Tag: travel

Content Farm

A day trip destination like the fishing village of Tanjung Sepat benefited from the then Facebook boom, I hypothesised.

Many Facebook users do not or can’t write or produce original content. Which was why sharing became popular. It may be second nature for us old bloggers and we forget not everyone are as prolific.

So a picturesque venue like Tanjung Sepat provided the backgrounds for selfies. Selfies are quick, easy and valuable content that let people post on competitive social media. Malacca, Sekinchan, Kuala Selangor and KKB are some of the towns that benefited as day trip destinations too. Domestic tourism wins with selfie tourism.

This was photographed at the jetty next to the Gano mushroom farm. On my trip there yesterday, I noticed the wooden seaside pier is now gone.

Unfortunately, town planners possibly do not appreciate or recognise rustic things. The charming wooden quay is now being demolished and replaced by a long modern concrete jetty.

The town did boom over the years with a proliferation of seafood restaurants. Visitors like to see fishing boats and nets, not just eateries.

#tanjungsepat #jetty #seaside #pier #sunset #silhouette #selfie #smalltown #goldcoast #selangor #landscape #writing #documentaryphotography

To Fart Is To Prosper

The riverine town of Teluk Intan may be sinking due to river erosion and erosion of the coastline. It is a complicated and complex problem but the people there remain rather optimistic. The town seems to have the highest number of licensed gaming outlets east of Vegas.

Teluk Intan is so cool, in that it has a lottery shop that is a ride in (top left) at the time of my visit in 2008. Quite practical as many punters are motorcyclists and they can just ride up to the counter to place bets.

Also from my blog: The Seong Fart coffee shop has since renamed the contentious word to Fatt. It is similar sounding to Fart in Cantonese though. Or Huat in Hokkien. Both means to prosper. Even legendary Hong Kong actor Chow Yun Fatt foresaw potential problems when he decided to seek fame and fortune in the States. He smartly renamed it to Fat.

Was assisted by Ms Foo Mei Ling, special assistant to the then Teluk Intan MP.

Volunteers Needed

In the short few hours, we covered the Ernest Zacharevic art installation, the Stylo barber shop, Guandi Temple and much more. We were lucky the sun was intense and the sky was a deep blue from early morning.

Curiously, Paul is not as interested in photography or heritage stuff as much as me. He is extremely patient, tolerant and is willing to go the extra mile without much complaints.

If you feel you are similarly blessed but is not a reclusive hermit, is reasonably dependble and reliable… You stay in the Klang Valley, own and drive your own car, like trying out new food and exploring new places, you may want to volunteer as my assistant and adventure companion and driver partner. Can be a female or male and be of any race or religion.

You will learn some extra things about photography for sure, gain valuable travel insights and discover life. Contact me via PM or e-mail me at tvsmith@gmail.com and we will take it from there. No promises. It depends on the chemistry and your attitude, usually.

Picture of new kite arch at Central Market’s walkway. Some old or hertage buildings are conserved Singapore style where only the shell or facade is retained.

Keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the blue sky.

#chinatown #kualalumpur #chinesenewyear #kualalumpur #centralmarket #pasarseni #streetphotography #urbanscape #sky

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