Month: January 2017

The Back Way Is The Best Way To Cameron Highlands

For this journey, I took the off-the-beaten track back road. It is the old ‘Silk Road” that meanders alongside the Main Range.

My journey began at the foothill of Genting Highlands and on to Raub where the road splits to the other highlands resort of Fraser’s Hill.

From Raub, I headed north to Sungei Koyan where the road splits again, with Kelantan and the National Park to the east.

At this remote crossroad, I headed west and up into winding mountain road before descending into the outrageously mutilated Bertam Valley. Further down, the once-beautiful and misty Ringlet Lake is now an ugly silted mess.

Going uphill again, I was relieved that some of the tea plantations and strawberry farms from childhood memories are still there, like refugees in paradise lost.

I take refuge in the saying that it is the journey and not the destination that matters. During the drive, the landscape changed from plantations to secondary forests to mountains and I drove, literally, into the clouds. More pictures to follow.

Olympus OM-D, ISO 200, f9, 1/800 sec.

#cameron #highlands #mountain #landscape #nature #adventure #tbt

IOI City Mall, Putrajaya – Part 20

The zany pedestrian crossing is painted with the fur stripe patterns of a zebra instead. The quirky and zany approach gives hint to or acts as a prelude to the creative and unconventional management of the mall inside.

The suits (management) will normally panic if such an idea is suggested. Kudos to whoever who approved and allowed the implementation. The crossing is at the basement car park, just outside the entrance with 7-Eleven and Tony Roma’s.

There are a few remaining pics which I may post outside the series.

Hope you enjoyed the series as much as I enjoyed capturing the images.

Panasonic GM-1, ISO 3200, f4.3, 1/60 sec.

#documentaryphotography #ioicitymall #mall #shops #zebracrossing #zebra #blackandwhite

IOI City Mall, Putrajaya – Part 19

Wonder Of Wondermilk.

Wondermilk The Cupcake shop at IOI City Mall is enchanting even for adults. The corner shop caught my eye as it looked surreal and magical in design. it is a glass and wood encased, retro looking shop with an old fashioned wooden door.

I shot through the glass and let the camera’s auto focus fluctuate, clicking when it was nicely soft. That added to the enchanting, magical atmosphere created by the rows of hanging lights inside. Some unexpected things provide the photographer with the most fun.

Panasonic GM-1, ISO 400, f3.5, 1/60 sec.

#documentaryphotography #ioicitymall #mall #shops #wondermilk #interiordesign #bokeh

IOI City Mall, Putrajaya – Part 18

A Japanese Kabuki theatre mask serves as window dressing or display in one of the shops in the mall. A big mall such as this means the competition resulted in many shops making extra effort to stand out. A bonus for those with a camera.

Panasonic GM-1, ISO 500, f3.5, 1/60 sec.

#documentaryphotography #ioicitymall #mall #shops #kabuki #masks #windowshopping

The Best Iced Coffee In Phnom Penh

In the middle, the comical and diminutive guy is Mr Bunnarith, the famous and friendly owner cum barista of The Best Iced Coffee In Phnom Penh. His signature coffee and stall is like a national institution; so be aware many rivals and wannabes are claiming the same name. Look for the funny man. There exists a Facebook fan page but it is also not by him. When you are at the Russian market, show other hawkers this pic and they will point you to him.

He was running the business for over 30 years and is known by tourists from all over the world, as seen by his collection of pinned magazine and newspaper cuttings from all over the world praising his coffee. Locals love his Khmer coffee too. The milk coffee is made with tins of Cambodian Best Cows brand condensed milk.

I had a long chat with him and he told me he aspired to open an international coffee chain. Ironically, many foreign franchised coffee chains are now in Cambodia. Although an overhanging sign proclaimed “We can speak English”, he spoke halting Hokkien or the Fujian Chinese dialect and we conversed using it. On the other side (camera left), was fellow Malaysian traveler Augustine Gan

I could not remember or find the exact year. I searched my Gmail and found an AirAsia booking dated 2008. Can’t be definite as I have been to Cambodia several times.

#travel #cambodia #phnompenh #khmer #russianmarket #coffee #me