Glazed Hong Kong

Glazed skyscrapers are all the rage these days, and they certainly have a striking appearance; almost suggesting an air of importance for the enterprises within. The reality is often sometimes quite different, with many hundreds of tenants and also lots of empty spaces. Still, they look nice. This was the City Bank tower in Hong Kong (2008).

AIG Tower

AIG was a firm that was firmly in the spotlight when we visited Hong Kong in 2008, during the financial crisis of the era. This is a shot of their tower, looking over Kowloon from the Bank of China tower.

Hong Kong Facade

The diagonal shapes in this facade were said to be bad luck in China and an architectural affront to their culture. But it's a dominating tower in Hong Kong, as seen from the based in 2008.

Funicular

I like this image because of the perspective offered by the long sense; the funicular railway lines are really accentuated in this image, taken during the ride up to Victoria Peak. Really emphasizes the "vertical city" nature of Hong Kong.

Hong Kong Floating Restaurant

This was a strange place to visit, and we did so by boat in the choppy waters of this harbor in Hong Kong. This apparently an important restaurant, and an intricately decorated one at that. China, 2008.

Fine Art in Hong Kong

Another view of some of the smaller business establishments and the rather uninviting high rise accommodation in Downtown Hong Kong. Its not all glitzy high rises in HK. China, 2008.

Downtown Hong Kong

This is downtown Hong Kong, a myriad of low and high rise buildings, and just like any big city, an air of organized chaos. It had a very familiar feel to it, though, despite having a strong far eastern influence - I guess it was the British colonial history. China, 2008.

Downtown

Hong Kong is not all about the British colonial influence - it's still basically China, and this was perfectly evident intros downtown area. A myriad of small business and restaurants - a very typical backstreet scene in any big city. 2008.

Kowloon

This tower was under constriction in Kowloon - taken from across Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong. This looked to be one of the taller buildings in Kowloon, as you can see by comparing the housing accommodation to the left and right. China, 2008.

Star Ferry

The waters in Victoria Harbour can be quite choppy, making for an interesting cross on the Star Ferry. This shot of the ferry was from the Kowloon side, looking back toward an array of high rise towers that matches any skyline in t he world. Hong Kong, 2008

Macau Tower Observation Deck

This is the observation deck of the Macau Tower. The stark features, and brilliant light up there made it another good candidate for black and white conversion. Interestingly, I walked into a bench up there and thought I'd broken my leg - please don't let this happen to me over here....I thought to myself. China 2008.

Macau Bustle

Another slightly less than attractive array of high rise dwellings - this time in the Downtown are of Macau. Such accommodations are very common in this, and many other parts of the word. 2008.

Macau High Rises

You can't honestly say that you'd be comfortable living in such a place - it horrifies you right? But this is a reality for so many people across the world. Thankful for whatever slightly better hand the more fortunate among us have been dealt. Macau, 2008.

From Macau to China

This a look over the modestly tall living quarters for many in Macau. Interesting, China *proper* was just across the river. Often wonder what it's like to live in such close proximity to a major international border. 2008.

Downtown Macau

Shiny glazed buildings share the downtown skyline with some of the more unappealing towers in Macau - it was certainly a hive of activity, though - certainly no lack of cash flowing into this region. China, 2008

Grand Lisboa

This the Grand Lisbon, a very distinctive (although aren't they all?) casino in Macau. We didn't get a look inside this one, but the vastness of these places was mesmerizing, as was the estimation of just how much cash was flowing through it! Macau, 2008.

Venetian Tourists

This is outside the Venetian Casino in Macau. I wasn't that impressed with the location of these casinos -it seemed a little out of the way - certainly not like Vegas. However, it did attract tourists eager to take advantage of any photo opp. 2008

Lijiang Orchestra

This was a great experience - the Lijiang Orchestra performing Fishing Junks at Sunset. I know it is a traditional Chinese composition, but Jarre made it famous for me, and it was so exciting to see and hear it performed in deepest China. 2008.

Maxi Orchestra

A very old flute player (I assume it is a flute) performing as part of the Maxi Orchestra in the old town of Lijiang. Such a pleasure to hear this orchestra, although we were ushered in and out like we didn't really care to spend much time here. But we did. China, 2008

Jade Dragon Glacier

Another fantastic and once in a lifetime experience - close up view of an advancing glacier. This was shot was taken at 15,000 ft in Yunnan Province on Jade Mountain. At such an altitude i was really struggling, but it was well worth the physical effort. China 2008.

Jade Dragon Snow Mountain Glacier

This is a view of the Jade Mountain Snow Glacier, taken from a staging point in Lijiang. Such a great experience to see this glacier at such close quarters, although I'd really struggle with the altitude the close we go to it. China 2008.

Chinese Villagers

This is the village of Yuhu, a remote and seemingly untouched place outside of Lijiang in Yunnan Province. I get that we were not the first tourists to arrive here and that we were not that special, but it did seem like a privilege nonetheless to see such place. China, 2008.

Yuhu and Jade Dragon

Sitting in the shadow of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, this is the village of Yuhu, a remote village still very much looking like you'd imagine it did so many decades ago. Yunnan Province, China, 2008.

Yunnan Province

near Lijiang, China, 2008.

Lijiang Markets

These are the market of the Lijiang old town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Another hive of activity, also seemingly untouched by western influence, but yet thriving with economic activity. Yunnan, China, 2008.

Chinese Child

I don't take many portraits, but this little girl on the Tibetan plateau seemed completely lost in thought as we ambled our way past her home. This place was truly as far as we could get from anything remotely resembling the western world. China, 2008.

Artisanal

A Chinese villager in Shigu, which is the remote village situated close to the the first bend of the Yangzi River. So many timeless scenes in this little part of Yunnan Province, north of Lijiang - but there were still lots of such little towns to see in this part of China. 2008

Shigu Village

This was an interesting arrangement of traditional and more contemporary rooftops, spread out in the remote Yunnan Province village of Shigu. This little town's claim to fame is that it sits on the first major bend of the Yangzi River, thereby attracting people like myself to come and visit. China, 2008.

Chongqing

This is Chongqing; a huge metropolis in central that I'd really never heard of before arriving here. Culturally, I know nothing about this place, but it was where we met the Yangzi Explorer before cruising the Yangzi River, China, 2008

Yangzi River

Ever seen something that takes your breath away,, but takes an understanding of what has happened to do so? This is one such place for me. Sure, it's a large river with a coal barge, but this is the Yangzi River, with cities built higher up on the banks to make room for the famous Three Gorges Reservoir, 2008.

Yangzi Explorer Aft

Berthed at Wanzhou, 2008.

Decrepit Wanzhou

A soon to be flooded city, central China, 2008.

Chinese Schoolchildren

Wenzhou, central China, 2008.

Wanzhou School Kids

Central China, 2008.

Chinese Farming

Rural Wanzhou, China, 2008.

Farmland Kitchen

Rural Wanzhou, China, 2008.

Wanzhou City

Central China, 2008.

Explorer at Wanzhou

She doesn't look like much, but our cruise ship 'Yangzi Explorer' was a real marvel and we enjoyed a luxurious few days sailing down the Yangzi on her. This is a shot of her docked on the Yanzgi River at Wanzhou, 2008.

Working Sampan

Yangzi River at Wanzhou, China, 2008.

Working River

These vertical cities are appearing all along the Yangzi within the Three Gorges reservoir, as entire swathes of the region are moved up and out of the rising water footprint. This is Wanzhou on the Yanzgi River, China, 2008.

Deep River

This was the view we had looking back towards Wanzhou after departing further down the Three Gorges reservoir. A working Sampan on the Yangzi showed that this was still very much a working river. China, 2008.

Lonely Sampan

A working Sampan, silhouetted against the industrial city of Wanzhou, slowly engulfed by the rising waters of the Three Gorges reservoir on the Yanzgi, China. 2008.

Cruising in the Deep Canyon

Sailing through the Three Gorges Reservoir was one of the greatest experience of my life. We weren't along on the Yangzi, though, not by far, and it made for some fantastic sights such as this. China, 2008.

Shennong Xi Boatman

I know virtually nothing about this fellow, except that he earns a living on the waters of the Shennong Xi, a tributary of the Yangzi River. He and his colleagues were part of a team taking us on a tour of the gorges. China, 2008.

Boatmen at Work

These are the Shennong Xi boat people, working hard to take us on a fabulous tour of the gorges that surround this tributary of the Yangzi River. These guys were strong and worked so hard throughout, almost made me feel uncomfortable, China. 2008

Shennong Xi People

This is another view of the steep sided gorges of the Shennong Xi, an amazingly untouched landscape leading towards the Yangzi River. The boatmen here are locals who, I presume, made their living doing such work. China, 2008.

Boatmen

The boat people of the Shennong Xi make a hasty exit after delivering us boat to the quayside at the entrance to the Shennong Xi tributary. I can barely imaging earning a living in this way, but we were in central China, which truly did seem like another world at times. Amazing to experience it. 2008.