2 September 2008

3 weeks ago, I was in East Coast for field visit. From Kuala Terengganu, I had to drive 3-4 hours in order to reach Kuantan. Along the way, we took a lunch break somewhere in between Dungun and Cherating

It was a scenic view from the R&R. I loved the way the waters and beach blend in with the clear blue sky.

 It’s definitely a sight for sore eyes to embrace such picturesque sceneries when you are working.

25 August 2008

If you remember, 2 weeks ago I was working in the East Coast and Kuala Terengganu was one of my stops. I dropped by Pantai Batu Buruk in the evening on the way back to my hotel.

Trail of shells

Pantai Batu Buruk, Kuala Terengganu is undoubtedly the most famous beach in Terengganu.

Is there a message in the bottle?

Bottle by the sea

This beautiful beach is just 1 km from the city center and can be reached by walking. Perhaps this is the cleanest and widest beach inside Kuala Terengganu city

My favourite shot for this beach

On windy days, playing kite on the beach is a good idea but swimming can be dangerous here. The beach is not exactly suitable for swimming due to the strong waves almost all year round, perhaps due to its geographically unsheltered location.

Sunset by the beach

However, Pantai Batu Buruk is also a popular place for strolling and good place to visit especially in the evening.

21 August 2008

As promised in my previous post 2 days ago, here are some of the pictures taken by Kevin and I in Wat Arun.

One of the shots taken when I visited Wat Arun in 2006

Wat Arun, perhaps better known as the Temple of the Dawn, is one of the best known landmarks and one of the most published images of Bangkok.

The temple is located on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok.

This is one of my fave shots in Wat Arun

The full name of the temple is Wat Arunratchawararam Ratchaworamahavihara. (Wow, this is tough to pronounce in a go, isn’t it?)

And it is also a hallmark of the reign of King Rama III.

Kevin: Hello lion. Are you bored?

You definitely can find such cute statues in the surrounding compound before entering the temple.

My best shot taken in Thailand! I love this shot!!!

The Wat really looks better from a distance than close up, and you’re not missing out too much even if you only view from across the river.

I just love the clouds in the background. Good job for this shot, Kev!

It is possible to walk up the stairs of the main prang, which gives quite a scenic view of the Chao Phraya river.

I just love the clouds in the background. Good job for this shot, Kev!

Nevertheless, when you are in Wat Arun, you just have to camwhore with your travel-mates.

Grace: HOUMMMMMMMMMM!!!!! (Meditating)

Including pictures like the one above.

19 August 2008

More than 95% of the population of the Thailand are Buddhists and you will easily find Buddhist temples at every corner in this country.

These temples differ from those back here in Malaysia. Thus, you cannot go to Bangkok without not visiting the historical Wat Pho and Wat Arun (in the next post) which is located along the Chao Phraya River.

I have been to these beautiful temples 2 years ago. I did not mind visiting them again this time because it was Kevin’s virgin trip to Bangkok.

From this post, you will be able to embrace both Kevin’s skillful shots and my skills in photography improving.

The front view of Wat Pho

Wat Pho or The Temple of the Reclining Buddha, is one of the largest and oldest wat (buddhist temple) in Bangkok.

Pic by Kev - The Entrance of Wat Pho

This temple was built around 200 years before Bangkok became the capital of Thailand. The construction of Wat Pho in 1788 was a restoration of an earlier temple on the same site, Wat Phodharam by King Rama III.

I took this shot in my previous trip here in Dec 2006

Wat Pho is also home to more than one thousand Buddha images, as well as one of the largest single reclining Buddha roughly 46 metres long and 15 metres high.

The highly impressive gold plated reclining Buddha was made to illustrate the passing of Buddha into nirvana.

Part time modeling with Kev

The entrance to Wat Pho is on Chetuphon road. It is opened daily from 08.00am to 5.00pm with an entrance fee of 50Baht, and it is closed for lunch break from 12.00pm to 1.00pm.

Looks like Kev does not know how to be my model… hmmm… POSE for me lah, Kevin!!

Wat Pho has 95 stupas of various sizes. The four large stupas were built on separate occasions to commemorate the first four kings of the Chakri Dynasty.

At least he managed to pose emotionally in this pic

Today, Wat Pho still stands majestically as a tourist attraction as well as a religious centre in the 21st century.

P.S. Email me if you want to find out how to enter Wat Pho for FREE!