Thailand Trip 2016 - Chiang Mai - Temple Visits

One of the things you could do in Chiang Mai is to go for temple tours.

Chiang Mai has over 300 Buddhist temples. Each have their own history and design. Do take note of your attire! Some temples do not allow skirts or shorts.

Wat Inthakin Sadie Muang

It's peaceful spending some time mediating in a quiet temple and listening to the monk chants. You could chat with the monks there and they might even open your mind to things.

Wat Chedi Luang

Enjoy the architecture of the building. It's not often we see a building with gold pillars and statues. Plus, Thailand's temple are huge!

Some buddha statue

Lastly, respect their culture and religion! Enjoy the remaining photos folks =)

Wat Chedi Luang

Monk wax figure

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Thailand Trip 2016 - Chiang Mai - Doi Inthanon National Park - King and Queen Pagodas

One of the main attractions in Doi Inthanon National Park is the King and Queen Pagodas, Phra Mahathat Naphamethanidon and Naphapholphumisiri.

The two chedi were built by the Royal Thai Air Force to commemorate the king’s and queen’s 60th birthdays in 1987 and 1992, respectively.

Phra Mahathat Naphaphon Bhumisiri

Naphaphonphumisiri, meaning 'being the strength of the air and the grace of the land' was built in 1992 to honour 60th birthday anniversary of Queen Sirikit. It's lavender and surrounded by a beautiful garden blooming with flowers.

Phra Mahathat Naphamethanidon

Naphamethinidon, meaning 'by the strength of the land and air' was built in 1987 to honour 60th birthday anniversary of King Bhumibol. It's brown and has a garden too but I felt that the one at the queen's is much more beautiful.

Some buddha wall

Some random shot of the surroundings. This beautiful buddha wall caught my attention. I love the textures it has and the beautiful mix of brown and dirty green. I bet there's a story behind this wall but I didn't probe further.

Flowers

The garden around the pagodas is filled with colourful and beautiful flowers. I noticed a number of workers (mostly females) are watering and maintaining the garden. It sure seems sunny but in actual fact, it's cooling (compared to the humid weather here in Singapore).

Gardeners mending the flowers

Below is the flower that intrigues me. I like the pink in the flowers and the way it illuminates when backlit. The tiger-spots adds character to the flower. This flower has a long stem shooting upwards to the sun. When the wind blows, they started to sway as if they were dancing.

The flower that I like

Lastly, that's a spot where you could view the distant Himalayan mountain. The winds are strong. A couple of tourist had their caps and hats blown away. Do have a sweater with you in case it gets too cold.

Beautiful view across the mountains

Do stop by at Doi Inthanon National Park during your tour in Chiang Mai. Enjoy folks =)

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Thailand Trip 2016 - Chiang Mai - Doi Inthanon National Park - Wachirathan Waterfall

Wachirathan Waterfall is one of the major waterfalls along the way to the summit of Doi Inthanon.

There are plenty of walkways to experience the waterfall. However, do be careful as the walkways tends to be slippery. Given the ease of access, Wachirathan Waterfall is favourited by the locals and of course, tourists like me!

It took me quite an effort to get this shot. I slung my camera onto my back, made a few hops and nearly fall into the rushing waters. I crawled on all fours and struggled my way up like a frog trying to get on land. Suffered some scratches and insect bites but the shot was worth it!

Meet Gilbert from Spain! A fellow tourist from my tour group. He's very shy and quiet! Like me, we are both solo travellers and he loves taking photos. It's his first time in Thailand! I still remember his trademark pose of spreading up his arms with palms facing the sky. It's just right in this context of the majestic Wachirathan Waterfall!

*random singing: "With arms wide open..."
~Creed - With Arms Wide Open

I was making my last few shots before heading over to the meeting point for lunch. I saw this couple relaxing by the rocks. The husband stopped to tighten his shoelaces and they sat down for a rest. They were making conversations and soft laughters floated over.

I felt that they're so sweet and was always longing for a moment like this. Therefore, I crouched down and took a shot of them reminding of that moment.

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Beijing Retreat - Part 3 Great Wall of China

One of the must visit in Beijing is the Great Wall. Thus, the last day of our retreat, we visited the Great Wall of China.

We reached the Great Wall early in the morning and it's already packed with people! Looking at the scene gets me pumped up and excited. I'm going to land foot on this magnificent wall which is the only man-made structure that is visible from space.

Scaling Great Wall of China

Scaling the wall isn't an easy task! I, myself encounter difficulties climbing the Great Wall. I suffered sore joints after the climb and during the climb, panted heavily. I began wondering what the prisoners and villagers went through building this wall.

Steep steps

Looking back on how far I've climbed, I suddenly realized I need to cater time and strength to get back down too! The wall is 8000+ km long and it is impossible to complete given that 2 hours.

Looking back

My favorite view is the photo below. We can see how far the Great Wall stretches and also the beautiful distant mountains.

Beautiful distant mountains

One finally picture on the Great Wall before I sign off.
Enjoy the photo folks! =)

Great Wall of China

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Beijing Retreat - Part 2 Tiananmen Square & Forbidden City

Day 2 in Beijing, China. We visited the popular Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City!

Visiting Beijing, how could I miss out the popular tourist destinations? Day 2 of my retreat, we went to Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. The land in China is indeed a lot! The square is so huge! It is at least a few soccer fields wide.

Tiananmen Square

There are a few "Ninja vans" around that area. This reminds me of those days during my national service training where such vans will visit us at the range providing us with food and beverages.

Ninja Van

Behold, the Forbidden City! Look at the blocks and blocks of different courts! Each courts holds a purpose. For example, there's a court where officials check their dressing, one where they report status to the emperor, another might be for the slaying of criminals etc etc.

Forbidden City

The placement of the courts and the artifacts all follows a strict rule of feng shui, with logical reasons why something is done or placed this way.

To the palace

Below is a picture of the roof of a court or some palace for some officials? Anyway, the main point is the animals on the roof. The number of animals determine the grade of the official living in it.

Animals and Grades

Last but not least, you would see giant water jars around parts of the Forbidden City. These are used for fire fighting if one were to happen. These follows the rule of feng sui too. 金木水火土 (gold, wood, water, fire and earth). The jar is made of gold and placed on two pieces of sturdy wood filled with water used for fire fighting on land.

Giant Jar

Enjoy the photo folks! =D

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Beijing Retreat - Part 1 Yong He Gong

I went for my Beijing Retreat a few months back. Here are the long due photos!

First day of the trip, we went to Yonghe Temple (雍和宫). Yonghe Temple is a temple and monastery of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism located in the Dongcheng District, Beijing, China.

Yonghe Temple

Look at the beautiful structure! The vibrant reds and blues are amazing. The dragon and Chinese coin prints are so sharp.

Amazing Structure

The tour guide explains to us how to differentiate between lioness and lion! The lion plays with a ball while the lioness has a cub. Below is a photo of the lioness.

Lioness

This lady stands in the middle of the entrance and is about to enter the temple. The contrasting reds with the dark atmosphere makes this photo interesting.

Soba

Last but not least, a last picture of Yonghe Temple.

Soba

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