Day Trip to Taoyuan － 桃园三坑老街一日游

Hsinchu City Centre - Departing from our friends' apartment situated at Guangfu road （光复路）, we could easy catch a No.1 Bus toward City centre. 15TWD each person and we arrived at city centre (very near to Hsinchu Train Station). Hsinchu city centre nestled with many restaurants and hawker stalls serving local delicacies with affordable price. 

Hsinchu city early in the morning.

very attractive beverage packaging, and it taste good too!

We settled down in a restaurant for a bowl of Oyster noodles (蚝仔面线), and Pork Intestine (香脆肠子). Since we can read chinese, there is not much barriers for us to understand the menu and make an order. We were grateful that we learn the language during our early days.

蚝仔面线

香脆肠子

Tourist Shuttle Bus, Cihu line (台湾好行，慈湖线）- To start off our journey, we took a train from Hsinchu to Zhongli train station（中坜火车站）, followed by Tourist Shuttle Bus, Cihu line (台湾好行，慈湖线）. Out from the train station, turn to your left and walk straight until you see Taoyuan Bus Station （桃园客运）. A day pass for unlimited hop on and off will only cost 100TWD. We also received timetable of the bus leaving and arriving at each stops. We planned our journey during the bus ride, it took us probably 45minutes from Zhongli （中坜）- Sankeng old street（三坑老街）.

San Keng old Street Stop (三坑老街站) - Arriving at Sankeng old street bus stop, we were confused if we were at the right place, because it is so quiet that we could not imagine that this is a tourist spot. Walking toward our destination with the aid of signboard, we saw the peaceful side of Taiwan. Blue sky, white clouds, and many old houses surrounding us. Walking during winter is so much better than in summer time because you don't easily sweat your body wet. This place has more than hundred years history, and it started to gained back its popularity recently.

We were welcomed by a unique bridge that connect us from the bus stop to our destination.

We were very lucky to have good weather today!

200TWD for 2person bicycle, or 100TWD for single person bicycle.

Since most of the shops at old streets don't operate during work day, we rented a bi-cycle to travel around the town. The operator was really kind to fetch us up to the bus stop one by one  when he found out we were almost late to catch the bus back to town, really helpful! 

The Bi-cycle carries us up and down.

SanKeng Bicycle Path （三坑铁马道）- The operator also showed us the road to the bicycle path（三坑铁马道）, designed for cyclist. The path is roughly 1KM long, with pretty broad walkway, it looks more like a car road, than a bicycle road. Moreover, it has butterfly corridor (蝴蝶花廊) and flower pathway (赏桐花径). 

Our first experience riding on this kind of bicycle. 

Take note, picture time (注意，要拍照了).

Along the way we can enjoy beautiful scenery and fresh air. We met many cyclists and we really having some good time here. There are also spots to take beautiful photographs. We spent roughly 2hours in this place and still we having a good time. This place release relaxing atmosphere and places for good pictures. 

Photography session with Liyi @ San Keng Bicycle path.

Add caption

Winter in Taiwan，台湾的冬天！

SanKeng Old Street (三坑老街) - After all, we got back to the old street but most of the shops were closed during weekday. Thus we only quickly ran through the street, and it was really A street. Settled down in the only restaurant, we ordered a big fish for both of us and it was AWESOMELY GOOD. They have fair price too. TWD 260 for more than a kilos live fish.

菜晡，salted vegetables.

三坑老街餐馆，owned by mayor of the village.

三坑老街餐馆，owned by mayor of the village.

Ambience of arriving in your home. 家的味道！

The restaurant is filled with pictures of the owner with numbers of local celebrities, even with the President of Taiwan.

Fish with sugar and vinegar sauce( 糖醋鱼)，270 TWD.

Spending: 

GuangFu Road - Hsinchu Train Station（光复路－新竹火车站） 15$

Hsinchu Train Station - ZhongLi Train Station（新竹火车站－中坜火车站） 57$

Tourist Shuttle Bus （台湾好行巴士）100$

Very good lunch for 2 persons 270$/2（丰富的二人午餐）=135$

Total Spent（总数） = 307$

You can save more if you start your journey earlier and visit to more destination such as  Long Tan Lake, Hakka Culture Hall, DaXi Old Street, CiHu(龙潭湖，客家文化馆，大溪老街，慈湖).

Fore more information and enquiry about 台湾好行，feel free to contact them at:

Taoyuan County Government Tourist Develop Department Tel:(03) 332-2101 Ext:5263

Taoyuang Hsien Government Department of Transportation Tel:(03) 332-2101

Ext:6863Bus Service Hotline：(03)427-2477

Service Hour: 09:00~17:00

byUnknown

in Backpacking, Lumix 20mm, Lumix GF1, Lumix Leica Elmarit 45mm, Lumix moment, Potrait, SanKeng Old Street, Street Photography, Taiwan, Taoyuan Country, Travel

08:45:00

Day Trip to Taoyuan － 桃园三坑老街一日游

Hsinchu City Centre - Departing from our friends' apartment situated at Guangfu road （光复路）, we could easy catch a No.1 Bus toward City ...

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5 Tips To Photograph On Streets

At one time of my photography life i only did landscape photography. Why? Because you capture no human being but some non-moving, and non interactive subject. I don't have to communicate, or interact with the person to shoot the photograph. Waking up very early in the morning to capture sunrise at the beach side, enjoy the sea breeze and wind blowing off your hair. Combine good use of filter, tripod, and carefully composite your image before the actual sunrise.

However, photographs on the streets mean something completely different. Faces, expression, and interesting moment. You will not have another extra second to think and composite the photo before it gone. This is what distinguish landscape and street photography.
You can't estimate what you will capture on the street".

This shot was taken at Royal Palace @ Bangkok. The cherish expression on their faces weren't fake, they were came from bottom of their heart.
Every trip down to the street is an adventure, knowing when to press your shutter require utmost creativity and experience. Photographing a piece of interesting street life means you don't ask permission from your subject, in order to capture the true form of them (Of course with proper manner). Eric Kim is one enthusiasts on street photography, be truthful, i don't respect the way he take a camera and flash pointed at random people for photograph.

A cambodian kid from nearby village sitting all alone posing for photograph at Angkor Wat @ Siem Reap.
Well, how do i shoot on streets? I realize 5 tips that benefits me most shooting on streets.

1. The smaller camera, the better.
People tend to be scared off when you point at them with a big-bazooka-DSLR-Lens. They feel threatening when you use a long telephoto lens and point at them, and it is very obvious you are photographing them, hence, it isn't candid shot anymore! A point and shoot camera can be a good option for this kind of photography, it bring less attention to your subject. Imagine the situations when you were randomly being photographed on street with DSLR and a small P&S camera.

I waited her to turnaround and look at me after i carefully composites this photograph, and i clicked the shutter.
2. Be more patience.
When you're at a location, don't just shoot whatever thing you saw on the streets. Instead, spend more time watching things surround you and predict what might happen next, your object might walking toward a scene of beautifully lit background; a children walking toward you and beg for your kindness.

When i walked through the Aranyaprathet (Thailand) - Poipet (Cambodia) boarder, she noticed me and begged for $1 from me.
3. To have ethics and manner on the streets.
Sometime it be can interesting to get involve with your subject, to ask question that can answer your curiosity on their action. Understanding the subject to create photograph that create meaning and bring message to others rather than merely snap shots. Thank your subject by giving a nod and smile is utmost important to show respect, if possible, give them a copy of the photograph later on.

These children were shy but curious to see what's in my camera

4. Don't hesitate deciding on a shot.

When it comes to street photography, you don't have time to hesitate, Henri Cartier Bresson summing up street photography with his words "Decisive moment". "It's always better to press shutter when you hesitate", says Eric Kim. You may have missed the decisive moment if you always in doubt. Memory card is the best invention for photographer nowadays because you can shoot as much as you want, and experience a lot different techniques and review the instant result. 

This street lady got angry when she noticed i took a photograph of her, then i apologized and walk away. (Not every Vietnamese are photogenic)

5. Write about your photographs

Take a break from your busy schedule and write something to describe your photographs, recall the moment when you press the shutter, what's in your mind? What draw you to snap the photograph? Explain about the situation, the composite, or the intention of the photographs. It makes you think, and to know what you really want to achieve. 

One of the final and most heard tips is that, "get out there and do more shooting". Its most practical advice you can get from most experience photographers out there. It is like a cycle, when you shoot a lot, you get to practice a lot; and when you get to practice a lot, you tend to understand better on how your camera actually works; Then you get comfortable with your camera, and now you only require little consideration on getting the shot you want despite messing around with camera and afraid to scare or scared off by your subject. 

Well go out and shoot!!

What are your personal street photography tips or experience? Share them by leave a comment below!

byUnknown

in Bangkok, Nikon 35mm f1.8G, photography tips, Potrait, Royal palace, Street Photography, Tamron 17-50mm Non VC, Vietnam

04:58:00

5 Tips To Photograph On Streets

At one time of my photography life i only did landscape photography. Why? Because you capture no human being but some non-moving, and non in...

Read More

Kudat - Sabah Experience

Kudat is a town in Sabah, East Malaysia, on the northern tip of Borneo island. Approximately 190KM from Kota Kinabalu. The ethic composition is mainly Rungus, that is why you can find rungus long house home stay commonly here in Kudat. Our journey begin at Kota Kinabalu, heading north toward Kudat, crossing Kota Belud. First destination is Kampung Sumangkap Gong Factory, there is no need to worry about the location of tourist destination because the routes are easily spotted. You can find the way to Kampung Sumangkap Gong Factory, Gombizau Honey Bee Farm, Kampung Bavanggazo (Rungus Long House) from the main road. 

 Nikon D7000 + 35mm f1.8G @ f2

Walking down the street of Kampung Sumangkap, every family runs Gong making business. Here you can see the process of how the local make the Gong, from beginning until finishing. There are many sizes of Gong, even the Gong with "1Malaysia" logo. Probably it was monday, there were not much visitors here, except a car of us. When we were here, there is no instruction or guidance to explain what is this place all about, we walked our own way around the village. This really sadden me because they have beautiful heritage, but they don't have a strong management team to supervise all these. The Gong making tradition is vanishing because the youngster might not wanted to live the life like their ancestors do.

                                                      Panasonic Lumix GF1 + Lumix 20mm f1.7 @ f5.6

                                                       Nikon D7000 + 35mm f1.8G @ f2.2

                                                     Nikon D7000 + 35mm f1.8G @ f2.2

Next, we stopped by Gombizau Honey Bee Farm, there is vendor selling pure honey at the entrance, honey from wild bees as well as from their farm can be found here. It is more like a shop than a tourist attraction, there wasn't much to see in their farm. Only a few boxes of honey comb at the side of the road. Along the way we saw the children having a lot of fun with their mate on the tar road. Some of them can even understand mandarin!

          Nikon D7000 + 35mm f1.8G @ f2.2

          Nikon D7000 + 35mm f1.8G @ f2.2

Then we come to the Kampung Bavanggazo, the Rungus Long House. It is like a home stay, you can stay here for nights with prior booking. The house itself look classic, the floors are made with bamboo, real strong bamboo. In the long house it has showcase regarding the traditional clothes of Rungus people, their equipment for agriculture, and etc. The Hong Kong drama (富贵门) took some of the scene from this Long House. If you watched it, you will notice it too. 

          Nikon D7000 + 35mm f1.8G @ f2.2

                                                      Panasonic Lumix GF1 + Lumix 20mm f1.7 @ f5.6

Somehow, our final destination is the Tip of Borneo, (Tanjung Simpang Mengayau). It is situated 30minutes from Kudat town, and by the time we drive there, the road condition is bad, really bad. *Another negative feedback to Sabah Tourism. The landscape is amazing, before we reach to the tip, we overlook the beach lies below the cliff, surprisingly clean, with white sand too. After short distance of walk from car park, we reached the globe stating "Tip of Borneo", and there is a stair way lead to bottom of the cliff, very steep but worth the effort to come down for a picture or two. 

            Nikon D7000 + Tamron 11-18mm  @ 18mm f6.3

           Nikon D7000 + Tamron 11-18mm  @ 18mm f16

           Nikon D7000 + Tamron 11-18mm  @ 18mm f5.6

            Nikon D7000 + Tamron 11-18mm  @ 18mm f5.6

            Nikon D7000 + Tamron 11-18mm  @ 11mm f4.5

             Nikon D7000 + Tamron 11-18mm  @ 18mm f5.6

              Nikon D7000 + Tamron 11-18mm  @ 12mm f22

             Nikon D7000 + Tamron 11-18mm  @ 12mm f22

             Nikon D7000 + Tamron 11-18mm  @ 18mm f5.6

We finished our journey after the sun had Set. After a beautiful group photo, we depart directly from the Tip of Borneo to Kota Kinabalu, stop by few station to buy some vegetables and fruit. Along the way we encountered really bad road condition, especially the exit from Tip of Borneo toward Kudat and Kota Kinabalu. Someone really have to fix it before it create any bad effect that chase tourists ($$) away. In summary, Kudat is a town famous for the Tip of Borneo, other than that i wouldn't recommend my friends to visit there. You have to pay entrance fee to enter Honey Bee Farm, Gong Factory, and Long House, i don't think it worth the money, unless you go there during carnival or festive season. It can be very tiring to do day trip, staying in Rungus House can be a adventurous experience too.

byUnknown

in Casual, Happiness, Liyi, Lumix 20mm, Lumix GF1, Lumix moment, Mum, Perodua Alza, Potrait, Qi En, Street Photography, Travel

02:24:00

Kudat - Sabah Experience

Kudat is a town in Sabah, East Malaysia, on the northern tip of Borneo island. Approximately 190KM from Kota Kinabalu. The ethic compositio...

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Noodles Day - Moment with Lumix

Today was another rainy day as the rest of the week, woken up by Liyi to have lunch together. Boring with Chicken Rice, Fried Rice, we decided to have some noodles @ 兴旺板面 located at Damai. I still remember Pan Mee is one of my favorite food in during my childhood. Whenever someone brings me to food court, i will order this. The chewiness of the flat noodle in your mouth makes me feel the satisfaction. Adding in fried onion, fried anchovies, and shredded pork, brings the combination of texture and taste. 

This restaurant is always busy with customers. It have a very systematic ordering methods, you will have to order your food at the cashier, then they will pass you a number, then the food will serve shortly. Similar to 富源, besides you don't have to worry about your number, there will be someone to serve you. Chillies and Garlic are readily made at a corner, as well as the chopsticks and spoon. 

         Panasonic Lumix GF1 + Lumix 20mm f1.7 @ f1.7

                   Panasonic Lumix GF1 + Lumix 20mm f1.7 @ f2.8

This is my first appearance in this blog, with my face. Liyi said my skin is terrible, so i try fix it in Lightroom. So now i have good skin!

         Panasonic Lumix GF1 + Lumix 20mm f1.7 @ f2.8

Food served within 10minutes, comes with Wanton (云吞）, shredded pork (肉碎）, and an egg. I would say that the flavor is more to sweetness, compare to Klang's, is overall richer in taste. The best damn thing about a good Noodle is they have to serve boiling hot, but when this was served, its not hot enough IMHO. Overall, i still enjoy my noodle here, because they have free flow of Chillies & Garlic, just have to take it yourself.

         Panasonic Lumix GF1 + Lumix 20mm f1.7 @ f2.8

We had some noodles for our dinner as well. We had this Hamen （虾面）@ 大利茶餐室 located at Gaya Street. Just across Agro Bank. I'll strongly recommend people to visit this place as they really serve authentic Penang food, such as this. The Wan Tan Ho （滑蛋河）is very delicious too. But we were a little bit disappointed with the Fried Kuey Teow （炒粿条）. Taste not that great, but better than many local hawker stall stating 正宗槟城炒粿条, the taste of the chilly paste (Sambal), is a plus to all their food. Big thumbs up.

         Panasonic Lumix GF1 + Lumix 20mm f1.7 @ f3.5

If the photo of the food didn't appear to bring appetite to you, i apologize. Please bear with me, i'm in the process of learning food photography by myself. Constructive advise will be highly appreciate.

byUnknown

in Casual, Food photography, Gaya Street, Liyi, Lumix 20mm, Lumix GF1, Lumix moment, Potrait, Sabah

08:24:00

Noodles Day - Moment with Lumix

Today was another rainy day as the rest of the week, woken up by Liyi to have lunch together. Boring with Chicken Rice, Fried Rice, we deci...

Read More