Weekly Photo Challenge: Walls ( Okinawa, Langkawi, Chongqing)

< 3 Photos>

I am trying to put three unrelated photos together, this is an assortment of walls.

The first one was taken in a private property in Okinawa, Japan. I must admit my initial focus was on the red flowers. My attention was subsequently captured by the stone walls which when put together with the plants and flowers seem to make a good picture.

The second photo was taken in a holiday resort in Langkawi, Malaysia. I was impressed by the architecture of the resort building. The slightly sloping stone walls add a lot to the elegance of the building.

The last one was taken in Chongqing, China. The wall was entirely covered by a mural depicting some history in the past. Apart from a door opening on the right hand bottom corner, it is  somewhat difficult to understand it is a building.

Please enjoy 🙂

 

Weekly Photo Challenge: The Sign Says

The Challenge for this week is “The Sign Says”

We were strolling the streets in the city of ChongQing, China, remarking at how new and tall the buildings were.

The only prominent and visible sign was that of a global chain restaurant who claims to have 34,000 restaurants in over  100+ countries.

The sign reminded me of  the changing eating habits in China  which have brought new health problems to the world’s most populous nation, as the country’s economic boom allowed millions of people to add more meat and processed foods into their diets.

In a matter of less than two generations, China has gone from insufficiency of food (for instance, during the Cultural Revolution)  to almost gluttony. This has contributed to obesity, obstructive sleep apnea, higher  Body Mass Index etc. in the population.

To me, the sign says we must eat healthily, have enough physical exercise, manage our stresses, be at peace with ourselves / outside world and adopt a positive attitude.

The Sign is clear 🙂

Weekly Photo Challenge: Illumination

We only see because objects are illuminated, either by the sun, the moon, the stars or other artificial sources. In this post, I am trying to limit myself to artificial sources for illumination as otherwise, I may just flood this post with pictures.

Thomas Edison’s invention of the light bulb has forever changed the world. Our activities do not necessarily have to stop after  sunset. The views after dark in many places may also be very attractive.

This is a familiar sight you see every night in Hong Kong if you view from the Kowloon side, weather permitting. Many cities called themselves city of light; HK has the added benefit that it can look so charming in the night with the lights on from the tall buildings fronting the harbour together with the colored reflections in the sea.

The Pest side of Budapest looks so picturesque even during night-time, with the reflection from the River Danube.

The town of Split in Croatia looked ablazed on the night of Saint Domiuus Festival. The blue color came from the blue lights of the stage where they have musical performance.

As always, I am charmed by the  lights and the reflections off the sea. The picture below is the Osaka harbor, Japana with the ferries wheel.

Another example would be the harbor lights in the old port of Dubrovnik, Croatia. The sight was so charming that we couldn’t resist gazing out to the night scenes.

Alfresco dining out in Dubrovnik is an experience that we would not forget. People really seemed to be enjoying themselves and , of course, their dinners.

Walking back to our hotel up hill of the Dubrovnik harbor, we were guided only by the street nights.

You can’t imagine how an airport will work at night without any illumination. The picture below was taken at the Istanbul airport before taking a night flight.

Sorry I have to show this picture again as it shows how the vast space within the Blue Mosque is illuminated by circles of lights hanging from the roof.

Back near home, this is a tea tasting shop in ChongQing, China with cylindrical lights hanging from above at the shop front to attract customers.

Downtown Beijing, China in an area which is named TianJie where they have installed a gigantic TV screen (upper left hand corner) as a big roof over a pedestrian area, with shops on the right.

Again, I can’t help repeat posting a picture which was taken in Luxor, Egypt with the colossal columns illuminated by lights; while seemingly tiny people passed by.

So, let there be light. . . . . . . . . . .  .  and cast away the darkness.