Xinjiang: Sayram Lake, Jun 2024
Sayram Lake (赛里木湖), the largest and highest alpine lake located on the western section of the Tianshan Mountains in Xinjiang, is often referred to as “the last tear of the Atlantic Ocean”. So called because it is the last place that the warm and humid Atlantic air lingers. Sayram means “blessing” in Kazakh. Legend has […]
Xinjiang: Mogui City, Jun 2024
Mogui (魔鬼城) or Demon City, also known as Wind City (乌尔禾风城), of Yadan Landform in Xinjiang is so called because of the screaming sounds that can be heard when the strong winds pass through the pillars of stone and sand. “Yadan” means “steep-walled hill” in Uyghur and this wind-eroded landform looks like a huge fortress […]
Xinjiang: Altay Pasture Transfer, Jun 2024
I have always longed to visit the biggest province in China, Xinjiang (新疆), a land of breathtaking natural beauty and vibrant folklore. Xinjiang, located in northwest China, was one of the main stops of the historic Silk Road and now one of the most popular mainland Chinese tourist destinations. Tianshan Mountain divides Xinjiang into two […]
Tibet: Yamdrok Lake, Apr 2024
Yamdrok Lake (羊卓雍湖), on the southern edge of Nyenchen Tanglha Mountains, is one of the three holy lakes in Tibet and the one closest to Lhasa. It is said that Yamdrok Lake was once a set of nine lakes and the fairy, Dakini Yeshe Tsogyal, feared that they would dry up, so threw a handful […]
Tibet: Basum-Tso Lake, Apr 2024
Stopped by the alpine lake Basum-Tso (巴松棤), also called Draksum-Tso, on our way to Lhasa. Basum-Tso is a holy lake of the Nyingma sect of Tibetan Buddhism. Nyingmapa, the “school of the old persons” or the red caps, is the oldest Tibetan Buddhist school and is founded here on the shores of Basum-Tso in the […]
Tibet: Ranwu Lake, Apr 2024
Ranwu Lake (然乌湖), to the east of Nyingchi, is a barrier lake formed by landslides and debris flows blocking the river channel. It is a long skinny mirror lake surrounded by peaks over 5,000 meters high and divided into three sections. There are large farmland and villages between each section connected by narrow rivers. It […]
Tibet: Nyingchi Part 3, Apr 2024
From Bome, we head back to Nyingchi city making a stop at Lulang (魯朗) Lake and then Gala Peach Blossom Village (嘎拉桃花村) just outside of Nyingchi. Gala Peach Blossom Village is home to the annual Peach Blossom Festival. Dense peach blossoms bloom along the Niyang River and is renowned as the “First Village of Peach […]
Tibet: Nyingchi Part 1, Mar 2024
My trip to Tibet finally happened! My trip started from Nyinchi in the east and I made my way west all the way to Lhasa. Nyingchi or Linzhi (林芝) Prefecture in eastern Tibet translates to “Throne of the Sun” in Tibetan and is often referred to as the “Switzerland of Tibet”. Located at an average […]
Tibet: Nyingchi Part 2, Apr 2024
We drove 300km from Suosong Village (索松村) to Bome (波密) along the G318 scenic national highway making numerous stops along the way. I especially liked the willow forest with the unlikely appearance of a herd of cows. Bome is another hotspot for the wild peach blossoms. They are known to be particularly large here, probably […]
Xiapu 1: S-Bend, Huazhu, Beiqi, Oct 2023
Time for another photo tour, this time to Xiapu (霞浦), capital of kelp and laver production in northeastern Fujian Province, China. Coined one of the “Top 10 Domestic Photography Bases”, Xiapu is known for its beautiful mudflats, long coastline, and sandy beaches. The breathtaking landscapes here resemble hand-drawn ink paintings with a surreal, watercolor-like quality. […]
Yunnan: Fuxian Lake & Haiyan Village, Sep 2023
From Jianshui, we head back towards Kunming stopping by Fuxian Lake and Haiyan Village. Fuxian Lake (抚仙湖), 70km outside of Kunming, is China’s third largest freshwater lake after Dianchi Lake and Erhai Lake. It is the deepest lake in China with a maximum depth of 155 meters. Legend has it that two fairies were drawn here […]
Yunnan: Yuanyang Rice Terraces, Sep 2023
After a long 6-hour drive, we arrived at the Unesco Honghe Hani Rice Terraces with the Yuanyang Rice Terraces at its core. These beautiful curvy rice terraces, covering an area of 10,000m² from 150m to almost 3,000m high, have been cultivated by the ethnic Hani people for about 1,300 years. I was told that there […]
Yunan: Donchuan Red Land, Sep 2023
I have traveled extensively throughout the world but have actually seen very little of my own backyard, China. Now is as good a time as any to start. When I heard that my friend will be heading to Yunnan to photograph the red earth and rice terraces, I jumped at the opportunity. Yunnan literally translates […]
AlUla 5: Al Gharameel, Dec 2022
About an hour and half north of AlUla is Al Gharameel, the perfect place to sit in the desert and stargaze. Unfortunately, my visit coincided with the full moon, so instead, I went there for sunset. The rocky stacks glowing in the disappearing sun with their long shadows stretching across the desert are a sight […]
Po Toi Island, Hong Kong May 2021
Time for another adventure in Hong Kong! 😃 The destination this time is Po Toi Island (蒲台島) which is the main island of the Po Toi Islands (10 islands in total) located in the southernmost part of Hong Kong. The name Po Toi is said to have come from the fact that the main industry here […]