As Seen by TV

HAPPY 12/12/12 !!!

The name of this recently opened park now eludes me (and my googling has turned up nothing)… either way, it is located on the Puxi side of the Huangpu River, opposite the old World Expo site.

Well, what can I say…?  Amazing trip.

The food, the people, the culture… the beaches, the bars, the nightlife.  Thailand has it all.

For our final night in Bangkok (and in Thailand), we took a dinner cruise down the Chao Phrava Riber.  A great night to celebrate an amazing trip.

Afterwards we hit up the final night market to do some last minute shopping (at the notorious Patpong market which is nestled in between go-go bars).  It seems only fitting then that this was the last image taken on Thai soil:

Seems strange sitting here months after the fact reminiscing about my trip to ‘nam.  Especially considering my trips to Hangzhou, Suzhou and just getting back from 2 weeks in Thailand (more pics to look forward to!!).  But back to the subject… Vietnam was everything I could have hoped for and so much more.  Happy smiling people, amazing food, beautiful scenery… shit, words can’t really explain the sights, sounds and delicious aromas that can onl be experience first hand.  And make sure you do.

Took the last full day in Vietnam just cruising around the city… over the river, past markets, fields, palaces and temples.  Also had to give our farewell to Uncle Ho, well his empty tomb at least.  We even drove through these tiny back alleyways… which got a little tricky when you hit oncoming motorbike traffic… yup, just look at those small street pics and imagine head-on around-the-corner-lurking traffic!

Then, when the sun went down, we saw some proper traffic (check out that last pic!).   Ah, Vietnam… I miss you already.

GOOD NIGHT VIETNAM.  Trust me, I will be back.

We spent our final day in Hoi An on the beach, followed by the compulsory final night of photographic vespertine action. Hoi An, you will be truly missed. Defo worth the visit if you get the chance…

TimVan recommends Hoi An, Vietnam.

Our first full day in Hoi An, and we were somewhat dissaspointed with the rain, but at the same time somewhat relieved because the rain stemmed from a typhoon that hit the Vietnamese coast just north of us.  So we rented a motorbike, bought 20 cent raincoats, rocked the flip-flops and did some market shopping… after lunch, we decided to go check out the beach, a short 10min drive away… not really knowing what to expect, but we were in for a treat… a completely deserted beach saturated in lush post-typhoon colors.  The waves were menacing to say the least, but gladly it seemed the worst was over.  That evening we decided to come back the next day with out same gear, with the addition of our swimsuits.

We took a walk (luckily it had stopped raining when we arrived, and just started again as we were driving back) down the beach, while the night shots are taken from a bridge inbetween Hoi An town and the beach area…. the fishermen pictured are actually “fishing” for snakes!

Seems only fitting that my final images from Saigon, are of the vespertine variety…..

Right after this shoot, had some amazing dinner at “3T”, on a rooftop restaurant… DIY BBQ!  Then took a final hour-long motorbike tour around the city… managed to get it close to 100km/h (with someone on the back!) before chickening out.  I need to get me one of them!

Bye bye Saigon, you will be missed.

On my bike ride into Rotterdam city center to meet some friends I stopped off at Delfshaven (map) for a quick shoot.   I couldn’t tell you how many times I’ve been here, but had never taken any pictures.  Which is partly to blame on the fact that this is less than a 10min bike ride from where I grew up.

Delfshaven (“Port of Delft“) was a harbor built in 1389 some 10km away from the town Delft as to surpass the high tax that merchants had to pay for mooring in the city of Rotterdam.  In 1886, Delfshaven became part of the city of Rotterdam, and was extremely lucky to have been left intact after the mass bombings (1150 x 50kg & 158 x 250kg) that levelled the entire city center of Rotterdam on May 14, 1940.  The Dutch surrendered to the Nazi forces shortly after only to endure 128 more known air raids by Allied forces, the second largest of which carried out by the US Air Force on March 31, 1943.  It is fair to say that Rotterdam was completely demolished by the fighting of World War II (more info here).  My great-grandfather, a captain himself, was moored in Rotterdam during one of these bombings, and was forced to flee back to our family in Antwerp, some 120km to the south, partly by bike, but mostly on foot.

The newest edition to the Antwerp skyline is this new museum building located between the old docks and Antwerp city center.  Museum Aan de Stroom (map), which loosely translates to “museum on the river/flow/current” opens its doors in about 3 weeks to this post (May 17, 2011).  The 62m structure is made up of corrugated glass and a computer generated pattern of red sandstone, which twists a quarter turn at each floor, creating a giant spiral staircase, and will tell the story of the city, its harbor and its inhabitants.