Saturday, 31 January 2015

Travel Photos Series#1-Fo Guang Shan, Taiwan

Thanks to everybody, I realize that my photos are generally liked and welcomed by a lot of my visitors and followers. I decide to start this "Travel Photos Series" which will help display my travel photos as well as a short description for each of the photos. Hope everybody loves this new initiative and all feedback are welcomed.

Fo Guan Shan's Buddha Memorial Center

This photo was taken on 30 Nov 2013 during our visit to Fo Guang Shan(佛光山) at Kaohsiung, Taiwan. The Buddha Memorial Center was actually quite a new addition to the existing Fo Guang Shan's premise. I was really impressed by the new compound set up. A tiled pathway led to a grand golden Buddha statue flanked by two rows of symmetrically built pagodas. Definitely a photo opportunity I would not want to miss.

Related Posts: Family Bonding Tour at Taiwan Famosa, Taiwan Travel Tips

Sunday, 11 January 2015

Cheung Chau Trip (Part 1)

Cheung Chau Fishing Boats
We went for a 2 days trip at Cheung Chau island during our trip back to Hong Kong last November. Alison and I have been talking about this while and finally made the effort to visit the island. Cheung Chau is one of the more popular outlying islands in Hong Kong and is often the first choice retreat for the Hong Kongers. The island is famous for the Bun Festival which usually occurs on early May and attracts thousands of people to the island during the celebration.

Ferry to Cheung Chau
Pier No. 5

It took us only half an hour by First Ferry from Central Pier (Pier no. 5) at Hong Kong Island to reach Cheung Chau. Before reaching Cheung Chau, we were greeted by many fishermen boats docking near the harbour. It reminded me that Cheung Chua was a fishing village where many locals still relied on the fishing trade for survival.

Signage at Cheung Chau
Street Shot 1
Street Shot 2

I was a bit taken aback when a Macdonald outlet was the first sight I set upon when we landed on the island. Certainly not a good introduction when nostalgic atmosphere was supposed to be the main theme of the place. The narrow main street (Praya) at the waterfront was bustling with activities as tourists patronized the souvenirs stalls and eateries lined along the side of the street.
B & B Hotel
Artfully Decorated House

Alison booked the B & B hotel which was situated near the famous Tuan Wan Bench and many great eateries. During the peak season, you have to book months ahead to ensure to get a room here. After settling down, we set out to explore the old streets of Cheung Chau. Right below our hotel, we could see this beautifully decorated house. The owner must have stretched his/her artistic genes for the decors. I could only imagine how the house looked in the interior.

Old Postboxes
Old Street
Old Building
The walk through the old streets was interesting. Alison identified many things where she had seen in her young days. Old postboxes, coloured marble floor tiles, toys, potteries etc-many already could not be found in the main land. They should have brought her back some fond memories.

Famous Fishball Noodle Shop
Lunch

After lunch at a popular fishball restaurant (Cheung Kee 張記魚蛋粉麵), we continued our walk at the waterfront. We headed towards Pai Tai Temple where the annual Bun Festival was held. A glance through all the souvenirs shops had one thing in common. The "Ping An" (Safe) Buns were sold in all forms (cushion, magnets, decors etc) in all of the shops.

Buns, Buns and Buns
Rickshaws

Cheung Chau was well-known for being "car-free". The main mode of transport in the island was mainly bicycles. There were also these three wheel bicycles (or Rickshaw) for rental. I saw a few "daddies" struggling with the contraptions with their families at the back seat which made me forgot about the idea of carrying mine :-).

Seafood Restaurants
Abundance of Seafood
Before reaching Pai Tai Temple, we walked past one row of seafood restaurants. Already filled with street foods and the earlier noodles, I told Alison and Charlotte that we would come back here for our dinner.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of our Cheung Chau trip :-)

Related Posts: Cheung Chau Trip (Part 2) 

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Sunday, 21 December 2014

2014 Wrap Up (Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!)





Family Photo at Cheung Chau, Hong Kong

Time flies. It's December again and Christmas is around the corner. I made a resolution last year for my Travel Bugs blog. I told myself that I must write and post more in Year 2014 than Year 2013. In 2013, I posted 12 blogs. For this year, I have posted 15 blogs (this blog included). I know it works out to be only 1.25 blogs per month but nevertheless, I have achieved what I intended to do. It is never easy to find time to write amid my busy work and family life but this excuse is last on my list for not writing. For those following my posts, I apologize for the frustration of awaiting my posts. Hopefully, I am able to post more of my travel stories for the coming year. This will be one of my resolutions for Year 2015.

During last year wrap up, I penned down on the destinations that I planned to visit. I listed Japan, Indonesia (Yogyakarta) and Hong Kong. Out of the three, I managed to travel to Tokyo, Japan and Hong Kong. For Yogyakarta (I meant to visit it for the famous Borobudur), I missed it due to the eruption of Mount Kelud in February and other reasons. I shall find time to visit it in 2015.

Family Photo at Kamakura,  Japan
Tokyo is always a place where we want to visit again. I had in mind to include Kyoto and Osaka but finally settled on Tokyo only. The reason was simple. We want to experience Tokyo at a relax pace. Taking a side trip to nearby Kamakura was the highlight of the trip. We finally got to visit the famous Daibutsu at the Kotokuin Temple.The deletable foods in Japan have left their marks on our tongues. We hoped to be back very soon.


During my Company department outing in October , I got to visit Kukup at Malaysia. It reminded me of Tai O, the Fishing Village in Hong Kong. My colleagues and I had a great time at the resort and the sunset on that day was very captivating.

Sunset at Kukup, Malaysia

Finally at end November, we took our (countless) trip back to Hong Kong to visit my In-laws. The "Occupy Central" movement did not deter our plan. My wife planned a 2 day trip to one of it's island-Cheung Chau. It was an enjoyable stay with the good foods, beaches and most importantly, laid back life style. As usual, I would take a "one day break" and go for a "Photography Day". This was the day I would take my time and capture the photos that I want without the complaints from my wife and daughter ;-) I hope to share those photos in the coming blogs.


I do not have any concrete travel plans for 2015. But in the back of my mind, I hope to travel to somewhere further. Europe (and Italy) is in our thoughts but we have not firm up anything yet. I hope to visit Thailand again. My wife suggested Chiang Mai for it's cooler weather. Of course, I will also target Borobudur as mentioned earlier.

Last but not least, wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! May all your travel wishes come true in Year 2015!