The Bund 上海滩

 The Bund, in Cantonese, is ‘Siong Hoi Than’. Mentioning Siong Hoi Than I will straightaway think of Chow Yam Fatt who had acted in a HK series of that title; I will then think of the theme song ‘Long burn---long lou---‘sang by Frances Yip.

Today The Bund is just a water front about 1.5KM long in Shanghai, on the river bank of Huangpu. Adjacent to The Bund are the buildings of colonial architectural styles, whereas on the other side of the Huangpu River facing The Bund is the famous Pudong commercial hub where all the prominent skyscrapers such as The Pearl Of Orient and The Shanghai Tower are located. 

 Year 2015, we were at Shanghai. We came to The Bund at around sunset time.

Our eyes were glued to the splendid view of Pudong. The iconic landmarks of Shanghai were right in front of us. The cluster of skyscrapers comprising the Oriental Pearl, Shanghai Tower, Jinmao Tower, Shanghai World Financial Center, stood majestically over the other side of the river. The sun was setting behind us, and we could see her reflection on the panels of the towers.

The Bund was packed with tourists, all were either admiring the great view or busily clicking their cameras.

What a marvelous sight on Earth’s surface!

We then walked over to Nanjing Road and spent two hours on window shopping followed by dinner.

After nightfall we came back to The Bund again

The Pudong skyscrapers looked even more beautiful at night. The myriad of colours and the reflections in Huangpu River constituted a fantastic picture. Even the boats and ferries which were plying on the river were so colourful. This was one of the most unforgettable scenes that I had ever seen.

The Oriental Pearl is not the tallest, but is definitely the most attractive. It’s like a cute pretty lady among a group of masculine men.

 As Pudong was east of where we stood, the sun would be rising behind the buildings in the morning. So I decided to come again the next morning.

I was at The Bund again before sunrise. There were already people doing morning exercise, and people playing with kites.

 The sun appeared from behind the skyscrapers, in the form of a golden ball. Her brilliant rays casted golden hue on all the earthly things. The reflection in Huangpu River was so mesmerising.

I was so glad that I had gotten what I wanted on my trip to Shanghai.

Taipei 101 Viewed From Elephant Hill象山

 Before I came to Taipei, I had done some research on line, on the best location to capture the night scene of Taipei. Most people recommended Elephant Hill 象山.

We took the subway. After a few transits, we got out at the Elephant Hill Station. After about 15 minutes’ walk, we were at the beginning point of the stairs that would lead us up to the viewing points.

We began our climb. It was tiring, especially when you were carrying your gear. Although there were a few viewing platforms at lower levels along the trail we targeted the ‘Six Giant Rocks’ which was the most popular shooting ground for photographers.

 It took us more than 30 minutes to reach that point. We were soaked to the skin with sweats when we reached.

 During our stay at Taiwan the whole Island was blanketed with a thick layer of fog, and so sunset view was ruled out. May be this was the main reason why there was only a few of us to fight for the little space.

 I was told that that piece of rock on which a few guys were lying was the best spot to set up your gear, but it looked too risky for a senior like me.

 I set up my tripods on more solid ground. It was still bright then. We waited for Mother Nature to turn off her light. The cool breeze had by now dried up our bodies.

As the sky was getting darker, the buildings switched on their lights. Taipei 101 after dark and with lights on, is so spectacular

It’s like a pretty lady putting on all her jewellery. We couldn’t help but wowed with awe.

After witnessing this beautiful sight right before us, we felt that it was worth the while to have slogged for more than half an hour to climb up here.

We will come back again when the sky is clear so as to capture sunset over Taipei 101.

Sunrise At Angkor Wat

 Year 2013, we visited Siam Reap, Cambodia. Our main target was the Angkor complex. The principal temple of the park was of course the renowned Angkor Wat.

As the picture of the temple in broad daylight was too common we were tempted to capture the sunrise over Angkor Wat.

We had done some research on line beforehand, so we knew what we should do. We had to go to the site early in the morning so as to occupy an ideal spot for shooting. We had to make sure that we would be right in front without being blocked by other photographers. In other words, we had to fight with hundreds of other photographers for an unobstructed view of Angkor Wat at sunrise.

We instructed our tut-tut driver to pick us up from our hotel at 5am. At about 5:30 am, we arrived at the site.

It was pitch dark. With the aid of our little torch-light, we managed to find our way to a spot next to the pond in front of the temple.

The sky was star-studded. There were already quite a number of fellow tourists there, who had arrived before us.

We set up our gear and waited. Meantime, we looked around.

The locals were trying busily to do business. Some offered mats for you to sit on the ground, and some offered hot coffee.

Some impatient tourists had started shooting, firing their flashes incessantly.

 I noticed that there were red lotus flowers in the pond, which could make interesting foreground objects.

The crowd started to come in, and the site was getting noisy. One Asian guy got too close to me. As I did not know where he came from, I warned him in English and Mandarin to mind my tripods.

We did not know how much time had passed. But we could see the sky getting brighter and her lower half was turning orange. Dawn was breaking and the morning rays were showing up.

 And then we saw the sun. At first a little orange dot, peeping out from behind the ancient temple. Moments later the rays became brilliant and fiery, throwing a long golden reflection in the water.

 There must be hundreds of people around me, admiring with awe this wonderful performance of Mother Nature.

When the sun had totally risen the crowd dispersed.

Our mission was accomplished

Chap Goh Mei Celebration At City Park

             去年元夜时      花市灯如昼

             月上柳梢头       人约黄昏后

         During the night of Chap Goh Mei last year

         The flower market was brightly lit, as if in daylight

         As the moon was rising over the willows

         The youngsters met their dates after dusk

 A Chinese poem written a thousand years ago describes vividly what one will see at a park which is geared up and decorated for Chap Goh Mei celebration.

Chap Goh Mei, the 15^th night of the first lunar moon, is the Valentine for the Chinese. Thus you will see Lovers’ Bridge, platform for throwing mandarin oranges, the Match-making Deity, and other romance oriented decorations.

At the City Park of S2, there were fascinating lights, beautified Lovers’ Bridge, joyous crowd, and the majestic white mosque at the background. Together with the dreamy reflections in the water, they contributed to compose a spectacular frame of picture.

The whole premises was so brightened up and so colourful that one would be overwhelmed by the festive ambience.

The climax of the evening was the firework display. When the first bloom exploded in the air everyone was wowing in excitement. It’s simply awesome! It’s like seeing many ‘fire-flowers’ in all kinds of colour and shapes opening instantaneously in midair. Nothing is more spectacular than the sight of fire work display over a scenic place like City Park.