Samomatic

Wow it is the end of May already. We’ve been having a cooler spring with lots of rain, hope you enjoy the images as we come out of hibernation!

A couple of weeks before Clara Noelle was born, I met up with the expectant couple, Mike & Tara for a quick photo session.

The expectant couple is so easy-going and relaxed around the camera.

Location is Victoria Park in Kitchener, Waterloo.

A beautiful spring day, trees are starting to turn green and lots of animals out and about in the warmer weather.

I brought along my new lens, the Pentax-DA* 50-135mm F2.8 ED [IF] SDM and it was a joy to use. Tack sharp and silent.

More photos from the shoot, you can also click HERE to see the gallery.

Congrats to the new baby :)

On the last leg of our trip we went on a day-trip to Laoshan [嶗山] on the outskirts of the Qingdao city. The information from various sources were very vague and especially hard to find during the low season.

In the end we took the public bus, which only cost us a few RMBs but rumbled through the different districts. Paddy laughed at me when I started nodding off on the bus.
Upon entering the main visitor center, all the visitors have to purchase their entrance tickets and transfer to the designated buses. We were quite amused by their new ticketing system which checks the fingerprints!

The landscape of Laoshan and Tai Shan are very different. At 1133 meters it is the only mountain whose peak is over 1000 meters and the highest mountain along China’s 18,000-kilometer-long coastline.

The mountain is also known for the Taoist Temples. In its prosperous time, there were 9 great palaces, 8 great temples, and 72 nunneries.

Many pilgrims come to the mountain to tie their wishes and blessings on trees along the paths.

The big boulders stacked on top of each other, making up this imposing mountain. In the summer, Laoshan has many natural springs and waterfalls. Laoshan Mountain mineral water is a speciality, which claims can be used to cure diseases.

Switchbacks near the top of the mountain.

We were amongst the handful of visitor that day, but you can see the stalls lining along the trails waiting for the travel season to begin.


We had actually made a wrong turn, but then stumbled across this beautiful town cascading down to the sea.

On the bus back to town we saw rows and rows of fishing boats and just jumped off the bus.
“Do you know if there are any more buses today? We are about 20km away from Qingdao….”

The boats had finished their catch in the morning and now safely anchored in the harbor.

Eventually we did find the right bus and got back to town. Inside a big department store the New Year celebration is in full swing. Many variety of gifts and traditional food to prepare for visits.

A quick stroll through the market before packing up and heading to the airport.

I should have brought back a few feet of those sausages back to Hong Kong.

The whatever it takes attitude in China can be seen clearly by this bicycle-mopper inside the airport terminal. Genius!

They didn’t even try to dress up the bike, the man here probably uses the same bike to get to/from home each day.

Goodbye Qingdao, that was fun!

Better known as Tsingtao in the West, the city borders the Yellow Sea and is a major seaport, naval base, and industrial center.

In 2009, Qingdao was named China’s most livable city. In the urban areas I was surprised by the advancements and living standards that are comparable to other major cities in the world.

Between 1898 and 1914, a portion of the province of Shandong was under German occupation. Qingdao was the administrative center of the colony and many buildings were constructed under the German rule.

Roasted duck vendor near the train station.

Transporting coal blocks. Many older homes still burn coal for heating in the winter.

We took a tour in the Tsingtao Brewery [青島啤酒廠], the largest beer brewery in China. Paddy and I glanced through the exhibits but when spent a long time studying the can and bottle packing machines.

Tsingtao is the leading beer brand in China and captures about 15% of the market share.

LOVE the translations!

The Naval base near the city center.

We visited the Naval Museum, which had a wide array of war machines on display. You can see the Soviet-Era influence in many of the aircrafts. However, the area was badly maintained and felt like a junk yard for these historic vehicles.

According to the billboards, construction is underway for a new location to store these exhibits.

Next we ventured into a retired submarine docked by the museum.

We were fortunate there were no other visitors and could wander inside leisurely. A look down the hull, a very narrow space.

Paddy looking up at the bulkhead for climbing in and out of the submarine.

Sunset seen from Signal Hill over older part of the city.

Few cities in China can you see the intermingling of German architecture with Chinese designs.

In the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Qingdao hosted the sailing events. In the newer districts in the city, new vehicles fill up the wide avenues and construction of skyscrapers can be seen in every direction.