Mariazell

One of our first stops on our two-day Styrian Alps road trip this past week (see previous posts) was the well-known old pilgrimage town of Mariazell.

I thought of James and his meme Weekend Reflections when I took this first photo; the town seen in a big red Christmas ball, with the basilica as an advent window on the building behind it. It's been a while since I joined this fun.

Austria, 2012

All the very best in 2013 to my blogging friends!
May only pleasant surprises come your way.
Thank you for the past year's fun 
and wonderful sharing.
 

Reflections in Toogood Pond

Right next to the historic village of Unionville founded in 1794 (in the Town of Markham, Ontario) there is a 33-hectare park with a partially naturalized pond and a marsh. With a university pal I had not seen since 1979, I took a leisurely stroll around Toogood Pond today. 

While we reflected on the years gone by, I also captured a few reflections for Weekend Reflections. A Great Blue Heron with three turtles on a log, a beautiful summer's day sky, and another turtle on a log surrounded by green foliage.

 

Markham, Ontario, 2012

Ponte and Castel Sant'Angelo

This is a section of the beautiful Ponte Sant'Angelo in Rome spanning the Tiber River.

Rome, 2007

Emperor Hadrian had this bridge built in 134 AD to give access from the city center to his grand mausoleum. The ten Bernini-designed angels lining the bridge were added much later, in the 17th century (unfortunately I did not cross over to get close ups of them, but images can easily be found online).

About Hadrian's tomb, from Wikipedia:

The tomb of the Roman emperor Hadrian, also called Hadrian's mole, was erected on the right bank of the Tiber, between 135 AD and 139 AD. Originally the mausoleum was a decorated cylinder, with a garden top and golden quadriga. Hadrian's ashes were placed here a year after his death in Baiae in 138 AD, together with those of his wife Sabina, and his first adopted son, Lucius Aelius, who also died in 138 AD. Following this, the remains of succeeding emperors were also placed here, the last recorded deposition being Caracalla in 217 AD. The urns containing these ashes were probably placed in what is now known as the Treasury room deep within the building.

More about Castel Sant'Angelo from Wikipedia:

Legend holds that the Archangel Michael appeared atop the mausoleum, sheathing his sword as a sign of the end of the plague of 590, thus lending the castle its present name.

Today the building is a museum.

My images today are offered to the blog-hop communities of Weekend Reflections, Sunday Bridges and Taphophile Tragics.

The Grand Millenium Reflected

This is part of the Grand Millenium Plaza building reflected in the windows of Sheung Wan Golden Centre in Central, Hong Kong.

First in monochrome for Weekend in Black and White. [Better seen enlarged.]

Hong Kong, 2007

And then, because I really couldn't decide which I liked better, a slightly different angle in color for Weekend Reflections.

When I took these photographs some years ago, we were on a fast walk and I really only noticed the clock tower and the art decoish details. I was expecting to find some interesting information about the architecture. It was therefore a bit of a disappointment to learn that this is a relatively new building completed in 1998 with no real historical significance.

What you would not realize just from looking at these photos is that right behind the clock tower the Grand Millenium Plaza is a 28-floor multi-purpose building. I didn't take a photo of it.

This was an urban renewal project started in 1988 on 7,200 sqm lot of land in a then rather dilapitaded area of Central on which the two towers were built: this one you see, plus another 52-story glass tower with a similar lower floor design (ranking 20th on the list of tallest buildings in HK). Between the two towers there is a 3,365 sqm Italian-inspired plaza, complete with fountain, trees and flower planters - an amazing little oasis in the urban center. This photo shows only a small part of it.

The buildings and plaza are worth a closer look. I found this 360-degree view online (and it gave permission to use it for non-commercial purposes). After clicking on the center red arrow and OK, click on full screen on the top left; then use your mouse to drag left-right-up-down to change your view. You can also zoom in or out. It's cool.

The Millenium Plaza

Countryside Scenes and a Bridge in Taishan

On a balmy early evening about a month ago we drove some kilometers south from Kaiping and crossed a little ways into the county of Taishan (see map at end of post). Our mission was to have dinner in an unassuming countryside restaurant (read: converted private home; no name, no address, no license) that had become popular merely by word-of-mouth.

While the others ordered our meal - all from live and fresh farm ingredients - I grabbed my camera and walked down a path off the paved country road. Want to come along? You may like the images better enlarged.

I crossed the bridge to find farmers working in a rice paddy and vegetable field, although it was quite late in the day.

Turning back, I see both sky and river showing off soft pale pastels.

Not long after, the sun painted the sky this rare (for Guangdong) brilliant orange for me.

Taishan, 2012

Taishan, which I've always called the Cantonese Toisan, is a county-level city. You can see most of its borders in pink on this map below, and we didn't drive far into it this evening. The tip of the arrow marks the dinner spot.

Taishan is the place of origin for many of the Chinese who migrated to California to work as contract laborers during the Gold Rush, then later to work on the Pacific Raiway. The Taishanese were among the many migrants from four counties (Kaiping, Enping, Taishan and Xinhui) who established the Chinatowns in North America. Until as late as the 1980s, when more Mandarin-speaking Taiwanese and Cantonese-speaking Hong Kong people started to emigrate to North America, the languages I most heard spoken in Chinatowns were the dialects from this region.

I am linking this post with the blogging communities at Skywatch Friday, Weekend Reflections, Sunday Bridges and Scenic Sunday.

Hopsan (Iron) Bridge in Kaiping

Hopsan (Iron) Bridge, located at the border between Bahop and Hinkong townships in Kaiping, was built in 1934.

Kaiping, 2011

Several years earlier, Wong Le Yung, a Kaiping student studying in Japan, started a fund raising campaign to build this bridge. By 1934, he raised 16,200 silver dollars. With a local design, they bought steel from Germany to build this iron truss bridge without pillar supports, a great architectural achievement here at the time.

The length of the bridge is 67 meters and the width 9.5 meters.

Stories were told that the Japanese tried to bomb the bridge to stop the movements of the anti-Japanese guerillas during the Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945), but their planes failed to find the bridge.

I am not clear whether the locks were built at the same tme, but my guess would be that they were a more recent addition.

A plaque on this tower says that the local government declared the Hopsan Bridge a heritage site in 1983. This is my contribution to Sunday Bridges.

The view from the bridge overlooks some run-down factory buildings I'd guess to be from the 1960s, except for that brand new blue roof. With the soft light of the setting sun, it gave me my shot for Weekend Reflections.

Ugly Ducks Reflected

Even ugly is in the eyes of the beholder, but these two ducks sitting on an air pump on a fish pond in Kaiping sure won't win any awards for beauty from me!

Kaiping, 2012

Joining reflections seekers at Weekend Reflections and animal lovers at Camera Critters.

Tea Kettle Reflections

Have a headache? Flu? Body aches? Is your system too hot? Too cold?

Don't despair; there's a Chinese herbal tea remedy for it.

In most, if not all, Chinese towns you can find any number of small tea shops or street vendors offering a quick cup of herbal "make you feel better" for whatever ails you.

And at one such street stall not long ago I found my reflections for Weekend Reflections. The first photo is also my contribution to Weekend in Black and White. Better viewed enlarged.

Wuchuan, 2012

Smoke in a Rice Paddy

Kaiping, 2010

Joining the meme communities at Weekend Reflection and Weekend in Black and White.

::::::

I have almost reached my goal of raising enough funds on my blog to get two children to STOP working in the charcoal factory in the Manila squatter community called Ulingan and START going to school. I am so grateful to those who have contributed so far or have left words of care and encouragement.

Project PEARLS estimates there are 300+ school-aged children in Ulingan. Last year, 62 children were sponsored for kindergarten, elementary and secondary school scholarships. This year they aim to keep these children in school and send another 90+.

Can you chip in $5, $10, $20 or whatever to complete my drive? You can securely donate using the form on the top right sidebar.

Our few dollars added together to make this gift of education and hope will have an enormous impact on the future of these children.

You can read more about the children of Ulingan and the Project PEARLS scholarship program in my earlier posts (especially here and here) and much more directly on their website.

Meet the Dragon Bridge

Gently floating down the pristine Yulong River on bamboo rafts, surrounded by the romantic karst hills of Guangxi (also shown here and here) and shrouded in a soft mist, we passed under the charming 600-year-old Yulong "Meet the Dragon" Bridge.

 Guangxi, 2007

Local legend has it that a dragon from the East Sea came by and was so enthralled by the stunning scenery that he decided to stay. Not content to move around only at night, he was spotted by the villagers, who thereafter called the river Yulong, meaning meet the dragon.

This ancient single arch stone bridge is linked with the blogging communities at Weekend Reflections and Sunday Bridges.

::::::

UPDATE: I am raising funds to get TWO children OUT of the charcoal factories in the Manila squatter community of Ulingan and INTO school.

I am thrilled that with the contributions of my fellow bloggers and friends I reached my first goal of sponsoring one child to school. I've raised the goal to TWO scholarships.

If you care to help too, chip in $5, $10, $20 or whatever you can in the secure CHIP IN form on the top of my right sidebar. 

I posted a longer introduction a few days ago.

Project PEARLS: Peace, Education, Aspiration, Respect, Love, Smile

Kaiping Street Scene Reflected

Kaiping, 2012

This may be a capture that only a die-hard reflection seeker can appreciate. What you see here is a street scene (and yours truly) wonkily reflected in a large steel column and a bookstore window in the town of Kaiping, Guangdong. It's a bit warped... maybe like my sense of humor.

Linking with James' Weekend Reflections.

Hong Kong Airport Reflection

Whenever we travel between Manila and Guangdong, we invariable transit through the Hong Kong Airport. It's one of my preferred airports, as I've reported here before. Efficient and aesthetically pleasing; what more can you ask for?

Here you have a good view of the Regal Airport Hotel through the airport window, conveniently located for people with layovers too short to go into town or awkward transit times.

Hong Kong, 2012

Nicely reflected for Weekend Reflections.

Tanjiang River Houseboats Reflected

These are houseboats anchored on Tanjiang River as it runs through Kaiping. What makes these houseboats different is that they are made of concrete, not wood or steel.

I am back in Kaiping now; however the photo was taken just before Chinese New Year when auspicious red couplets were posted on entryways to homes everywhere (more on that topic a few days ago).

Kaiping, 2012

I'm linking with reflection seekers at Weekend Reflections.

The bridge behind them is the same one I showed at night all lit up here.

Fence Along Tanjiang River

Along the Tanjiang River in Kaiping is a long stretch of walkway where pedestrians are separated from the river by a unique fence. Here are three shots featuring the fence taken at different times of the day.

 

Kaiping, 2011

In this last photo you see a boat-shaped restaurant that I first posted here.

The fence is for Friday Fences.

The sunset is for Skywatch Friday.

The reflections are for Weekend Reflections.

The fence shadow is for Sunday Shadows.

I am returning to Kaiping early next week, so after this weekend my posting and blog hopping will be interrupted until I find a way to pierce the Great Firewall of China... or leave China. I can always be reached by email.

Location... the red bubble marks the spot:

Portrait of a Tricycle Driver

"God Bless Our Trip" are the words knitted into the interior window decor.

For some context, this is his tricycle that four of us climbed into.

Dumaguete, 2011

Linking with Weekend Reflections.

The Blues

Cebu, 2011

This boy looked rather blue to me, sitting here in his blue shirt and shorts on shiny blue tiles with blue water bottles.

Linking with reflection seekers at Weekend Reflections.

HaPpY hApPy NeW yEaR!!

Reflections on a Bridge

Back in January of this year, we saw this bridge under construction near where we were staying in Kaiping. It was in fact a reconstruction of an old one. It is called the Tanjiang Bridge.

Kaiping, 2011

By October when we went back it was completed and in operation. I learned that this 328 meter long bridge with six lanes was opened to traffic on June 22. The reconstruction had started in July 2009.

The towers on the bridge symbolize the watch towers for which this county is famous.

On the bridge I found a "selfie" reflection for Weekend Reflections. The bridge joins Sunday Bridges.