You Are At The Tip

You Are At The Tip

Tanjung Piai (pronounced Pee-I) is a weird place. Geographically, it is seriously significant because it is the Southernmost tip of mainland or continental Asia. On the opposite and other extreme end is Cape Chelyuskin in Russia, just below the North Pole.Yet sadly, Tg Piai is virtually unknown to many Malaysians and Singaporeans. In reality the place is a dump. I went there in 2003 with Pooi San, with Emily Lowe in 2011 and with Sharon in 2014 on various roadtrips.

Malaysians only know one thing in promoting a seaside attraction: build chalets on stilts. There is nothing much to see unless you enjoy looking at oil tankers in the narrow Straits of Johor or at the industrial areas of Tuas in Singapore. It is also part of a national park with the mangrove shore as attraction. One thing I noticed is the first thing people do when they arrive at the Tanjung Piai resort is to pee. It is a long drive.

Tip: I don’t recommend staying here. Look for accommodation in Kukup or Pontian or even the kinky love hotel in JB. Search in MyCen Hotels.

Pic 1, If gazebos turn you on.
Pic 2. Malaysians also know selling T shirts.
Pic 3. A family bored out of their skulls bonding at the restaurant. Thank goodness for wi-fi.

#tanjungpiai #johor #jb #tip #southernmost #asia #pontian #kukup #landmark #roadtrip

Getting A Smile From The Stoic Baker

Getting A Smile From The Stoic Baker.

The proprietor and original baker of the 70-year-old and famous Salahuddin Baker in JB is a pious and stern looking man who sat behind rows of fresh curry puffs, and with the sublime light from outside illuminating him. I asked him if I can do an environmental portrait since the scene had so much character.

I presented the portrait to him on a later trip and he cracked a very rare smile. Sharon helped me print and frame the picture in advance. Earlier, we presented a framed print to an Indian lady tailor who inspired the idea.

When I asked for permission to photograph her in her shop without walls and doors, she complained: ‘Every time a stranger photographed me, I never get to see any of the pictures”. Awww.

She, just like the baker, were surprised and happy. That made me happy too.

#jb #city #baker #salahuddin #portrait #documentaryphotography

Eat Shit

Eat Shit.

5 billion flies can’t be wrong.

There must be a reason why we depend on Lithuanian and other foreign artists for our wall murals and street art. Local graffiti artists are either too basic or too brutally honest.

Saw this on a random walkabout in inner JB.

#graffiti #streetart #jb #johor #urbanscape #urbex #streetphotography

Behind The Scenes At The Barber

Behind The Scenes At The Barber.

My friend Cy Leow said the barber didn’t look very happy in the earlier post. I think the poor barber was overwhelmed by the presence of cameras and continuous clicking sounds. I was holding an Olympus OM-D EM5 while Sharon Teo was armed with the smaller. lighter and newer OM-D EM-10.

We turned a haircut into an event and this candid summed up the moment succinctly.

#barber #jb #johor #candid #mirrors #omd #em #olympus #documentaryphotography

The Cardboard Camera Is Very Practical For A Beach Outing

Someone asked me today about my favourite local beach. Not for swimming or water activities. For sunset photography.
Sunsets are almost always fabulous from the seaside. KL is landlocked. So what do we do? We can travel to the nearest beach. Where can we go? Morib is on the west coast facing the Straits of Malacca and facing the setting sun.

1. The sunsets are consistently good.
2. It is relatively near to KL.
3. The hotels are fairly cheap.
4. We get to stop at Banting where there is good food.
5. If you are adventurous, you may want to drive south to AVANI Sepang Goldcoast Resort in Bagan Lalang.

A long time ago, a Chinese provision (grocery) shop lady in Morib warned me to not walk on the beach at night. She said there were cases of couples getting robbed. The beach is now less deserted at night but always stay safe and alert.
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On the Morib esplanade, Carmen was photographed showing off her IKEA cardboard camera known as KNÄPPA. It was a one time issue, was not for sale nor did it require assembly. Just insert the two included yellow IKEA batteries. Memory is built in. It is fully functional albeit the brutalist design. I like that it uses a peep hole as viewfinder.

The blurry images are like those from Holga and Lomo. Unlike the two, this is digital but minus the cost of film. Blurry and unique should make it a sought after hipster collectible. Is there a tripod screw hole? IKEA wants you to buy a chair for stability.

At the beach, we need not worry about rust from the salty air and sea spray corrosion. However, at home; you might need to worry about silverfishes and other bugs eating your cardboard camera when stored in the drawer! LOL.

Seaside sunsets are unpredictable because of the travel distance and can fade fast because of changing weather.

See Hotels in Morib and the Gold Coast, if you need to spend a night.
http://www.mycen.my/hotels-in-morib-and-gold-coast-selangor/

sunset, dusk, beach, twilight, morib, goldcoast, selangor, ikeacamera, knappa, carmen