New Year’s Eve: Sydney, Hong Kong, Taiwan

Dec 312011
 

The New Year’s Eve fireworks celebration in Sydney (see below video) might even be more impressive than my last two years of New Year’s.  Last year I kicked off my 5-month trip in Hong Kong for New Year’s Eve, and the year before was in Taiwan. Both of their fireworks celebrations were impressive!  After being out of the country the past two years on New Year’s Eve, I’ll be back in New York City! Videos for all 3 are below

Happy New Year from Hong Kong! 2010-2011

Hong King New Year's Eve 2010-2011, from the Tsim Sha Tsui East Promenade.

Here’s the 2012  New Year’s Eve fireworks celebration in Sydney, Australia. Awesome!

 

That might even be more impressive than my past two years – check out the videos, with fireworks coming from the sides of a building, I was just across the harbor – aka Tsim Sha Tsui East Promenade. The Hong Kong skyline is one of the world’s best. I highlighted some of the Hong Kong architecture here. Happy New Year!

(click the bottom right corner to expand to full screen)

2009-2010 at “Tapei 101” – the largest building in Taiwan. At the time it was the largest in the world, but that lasted less than a month. Check it:  Read more... (243 words, 12 images, estimated 58 secs reading time)

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Impressive Petra!

Sep 222011
 
The Monastery in Petra / Jordan

The Monastery in Petra / Jordan

Petra is impressive – established sometime in the 6th century BC as the capital city of the Nabataeans – they carved the entire city out of the rock. They didn’t build columns – they kept carving the rock until they had columns. Given the back-story, it’s some of the most impressive architecture I’ve seen.  I highly recommend.

The Monastery is massive - Petra, Jordan

The Monastery in Petra, Jordan

 

The Monastery (above) and The Treasury (3rd & 4th photos) were my favorite two.

The Monastery, Petra’s largest monument, dates from the 1st century BC. It was dedicated to Obodas I and is believed to be the symposium of Obodas the god. This information is inscribed on the ruins of the Monastery. [wikipedia]

The Siq - in front of Al Khazneh ("The Treasury") in Petra, Jordan

The Siq is the narrow passageway to Al Khazneh ("The Treasury") in Petra, Jordan

 

in front of Al Khazneh ("The Treasury")
Al Khazneh (“The Treasury”)

Petra looks like it's falling (on me!) but it's quite solid, even after all of these years

Al Khazneh ("The Treasury") - carved out of rock.

   Read more... (189 words, 16 images, estimated 45 secs reading time)

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Kuching – Malaysian Borneo

May 162011
 
Kutching Malaysia

Kuching might have been my favorite city in Malaysia, and served as my home base for the Sarawak region of Malaysian Borneo (west of Brunei, population 600,000). It’s perhaps the most multi-cultural city in Borneo.  While cities aren’t generally a big highlight for me, after such limited selection in little towns and rest stops in my transportation, I was excited to get to Borneo’s culinary capital.  Kuching also served as an excellent jumping off point for my days in Sarawak, which feature Semenggoh Wildlife Rehab Centre and Bako National Park.

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Brunei – stunning architecture!

Apr 282011
 
Brunei-1

Introducting the tiny Islamic sultanate of Brunei, located in Borneo, between Sabah and Sarawak (Malaysia), and is one of the smallest countries in the world.

My trip through Brunei began in the capital, Bandar Seri Begawan (BSB), where there’s impressive mosques. We also strolled through Kampung Ayer, a entire village on stilts.

Below are some views of the illuminated golden-domed Omar Ali Saifudien Mosque and Jame Asr Hassanal Bolkiah Mosque (29 golden domes!)

 

Above is the Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque, with its gleaming gold dome.

Although a tiny state with a small population, Brunei has one of the highest standards of living in the world thanks to sizeable deposits of oil and gas. A guy was telling us the Sultan gives every citizen a stipend, and keeps raising the minimum salary, so everybody’s making good money if they have a job. Any job! Rumors persist that they’re running out of oil, and he just gave the citizens more free money to bribe their acceptance.  Read more... (505 words, 14 images, estimated 2:01 mins reading time)

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Slideshow: Brunei

Apr 282011
 

Press SL for slideshow, FS for Full Screen

Photos of the impressive golden dome mosques of the Islamic sultanate of Brunei, in the capital city of Bandar Seri Begawan, including the Omar Ali Saifudien Mosque and Jame Asr Hassanal Bolkiah Mosque. Also photos of Kampung Ayer, a stilt village.  Read more... (293 words, 10 images, estimated 1:10 mins reading time)

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Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur | Architecture in Malaysia

Mar 182011
 
Petronas towers Panorama
Photos: Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur | Architecture in Malaysia

Petronas Towers

The Petronas Towers , also referred to as Malaysia’s Twin Towers, in Kuala Lumpur. The Petronas Towers were the tallest buildings in the world from 1998 to 2004 until surpassed by Taipei 101, but remain the tallest twin buildings in the world to this day (the Sears Tower / Willis Tower in Chicago is taller if you include their antenna).

Photos: View of the Petronas Towers from the KL Tower in Kuala Lumpur | Architecture in Malaysia

View of the Petronas Towers from KL Tower in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

 

Wikipedia’s list of the tallest buildings and structures in the world

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Video: Hong Kong’s NYE countdown to 2011

Mar 052011
 
Hong Kong New Year's Eve 2010/2011, from the lens of Todd Cohen at the prominade/harbour

Hong Kong – Here’s the video clip I took from my New Year’s Eve celebration in Hong Kong -51 seconds. Watch fireworks come from the sides of a building – I’m not typically wowed by fireworks displays, but this was impressive. I shot this video from the Tsim Sha Tsui East Promenade.

Hong Kong New Year's Fireworks

Hong Kong New Year's Eve 2010/2011, Tsim Sha Tsui East Promenade, from the lens of Todd Cohen

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Hong Kong architecture: Bank of China Tower photos

Feb 122011
 
I.M. Pei's Bank of China Tower on the left | Hong Kong skyline & architecture

People rave about the International Financial Centre (IFC), but the skyscraper that stands out the most for me is the Bank of China Tower (78 stories), an architectural wonder.

The Bank of China Tower was designed by American-born Chinese architect Ieoh Ming Pei (aka IM Pei, or Bei Yuming), who’s best known for the modernization of the Louvre museum in Paris, France. He also did the John F. Kennedy Library and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio. In NYC, he did the Jacob Javits Center.

The Bank of China Tower skyscraper might be the most recognisable skyscraper in Central, Hong Kong. When it was completed, the Bank of China Tower was the tallest building in Hong Kong, the tallest in Asia, and the tallest outside the United States. It was the first building outside the United States to break the 1,000 foot mark. The BOC also has two masts reaching 1,200 feet high.

I.M. Pei's Bank of China Tower on the left | Hong Kong skyline & architecture

I.M. Pei's Bank of China Tower on the left

The Bank of China Tower (BOC) is now the fourth tallest skyscraper in Hong Kong, after International Commerce Centre, Two International Finance Centre and Central Plaza.

It’s 72 stories high and the design is supposed to resemble growing bamboo shoots, supposedly symbolizing livelihood and prosperity.  Read more... (250 words, 12 images, estimated 1:00 mins reading time)

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Architecture in Bahrain

Jan 132011
 
Bahrain World Trade Center - Twin skyscrapers

The Al Fateh Mosque (Grand Mosque) can accommodate more than 7000 worshippers. Its dome is world’s largest fiberglass dome.  The Grand Mosque is named after Ahmed Al Fateh, the conqueror of Bahrain.

I really loved my day in Bahrain – fortunately I was there before the Middle East fell apart (see link in “related posts” below)

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19 Hours in Bahrain

Jan 132011
 
Bahrain-1

My tour of Bahrain was really efficient – I landed in the early afternoon and had a flight out the next morning.  It’s a really small country so I had a driver just drive me around to see the sites that I had picked out beforehand.  He was very proud of his country and tried to tell me about the history – I wish I could understand his English because he seemed to have a wealth of knowledge.

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