly into Britney Spears mics the newest “sale” of the minute over unseen PA systems. Everywhere…everywhere goods for sale. The crowd was thick, it moved at 1000 speeds and stopped with no pattern. It was vibrant, exciting, chaotic, maddening.

In it, was the fruit market and some of the most beautiful flowers I have ever seen or smelled. I had no idea what this fruit was, it was green and alien to me. I had to look it up, but when I showed the photo to Pamela she said…oh Bitter Melon. Perhaps I need to go to The Farmers Market of the Ozarks more with her! It would surely have more space for movement and exploration and perhaps I would learn more names for my unknown fruits.

Biter Melon in the Little India Street Market, Singapore
Biter Melon in the Little India Street Market, Singapore

Photo Technical Info

  • Aperture: ƒ/4
  • Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
  • Taken: 18 January, 2015
  • Focal length: 35mm
  • ISO: 100
  • Location: 1° 18.4265′ 0″ N 103° 51.0142′ 0″ E
  • Shutter speed: 1/200s
  • Title: Biter Melon in the Little India Street Market, Singapore

Party Tent on the Beach in Bali

Posted on April 6th, 2015 by

Warm Quiet Nights

I like to go places in the off season. I generally find solitude the most relaxing of companions, especially when visiting nature. There is something about having around that breaks my moment of zen. There is more vibration, energy, something that prevents connection. I realize cosmically this shouldn’t matter, but I am one easily distracted by all manner of noise. The days on the beach in Bali were some of the most alone I have been on a resort beach (usually I find resorts intolerable). The nights were completely deserted.

Empty Party Tent

This tent was setup at sunset for one lucky couple to dine. It looked terribly romantic, but I didn’t want to disrupt anyone for a photo. Come evening this was lit blue beneath the Moroccan lamps, but nobody seemed to come for the dance party. The music droned for none but the sea. I am sure in the high season its a raucous time, but this night, the party was but me and my friend solitude.

Party Tent on the Beach in Bali
Party Tent on the Beach in Bali

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Carrots in Little India Street Market in Singapore

Posted on April 2nd, 2015 by

Packed Carrots

Along Buffalo Road in Singapore’s Little India, the streets are packed with people, vendors and shoppers much as these fruits and vegetables. These carrots were shaded, and I blocked the sidewalk to snap a quick photo. I loved their symmetry, but the man I blocked didn’t seem to care too much for my pausing, nor did the vendor who chased me off. Photos don’t pay his bills and I was blocking the view of his carrots from shoppers who might want to take some home for the evenings soup.

Carrots in Little India Street Market in Singapore
Carrots in Little India Street Market in Singapore

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Indian Bridal Flower Garland in Singapore

Posted on March 26th, 2015 by

Indian Wedding Flowers

In all honestly I had no idea what these garlands were for when I walked past the vendor stall on Buffalo Road in Singapore’s Little India. I did, however, know they were ABSOLUTELY stunning. The smell was perhaps the sweetest part. That many flowers in such a small area was practically overwhelming. The other think I will always remember about this was the bees! The smell not only appealed to me, but also to our little pollinating flying friends. All over the flowers (you can see a few on the white blooms) were hundreds of bees! I didnt want to hang around too long, but I grabbed this photo of these bridal flower garlands before I got stung!

Indian Bridal Flower Garland in Singapore
Indian Bridal Flower Garland in Singapore

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