Zhangjiajie - A road to China Pt. 2

© tedguuphoto 2013 all rights reserved

The second and last leg of my trip started at the foothills of Wulingyuan Scenic Area, a mountainous, once untouched piece of land where the famous movie 'Avatar' took inspiration for it's Hallelujah mountains. It was truly a breathtaking place. Standing atop the mountains, taking in the views is just amazing. The quartzite sandstone pillars, some at over 800m in height spread across the panoramic scenery with most covered in lush greenery. Between these stone pillars lie gorges of streams and clear flowing waterfalls, and together with the stone peaks, the Wulingyuan mountains became one of the most noted travel destinations in all of China.

From the heavenly Wulingyuan mountains, I came back down to planet earth to see some of the most amazing caves I have seen in my entire life; the Huanglong Dong caves. Colorfully lit with neon colors, this cave surely will impress anyone who enters. The Huanglong Dong caves, literally translated into 'the Yellow Dragon' caves was once a mystified palace of the Dragon King in ancient Chinese folklore. Today, it is one of the most impressive display of stalagmites and limestone pillars, lit in a myriad of colored neons (the photo gallery shot inside the caves will be featured in a separate series; 'Lights of China').

Although the caves impressed me, what impresses me more is the people who live their lives within these tourist attractions. It is amazing to see the wonder, the joy within them to share their beloved culture to us, the people of the world. One good example of this is at the Daxiagu National Park when I had a great chance to be in the accompany of a wonderful tour guide lady who loves to sing traditional Chinese songs. This last photo captures that precise moment when she expresses her love of her own culture to us tourists to be part of her Chinese experience. Just scroll down and have a look and you'll know what I mean.

Five days had gone by and it was my last day at the small town of Zhangjiajie. Staying there for almost a week, I must confess that Zhangjiajie is not like any old town in China. It's totally different from what you've seen, from what you've heard. Unlike many typical Chinese towns, Zhangjiajie is steeped in cultural and natural heritage. Today, a town like this is becoming rare in the People's Republic and so to catch a glimpse of this town or any other town like Zhangjiajie is a rare opportunity, and yes you guys should definitely make a visit.

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Zhangjiajie - A road to China Pt. I

© tedguuphoto 2013 all rights reserved

Today, people come to except China's unbeatable power. This sovereign nation, driven by the government's vision to revolutionize a once poor communist country into a rich and powerful nation triggers it's people's desire to build and improve upon this prosperous country. From the east coast to the mountainous west, China's development had reached into every corner of the nation, seemingly filling up the gaps of land with airports and cities. Now, it's very own history, 5,000 years of it along with it's nature and other nuisances to it's development projects had been seemingly disappearing, day by day, to pave way for the 'New China'. So, it is not difficult to imagine China as one big factory with no room for history and nature to survive. But here, a small town of Zhangjiajie, room was still available for nature and history to flourish in harmony, for the tourists and the population of China itself to escape from the bustling cities into a new, untold corner of the nation of China.

After I had landed in the city of Changsha, my first destination was Fenghuang Village. Built in the Qing Dynasty, it was one of the oldest living village in China, yet rarely do we see the remnants of the old lifestyle of the Miao people. This, apparently is caused the 'Miao diaspora' which led to it's people to spread across the lowlands of southern China. Despite there being tons of pubs and restaurants colorfully lit by the neon lights dominating the once beautiful poetic scenery, we can still catch a small glimpse of the culture that had long lived with the Miao people since the village was first erected 400 years ago. Along the Tuo River, we can still see local people using it as their laundry, hitting and smashing their clothes along the banks of the river. Boats, like the ones used back then is still operational for tourist to see the deeper end of the village where the poet Shen Congwen had resided and crafted his famed poetry, making his hometown village well known to the greater public.

It was quite a shame I had to leave Fenghuang village behind. There, I had found a spot so peaceful you could literally hear nothing but the rustling leaves of willow trees. The weather was cool and the view was extraordinary. That spot where I sat was well away from those Chinese tourists and that infamous, uninviting smell of smelly tofu; it was a very serene place, a place indeed worthy of a visit.

Well, I've heard many things about Mt. Tianmenshan both good and bad, so I decided to see it for myself. The pain I've went through queueing and hiking up to the mountains  had paid off with one of the nicest views I've ever seen in my life. And yes, Zhangjiajie is one places in China you've got to see.

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Bangkok Lights

Bangkok - The world capital for street photography

© tedguuphoto 2013 all rights reserved - *All photos taken with my trusty Canon 60D

Bangkok had long been famous for it's lively streets, bustling with people and yes, lots of traffic. Here, lots of things are happening as the clock is ticking away to the end of the day. That's precisely the recipe for a good street photography shoot. But as I was planning for a trip around BKK the day after, I've suddenly gotten an idea, to break my comfort zones and start shooting early, way early than what I've used to. I started my day at 5 in the morning around the famed 'Flower market' area to seek for some life. Surprisingly, people had already been working their socks off, selling flowers on the dimly lit streets like madness. People with trolleys seemingly filled the streets more so than the cars during the day, pushing and shoving each other. It was an utter chaos. Still, I've managed to get some good photos out of it, and yes, it all ended up well. So, to illustrate what I had experienced, here are some photos I'd took during the early times of Bangkok City.

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Paris Pt. II

© tedguuphoto 2013 all rights reserved

Paris is one of those cities that never changes. The charm and the pure essence of French culture had pretty much been the same for centuries and this is precisely what makes Paris, Paris. Amidst the ever-growing world, where countries and their economies are rapidly advancing into the race to become the best, the greatest and the most powerful, people come to forget their past and how the past makes up into what we are today. Now some people do realize the importance of this matter and are yearning to escape from it; escaping from the modernization that relentlessly overshadows the past.

Many cities now fall into the trap of constructing the biggest, the tallest, the most architecturally advanced skyscrapers, but Paris had kept itself in a very humble position. When looking around the city, the tallest structure bearing the very symbol of Paris is the Eiffel Tower. It is very amazing to see such city where it's people can live together in harmony with art and history, instead of attaching one's self to the materialistic structures we see today in most other cities. It is without doubt that Paris holds a special allure that draws millions of visitors a day, to be one of the many eyewitnesses to one of the world's greatest city.

Paris itself is already the world capital of architecture, and the Palace of Versailles is a good example of that. This monumental centerpiece is one of the world's largest Palace that holds many important moments in French history. The most relevant and well-known to us would be the Treaty of Versailles that took place in the Hall of Mirrors. It is quite hard to imagine myself standing right at that position where the peace treaty took place, it is simply astonishing to be part of history itself.

Strolling along the Gardens of Versailles is also an amazing experience. The sculptures and the geometrically trimmed vegetations are one strong example that France had been a great empire, and a wealthy one too.

Back at the Louvre for another day (for free) had also been a great experience. I have never had enough of the Louvre. There is simply too much for me to see in one day. Stood majestically in front was the Louvre Pyramid. The modern architecture of glass and steel seemingly juxtapose or rather blends in with the classical elements of the existing Musée de Louvre. Although the second round was free, it paid off with masses of tourists who again, flock to witness the Mona Lisa without even recognizing other masterpieces that hang on the walls of the Museum.

After a trip along the River Seine, it was home time. Although I was back in the UK, I must confess that my heart was and is staying in Paris and I hope that will never change, because for me, four days is simply too short for such a city like Paris.

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Paris Pt. I

© tedguuphoto 2013 all rights reserved

Paris, a city enriched in culture and history is one of Europe's most romantic and enchanting destinations. It is without doubt that more than 30 million tourists a year flock into this city to admire it's beauty through architecture, people and of course French food!

The journey to Paris is an absolute pleasure. My first impressions of the city had already been quite positive since I've first arrived at the 'Gare du Nord' station. The architecture is absolutely phenomenal. But above all it was the Louvre. The museum is one of the 'must-see' sights in Paris with so many things to do, but many tourists seem to come all the way here only to see the Mona Lisa. I was extremely shocked to see such thing, I'm not saying that it is wrong to do so, but there's just so many other artifacts and masterpieces to admire, even the building itself is thing worthy of appreciation.

The Eiffel tower was my next destination. It is without doubt the most crowded place in all of France, but I should say the view is absolutely breathtaking, and definitely worth the wait. There's too much to say about the Eiffel Tower, so I will leave it there for you guys to enjoy the photographs for yourself.

This first series of photographs from Paris is some of the best shots taken during the trip and I hope these series of photos would stimulate the 'traveller' inside you and convince you to take a trip of your life to one of the world's most beautiful city, Paris.

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Luang Prabang

© tedguuphoto 2013 all rights reserved

Laos, a small yet charming country. A country with good weather, good people and good food, is a country that travelers, and photographers like you and I simply could not miss. 

Luang Prabang, is a compact town easy to explore within a day, yet there's so much things to do and see. Throughout my stay, Luang Prabang has been an impressive destination, a haven for lovers of art and peace, guarded within the depths of the forests, and hills that encases the town like diamonds in a stone.

Despite being the central hub for South East Asian tourism and a town packed full with tourists, Luang Prabang is surprisingly quiet, keeping itself contained within the local lifestyle that had been unique to Luang Prabang for centuries.

Below are some of the images captured to express the very essence of Luang Prabang, and I hope these series of photographs would fully express the beauty of this town for you kind readers to experience.

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