Buildings of Hong Kong

Posted on November 16, 2009 | 1 comment

Although there are many attractions in and around Hong Kong, the buildings surrounding Victoria Harbor have to be near the top of list. During both day and night, the views are spectacular. Two International Finance Center, is currently the second tallest skyscraper in Hong Kong. It towers to a height of 415m, holding 88 stories. Across Victoria Harbor, in Kowloon, sits the International Commerce Center. These two towers guard the opening of Victoria Harbor. While the ICC is still under construction, it has topped out at 118 stories. It should be finished sometime in 2010. The seven star, yes, seven star, Ritz-Carlton Hotel will occupy 300 rooms near the top of the tower. This will give it the distinction of being the highest elevated hotel in the world.

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Dubrovnik, Croatia

Posted on October 13, 2009 | 2 comments

Dubrvonik, Croatia is a crown jewel of modern seaports. It was not long ago that this ancient town, located on the Adriatic Sea, was under attack. The Siege of Dubrovnik, was led by Pavle Strugar and the Yugoslavian Peoples Army until May of 1992. Strugar, was later convicted of war crimes, for violations of the customs of war and attacks on Old Town, which is a UNESCO heritage site.

“Old Town” is the area that is surrounded by a 2 km long, circular wall, right on the water.  Approximately 1,000 residents still live in this medieval walled in castle. Aged cobble stone streets, and thin walkways, connect a maze of shops and living quarters.  Most prices in Old Town will run a bit higher than other areas in the city proper. The exchange rate fluctuates around 5 Kunas to 1 American dollar. For the most part, prices are comparable to any other European city.

Dubrovnik also has a decent bus system that can take travelers around this coastal city. An added feature that makes Dubrovnik a gem on the Adriatic, is the mountains that surround the area. These rugged peaks will definitely slow bus travel down but the view more than makes up for lost time.

The Dubrovnik Bridge of Franjo Tudman is located in the Port of Gruz, around 10km from Old Town. The bridge is a photographers dream, when blended with the rich blue water that forms the bay. Tudman became the first president of Croatia  after winning the post communist elections in 1990.

This city had been on my list for awhile and did not dissapoint. Although it is not very easy to get to by air or sea, Dubrovnik will continue to rise in popularity, as word spreads of its old world charm.

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Victoria Peak

Posted on October 10, 2009 | 1 comment

Victoria Peak is one of the better lookout points I have witnessed. It is an amazing sight. To see the amount of skyscrapers surrounding Victoria Harbor is astonishing. Hong Kong is quickly becoming the most important financial center on earth right now. It is where monetary systems from East and West meet. For instance, the week I was in town, it was announced that the CEO of HSBC was moving his office from London to Hong Kong. Further evidence of the global realignment of wealth being transferred to the Far East.

Back to the view though from the top of the peak. The backside of the mountain gives a view of green tropical islands in the South China Sea. From this vantage point it is easy to see why this area was perfect for trade and commerce. Small tributaries and islands guard the harbor which is surrounded by cavernous hills. Although the British performed the handover to the Republic of China in 1997, Hong Kong retained its own currency, legal system, and immigration services.

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Budapest, Hungary

Posted on October 6, 2009 | 3 comments

This summer I had the opportunity to travel to a few countries in Europe with fellow colleague and author Matt Friday.  We looked up some flights one night and the next thing we knew we were on an old Soviet style train heading into Budapest.

We arrived in Budapest at Keleti station. After fending off a few gypsies tugging on our shirts, we found our hostel a few blocks down. This place was in an old complex. The owner spoke some English, which was good, because we were now sharing his small apartment with him for two nights, along with some travelers from New Zealand. After a quick bite, we took the metro down to see the Hungarian Parliament. It is a sight for sure. I could only imagine coming up the Danube a hundred years earlier and seeing this building, it calls out for respect.

Budapest is a perfect city. It has the right mix of modern/old world feel. Public transport is easy to navigate. One side is flat, the other rolling hills. The height restriction on buildings gives the city more character than many in the west. I won’t make a boring list of historical sights in the area but just know that it is a great city to see if you ever find yourself in Eastern Europe. We found a couple beautiful overlooks near the Danube that you could sit at for days. I would have to put Budapest on my list of top 5 cities, if I ever make such a list.

I also have to thank Julia Csomor for her hospitality. Julia lives in town and often hosts several travelers at a time. She didn’t have room for us on her couch but we met up with her and some fellow vagabonds from all over and had a great night out. She also emailed us some detailed maps and advice to get around Budapest. Thanks Julia!

While I am at it, here is a link to some of author Matt Friday’s books on Amazon:

Among the Sturdy Pioneers: The Birth of the Cheboygan Area Lumbering Community, 1778-1935

Cheboygan (Postcard History: Michigan)


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High Speed Rail

Posted on September 27, 2009 | 2 comments

Last week I got to experience my first trip on the Taiwan High Speed Rail. It is designed similar to the futuristic bullet train system in Japan. This new transport offers a north/south route along the west coast of Taiwan from Taipei to Kaohsiung. Everything about the project which opened in January of 2007 is first class. The train stations are post modern structures, and the in train seating offers plenty of leg room.

While reaching speeds of 185mph, the ride is very smooth. It feels like you are floating on air. That is because you are floating on air. I am not much of a scientist but the premise is like this. The train is guided by overhead cables and then floats over the track when reaching high speeds, by using magnetic charges to stay online but not actually make contact with the rail.

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Bratislava, Slovakia

Posted on September 22, 2009 | 2 comments

Letisko Airport in Bratislava is very small. It has about three gates, and a mostly dirt parking lot that holds a just a few hundred cars. Trying to buy a bus ticket at 11:30PM from a ticket machine that was even confusing native Slovaks. We finally got on the 61 bus to Hlavana Stanica. At the train station, the 13 Metro was done for the night, so we had to drop 15 Euro on a taxi to the hostel. When we got to the hostel we registered with the Slovak Police.

In Bratislava we saw the main city center. Old winding cobblestone streets, dotted with shops, restaurants and pubs give it a nice feel. The outskirts are all Soviet Bloc style apartments and factory type deals. Even the metro cars are old Soviet style. Outside the city center – it feels like 1975.

 

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台北101

Posted on September 18, 2009 | 5 comments

Taipei 101 is currently the tallest building in the world. That distinction will only be held until December 2009, when Burj Dubai in Dubai, UAE, will take over the crown.  This is an unbelievable structure. The elevator to the top takes just a few seconds. When at the top, the observation deck is quite windy but offers some interesting views, as this structure just towers over the city. I was only up on the top during the day but I think night shots would be better, because the smog does not allow much depth to images taken in natural lighting.

The building was designed to withstand 135mph wind and almost any earthquake possible. To do this, the building can sway to prevent structural damage. It is truely an engineering marvel to put up a skyscraper like this in an environment like Taiwan which recieves typhoons and earthquakes on regular occasion.

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National Theatre and Concert Hall

Posted on September 14, 2009 | Leave a comment

National Concert HallNational TheatreLiberty SquareRehersalCK-S MemorialSound Check

國家戲劇院 國家音樂廳 (National Theater and Concert Hall) are two of the nicest facilities in Asia. The National Symphony Orchestra, National Chorus, and also the National Chinese Orchestra hold administrative duties for the facilities.

Orchestras from around the globe have performed in front of large Taiwanese audiences here. The San Francisco Symphony Orchestra and Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, are just two of many famous orchestras to have held concerts in the picturesque venue. Also, international figures such as Mikhail Gorbachev and Margret Thatcher have attended as guests.

Here are some photos that I took of the two epic structures. Originally, I took some day shots but went back the next weekend to change settings and try again at night. As cliche’ as it sounds, these images do not do justice to the size and beauty of these national monuments.

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Hsinchu City

Posted on September 8, 2009 | 1 comment

 

In 1626, after Spain occupied northern Taiwan, Spanish missionaries came southwest to where the native Taoka Taiwanese lived. This area eventually become known as Hsinchu, (sin-chu) or (shin-chu) I have heard it pronounced either way. Hsinchu has a population of around 200,000 but it is hard to tell where the actual boundaries are. If you take a bus from Taipei (about an hour) or Taoyuan International Airport (30 minutes) you will see large apartment buildings and industry the whole way. There is no break at all, it is similar to driving through suburbs in America but there are more high rise apartments.

Taiwan is currently around the second or third most populated country in the world per square mile, with approximately 23 million residents. Lying only 90 miles off the coast of China, this small island can be traveled from one end to the other by train in an hour and a half. The high speed bullet train the goes north and south uses similar technology to those in Japan, and some areas of Europe, reaching speeds of well over 100 mph.

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國立中正紀念堂

Posted on September 3, 2009 | Leave a comment

National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall was built for the former Chinese leader in Taipei. Two sets of 89 stairs, which represent Chiang’s age at the time of his death, lead to the main entrance of the memorial.  Written inside above a large statue of Chiang are the Chinese characters for Ethics, Democracy, and Science. Writing on the side walls read The purpose of life is to improve the general life of humanity.

Representatives of the military guard the main area of the monument. We saw the changing of the guards which takes place every hour or so.  This was an elaborate ceremony, that took about ten minutes, in temperatures reaching 100f.

The ground level houses a library and museum documenting Chiang Kai-shek’s life, as well as many exhibits related to Taiwan’s history.  It has pictures of CKS with U.S. leaders from FDR to Ronald Reagan and humanitarians such as Ghandi. Probably one of the most fascinating things (besides being air conditioned) in the museum are both of his massive bullet/bomb proof Cadillacs.

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