As Seen by TV

I took the train from Brussels to Antwerp, and was absolutely stunned by the recent renovations done to Antwerp Central Station.  I had always been meaning to go check it out (like when I was in Belgium over Christmas), but kept putting it off, and now I see I was quite wrong to do so.  Newsweek even put it at #4 of world’s greatest train stations, and rightly so!

Original construction began in 1895, and the station had long been a terminus station, meaning that trains arriving on its 6 tracks had to reverse back out (not the smoothest of designs, especially considering the Paris-Amsterdam line runs right past Antwerp).  Renovations began back in 1998 (while I was still living there), and the €1.6 billion project was finally finished in 2007.  The station now boasts 4 levels… with more terminus tracks and through tracks built underneath the original 6.  A massive tunnel was dug out under the city to allow the high-speed trains that service Amsterdam and Paris to also stop at Antwerp CS.   The images I took cannot convey the beauty that this station has managed to keep, modernizing a magnificent structure without creating clutter and damaging its original splendour.

ps- the only other station I have been to that made it on Newsweek’s list is New York’s Grand Central (#2), and although yes, the main hall is magnificent, everything else is sheer crap.  Antwerp Central Station makes Grand Central look like a bus stop.  Visit it if you ever get the chance, they also do tours, which I now will make sure to do next time I’m there.

Opening in 2004, the Shanghai Magnetic Levitation Train (official | wiki), was the first commercial high-speed maglev in the world, recording a [non-commercial] speed of  501 km/h (311 mph).  It connects Shanghai’s Pudong Airport with Longyang metro station in the outskirts of Shanghai (restricted to 430km/h).  The 30km trip takes just over 7 minutes and I must admit is somewhat pointless as you still have to transfer to metro line 2 for another 20 minutes before you are in the city center… but it sure is fast!

The planned 200km extention (via South Railway Station, which is 3 metro stops away from my house!) was halted in 2008 due to radiation fears, but has since resumed (underground) and will connect Pudong Airport with Hongqiao Airport (55km in roughly 15 minutes) and extend to the city of Hangzhou. 

I apologize for the dismal photography, but I was using a point-n-shoot (and shooting through windows), and was going to the airport to pick up my Mom who is visiting for 3 weeks… hence, not carrying my Canon in the 36C weather.

And HERE IS THE VIDEO I took.

Just got back from 5 days of shooting a seminar in Hangzhou, a picturesque city just over an hours train from Shanghai.

We were staying in a hotel in the tea village of Meijiawu, where the seminar was taking place. Don’t let the night exposures fool you, it was dark as hell… all of these images were taken with 15-200sec exposures.

For lunch/dinner we had some interesting stuff, it was my first time to eat goat, pig heart + tongue, and bullfrog… not to mention the regular stuff like river eel, pig intestine, tree fungus (delicious!!), and cooked chicken blood.

On one of the last evenings we were treated to a… interesting show which was located on a piece of land that can only be described as a Chinese Disneyland.  Fake mountains, over-priced “authentic” food, and all the staff walking around in traditional wardrobe from the various dynasties.  The show was pretty ridiculous… although it was nice to see a whole stage filled with beautiful Chinese girls belly-dancing followed by Indian-style dancing in outrages costumes (everything from full-on warrior battle gear to girls dressed as butterflies and lily pads).  I will also never forgive my colleague Kevin (aka “King Jian Ren”) for telling me not to bring my camera along!  Thanks jian!

The post title comes from the Chinese saying: 上有天堂，下有苏杭 which translates to “Heaven above, Suzhou and Hangzhou below.”