I shall attempt to write a bit about my trip :) Although i wrote in my book almost everyday and i dont mind repeating some of the things in it cos on blog i can add pictures!
Firstly,
I think i have a few things i really appreciate on the trip..
My Treo
It was nice accompanying the beautiful views outside of the window with my favourite music and being able to send and receive occassional sms make u feel not too far from home :)
My Fujiflim Fd50
I had so much fun with my camera on this trip and i hope i'm really better with it now. Although there were times when it can get quite frustrating when u feel the limitations of the camera, it helped when i remind myself that this camera has immense potential to produce beautiful shots :)
We traveled a lot by coach on this trip and the longest ride was to Lugu lake where one way trip is more than 7 hours long. To be honest, the journey didnt feel that long cos there was a visual feast on both sides of the bus when it wound around 5 Big mountains and countless smaller ones :):)
Thankfully, the pictures i snapped on the bus werent exceptionally blur despite the moving vehicle :)
Travel Journal
Some of my friends can recall me looking for a notebook of ideal size. I was only going to travel for 10 days and i dont need a notebook that thick. I settled with an nus notebook and it was made almost perfect when wrapped with green paper. Like my Eurotrip travel journey, i'm sure it'll be an interesting read yrs down the road :)
Interestingly, i wasnt the only one who enjoyed having a book with me to jot my thoughts down. Charmaine who was also on the trip with me wanted to write her 2 times table to 100 and some short stories and had no paper! So my book came in handy. I had a lot of excess pages anyway!
Now about the trip proper.
I've uploaded 12 albums of photos on facebook.
But to save time uploading those photos then, i resized the pics from over 1 mb to just over 100kb. Imagine the difference in quality!
Here are the links:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=125235&l=0f865&id=688160466
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=125239&l=94348&id=688160466
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=125240&l=d84d8&id=688160466
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=125300&l=68bc5&id=688160466
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=125304&l=bd8d0&id=688160466
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=125310&l=87885&id=688160466
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=125315&l=8fa1e&id=688160466
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=125324&l=1dd27&id=688160466
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=125328&l=8adac&id=688160466
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=125330&l=f26f3&id=688160466
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=125333&l=cd7f3&id=688160466
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=125335&l=cea73&id=688160466
Kunming-jiuxiang-Dali-Lijiang-Shangri-La Tour
Day Zero / Pre-departure.
Supper at T3 was not bad :) We had what they call 半个包 and dumplings!
On this trip, one of my most useful thing i brought along was my minitripod!
I had so much fun with it when u combine it with the timer. Like this 2 pics!
We arrived in Kunming early in the morning and we proceeded to visit
Day One
We arrived in Kunming early in the morning and we proceeded to yuantong temple after breakfast.
There were a lot of turtles!
And i was happy to see hydrangeas :)
There were busy pigeons and a funny signboard.
The uncle carrying a baby has bilateral below knee amputation.
After lunch, we went to the Stone forest.
I was told that it occupys and area about half the size of Singapore! It's called the stone forest cos the place was naturallt littered with stones of many interesting shapes and sizes.
I was told that stones resembling things we recognise requires 70% imagination and 30% similarities. It was quite interesting spotting things :)
For example, can u see an eagle with wings closed and wide open in the bottom 2 pictures?
Fruit stalls
Close up shot of plums at the fruit stall
Day Two.
We went to the Jiuxiang cave which is very pretty in my opinion. I got a tad frustrated cos i was constantly left behind when i tried to perfect a shot, adjusting different things on the camera. It makes me want to go back cos i felt that i miss lots of wonderful photo opportunities!
Can u see the rainbow?
I like how the morning sun pours right in in distinct beams :)
I thought this picture deserves special mention. Jiuxiang is home to some of the rare fishes including this one -- Blind fish that has no eyes!
My mom looking relieved that she managed to climb the countless steps :)
Day Three.
We left for Dali, the place which inspired works like 天龙八部 and of cos the fans were really excited :)
I'm always trying to jot down every random thought i have or cool facts the tourguide tells us.
A 6 year old girl played with my camera and took this shot which i like a lot :)
It makes her laugh too :)
It began to rain, and after there was a lot of condensation on the windows, Charmaine and i started writing things!
We stayed in a hotel with natural hotspring nearby, so the pool was filled with spring water. Interestingly, it was the first time i see swimming pool filled with non-clear water, apparently cos it is rich in minerals?
It was nice swimming in warm water on a cold day. Unfortunately, we were told not to exert ourselves cos we were on pretty high altitude. An uncle's lips looked blue after 2 laps.
Day Four.
In the morning, we went to the old town :)
They sold something equivalent to bbq cheese!
I was the only one in the family to like it though :) Cos i like cheese and my parents dont.
On this trip, i realise i actually like taking photos of people too.
Granny in action.
Charmaine bought flowers that smellt of Jasmine for her siblings who werent on the trip. Although the flowers did not last till the end of the trip, the thought was nice :)
I ate a lot of peaches in China. At least one everyday!
I went to the 天龙洞 which the series 天龙八部 was filmed.
The 神仙姐姐 statue is still inside!
I like my trip a lot cos i got to use my camera a lot!
I like taking photos of people and definitely using the macro function :)
This was closest i could get before the moth flew away
Notice it has a broken wing!
I learnt that in Photography there is a component of luck in knowing when the best photo opportunity is and u have to respond quickly to capture it. Particularly in moving objects like animals, i find it particularly challengy capturing the moment in time :)
After lunch, i saw this field with scarecrow in it quite a distance away.
Then on our way to Lijiang, i saw boats in the lake by the roadside
I took this pic cos i thought i was very green.
Taking photos on a moving vehicle is really challenging cos
1. U need to whip out ur camera in time to capture the shot u like
2. The vehicle is moving so the pictures may turn out to be blur
3. If u increase the speed of ur shutter, u run the risk of a photo too dark for ur liking
4. The window may be dirty
5. There is another vehicle obscuring ur view
6. There may be obstructions like random trees, electrical wires and ugly road signs
Here are some amateur attempts! I got better at it later :)
We stopped by a shopping place and since i wasnt that interested in buying jade, i amused myself with my camera. With the tripod and timer combined, i had a lot of fun :)
Jump photo series. I like scrolling this photos back and fro on my camera, cos it's like forcing me to jump in the camera. I took these with timer + continous shots.
By scrolling the photos, u will be able to pick up the minute movement of the lanterns cause by the wind too :):)
Nearing Lijiang, we were welcomed by the 玉龙雪山 / Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. The peak wasnt visible the next day when we visited it though :(:( cos it was obscured by clouds and fog.
Day Five.
We woke up to a chilly rainy day. The visit to the Old town was a hassel to many cos we all had to carry umbrellas. But being optimistic, i thought it was interesting that i got to take photos of the town with tourists carrying umbrellas.
Raindrops falling from the roof :)
Some nice engraving on door. They were all very nice, but i felt silly taking all of them, so i took the first 2 right in front of me :)
I thought the first one was pretty cute cos it reminded me of poopoo.
There was a swiss Inn in the oriental old town which i took a peek thru the entrance
Wishing windchimes. You may purchase any of this windchimes to write on. They would be hung there for 2 yrs. The idea probably originated from japan?
Sights of a raining day
I love old grannies. Everybody knows! (and i love children too :))
Back on the bus, Aunty Yu treated me to a macademia nut still with shell intact!
After the visit to the Old town, we proceeded to watch the famous 印象丽江/Impression Lijiang directed by Zhnag yimou. On good weather days, the 玉龙雪山 / Jade Dragon Snow Mountain forms the back drop of the stage.
I found some photos online...
Being optimistic again, i thought that it's not too bad tt it was a rainy day afterall. Cos we got to see what it looks like for all the audiences to wear raincoats.
The only downside was my raincoat was really stinky :(:(
If u have not noticed in the last photo, the performace involve a lot of actors.
Those u see in the last pic only had the guys!
The women
Try counting the number of actors!!!
In china, there are 56 tribes and 52 can be found in Yunnan. One of the highlights of my trip was to be able to learn abt some of these tribes. They have very interesting cultural practices and have their unique traditional attire.
On a rainy day, i was worried for my camera, but i didnt want to not take any photos. In the end, water droplets did find their way on my lens!
Water droplets on my bag buckle
After the show, were took the cable car to where we were supposed to get the best view of the snow mountain peak. The weather still wasnt kind to use, but i was able to take photos of quite a lot of things :)
Kherlee 姐姐 and i in the cable car :)
I really enjoyed the forest walk :)
This is the plain that we were supposed to see the snow capped 玉龙雪山 at the back.
But the peak was obscured by clouds :(
Compare it with this pic i found online!
It was a cold day so we got ourselves a corn each
My dad took this photo of me cos i had 2 corn bits at the left corner of my mouth.
Because no one really waited for me to take photos sometimes, i make full use of the time such as toilet breaks to take photos of things no one really notice.
People thought i was crazy when i stood in rain trying to take photos of these minute photos. They were really small, but still they deserve some attention :)
While waiting for the bus, i took this picture. I like how the little boy carrying the red umbrella makes the photo interesting :)
Dolls wearing traditional attire of different tribes at the souvenir shop
One of the things i am more 遗憾 about is how the weather coloured the baishui river. We were shown pretty pictures of it when we watched 印象丽江/Impression Lijiang where the water was turqoise. Usually on rainy days, the river turns murky :)
I found some photos online!
But these were the best i could take :(
This is my favourite somehow :)
My mom likes misty misty views. I took these on a moving bus for her :)
We visited another old town and i bought a number of windchimes that are hanging in my room now!
I found out why fish is a common motif in the Naxi tribe. Apparently it is an auspicious symbol and they have it on their roofs too!
(Pardon me that it is kinda small, this is where wx's 18x zoom might be useful haha)
I bought some of these fishes home :)
At night, i visited the rainy old town again :)
Day Six
We left departed from Lijiang on a 7+ hour ride to Lugu Lake.
Again, i was treated with beautiful scenery on both sides of bus. Sometimes i feel that my camera doesnt do justice to the beauty of these place. You should really see them for urselves!
I got better at taking photos on moving bus i think.
Long bus journey rides = multiple toilet breaks
After going to the toilets i usually look for things to take photos of. These times are usually quite fruitful u shall see! :)
What's interesting about these toilets in the mountains is that even when they are usually not free, it is incredibly dirty inside. Think foul smelling, doorless, fat flies and maggots combined, u'll get the picture!
A family at one of our toilet stops
I thought the way the granny puts her hands above her brows was really cute
More window shots. Taking photos really help time to past. Surprisingly, i dont sleep a lot on my bus rides, cos i am so entertained by what's outside. Sometimes i even feel that sleeping will cause me to miss sth beautiful outside. haha
Flowers outside our lunch place :) I love practising with the marco function.
Charmaine got bored, so she took another photo of me!
This cracks her up..
Nearing Lugu lake...
Y'know i was so grateful that the weather was good. Imagine traveling 7+ hrs to the lake and the place is rainy and the view isnt as gd!
At Lugu Lake
When i have the time, i should join these photos for a panoramic view :)
Local woman selling sundried apples which my mom bought a lot!
At the Lugu lake town
The tribe living at Lugu lake is called mosuo. They love dogs!
At the lake
We went on one of the islands :)
The faith of the Mosuo people is quite similar to the tibetian religion. At the temple it is supposed to be good for u if u turn the wheels clockwise as u walk around the temple clockwise.
I like how the tree leaves help frame the lake and distant mountain :)
Our neighbouring boat was rowed by dragonboat champions! No wonder they were so fast. They were able to sing while they roll too :)
Yak on the shore
Dogs at the hotel (i told u the locals like dogs)
Macros taken at the courtyard
In the mosuo community, grandmothers have the highest status in the family
These are 2 mosuo grannies spinning the tibetian wheels
Local food
Look at how lean meat-less the meat is!
Night shots after joining the local campfire :)
Day Seven
Another 7+ hour back to Lijiang
I took these photos when the bus stopped for less than half a min!
Here u can see that i like children :)
Toilet break
Piglets at the toilet stop :)
Lunchbreak
Look at the local toddler fashion. There pants always have gaping hole from front to back for convenience.
This is my favourite photo of this trip :)
The bib reads "i love my daddy"
Toilet break again!
Dinner back at Lijiang. We ate food typical of the Naxi tribe.
Naxi women
The weather back at Lijiang was no longer rainy, so i went back to the old town to see the non-rainy side of it :)
I was told during my paeds posting that Malay babies are the cutest cos they usually have big eyes. I find children in china are all quite cute in general :)
Pple at the old town are no longer carrying umbrellas!
I stood around the Old town square till the sky started to darken
Day Eight.
We left Lijiang for Shangrila which was 4.5 hours away.
I think we were just unfortunate that it rained when we visit the snow mountain. The weather was good on all other days!
Last shot of the snow mountain before we left Lijiang
My mom bought me a puzzle to solve on the bus.
Flower we saw at a toilet break
We were treated with stretches of green grass dotted with plenty of yellow flowers in Shangrila!
I got to ride a horse on the Shangrila plains :)
I passed my camera to my dad to take photos. I should have taken it with me on my horse ride, cos we rode to a part in between the mountains where the plains look almost endless!
Horses on the Shangrila plain
Some locals
I saw piglets in Shangrila too
This mobile phone looks like a smaller version of tai gor tai..it's really cute.
It's own by our shangrila tour guide
There are numerous 3 wheeled cars there.
I was told that before Shangrila became as developed, the people had very little contact with the outside world cos they were on such high altitudes. An extreme substantiation would be a father asking his child to pluck grass for a visitor's car to eat.
A child i saw before dinner
The performace was awesome cos i like the traditional costumes of the different tribes.
I got to learn their dance too! i thought this shot is really funny.
Uncle George and Aunty Yu
Day Nine.
We took a domestic flight back to kunming.
Later the day, we went to fresh flower market
I had no one to buy fresh flowers for, so i just amused myself with these giant cacti :)
Our dinner at Kunming before we left for airport is mushroom steamboat. It was really good :)
Homeward bound...
I think we had a great tour guide. If i were to return to yunnan i will definitely look for him! I wonder if ryantouragency might ever be interested. haha
Whoa.. i think i took >5 hours typing this post. I wonder if anyone will read it from top to bottom! Anyway, if u're reading this, maybe u can tell me which is ur favourite photo!
Lastly, i shall blog about night cycling.
Yang was asking me why i'm not tired and going for night cycling the evening after arriving in singapore at 3 am.
I saw it as a way to make this holiday complete.. And i was right! :) Besides, i try as much as possible not to pang seh most of the time after i've given my word.
I enjoyed the night cycling cos we tried a different route. Although we didnt cycle to jalan kayu for prata as ryan had in mind initially, we cycled to thomson for prata and also conquered the henderson waves AND mount faber.
The only unfortunate thing was how it had to rain and it was kinda awful feeling wet, hungry and cold.
Some photos!
We had great fun playing with the camera on tripods :) I brought it along cos i found it really useful when i was in Yunnan!
Long exposure
Ryan's paper prata with ice cream
At Velocity
I like how ryan is in the limelight!
Weixiang was hungry
We went to AH to refill our bottles and the boys were tired
Ryan looks like a patient
Alvin made use of the fan to cool down
Getting ready to set off again
Baking Alvin
Alvin looks like my cookies or cake in the oven!
Long exposure again
My favourite shot of the day
I should really be sleeping though i'm not tired after sleeping my whole afternoon away.
Will write again soon!
Hope u've enjoyed this super long post :)
