waltzing into 2009

Hoping for peace, not war or terrorism;

prosperity, not greed;

caring, not destroying...

personally, no resolution

but looking forward to challenges!

taking the long view

Dare we take the long view to life and investments?
(taken with digital canon A700)

have a good weekend

small is beautiful

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Photography has the ability to bring out

the extraordinary from the ordinary

like these tiny flowers.

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Littering along the wayside, no one notices its beauty

yet when captured...

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Such are memories

in moments of sorrows and pain

they help us linger on

providing fresh insights and angles to sufferings

emitting rays of hope...

silver lining

a new tomorrow amidst looming grey clouds

out of focus

Hoping for better days

out of financial crisis!

flawed

Flawed yet complete.

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Flower dies making way to new growth...new life...new...

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Photography has a way of eternalising that fades away.

rock mummy sculpture

The rock formation looks like a woman lying down, not sun bathing though. This is why I label this as a rock mummy sculpture, etched by winds and sea waves and rains.

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I enjoy traveling to unknown places. Whenever I visit a country, I would travel on my own schedule, not with a tour group, even when it's not familiar ground. Basically I want to explore the place that I'm traveling to and not brag about the places I visited by being there!

The picture above is one of many finds on the rocky terrains at QiZi Bay. I was just sitting on this beach, pottering around taking in the sights and sounds when...

Photography is one way I discover I see more of a place I visit.

nature's sculpture

Illusion? Eyes playing tricks?

From this angle, this piece of rock looks like a human head -- hair, eyes, nose, mouth and high-cheek bone face?

Viewing from the opposite angle, it's just a piece of rock.

The nose is a piece of chipped rock of another kind.

Nature's artwork!

flame tree

Just wonderful to see this from afar in summer...

The tree is full of blossoms and no leaves -- bell-shaped flowers.

pineapple

the fruit on its plant

Its flower eventually becomes the eye of the fruit which needs to be removed before eating.

The flesh of the fruit is juicy and yellow in color. If the fruit is not sufficiently ripe, it's very sour; when ripe is sweet. Its high acidity can cause the tongue to bleed.

There is the ornamental variety which the Chinese in Southeast Asia use for praying and to bring luck and fortune.

zig-zag stems

Nature is always so full of surprises --

water cana lily has these zig-zag stems

swaying in the wind.

Have you had days when life is just blah? When you don't see anything clearly any more?

Too many happenings yet unable to take hold of the situations?

Is this what aging means? (Sigh.)

seeing is believing

calla lily -- an unsual bloom

nature's ornament

An orange with spikes? Indeed.

At a distance, I thought these were light bulbs

but on closer look

I was told

it's a poison fruit.

The family plant this for decoration.

They do not know where it comes from

and it's one of its kind.

It's a climber.

Name...no one knows.

Rare indeed!

just married

Announcing home of the newly wed.

lovers kissing rock

What a cool rock sculpture -- a gift from nature!

A couple caught kissing in a romantic spot?

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Happy Valentine!

seven-fairies mountain 七仙岭

Seven-fairies Mountain is located in the central part of Hainan Island. This area has some natural hot springs.

We had the luxury of soaking in an open yet private man-made little hotspring pool overlooking the 7-fairies mountain.

Can you see or count there are 7 rocks?

These strange-looking rocks jut out of nowhere.

So I presume the locals wove a story to their existence.

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Once upon a time there were 7 fairies who descended to earth to enjoy the hotspring bath. They enjoyed themselves so much that they forgot their curfew hours. As a result they could not return home and were turned into those rocks. Hence the name for the mountain range.

postscript on qizi bay

Qizi Bay caught my attention when I was browsing and I stumbled on the Hainan Photologue (http://www.hainan-world.com/). It appears the coastline has changed a little since the last time those photos were taken. No pebbles were found on other beaches except for the one at Dajiao during our time there.

One finds elderly in their 70s still going out to sea fishing. They are strong and sturdy. Where are the young ones? Have they left for bigger cities to make a living rather than building up their little hometown? Perhaps poverty is what drives the young to seek fortune elsewhere. Will there be decentralization and development in areas like Qizi Bay?

Seafood is fresh but the way it was cooked, little to rave and considered expensive.

I was touched when we were told by the motocab driver that the hotel owner called her to find out if we had called around 3pm. They were wondering if they should call for help before dark. Hotels provide only lodging – no food.

While we were somewhat lost on the mountain sandy track at Dajiao, we saw goat droppings along the path suggesting we were not lost. We kept trudging forward. While on high altitude, there was no signal to the mobile phone. Thank goodness when we entered the rocky coastline, there was reception to the mobile phone! What a relief! We were then directed to this little hut (the elderly fisherman couple’s occasional abode) and the sand dune beach – telling us we’d arrived at Zhongjiao. We then continued on to where the motocab driver collected us.

When we were on the rocky coastline, I discovered our voices were muted when we yelled or called out to one another…even with a whistle!

Strangely there were no birds or seagulls along the whole stretch of the bay. Prickly plants were found on the mountain range. Was this a desert before?

Qizi Bay coastline has some varied and interesting rock formations. Please engage a local guide (if there is one) and wear life-jackets when exploring.

Is ignorance bliss or foolishness on my part to explore Qizi Bay without a guide or a map? Whichever, I enjoyed my time there and will return to explore again.

sunsets

We were told Xiaojiao or Small Point has the best sunsets.

boulders in xiaojiao

sunset at changhua

small point (xiaojiao) of qizi bay

Xiaojiao or Small Point of Qizi Bay can only be accessed on foot. This picture is taken half-way to Small Point or xiaojiao beach looking towards Changhua. The locals gladly directed us the way when we said we were interested in visiting the beach.

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Will this become a lagoon when the tide is high?

This is when we stepped foot on the beach looking towards the rocky section of Small Point (Xiaojiao).

View looking towards the footpath we came by.

Sand dune on the beach front beyond the rocky section of Xiaojiao.