Trip Around the World - Sydney

We took a final walk around Sydney Harbour this morning, including a stop at Mrs Macquaries Point. This provided a nice vantage point for the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge. From there we walked over to the Strand Arcade, a Victorian-era glass roofed shopping center. It is a beautiful arcade. We visited many shopping areas on this trip, but rarely entered any stores and made even fewer purchases. Now we are preparing for the very long journey home. We will be on the amazing Airbus A380. That will make the travel as comfortable as possible. I have a lot of photos to edit and post when I am home. I will update my site galleries and the related blog entries as the photos are posted.

Cheers,

Mark

Trip Around the World - Sydney

Our morning started with a walk to the Circular Quay for quick breakfast, then a walk along Sydney Cove to the Sydney Opera House. Next we walked into the Royal Botanic Gardens for several sights. The first was a flock of wild Cockatoos. The next sight was a little spooky, tree after tree filled with flying foxes hanging upside down. A flying fox is the largest bat that I have ever seen. There must have been more than a thousand of them. We then walked through The Domain on ou way to Hyde Park and the ANZAC Memorial. This is a memorial to Australians who served their country in the armed forces. The buliding is a beautiful work of Art Deco and was opened in 1934. While I liked the building, I loved the sculpture Sacrifice that is the focal point of the bulding's interior. The sculptue depicts the body of a soldier lying over a shield and sword. He is supported by three female figures (his mother, sister, wife & child). I hope my photos do it some justice. We walked on to Darling Harbour and crossed Pyrmont Bridge before catching a taxi to Bondi Beach. After lunch at Bondi, we walked from Macquarie Lighthouse to The Gap and ultimately Watsons Bay. We ended the day with a ferry ride to Manly for dinner. As you may see, this was a full day following several full days. I am completely exhausted,

I will post photos when I return.

Mark

Trip Around the World - Singapore to Sydney

Today was a travel day from Singapore to Sydney. The highlight for me was my first flight on a Qantas Airbus A380. The plane was the most modern aircraft I have ever seen. Our seats were huge with great features. We will fly the same model to Los Angeles.

I will post photos when I return.

Mark

Trip Around the World - Singapore

We started the morning with a walk through the Singapore Botanic Gardens. The gardens are beautiful with lakes and a rain forest. We also went into the National Orchid Garden. Next we went to a massive department store in Little India. The Mustafa Centre carries everything from groceries to jewelry and electronics. I enjoyed the walk through Little India was enjoyable with alot of colors everywhere I looked. Our next stop was at Fort Canning where we took a tour of the British command center during World War II, the Battle Box. We walked around the rest of the day and enjoyed the city. We have a long flight to Sydney tomorrow.

I will post photos when I return.

Mark 

Trip Around the World - Singapore

Traveled from Hong Kong to Singapore today. It is hot... We are staying at the historical Raffles hotel and have beautiful scenary on the hotel grounds. We walked along the Singapore River tonight and ate at Lau Pa Sat Festival Market. It was an experience, but the food was not great. Next we headed to the Long Bar for Singapore Slings. They were refreshing and tasty. Later we headed out to people watch at Orchard Road and Emerald Hill. The streets are full of young people out having a good time.

I will post photos when I return.

Mark

Trip Around the World - Hong Kong

Last full day in Hong Kong and we decided to take a bus to the south side of Hong Kong island. The ride included some beautiful scenary and we stopped in Stanley. The central market was clearly set up for the bus loads of tourists, but we negotiated a couple of small purchases for fun. We walked to the War Cemetary that is primarily filled with servicemen and civilians from WWII. We stopped in central Hong Kong for lunch at a noodle house with the local professionals. This was a striking difference from our first meal on the streets of Kowloon. Later we headed to the Peninsula hotel to check out Felix. This was described as an ultra-cool resturant & bar. We were ther early expecting a crowd, but only a handful of tourist were in the bar. It is a cool looking place, but I do not know if it is just a tourist destination or if we were there too early. Tonight we headed to central Hong Kong to check out the bars of Lan Kwai Fong' bars. It was a lively scene of expatriates spilling out of the bars and into the streets into the streets. Hong Kong has been fun and I am looking forward to our next stop in Singapore.

I will post photos when I return.

Mark

Trip Around the World - Hong Kong

Big day in Hong Kong that started with a ride on a Star Ferry. The Star Ferries have been in operation since 1888 and the current boats are from the 1950s and 1960s. Hiked through the massive downtown buildings to the Peak Tram. Like the Star Ferries, the tram has been in operation since 1888. The tram takes riders up and down an extremely sheer slope. The views from the Peak are spectacular. We headed to Statue Square and caught a Taxi to the the launching point of the 360 Cable Car system. This is the longest cable car system I have seen and the cars have glass bottoms to enhance the view. The cable cars ended at the Po Lin Monastery and the Big Buddha where we climbed the 260 steps for a closer look at the Buddha. We taxi'd to Mui Wo and caught a ferry to Cheung Chau Island. The island is a old fishing haven and we had seafood for lunch. The best part of the visit to the island involved walking around the narrow streets. I did not see any cars and the streets are too narrow for driving. We took a couple of ferries back to the hotel before going to see one of my high school friends at an art gallery opening.

I will post photos when I return.

Mark

Trip Around the World - Hong Kong

Most of today was spent on the flight from London to Hong Kong. Made it to the hotel as quickly as possible and headed out into the Hong Kong evening. A slow walk up The Golden Mile and then to the Temple Street Night Market. We found a place for dinner based on the apparent popularity with the locals. The food was good and inexpensive. After dinner we headed back to Victoria Harbour for "A Symphony of Lights". This is a combination of lasers, lights and music from both sides of the harbour. The room at the InterContinental is large with a wall of windows facing the spectacular harbour views.

I will post photos when I return.

Mark

Trip Around the World - London

The final day in London was filled with a nice family visit. We started with an english breakfast at the hotel, before heading to East London. First a stop at Spitalfields Market. Then a walk down Brick Lane towards Hoxton. A tube ride later and we were on Portobello Road for lunch. We walked around Notting Hill and down Kensington Church Road. By this point it was late and we had to catch a train to Heathrow for our long flight to Hong Kong. It was a great visit with family in London.

I will post photos when I return.

Mark

Trip Around the World - London

Beautiful day in London. Landed at Heathrow at 6:30, made it through customs into the city and to The Connaught hotel in Mayfair. This is a classic hotel. The service here is amazing. Next to see a family member's flat around the block from the hotel. We then walked to Regents College for quick tour of the campus before heading to Harrods for a little shopping. We had a relaxing lunch and then I headed to Hyde Park for a long walk though the trees, along the water and around Kensington Palace. This was a nice way to see a bit of London that I missed on prior travels. Dinner was at classic Veeraswamy. This Indian restaurant has been around since 1926 and has a long list a famous diners for a very good reason. The food there is great! We walked back to Mayfair and I enjoyed a nice Scotch at The Punch Bowl, a classic pub. I am now enjoying my beautiful room at The Connaught.

I will post photos when I return.

Mark

Trip Around the World - New York

A good final day in New York started with breakfast at a classic diner before beginning a walk south. The first stop was B&H Photo. It is quite simply the most amazing photography store. Next was a nice walk further south, including a bit along the water to the Pulse Art Show, before lunch at Dos Caminos. Finally off to the airport for a flight to the next stop in London.

I will post photos when I return.

Mark

Trip Around the World - New York & Chris Peters @ The Last Rites Gallery

A great day in New York started with a walk in Central Park before heading to The Frick Collection. Next down to The Village and SOHO. After multiple trips to New York, I finally had my New York pizza at John's on Bleeker. This was a great recommendation from a friend. After lunch we checked out the art galleries. Later we headed over to the St Andrews pub before heading to The Last Rites Gallery for the Chris Peters opening. The show was great and I met a lot of great people. Off to bed now before a final day in New York and flight to London.

I will post photos when I return.

Mark

Trip Around the World - New York City

Started a trip around the world today with a flight from Los Angeles to New York. Checked into The Royalton and immediately headed out to the Burger Joint at Le Meridian. It is already late here and there is a lot on the schedule for tomorrow.

I will post photos when back in California.

Mark

New Badge Feature

Los Angeles

We had an enjoyable day in Los Angeles. First we went to the Museum of Contemporary Art, it was interesting. Next we walked over to Walt Disney Concert Hall. The building is amazing and I will need to go back with a wider lens and take more photographs. We then headed down the hill to the Geffen Contemporary. I have to admit, I am not a huge fan of the collection, but the venue is great. We finished the day off with lunch in Chinatown at the Empress Pavilion. It was a good day in LA.

Photos of the day are posted in the Los Angeles gallery here. (Panasonic GF1 - 20mm f1.7 & 14-45mm f3.5-5.6)

Mark

Santa Monica

We had a nice day visiting family in Los Angeles today. We decided enjoy a bit of the beautiful day in Santa Monica. While I have been to Santa Monica several times, I never went to the pier until today.

A few photos are posted in the Santa Monica gallery here. (Panasonic GF1 - 20mm f1.7)

Mark

Aliso & Wood Canyons Park

Another nice hike in Aliso & Wood Canyons Park tonight. This photo is a view back at our neighborhood from within the park.

A few photos are posted in the Aliso & Wood Canyons Park gallery here. (Nikon D700 - 24mm f2.8)

Mark

Aliso & Wood Canyons Park

We went for a hike in Aliso & Wood Canyons Park today. The trails were a mess with erosion caused by the heavy rains. On the positive side, the hills were nice and green.

A few photos are posted in the Aliso & Wood Canyons Park gallery here. (Nikon D700 - 24mm f2.8)

Mark

Cabazon

We headed to Cabazon today. The mountains surrounding Cabazon were beautiful. I should have pulled off the road for a few clean shots. I only managed a couple from a parking lot.

The photographs are posted in my Cabazon gallery here. (Nikon D700 - 24-120mm f3.5-5.6VR)

Mark

Aliso Viejo

We had a little break in the rain and I took Winston out for a nice long walk. It is always difficult to take photographs when Winston is pulling my hands around with his lead, but I gave it an attempt.

Photos are posted in the Aliso Viejo and Winston galleries on my site. (Panasonic GF1 - 20mm 1.7)

Mark