Salted Lolly » Photos

Sailing in Thailand over Chinese Year

Olly S — Tue, 07 Feb 2006 17:15:25 +0000

Only a year after I was last there, I found myself back in Thailand, this time with Robbie and his parents, Bunny and Montsi, on their boat, Effendi. Over Chinese New Year we flew down and met them for a week of sailing and diving and general relaxation. As we arrived at the Boat Lagoon in Phuket on our arrival I could hardly believe that I was back there again, but must confess some levels of glee thinking about those of you who were with me last year. ;)

After a highly entertaining lunch party on our first day which left all of us in a seriously inebriated state, we stumbled aboard and departed at 9pm. Then, in the way that only murphy’s law can strike, we proceeded to have various things go wrong with the boat, starting with the engine leaking diesel into the bilges and finishing with us somehow tearing a whole in the zodiac. The long and short of these events that we decided to abandon our plan to go up to the Similan islands north west of Phuket because we realised that we wouldn’t have enough time.

Instead we decided to stay around Phuket going to the islands in the area, and spent the rest of the week doing lots or snorkelling, diving and sunbathing. It was a very relaxing few days and at the end of the trip, I actually felt rested and ready to face the world again, rather than the usual requirement of another holiday to recover from the first one!

Anyway, enjoy the pics.

Thanksgiving

Olly S — Mon, 28 Nov 2005 16:20:06 +0000

On Sunday I went to a Thanksgiving party at Tom’s house put on by Candice. It was a pretty relaxed afair with lots of good food, wine and Charlie spiced things up with his chocolate biscuits. Since the only american at the party was our host, it is perhaps a good question as to what we were all thankful for but then again the pilgrims were all europeans so, as they say in the new world, go figure. My camera was out of action but luckily Tom and Denise had theirs.

Trip to Sichuan over National Day Holiday

Olly S — Mon, 10 Oct 2005 06:53:29 +0000

Last week, over the October holiday, Robbie and I flew to Sichuan for a week, where we met up with his cousin, Roger and girlfriend Eva who were spending a month backpacking around China. We visited some amazing places and it really reminded me how much fun you can have travelling around this country – something that my Beijing-fueled cynicsm had made me forget. It was also great to finally get to go to Sichuan which I had wanted to visit ever since I first arrived here. There were a lot a pics so I have split them over two photo streams:

Part 1 – Sichuan Opera, Pandas, Leshan & Emei Shan (01-04 October 2005)

Part 2 – Taoping (Qiang), Shangmeng (Jiarong Tibetan), Chengdu Teahouse (05-07 October 2005)

We spent the first day in Chendu itself visiting some local temples and parks, taking in a Sichuan opera show (which I slept through the majority of), and investigating the local nightlife – Club Babi – before heading out the following morning and the crack of dawn to visit the Panda Breeding Centre outside the city. This this was the best time of day to see the Panda’s at their most active and we managed to catch them being fed and even saw a very small baby being protected by its mother.

Later that day we left Chengdu and headed south to visit the LeShan Great Buddha, an en enormous Buddha carved into a cliff facing on to the river below. It was crawling with people because of the October holiday but this actually made the experience the more amusing to see these ants crawling all over this huge carved edifice. That evening we headed on to the base of Emei Shan, one of China’s most sacred buddhist mountains. Early the following morning we hopped on the local bus the the drop off point near the summit, hoping for spectacular views out acroos Sichuan. Unfortunately we arrived in thick fog so the views were not to be and we began our descent. We then spend two days trecking along the steep steps carved into the mountain, visiting the monasteries along the way, and avoiding the thieving hands of the monkeys en route. Going was hard work and by the time we returned to Chengdu the following day we were all hobbling and nursing our aching legs.

After a night of rest and recovery in Chengdu, we headed north on the bus following the river towards Li County, where we planned to spend two days in a tibetan area about 7 hours north of Chengdu. On the way we stopped of in a small village called Taoping which was home to the Quiang ethnic minority. For the first time on the whole trip the weather was spectacular and Roger and I quickly turned into wannabe National Geographic photographers. The people were warm and friendly and thankfully this was a place yet to be discovered by either the Lonely Planet or Rough Guide so it was relatively few of tourists. After several pleasant hours wandering around the town and visiting peoples homes, we headed on for another hour up a valley to the remote tibetan area., recommended to us by the man in the camping shop in Chengdu.

We then spent two wonderfuldays as the only guests in a tibetan family’s home, exploring the surrounding countryside and village, and getting to know the familly and other villagers, who were utterly charming.

Finally, exhausted, we bussed back to Chengdu on Friday, spending a few hours in a tea house in the park, before taking the flight back to Beijing. All in all it was a fantastic trip but I felt I was only really getting a taste of what Sichuan has to offer, and I am determined to return before leaving China to see more of it.

Hei Long Tan by Land Rover

Olly S — Wed, 28 Sep 2005 10:25:11 +0000

After recovering from Mark’s birthday, Robbie and myself managed to talk Charles into driving us into the countryside on Sunday so we could escape the city and try out his new Land Rover. After lunch in the bagel restaurant in Shunyi we headed to Miyun county to a place called Hei Long Tan, long rocky gully full of rusty walkways, crystal clear water pools, waterfalls, caves, and a woman with a crossbow encouraging us to shoot fish at point-blank range…. Enjoy the pics.

Mark Blick’s Birthday

Olly S — Tue, 27 Sep 2005 13:28:37 +0000

On Saturday we headed to Souk by the west gate of Chaoyang park for Mark’s Birthday. Dinner, sheesha and then off to Apperitivo for digestifs. Click here to view the pics.

Beijing Pop Festival

Olly S — Mon, 19 Sep 2005 04:27:07 +0000

This weekend, for the second time this summer, music once again filled Chaoyang Park for the Beijing Pop Festival. Headlining was former Stones Roses front-man Ian Brown and hip hop artist Common. It was an excallent way to spend a Saturday evening and a great way to finish the Summer. Click here to view the pics.

Tom VD’s Birthday through a Canon F1.4 50mm

Olly S — Sun, 04 Sep 2005 17:20:52 +0000

On Saturday I spent the afternoon with Tom, St. John and Denise travelling over to the huge camera market in Wu Ke Song in the west of the city. The place is amazing, absolutely huge, and with prices supposedly lower than Honk Kong. They have a huge selection of new and second-hand camera equipment ranging from the latest dSLR’s to old Leica’s and box cameras. Stranger still is the fact that they also have stalls selling wedding dresses, makeup and wigs. I’m not sure what level of impulsiveness is required for someone to go shopping for a digital camera and come back with a wedding dress, but it seems that in China your wedding and camera needs are all provided conveniently under one roof. Ah… China. No matter how long you live here there are always new surprises to catch you off guard. Hilarious…

After trying a number of different lenses, I purchased a Canon 50mm F1.4 EF, a very fast lense that lets a lot of light in to the camera. The upshot of this is that you can use it without a flash in low light which enables to you to take more natural photos in these conditions. It is also good for portraits because its depth of field can be used creatively to blur the background of photos. Mastering it is clearly a leaning curve but so far I am really pleased with the results. You can read a review of it here and, if you are interested, it is available from both Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk.

Later in the evening, having a spent a few hours in Ditan park with Will playing frisbee, I headed out armed with camera and new lense to celebrate Tom’s birthday. We had an excellent dinner at a new Yunnan restaurant near cafe Sambal in Hou Hai (the name of which currentlly escapes me) before heading off to the Tree in San Li Tun. Supposedly we finished the evening in poachers but my recollection of that part of the evening is a little foggy…. Anyway… Enjoy the pics.

I.T. UNITED Office Trip to the Coutryside

Olly S — Mon, 29 Aug 2005 07:49:12 +0000

This weekend my office went on our annual outing which consisted of two days hiking in the mountains three hours west of Beijing. You can view all my photos by clicking here..

Sunday Trip to “Intelligence Valley”

Olly S — Tue, 09 Aug 2005 02:32:49 +0000

On Sunday Ivan, Robbie, Slobodan, Kendall and myself drove out of Beijing in Ivan’s Merc and went for lunch at ‘The Orchard’ restaurant about an hour away from the city. We then drove towards Huairou in search of a place called “Intelligence Valley” which Robbie had heard about. Eventually, after a few wrong turns, and a lot of jokes as to whether we were clever enough, we managed to find it – a picturesque valley in the mountains with beautiful run-down farm houses and fields of corn. We then spent a peaceful afternoon relaxing in an attractive guest house, talking shit and drinking Yanjing beer before heading back to Beijing after dark. You can view all the photos by clicking here.. At risk of beiing lynched, I should emphasize that Kendall took some of these. Credit where credit’s due….

Mongolia Trip

Olly S — Thu, 04 Aug 2005 15:38:51 +0000

Last week, at pretty much the last minute, I decided to jump on a plane and visit my friends Gerlee and Saraa in Mongolia. I guess the place has always had a mysterious appeal and it did not disappoint. It was great fun and it gave me a chance to give my camera a proper test drive on the steppes. You can view all my photos by clicking here..