Bagpipes in Trafalgar Square, London

Its a long time since either of us heard bagpipes in real life. Seen it on television but not in real life. When in London in early February 2012 we visited Trafalgar Square and saw to pipers in the square playing some of the more common tunes. It was great

Bagpipes on Westminister Bridge (by Queenie)

Listening to the bagpipes on this particular afternoon was special considering that in the morning it was snowing (see London Snow in Willesden Green). We were on our way to see the national gallery when we saw the bagpipe players. You can see them in the video below:

While I was making video of the players, Queenie managed to get a couple of pictures of them.

First Player (by Queenie)


Second Player in Trafalgar Square (by Queenie)

It was fun listening to them but they were busking and we did give them a few pounds each after watching and recording. And it was a cold day!

Weherahena Temple in Matara, Sri Lanka

Weherahena Temple in the little southern Sri Lankan town of Matara is a small but interesting temple that has many wall murals/cartoons depicting interpretations of events in the life of Buddha. The temple is multi-story with awesome views from the top and amazing devotional ceremonies in the basement. It is worth the short detour out of Matara.

The Giant Buddha and the Weherahena Temple

London Snow in Willesden Green

In early February we found ourselves in London in the middle of the snow. Having just come back from Sri Lanka the cold weather was a shock to the system but the snow was so beautiful. I went out to take some pictures and some video. Lucky I did! All the snow melted by the end of the day and there was no other snow for the duration of the trip.

Snow in Willesden Green

The snow covered trees and roads were really beautiful. The pictures and video were taken in the vicinity of Willesden Green Tube station where we were staying with my mom. The whole road must have been covered in the night but by the time we woke up the snow on the roads had been melted by the cars. Nevertheless there was enough to give us a beautiful, picturesque view of London in the snow. The video below is in my mom's neighborhood. Enjoy!

I also took a couple of pictures on the road. The first picture of a tree lined street covered in snow. The road was absolutely beautiful all dressed in white.

Every car parked outside was covered in snow as shown below. Some of the owners were trying to clean the snow off and warm up the engine. It seemed to be an unenviable task and for these owners, since it doesn't seem to snow too often in London, the task must be quite irritating: but still needed to be done.

The bicycles shown below were parked at the bike stand directly outside the entrance of the Willesden Green tube station. They didn't fare better than the cars.I would not be wanting to put my butt onto the saddle of any of those bikes. Despite this, I did see people warmly dressed up cycling down the road even in the middle of the snow.

The snow seemed to make even the most ordinary pavement a beautiful work of art. I could tell many of the Londoners were also surprised by the snow as many of them were taking pictures with their mobile phones. I suppose it is not normal in London anymore. The pavement below was truly beautiful and I really enjoyed walking around there. But at this point my hands were freezing.

The picture below is of St. Gabriel's Church, a couple of 100 metres down from Willesden Green tube station. The Church garden was covered in snow and it was a really beautiful sight. Funny story is that I tried to take a self portrait of myself so I mounted the camera on a pillar in the garden, set the auto-timer and then stepped backwards and tripped over an unseen object in the snow! I got back up but it was too late and my camera had jammed so I couldn't take the self portrait. Anyway, the Church and gardens around the Church were beautiful

London in the snow is beautiful. The last time we went to London it was also in the winter but we had perfect sunny skies for the full time we were there. We were happy to see London in the snow: if for only a morning. It was quite remarkable that by the afternoon/evening all the snow had melted and we didn't see any more snow after that.

The Unawatuna Beach Dog Wash - Sri Lanka

On one of the mornings we were relaxing on Unawatuna's beautiful beach in the Southern Reaches of Sri Lanka, we saw this guy grab three seemingly stray dogs on the beach to give them each a wash. It was pretty funny.

The Unawatuna Beach Dog Wash

London Street Performers - MIND BLOWING

These super amazing street performers were found along the London South Bank (just past the London Eye). It was a beautiful, sunny winter's day in London when we saw these amazing street performers: they will blow your mind.

One of the Amazing Poses

Four years on from our previous trip to London we found ourselves strolling along the South Bank of the Thames once again. It was a beautiful, sunny winter's day and as usual human statues and street performers were out in full: we were blown away by this one particular dance troupe. We wouldn't have believed some of the moves (especially at the end) unless we had seen it for ourselves. Amazing. Enjoy the video.

Mind blowing right? Hope you enjoyed and look forward to your comments as always.

Dancing in Galle, Sri Lanka

We spent a great half and hour with a bunch of youngsters and other musicians watching them dance under a tree in Galle, Sri Lanka. They guys were so full of joy and happiness and we loved being with them and hanging out with them.

Queenie and the Youngsters who were dancing.

Monkey Trainer and Snake Charmer in Sri Lanka

This monkey trainer/snake charmer was outside the Galle Face Hotel in Colombo, Sri Lanka. He was truly amazing. The video does say it all: one monkey and two king cobras. It was the end of the day and a pleasant show to end the first day in Colombo.

Hope you enjoyed.

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.