Monochrome India

I love India. Though having been there only once, I feel that the country has a special charm that seem to make the place beautiful. Not the kind of European-city kind of beautiful nor the crystal- clear sea resort of Bora Bora but it just feels attractive in its own way. Maybe it's the people there, or the wide array of smells and colours, or their culture. I'll definitely return to India one day to explore the big Indian sub-continent. The short trip to the southern part of India wasn't enough to fully appreciate the country and culture.

Here are some monochrome pictures of various scenes around the places I've visited. Enjoy!

Lights from an approaching train at Trivandrum station.

 A boy having lunch at an orphanage. 

 Children there lead a simple and carefree life, finding joy in little things. 

 Crowded street of Tiruchirappalli.

Entrance of St. Joseph Church, Tiruchirappalli. 

 People forcing themselves up an already full bus, some barely hanging on to the railings as the bus moved off.

 A friendly Indian school boy on the way back home from school in Sevapur.

Indian fishermen, Kairali Backwaters. 

Pulau Semakau

Took a day trip to an offshore island, called Semakau, on the South of Singapore. Also went there to shoot a mini-documentary as I've never done one before. Went there with my friend Ivan and we did not really know much on what to expect on this little island which is a landfill where the waste from mainland Singapore is burnt and dumped in Semakau. Actually visiting the island was the main purpose and the shooting thing was secondary.

The weather took a turn for the worst and rained heavily in the morning while we were on the way to the ferry terminal. Took shelter from the torrential downpour at a bus stop hoping the weather would be in our favour. However, after more than 20 minutes of continuous pouring, it still didn't look like it would get much better so we hired a cab to the ferry terminal.

The ferry to the island was delayed until the weather got better but we reached there eventually.

Wet ground at the dockyard area.

Only 15 minutes from the Pasir Panjang ferry terminal, we reached there and got ready to go tour around the little island. Started off with the inter tidal area but it was already starting to be covered by the rising tide because of the delay due to the rain.

The wet weather which had caused the trail cutting across the forest to the inter-tidal area to be flooded, were more than ankle deep at some parts. 

The only way to get to the inter-tidal area was to cross a short forest trail which were infested with desperate mosquitoes hungry for blood. Few people come to this island so the mosquitoes were really relentless. On top of that, the mosquitoes flew in swarms and looked like faint black clouds floating around.

The inter-tidal was only a 15-minute walk from the main road, but the mosquitoes didn't make it better. Anyway, the tide was already in and most of the shallow area was filled with the rising tide.

A wild Sea Bass amongst some corals.

A Knobbly Star Fish.

A guide showing the star-fish to a group.

Filming some of the corals.

So, we spent the day visiting various parts of the small island and filming whatever we found interesting. The best part was that Ivan had his legs stuck in soft mud near the mangrove area and sunk in to almost knee-deep and I had to pull him up with all my strength. Got all dirty and caked up with the thick soft mud but it was a hilarious experience! In the midst of my attempt to rescue him, I forgot to take a picture of what happened. What a waste!

Walked to the lagoon in the late afternoon to relax a bit after a very very hot day. Did a bit of time-lapse there and just enjoying the quietness with the setting sun.

I'm not sure what are these. I thought they were just seashells washed ashore but they actually moved!

Long shadows of the railing at the dock area.

Reflection of the sunset against the mirror of the guard post building.

A small boat approaching the dock to ferry workers from this island back home.

I found this cloud here very interesting as the placement makes it look as if the smoke from the oil refinery actually formed the cloud above.

Back home.

4 weeks are over.
Trip's ended.
New friends found.
Fond memories remain. 

Sun rising over the majestic peak of Sagarmatha (Everest).

Had an unforgettable time trekking in the Himalaya with the great hospitality of the Sherpa community, navigating the streets of busy Kathmandu, and temple hopping plus food eating in Bangkok. Easily one of the best trips in my life so far.

Final days in Aoteora (NZ Days 15-17)

Time really passed quickly during the past two weeks in New Zealand. Today we'll be going back to Christchurch since leaving there for Tekapo 13 days ago. Nothing has changed except for one, which will I will show it later on, hah.

Tiny bird resting on a road sign in Kaikoura.

A tunnel cutting across the mountain as we left Kaikoura.

Back in Christchurch, we checked in to our accommodation and went out to look for lunch. We immediately thought of the thai food cart that we had for dinner on our 2nd night in New Zealand. Moreover this time, our accommodation was much closer to the food cart!

Yet-to-blossom trees in early spring lined up along Bealey Avenue.

The same food cart selling Thai delicacies. See the difference between this and this taken two weeks ago.

Surprisingly the owner still remembered us and we had a short chat about our travel around the South Island as there were no other customers other than the two of us. She also said that she gotten the stall repainted by a professional to give it a fresh look to it.

On top of the newly painted stall, there was even a set of table and chairs for customers to eat!

After lunch we just spent the afternoon in our room watching the TV and settling some of our flight details for our flight back two days later. Sometime around evening we went out to the supermarket and got groceries to last us two dinners and two breakfasts.

Back to the earthquake area again. Have to pass by this area many times as it's at central area.

Saw this person carrying a bag from Changi Airport.

Kiwi burger advertisement!

A very huge supermarket.

Hahaha Singaporean style. Anyhow mix!

Passing by the west border of the earthquake red zone. It has been opened recently.

16/09/2011

Today we went to Lyttelton, taking the public bus transport. It is also the epicenter of one of the biggest earthquake that struck months ago.

The temporary bus exchange area.

Bus ticket!

In the tunnel with Lyttelton at the end of it.

At the port of Lyttelton.

Looks like a lumber yard.

A russian ship docked at the port.

Very quiet streets of Lyttelton, except for the construction works going on.

Graffiti on construction barricades.

Back in Christchurch, passing by Hagley Park.

A large section of sweets and snacks in a supermarket.

Once back in our accommodation, we cooked our last dinner in NZ and packed our things and got ready to go back to Singapore the next day.

17/09/2011

Finally the trip has come to an end. Saying goodbye to this beautiful country and can't wait to be back again in the future. Our flight was in the morning and we checked out from the accommodation quite early and took a taxi (which we waited for a really long time) to the airport.

Looks more pinkish than it was when we first arrived!

Newly opened checking in counters.

The unique carpet floor that was created with relation to the Canterbury Plains.

Lifting off the ground and up into the air. The plains of canterbury.

Another look at the Southern Alps.

West Coast of the South Island.

New Zealand will always be in my memories for its breathtaking landscape, friendly people and for providing a unique traveling experience, not forgetting the crystal clear deep blue skies and the cold and frosty rain. See you soon kiwi-land!