Chinese Drums & Lion Dance (舞獅)

Last Saturday we were at the official opening ceremony of the 2011/2012 Birdwatching season at the Guandu Nature Park (關渡自然公園). As is normal at auspicious event opening there is always some drums and a Lion Dance. The drums and dance in the video below kicked off the ceremony.

The performance was by some kids from the local junior high school and we think they did pretty well. The Lion dance has been a part of Chinese culture for a thousand years at least and is usually performed on auspicious occassions such as Chinese New Year or event openings (such as this one). This particular dance was only a couple of minutes long but they can sometimes go on for much longer depending on the occasion and the event. There are (as expected) regional variations in the costumes and the dances themselves (but you can look that up yourself). It is always good to see kids getting involved in cultural activities and we enjoyed the show (short and sweet as it was).

Hutong (衚衕) Life - Beijing

The picture below is one Queenie took in a Beijing Hutong (北京衚衕) on our trip there in August 2010 with Mom. I edited the picture and I just really liked the outcome a lot so wanted to share it. I will post a longer blog at some point with other Hutong pictures.

If you have any comments, please do share.

Hong Kong Park Bird Aviary

The Edward Youde Aviary in the Hong Kong park is a hidden treasure. We have been to Hong Kong many times over many years (and even been in the park) and never knew the aviary was there. Finding it in early 2010 was a treat.

The aviary is named after Edward Youde, a long time governer of Hong Kong. The elevated walkway enables visitors to view the birds and vegetation from varying elevations. Apparently the aviary is about 3,000 square meters and has a fair variety of birds.The aviary is beautifully laid out, it was free and is worth visiting when visiting Hong Kong Park. The video below shows some of the birds in the aviary.

A few pictures of the birds in the aviary are shown below. There were quite a few birds and species on display. It was great to visit them and to see them in this habitat.

All in all the Eduard Youde Aviary in Hong Kong is a special place worth visiting.

Food in Hong Kong - Our Friend Ron Speaks

In 2009/2010 we travelled to Hong Kong with our friends Ron and Melody. We had an awesome time there. One of the features of travelling anywhere is the food we eat. Well, after four days in Hong Kong our friend Ron gave us his thoughts on the food. Some fairly interesting insights.

The food discussed in the video above is as follows

1) Reuben Sandwich
2) Cantonese Dinner
3) Dim Sum Breakfast
4) Hamburger in Stanley
5) BLT Sandwich
6) Breakfast
7) Fish and Chips and French Toast
8) Chicken Tikka

Really fun times. Queenie and I had an awesome time with Ron and Melody in Hong Kong.

Tattoo Art in Beijing 798 Art Zone

We saw these amazing pieces of Art in the Beijing 798 Art Zone when we took my mom there in 2010. As you can see the pictures were of tragic women with intricate tatoos all over their bodies. I personally loved the concept and enjoyed this particular gallery. It was unusual and differet from the usual landscape galleries and the propoganda galleries. Unfortunately we do not know who the artist is.

Despair

As the picture above shows, the art pieces all depicted different women with tattoos in a different emotional state of being. The picture above shows amplifies in my mind the concept of tragic beauty. Beautiful woman, scarred body, committing suicide. Terribly sad and yet a powerful emotional image.

Sadness

The picture above was without doubt my favorite. I liked the contrast between the black and the skin tone, the intricate detail of the tatoo, the horn off the eyes, the coy body posture, the submissive melting away emotion in the face. I just really like that piece.

Girls Together

The deep red in the picture above adds an emotional flavor to the picture. I love the contrasting expressions in the girls faces (the one girl has two eyes open, the other only one etc.) and how the one has a piercing in the lip and the other the piercing in the eyebrow. The closeness of the girls also seems to imply security in friendship in dramatic times. And once again the intricacy of the art tattoos and the artwork on the wall and the headpieces is amazing.

Back to You

The shy, graceful poise in the pose for this picture is remarkable. The light skin tones contrasted with the actual tattoo provdes a gentle texture to the picture and makes it a compelling piece for me.

Discretion

Another great picture. The shy, defenceless posture of the lady covering herself despite her circumstance. The big eyes, the elegant and graceful pose makes this woman alluring and beautiful.

Defiance

Loved this one. The defiance in the eyes and the wicked smile in spite of the necklace of thorns. The gun is the release from life. The one thing she has control of. The blood from the thorns, the tear stained cheek, defiance in the eyes, the gun in the hand. It is a tragic but powerful picture.

Anyway, hope you enjoyed and if you do know the name of the artist then please do let me know.

Osaka 09 Pt. 02: Tennoji Park

Tennoji park is a beautiful park in the middle of Osaka and quite close to where we were staying in Kyobashi. One of the reasons Queenie wanted to go there was to see the brown autumn leaves which makes Osaka so special in October.

Autumn Leaves - Tennoji Park (Osaka)

I think the video below covers most of what can be written here about the park, so enjoy.

As you can see in the video above, the park was fairly empty on a Saturday morning and really peaceful considering it is in the middle of the city. We loved being there. There were a lot of people paintin and some people doing excercise. There were also many beautiful flowers and scenes. The pictures below capture all this.

Queenie in Tennoji Park - My beautiful wife in a beautiful park


Autumn Leaves in Tennoji Park - the main reason for going to Osaka in Autumn is to see the trees changing color. It was really beautiful.


Beautiful Flower Display - This display was near the front entrance of the park area next to the lake. Really pretty.


Beautiful Park - looking at this picture it is hard to believe that this park is in the middle of a busy city.


Art Museum - The building is the art museum that is built inside the park


Kendo - This guy looked older but looked really fit.

As you can see from the video and pictures above, Tennoji Park is a beautiful place. If you are visiting Osaka it is probably worth the visit and add onto that the Art Museum and I am sure you will enjoy. We had a good time on a crisp but sunny Autumn day.

More pictures @ Tennoji Park - Flickr Set

Uzbek Tales Pt. 6: Weddings in Khiva, Uzbekistan

When we were in Khiva, Uzbekistan, we landed up eating dinner at a wedding party and on the second day we danced on the streets of Khiva. We had an absolutely awesome time and to this day Khiva holds special memories for us.

Wedding Couple on Parade in Khiva

We arrived in Khiva in the dead of winter. The Lonely Planet said that when travelling in Uzbekistan in the winter, Uzbekistan is yours. For most of the trip we had bumped into one or two other travellers, but in the ancient walled city Khiva, we were the only ones. Needless to say all the restaurants were shut and most of the guest houses were shut too. We had met an English teacher and her students and we were wondering through the streets late on Saturday night looking for something to eat when we saw a huge party going on. Our new friends told us that it was a wedding party. So me being me, dragged everything and everyone along to look. I poked my head through the door to see what was going on and before we knew it Queenie, myself and our Uzbek friends were dragged into the hall sat behind a table, plov was served for us and vodka shots were flowing my way. What an awesome experience!

The Bride


The Banquet

The wedding was alive with a live band playing Central Asian music and a dancer. All the men at our table (and they were all men except for Queenie and the English teacher and students, took to us immediately and started downing vodka shots with me. Little were we to know that later in the evening we were to dance and I was to give a speech. We were later told that weddings actually go on for three days and this party we were in was the brides sending off party (the groom wasn't present) and that the groom and bride would be joined the following day so we didn't actually get to see the wedding ceremony.

The Wedding Dancer


Queenie Dancing

On the second day in Khiva we were wandering between the old mud buildings of the town when we stumbled accross a couple of wedding parades(see picture at the top). The bride, the groom and their entire entourage walks with them through the streets of the town to show the world they are married. We saw two entourages. The first thing we noticed was the flimsy dresses the brides were wearing. This is significant because it was FREEZING (close to 0C). If you compare what Queenie was wearing in the video below you will actually notice the difference in attire. The second think that completely blew us away was that both groups stopped outside the music museum in Khiva and out of nowhere music started and people danced in the streets.

Dancing in the Street


Dancing in the Streets

Both the sending away party and the wedding parades are showed in the video below. We hope you enjoy.

These two events made our time in Khiva unforgettable. It would not have been possible without the hospitality and the open hearts of the people there. We thank them from the bottom of our hearts.