Category: China

Monastery at Jiaoshan (Fujifilm GA645i, Kodak 400NC)

This next destination is a place famous for its vinegar, which goes damn well with boiled dumplings. Doesn’t look like there is anything else of note other than this but no matter, wikipedia listed a couple of attractions, and as usual once you take out pagodas and temples its just barren. But that has never stopped me before. I’m going to see for myself.

View from the top of Jiaoshan island (Ricoh GR Digital)

Just in case you are a little lost, here is where Zhenjiang is on the map:

Zhenjiang, Jiangsu

Not expecting too much, I will be moving quicker this time. At least relatively. I should have about 10 hours there. Small think tank bag contains just a Ricoh GR Digital and the 21mm adapter. For the first time, I will be packing along the external viewfinder. Rangefinding this weekend will be via a Leica M2 and just 35mm Summicron ASPH lens mated to it for the whole trip. Garmin eTrex Vista GPS is here, as well as the 32gb iPod Touch. Some websites are printed out in A4 to save weight, including a google maps satellite printout of the area in question. Blogging from the Nokia E61 as usual. Since it gets rather warm nowadays, its t-shirt and shorts day with a boonie for spare protection. Weather forecast today says 50% chance of rain. Do I trust them? Not too much. Thought about bringing an umbrella but decided otherwise in the last minute. Oh, across my left shoulder is the medium format Fuji GA645i with rolls of 400NC, Fortia and Neopan Acros. With 2 small bags slung across my chest, should let me move quick as I plan to walk the whole of downtown Zhenjiang today.

Lone boat on Yangtze River (Fujifilm GA645i, Kodak 400NC)

0845hrs: just got onto the train. Lets see, this is the 0853hr train called D408 bound for Nanjing, and they should drop me off in Zhenjiang as the stop right before Nanjing. Bet I’m the only one getting off there. Anyway, in the first class cabin, and seriouly speaking, or writing, I can’t feel a lot of difference compared to canned cattle class. Except the waiting lounge has a grand piano which I guess is what the ticket premium is supposed to reimburse over the years. Let me twitter my seat number to see if any of my 0 followers will come look for me on the same train. Worth a try!

Continue reading “Travels: Zhenjiang in Jiangsu Province”

The season for daytripping is opened today with a mini invasion of the town  of Yangzhou by a Malaysian and an Oz in tow. Town by chinese standards.  Yangzhou probably has a population of ONLY a couple of million souls. Small  city maybe.

I confess… The reason its Yangzhou this time has to do with the idea of  spending up to 8 hours in a crickety bus to be able to say I have had fried  rice in Yangzhou. But like the mythical Singaporean fried bee hoon, or  vermicilli for you nonm asians, what makes a town famous may not be its  core competency, to paraphrase boring powerpoint space fillers. How to know  for sure? Yup. 8 hours of bus ride would settle it. Though to be sure I  might a few of those.

Continue reading “Travels: To Yangzhou not just for the fried rice…”

Its not always I’m in a modern city that’s both one and old at the same time. I’m not talking about the infrastructure and all that, but more about the people and their quirkiness. Which was the reason I arm myself with rangefinder cameras while living here, with the quiet shutter and the old looking camera lets me get away from snapping photos of people on the street without them posing or changing their behaviours, like people usually do when you hold a SLR camera.

Continue reading “Life in Shanghai…”

I don’t have too much time to do phone blogging on this trip, so I guess I’ll just go on and do a little commentary on the photos I post on this article. So, made a trip in 4 days to 3 countries… first Macau to see the casinos, but made a 7am walkaround the city centre as well, then Hong Kong for the Chinese New Year where its mostly about eating and staying around Mongkok area, and a day trip to Shenzhen for some cheap shopping.

Macau:

 Everyone knows the ruins of St Paul’s Church in Macau. This was taken at 7am during my morning walk where there are not that many people around. (Leica M6, Summicron 35mm f2, Neopan 400, HC110B)

At that time in the morning, most people in the street sounded like Filipinos. I did also notice them in the casino, mostly working there. I’m assuming that they have their free time in the morning. I like this shot, although I think its a little underexposed. (Leica M6, Summicron 35mm f2, Neopan 400, HC110B)

Continue reading “Macau, Hong Kong & Shenzhen”

Woke up this morning feeling the effect of Huashan! Both legs are not moving as it should, equivalent to last year when I ran the 20km in Paris. Got a little internal bleeding in my right thumb so Mr Twiddly Thumb here can’t type that fast nor accurate anymore. Maybe its from too much phone typing in the last couple of days.

The flight is at 1845hrs this evening. And plan to spend roaming the streets of Xian. Starting with the south gate just a km from the hotel and then the grand mosque. Why not?

Continue reading “Shaanxi Province: Day 5 (27 Dec)”

 

Checked out of the sparse hotel up Huashan at 11am. Don’t think I will continue upwards anymore. Vertigo!! Even going down will be a test of nerves, especially when my foot is size 12 and the steps were carved for smaller footed chinese. Tried to refill the flask with some hot water but they seem to be very very stingy with them hot water. So no water for the instant noodles. Weather has been very clear this morning. Not too much colours, so its time for b&w film only. Burnt through a few rolls of film already.

 

Continue reading “Shaanxi Province: Day 4 (26 Dec)”

 

The master plan today is to get to Huashan and spend the night there. Yes I did left my torch light in Shanghai, but mobile phones nowadays should be bright enough to shine my way thru. Changed to a day pack with an extra change of t-shirt, socks and underwear of course. Brought 2 packs of instant noodles just in case, other that taking some space it weighs next to nothing.

Continue reading “Shaanxi Province: Day 3 (25 Dec)”

On the agenda today is the obligatory Mr Qin’s terracotta army and probably a tomb or two. Its still dark at 0820 and I’m already in a taxi going to the train station to look for a bus to the terracotta site. The air is still misty. No provia photo opportunities here today neither.

 

Bus 306 seems to go to the terracotta place and costs 7 rmb one way. When facing the station, its on the far right of the train station.

Continue reading “Shaanxi Province: Day 2 (24 Dec)”

Its tough to wake up today. Just got back from Taipei last evening, and now I’m at Pudong airport waiting for domestic flight MU292 for Xian. Original plan was to fly there and back by train. But I think I should maximise my time at the destination.

I’m travelling with relatively light amounts of gear. A 45 litre backpack, with a smaller 20 litre backpack inside taking up a third of the space. Need the smaller pack for the night stay up Huashan. So thats checked in. Bringing 2 small camera packs, one filled with nocturnal optics and packed with 10 rolls of film, GPS and other little accessories. And the waist pouch with the D2H and M6 with their default lenses. Nothing more than a 40mm f2 ULTRON for the Nikon D2H and 35mm Summicron ASPH for the Leica. Its already starting to be quite heavy! Was hesitating between the D2H and Ricoh GR Digital. Oh, and the lonely planet guide book stuffed into my Carhartt Arctic Duck coat. This time I will bring along a thermos flask, made the mistake the last trip into a cold region. Temp estimated in the low single digits, maybe even below freezing at night. I’m prepared.

Continue reading “Shaanxi Province: Day 1 (23 Dec)”

If there was a place to see swarm theory at work, China would be it. The train this morning is at 0615hrs, early in the morning, in fact so early even the sun is not up yet. D404 is a bullet train going to Nanjing. Finally on my way there for a day trip. Journey should take almost 3-ish hrs. The train is full as usual, seems to be the best way to do business here. Its always full. I still have no idea what to look for there yet, I have my guide book but will take a look at it later on, first priority is to get some sleep at this ungodly hour. Plenty of walking coming up.

 

Gear-wise, same as Suzhou last week. D2H with 40mm ULTRON SL, and Leica M6 with 35mm ASPH. Brought my GPS along and the Nokia E61 for blogging. Films: 1xProvia100, 1xProvia400, 1xPortra160VC, 2xTriX, 2xFP4+. Plenty of film, type depending on the availability of colour at destination and weather. Ok time for a nap. Train about to start moving, as soon as the swarm settles down.

Continue reading “Stroll in Nanjing…”