Charlotte Rush-Bailey: Blood & Turmeric

Monday, April 30, 2012




Charlotte Rush-Bailey is a photographer who migrated to the world of photography from a corporate career that covered three decades of marketing and communications positions in a variety of global industries including energy, financial services, media, conservation, technology and professional services. This gave her opportunities to work with people all over the world, and to learn to appreciate cultural nuances and the influences of socio-political forces.

She has just produced her audio-slideshow Blood And Turmeric of her stills and ambient sound recordings made during the festival of the Oracles in Kodungallur whilst participating in my The Oracles of Kerala Photo Expedition/Workshop™.

So hold on to your seats, you'll get sweaty palms perhaps...but I'm certain you'll be bowled over by it.

The festival is called Kodungallur Bharani, a wild and unusual localized religious festival near Kochi. It is here that once a year the so-called Oracles of Kodungallur meet to celebrate both Kali and Shiva. By their thousands, these red-clad oracles arrive in this area of Kerala, and perform self mortification acts by banging on their heads with ceremonial swords repeatedly until blood trickle down their foreheads, and daub the wounds with turmeric.

Dougie Wallace: Road Wallah

Sunday, April 29, 2012



Here's a movie -or what photographer Dougie Wallace calls- a "photo film" on Kolkata's unorganized (aka chaotic) transport modes. He has chosen to show us the tram drivers, the rickshaw pullers, the yellow taxis, the passengers, the pedestrian and vehicular traffic that criss-crosses this teeming city along with a soundtrack (produced by Rosie Webb) that just pulsates and throbs.

The buses, the most commonly used mode of transport, are run by government agencies and private operators, and as the photo film describes them, are haphazard to say the least. Kolkata is the only Indian city with a tram network, which I've greatly enjoyed when I was there last October. Almost all of Kolkata's taxis I have seen were old Ambassador cars, with little if any modern amenities. Hand-pulled rickshaws are extensively used by the public for short trips.

 Dougie Wallace is London based but grew up in Glasgow. He lived in east London for 15 years but spends a lot of time travelling abroad. I suggest you view his project titled Reflections On Life which features scenes from the daily commute in a number of cities ranging from Lisbon, Egypt and Eastern Europe, including Sarajevo, Ukraine and Albania.

Wotancraft's Camera Bags

Saturday, April 28, 2012

Photo Courtesy Wotancraft Atelier

I'm more of a simple canvas Domke F-8 camera bag (and a cheap canvas shoulder bag from a US Army Surplus store) kind of person, but having chanced on Wotancraft Atelier's website, I have to admit that its camera bags are just gorgeous...and yes, quite expensive.

Its bags are constructed from top quality materials, and manufactured by experienced artisans, their bags are strong, reliable and beautiful. It appears that the Wotancraft products are handmade by only 4 artisans in Taiwan, and are rigorously inspected before they're shipped to buyers.

The smoky photographs on its website are just magnificent. Those that accompany the Urban Classic 005 Safari bag (shown above) feature Leicas, and another rangefinder to impart the sense of quality, Old World attention to details and high quality manufacturing. This is a well thought out pictorial layout; perhaps in the smilar vein as the ads for Louis Vuitton and Ralph Lauren products, but aimed at owners of Leicas and other high-end cameras.

The Scription blog has a full story on Wotancraft, which makes for interesting reading.

As a footnote, I have a Billingham camera bag which is equally well made, and resembles in some way the Safari bag, and is a classic for many photographers for its durability and functionality...but it also requires a long lead to be broken in, and I just didn't have the patience.

Note: I have no direct or indirect relationship with Wotancraft and/or its distributors.

Nyonya Popiah at MaMa Nyonya Restaurant, Taman Molek - Johor Bahru.

Friday, April 27, 2012

We were having a Nyonya Popiah party at MaMa Nyonya Restaurant (N1.52416 E103.78535) on one of the Saturday evening. The lady boss - Ms Grace Lim prepared all the necessary ingredients for the popiah and let us wrap ourself! That was fun!

Ms Grace Lim told us the important of the Yum Bean (jicama) that make a good popiah, we learned something here...:)

Homemade chili paste


Cucumber

Bean Sprouts

Eggs...

Yum Bean (Jicama)

Vegetables

And the restaurant also prepared the ingredients for Nyonya Pai-Tee for our second round...
Then Grace show us the way to wrap a Popiah...well, seems like a Nyonya class to me...:)

She wrap it nicely and show us the tactic to balance every popiah we are going to wrap... 

Grace Lim show us the way...

After about 10-15 second, the first Nyonya popiah was ready on the table!

The Nyonya Popiah from MaMa Nyonya Restaurant

This popiah was Delicious! Especially with the Nyonya home recipe, we like it very much! Then follow by the popiah making session by us...

Put in everything as what Grace told us...cannot be too greedy to wrap A big size popiah, haha!! Then wrap it slowly follow by A Big bite!
 
Nyonya Popiah from MaMa Nyonya Restaurant

Oh! Man! Didin't expect I can made such a nice popiah! Haha!
After about an hour, Grace show us the way to top up the Pai-Tee by using the same Yum Bean from the Popiah...and taste as good as the popiah too!
 
The cup for Nyonya Pai-Tee

The first Pai-Tee I made in my life! 

Well, you can judge the food by the impression of this lady (friend's wife). She was not the only one but everyone have the same impression! :)

 Hmm...delicious popiah!...

My friends didn't forget to order the Famous Nyonya Cuisine - Ladyfinger and special chili paste. The chili was really nice and special where I ever taste it before!

Steam ladyfinger with special chili paste

We were satisfied with the Popiah and Pai-Tee from the Nyonya restaurant, and we spent almost 3 hours there to slowly enjoy the foods...! 

Worth try it again!

MaMa Nyonya Restaurant
8, Jalan Molek 1/28, 
Taman Molek, Johor Bahru
Tel : +6016-7167190 (Grace Lim)

Location map of MaMa Nyonya Restaurant at Taman Molek, Johor Bahru.


Mitchell Kanashkevich: Ethiopia

Photo © Mitchell Kanashkevich-All Rights Reserved

“Will I ever come back to Ethiopia?”

A question asked by Mitchell Kanashkevich after spending over four months in that country, crisscrossing it on a motorbike.

He doesn't ask it because of logistics, or because of practicalities...but rather he wonders if he would want to ever come back to Ethiopia. I chose to feature his post to counter balance my earlier post on Holland Cotter's Ethiopian experience because they are so divergent.

I won't go into the details of Mitchell's reasons for his largely negative personal experiences in Ethiopia since you can read it directly on his blog, but these range from onerous restrictions and regulations imposed by authorities to make some money off foreign visitors to "money hungry scheming locals" in Lalibela and other religious towns.

Mitchell Kanashkevich is amongst a handful of travel photographers who are truly intrepid, experienced and who produce consistently excellent imagery, so his experiences in Ethiopia ought to be heeded by independent travelers who want to visit Ethiopia the way he did. I'm not suggesting that travelers ought to be put off by his current mindset, but they certainly ought to pay attention to what he tells us...and prepare themselves for potential difficulties.

It is one thing to travel to Ethiopia (and wherever else) on assignment with The New York Times, and quite another to travel the way Mitchell did. Fixers, hotel accommodations, transportation are a world apart between these two.

As for the obnoxious and puerile comments that Mitchell's post seems to have generated, it's unfortunate. Some people don't realize the service that Mitchell has provided...they may disagree with it, they may not like it...but he related his personal experience, and he's free to express it as he sees fit...wherever and whenever he wants.

I traveled to Ethiopia in 2004, and my experience was different. But that was 8 years ago, and I traveled differently. However if I were to return to Ethiopia, I'd reread Mitchell's post very carefully.

FujiFilm X Pro-1: A Few More Quick Thoughts...

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy- Click To Enlarge

Well, I've shot a couple of hundred images with my newly acquired FujiFilm X Pro-1 so far, and I thought I'd post a few more of my brief impressions about its performance so far.

Firstly, FujiFilm updated the firmware of the X-Pro1 and the three X-mount lenses that accompany the camera. The updates reduce the aperture 'chattering' that was experienced when using the camera. I updated yesterday, and the "chatter" was eliminated.

My pet peeve with the X Pro-1 is this: when I shoot at the 6 frames per second mode, the resulting frames do not appear in sequence on the display. The first frame appears with a small thumbnail of the remaining frames. I consulted the manual and haven't found any mention of this, or how to cancel it so that I can review the frames on the display as in other cameras. From my reading of other reviews, it seems that frames shot in continous mode are numbered differently and won't be directly accessed on playback review. FujiFilm engineers ought to come up with a solution to this crazy irritant.

Note: Magnus H. Amundsen, based in Oslo, was kind enough to tweet me and guide me to page 64 of the X Pro-1. Viewing the frames shot in continuous mode can be seen in sequence by pressing the selector down, then either right or left depending of the order chosen. Problem solved. It's counter-intuitive, and in my opinion an unnecessary step...but it works.

The other possible issue with the camera seems to be the life of a single battery charge. I read that it's sufficient for 350 images, but it certainly hasn't been the case. However, I'll keep an eye on it in the coming weeks. Its auto focus is not infallible, especially when I use the camera to shoot from the hip. It missed on a few occasions but generally speaking, it nailed a lot more than it missed. The click of the shutter is virtually imperceptible.

Something else I didn't like is the placement of the exposure compensation dial. I found that I inadvertently move it with my thumb when I shoot from the hip. I'm thinking of taping it to the -2/3 mark. I am also thinking of ordering the Thumbs Up CSEP-2 for it instead of the Fuji hand grip. I have a Thumbs Up for my M9 and it makes a huge difference.

The Fuji RAW converter (SILKYPIX) that comes with the camera is clunky and sort of primitive. Fujifilm has another so called professional converter which can be downloaded free for a 30 days trial. It's also clunky. I can't wait for Lightroom and Adobe Photoshop to soon come up with an update for the X Pro-1.

I read that some photographers find that having the battery and the SD card at the bottom of the X Pro-1 is a design flaw. However, it's identical to a Leica in that respect. Exactly.

Having now looked at a couple of my good images from the X Pro-1, I believe their quality to be really stellar. I use the Fujinon 18mm f/2.0 XF R lens which I'm very comfortable with. It's the equivalent to a 27mm and fits my style of shooting, especially in the streets of New York City. But I would prefer a lens equivalent to a 24mm f2.0. I explored the various film simulation modes it offers, and was especially impressed by its Velvia-like mode...a vivid high saturation mode. The image accompanying this post was made using that film mode.

So far so good.




The New York Times: Aksum & Lalibela

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Photo © Damon Winter-Courtesy The New York Times

Here's what I found to be a very well made (and thoroughly researched) feature by The New York Times titled Aksum And Lalibela: A Pilgrimage with the prose of Holland Cotter and the photography of Damon Winter.

"Lalibela was conceived as a paradise on earth."

Cotter tells us that he had longed to see two holy cities in Ethiopia: Aksum, the country's center of Orthodox Christianity, and Lalibela, a town of extraordinary churches carved from volcanic rock in the 13th century, for a long time and he did visit it recently.

The treat in this interactive feature are the panoramas of Gondar, the monasteries of Lake Tana and Lalibela. I was in Ethiopia in 2004, and these panoramic views brought it all back to me as nothing else could. I wasn't very impressed by Gondar then, but the majesty of Lalibela churches and the beauty of the reclusive monasteries of Lake Tana made my experience in Northern Ethiopia exceptionally memorable.

An exceptionally engaging article by Holland Cotter is here. He has been a staff art critic at The New York Times since 1998. Don't miss Damon Winters' dozen photographs of Lalibela, Aksum, and Gondar which accompany the articles.

And since I mentioned that I've been in that region some 8 years ago, drop by my own gallery Footsteps In Abyssinia. Oh, how I wish I had my multimedia knowledge and tools then!!!

Poll: Which Do You Prefer M9, 7D, 5DMK2, XPro1, GF1?

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy (Canon 5D Mark II)
Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy (Canon 7D )

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy (Panasonic GF1 -20mm)

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy (Leica M9)

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy (FujiFilm X Pro-1)
It's been raining in NYC for a couple of days, so I thought I'd have some fun with my photo gear and compare interior shots from the Canon 5D Mark II,  the Canon 7D, the Panasonic GF1, the Leica M9 and the FujiFilm X Pro-1. All of these images have not been processed in any way (except for being resized) and are jpegs out of the cameras.

While all of these have been shot at f2.8 and at an iso of 200 (the exception is the GF1), and at roughly the same time, there's obvious difference in many aspects between all of them. Another factor is that I had a 28-70mm f2.8 for the Canons, a 20mm for the GF1, a 28mm prime Leica lens for the M9, and a 18mm (equivalent to 27mm) on the X Pro-1.

This is hardly a scientific or a technical experiment, or an attempt to portray my preference...but just a quick look at what these different (in quality, price, type, etc)  cameras and lenses can produce, using an off-the-cuff methodology. In particular, take a good look at the images produced by the M9 and the X Pro-1.

So have some fun as well, and take the poll!!!





The Oracles Of Kodungallur

Monday, April 23, 2012



The Oracles of Kodungallur celebrate their festival in the Bhagawati temple, which usually occurs between the months of March and April. It involves sacrifice of cocks and shedding of the Oracles own blood, to appease the goddess Kali and her demons who are said to relish blood offerings.

"It was one of the most intense photographic experience I've had in a long while."


The festival is overseen by the aging King of Kodungallur where hordes of Oracles (Vellichapads in local Malayalam) stampede around the temple waving their curved swords while chanting abuse at the goddess.

This 4 minutes movie (using SoundSlides for the still photographs and Audacity to edit its audio, and then converted to a movie file) was made of material gathered during my The Oracles of Kerala Photo Expedition/Workshop™. I struggled with putting its audio all together, and it's still far from perfect, and I intend to refine it in weeks to come, but it will do the time being.

It was one of the most intense photographic experience I've had in a long while, even surpassing the intensity of the Maha Kumbh Mela in 2001. The seeming abandon with which the Oracles injured themselves by repeatedly striking their foreheads with their swords was disturbing at first but, in due time, I realized that their companions made sure that it didn't go too far, and took care that in the heat of their trances, the Oracles didn't injure anyone else.

Not for the fainthearted, it was also a draining experience over two long days for all the participants in my workshop, and I admired the women in our group who immersed themselves in photographing and documenting this event...not an easy task in view of the density and raucousness of the crowds. We returned every night to our hotel, exhausted, filthy, sweaty, thirsty and covered with turmeric powder...but exhilarated by what we saw and photographed.


And that's the image of the SoundSlides' interface. I print and use it as a scratchpad/storyboard...jotting down timings etc.

A Walk About With The FujiFilm X Pro-1

Saturday, April 21, 2012

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy (Shooting From The Hip/Crop)
Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy (Shot Thru The Viewfinder)

Well, I've had the FujiFilm X Pro-1 equipped with a Fuji 18mm f2.0 lens for about 48 hours, and I thought I'd jot my initial impressions down in a brief blog post. First off, I only skimmed the manual very quickly so don't expect any in-depth review. These are merely impressions from using it during a walk about on 14th Street in New York City, then a few moments in Washington Square. Some of the photographs were made shooting from the hip, while others were made by peering through the viewfinder.

Interestingly, I had a conversation with a photographer in Washington Square who asked me if it was a Leica. It certainly looks quite similar, but it's not a Leica in more ways than one.  Superficially-speaking, the Fuji X Pro-1 has much more to offer in terms of digital enhancements than the M9. Apart from its auto-focus, it has a plethora of options that purists may not particularly find useful...its shutter is softer and much more discreet than the M9...it's much lighter but is still a handful...its lenses are also much lighter than those made by Leica or Voigtlander.

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy (Shot From The Hip)
Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy (Cropped. Shot From The Hip)
I had no difficulty whatsoever in adapting the X Pro-1 to my style of shooting from the hip. It's as unobtrusive as the M9, and the success rate is much higher with it than with the M9 because of its auto focus, which I chose to keep on single shot mode.

It seems to have a number of (possibly irritating) quirks, but I'll have to work with it a few more days before deciding if these are really camera quirks or whether they are caused by my inexperience.

As for the quality of its images. There's no question the quality of images made with an M9 equipped with Leica glass is really stellar, and their "feel" is different...I guess that's the renowned "Leica feel". The images from the X-Pro 1 are excellent, but they're more akin to the images by the Canon 5D Mark II (as an example). The images I've captured so far are very impressive in terms of quality especially from a crop sensor APS-C camera, but they can't be mistaken for images made with an M9.

Once again, this is not a scientific analysis nor an in depth review at all...just an initial impression when using the X Pro-1 and looking at the images I got from using it for a couple of hours. I did not intentionally choose specific scenes, but did what I usually do when I have my M9 around my neck.

What I didn't particularly like is that the X Pro-1 has the tendency of overexposing, so I dialed down by as much as half a stop and sometimes by 3/4 of a stop. And, there's isn't Lightroom or Photoshop RAW support for it yet.

I have found that I am shooting more and more wide angle, so the 18mm f2.0 lens is just perfect. It's perhaps early to say, but so far I like that lens a lot....it's fast and accurate.

As I said, this blog post is only partially peeling away the first layer of the X-Pro 1 "onion".

I've been asked what will I do now with the M9.  Already! I'm not a Leica fan-boy nor a X Pro-1 fan-boy either, so my answer is simple...I wil continue to use it along with the X-Pro 1. I can easily see myself using both in Vietnam and Thailand in the coming few months.

As I'm fond of saying....cameras are nothing but tools for the photographer. Exactly like a claw and ball-peen hammers are tools for carpenters who use them for different jobs...the M9 and the X Pro-1 will be used for different styles of photography. When everything is spot on, the Leica excels. Otherwise, it's not a forgiving tool. In contrast, I think the X Pro-1 will be much more forgiving.

More to come next week.

Constantine Manos: Personal Documentary



About 12 years ago, I had joined a workshop in Havana with Constantine Manos which, if I recall correctly, was sponsored by the Maine Photo Workshops. It was the second photo workshop I attended, and was quite different from the first in which I learned virtually nothing.

Constantine's (or Costa's) workshop in Havana was centered around the so-called decisive moment in street photography...one of the many photographic disciplines I knew absolutely nothing of. It was in the pre-digital days, and we had to shoot film and have it processed in these 2-hour processing shops. I recall that our group had to show Costa individual portfolios, and having taken a good look at mine (mostly portraits of India and Bhutan), he frowned and told me "...your pictures are too simple...".

This advice still resonates with me....and I worked hard to make my photography more complex since then....sometimes succeeding and often failing. Leading my own workshops now,  that's one of the lines I use the most often....

This short movie, narrated by Costa himself, is produced by Magnum In Motion and Leica. By the way, there's a typo...it's spelled Ku Klux Klan.

IT Roo Cafe at Johor Bahru Town

Friday, April 20, 2012

IT Roo Cafe (N1.45687 E103.76360) is located at the intersection of Jalan Dhoby and Jalan Pahang. The slogan of this cafe is "The Best Chicken Chop in Town" which patronized by chicken chop lover around Johor Bahru. We decided to try it again after our last visit decade ago...

IT Roo Cafe at Jalan Dhoby, Johor Bahru

The cafe is operate in the pre-war building which bring us back to memory lane...the decoration in the cafe is unique with many old black and white photos about the cafe itself and the Johor Bahru town back on the 70s.

The deco on the wall of IT Roo Cafe

I assume this is the First cafe in town who selling western food and the Best Chicken Chop in town during 70s era...
And the cafe name was direct translated from Chinese name as the photo below...

They have indoor (air-conditional) and outdoor section which cater for customers preference. We chose the air-conditional area because there was still a table available...
Nice and comfort environment.

The indoor air-con section

The ourdoor section just next to it...

I ordered the Black Pepper Chicken Chop and it taste nice! The chicken was grilled with moist which was succulent! The chop served with some potatoes, cabbage salads and piece of cucumber and tomato. I would prefer if they serve mashed potatoes...:)

You no need to worry about the price because the cafe charges very reasonable for every dishes! I will be back to try out the Famous fried rice again!


Do try it out if you are chicken chop lover! :)

IT Roo Cafe
17, Jalan Dhoby,
80000 Johor Bahru.
Tel : +607-2227780
Business hour : 10.00am - 9.30pm

Location map of IT Roo Cafe at Johor Bahru town.


The Travel Photographer Is Wibbitz'ed!!!



This is really cool! Click the arrow, and you'll get The Travel Photographer's "Breaking News"!!

Wibbitz seeks to leverage existing text-based content into video and converting readers into viewers. It's Text-To-Video Platform matches the best visual representation for the text, adds voice-over narration and generate an engaging video out of it. 

Using Wibbitz, almost any article, post or feed on the web can be instantly turned into a short video clip.

What does this have to do with travel and documentary photography? Nothing...but it's really cool. I love stuff like that...don't you?


The Singapore Zoo

Thursday, April 19, 2012

"For over 30 years, Singapore Zoo (N1.40459 E103.79004) has been known to have among the most beautiful settings in the world, where animals roam freely in open and natural habitats. 
 
Covering 26 hectares, the park is home to almost 3,000 animals representing 314 species of mammals, birds and reptiles.

Singapore Zoo was named Best Leisure Attraction Experience in the 22nd Singapore Tourism Awards in 2008. This accolade is its ninth win since the award category was introduced in 1985.
As Singapore's premier leisure venue, Singapore Zoo receives about 1.6 million visitors annually. With that, the park will continue to ensure its service quality, product offerings and physical surroundings adhere to world-class standards."  Sources from www.zoo.com.sg.

Me and my family visited the Singapore Zoo during the CNY 2012...

The Main entrance of Singapore Zoo

Ah Meng Kopitiam

Ah Meng Kopitiam just next to the main entrance. "Ah Meng" was the Icon for the Singapore Tourism and she had passed away on 2008..."Ah Meng" was the Famous Orang Utan.

We purchased the Zoo tickets (Zoo per saver) with the unlimited boat and tram rides which was SGD27.00 for adults and SGD17.00 for children.

Different types of ticket prices at Singapore Zoo

I'm sharing the photos of the Zoo included the animals, please be patient while waiting for the loading...:)

The area is clean and tidy...impressed!

One of the walkway...

Rest and dining area...

With this signage, we won't lost in the Zoo...

One of the signage in the Zoo...

The first garden area we walked in was the 'White Tiger' terrirtory...


The White Tiger at Singapore Zoo

Pygmy Hippo

Pygmy Hippo


Austraria Kangaroos

Then we enter the 'Great Rift Valley of Ethiopia'...I called it the home of Baboons...




Here comes the Hamadryas Baboons...

The home of Hamadryas Baboons...


The Hamadryas Baboons...

On top of the Baboon's home, I spotted the Nubien Ibex...

Nubien Ibex

And some tortoises...


Diffeerent types of monkeys, the right bottom photo are the shy monkeys when in front of camera...:)

Proboscis monkeys

The home of Orang Utan...

The mother and the baby Orang Utan having fun...

The Orang Utan might be the son or grand son of 'Ah Meng'?! I have no idea...

We missed most of the animal feeding time, except this...we were lucky...
The feeding time for Giant Arapaima!

They allow the visitor to feed the giant, it's huge! Too bad I wasn't fast enough to capture it!

The stream we waiting for the Arapaima...

One of the visitior trying to feed the Arapaima...out of sudden, the giant jumped out the water for the small fish and I couldn't get the photo of the whole Arapaima...only the small portion of its head...

The Arapaima jumped out from the water in split second!

Then we came to a some kind of cave which is the cute little animals home, too bad I forgot the name of it...


The face of the cute little animal...

Most of them were sleeping except the one...

We were lucky enough to getting in and out of the Tram many times because of the Unlimited Tram ride ticket...that really save a lot of troubles. Especially bad weather, we got into the tram for 'merry-go-round' the Zoo during the raining time! :)

The Tram in Singapore Zoo

The Zoo introduction was continue to broadcst in the Tram once it start the tour...I'm surprised with the Bose Audio System, nice audio!

Bose satellite speaker in the Tram

The tour continue...

Rhinos...

Some kind of wildboar...

The Green environment and the Giraffes....

Please disturb me while I'm sleeping...The Lion

Me too...

The group of cute Penguins...

YeeeeeeHaaaa! It's cold...

We spent almost 8-9 hours in the Zoo and having a rest at the Kids World...

after some cold drinks...we waiting for the last boat to go back to the Zoo exit (from point 2 to 1), you can see from the small map below...this was our Only boat ride during that day...

'Ah Meng' is the name of the boat, I believe this is one of the reason to remember the Greatest 'Ah Meng' for Singapore Tourism.

The jetty for the boat ride...

The boat was nice and comfort, you can see the life jackets are clearly under every seats...

At last, I managed to capture the scenic view of the lake from Singapore Zoo.

The Zoo is a 'Smoke Free area' where you can enjoy the fresh air in this Huge garden. The area is even comfort enough to have a walk from the start point to the end point. My family like it very much!

For more information about Singapore Zoo, please visit their official website : http://www.zoo.com.sg

Location map of Singapore Zoo at Singapore