Photographic Impressions: July 2012

Our Asia trip is over but the sites, sounds, and smells of this month-long adventure are still fresh. The highlights of the trip were our incredible hosts: my good high school buddy, John, and his wife Cindy gave us a magnificent Singapore experience while Claire's golfing buddy Sharon and her husband Chris could not have been more fun helping us explore every corner of Beijing. The sun during our trip was not nearly as cooperative. After leaving Singapore we had only rain, clouds, and polluted skies, so photography goals were somewhat constrained. That said, I found some great opportunities for twilight, nighttime, and pre-dawn pictures, testing my new camera, fast lenses, and high ISO speeds. Never even had to put the camera on a tripod! Viewing these magnificent buildings from up high, with their colorful lights glowing, somehow gave serenity to the chaos of the millions of people below. Here are some of my favorites.

SINGAPORE

The first picture is the iconic Marina Bay Sands Casino. Click on picture for larger view. Use the "X" in upper right corner to return.

VIETNAM (travelling up the river to Phu My port before dawn)

Fishing boat in early light

HONG KONG

SHANGHAI

Beyond the colorful nighttime scenes, there were many others that reminded us that we weren't in Kansas (or North Carolina) anymore.

Flying over the Arctic Circle (iphone pic)

The most amazing array of shoes!

Endless high rise apartments in Hong Kong

Stunning Vietnamese women in traditional au dai dress

A covered escalator in Hong Kong that is over 1 mile long and only goes up!

Buddhist Temple ceremony in Singapore

Chinese Junk in Hong Kong Harbor

No diapers in China. Just split britches so babies can squat and go.

Wild Monkeys in Singapore (iPhone pic) - Parents with their baby

A little grooming on the sidewalk

Yummy. Live scorpions on a stick at "Critter Alley" in Beijing

Frogs on a stick

More delicious critters

The Chinese would do well on "Fear Factor" they'll eat just about any critter

Surfing at Fort Siloso, Singapore

Kebun Baru Birdsinging Club - Singapore

Delicious Peking Duck dinner - Beijing

Motorbikes by the thousands in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (many riders with surgical masks to block dust and pollution)

Seatless toilets in many of the ladies rooms in China. Just squat.

People

Cindy, our magnificent Singapore hostess, showing off her baby belly!

John and Cindy

Ancient Chinese Attire

Roy, our incredible Chinese driver, leading the way up the steep, LONG, stairs of the Drum Tower

Our amazing Beijing hosts, Chris and Sharon, on the Great Wall

Beijing Bride and Groom - we saw many photographers on the streets of China with couples in their wedding attire. Apparently, they will take several days, in multiple locations, to shoot the couple prior to the wedding. This couple was happy to strike a pose for me, even though they spoke no English.

Shanghai fashion?

Our host Chris, playing in the Lenovo (his employer) basketball tournament. Not sure his knees appreciated it.

Lenovo employees served as cheerleaders and the company newsletter commented the next day on how "hot" they looked. Somehow I think HR departments in the US would frown on this.

Vietnamese fish vendor

Claire on the Hong Kong Escalator

John by the Voyager of the Seas

Bride and groom mugging for my camera

Yet another bride and groom in Shanghai

Vietnamese street vendor on her iPhone, in au dai dress

Vietnamese street vendor in her pajamas?

Watching a little tv on the street

Chinese child

Fountain fun at a Beijing mall

Places

The Great Wall of China, shrouded in fog and mist

After hiking a seemingly endless number of steps on the Great Wall, Chris and I went beyond the "no visitors beyond this point" to have the last vendor take our picture with the Chinese flag.

The Forbidden City

The Forbidden city was the Imperial Palace for emperors of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. It was first constructed in 1406, has over 980 buildings, covers over 7,800,000 square feet and is surrounded by a 170 foot moat.

Emperor's Throne

Ceiling relief in the servants quarters

Shanghai Museum

World famous museum of ancient Chinese art.

Furniture from the Ming and Qing Dynasties - incredible detail and construction with only hand tools!

Funerary Ornaments

Ancient Jade carvings

Hutong Villages - Beijing

Narrow streets with courtyard residences from the early days of China

The Olympic Village

The Olympic Torch

The Water Cube

Inside the Water Cube

The Bird's Nest Olympic Stadium

Diving Pool

John practicing his reverse layout 3 1/2 off the 10 meter platform

Other Cool Structures

China TV building - Beijing

Bird's Egg Opera House - Beijing

The Dragon Building - Beijing

Oriental Pearl Tower (the funny looking one) - Shanghai

Apartment complex in Singaore

The Drum and Bell Towers - Beijing - used to announce time in ancient China

Original drum from the Ming Dynasty

Buddhist temple - Singapore

Singapore Botanic Gardens

Included in the Botanic Gardens is the world's largest tropical orchid display - a photographer's dream!

One of the many orchids displayed in the "mist house" which would turn on a fine spray of warm mist every few minutes

One of the carnivorous varieties in the "cold house"

Rare glimpses of the sun

More from Vietnam
We had a delicious bowl of pho at the Rex Hotel, where correspondents stayed during the fall of Saigon

This woman was a Vietnamese street vendor, trying to sell Claire some cheap fans. Although the woman spoke no English, Claire was able to communicate through the universal language of "mom" and brought big smiles to their faces.