Tuesday, February 17, 2009 

The Overland Track in Tasmania

_EPS1651

Looking for a holiday with a difference, Mrs S and I finally planned a long overdue hiking vacation this month. We set off on a wonderful journey of discovery in the Tasmanian wilderness where we traversed along The Overland Track. Joining a guided group track operated by Tarkine Trails, we set off on an eight day adventure which saw us walking in an alpine plateau, crossing mountain ridges and gorges, skirting tarns and wild moorlands, and meandering (toiling) through alpine rain forests. Located within the Cradle Mountain Lake St Clair National Park, it is one of the most glaciated areas in the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage area. The shot above was taken from the top of the compost toilet at the New Pelion Hut after my morning ritual.

_EPS1754

Mrs S contributed this picture taken at the Labyrinth (this link includes some other spectacular pictures of this desolate lake).

_EPS1586

Pausing for a quick breather on our way to the Windermere Hut.

_EPS1713


View of the large field in front of the helipad at the Pine Valley Hut.


_EPS1673

Relaxing after a long day of walking on the helipad at the New Pelion Hut.

_EPS1609

Taking a quick dip in the cold waters of Lake Windermere.

_EPS1606

Enjoying a hot cuppa. Tea featured a lot in our time in the Tasmanian wilderness, a sugary cup of mint tea really got me going in the frigid mornings.

_EPS1642

Giving a hand in stretching out those achy muscles after a tiring day of bushwalking.

<_EPS1634

Mrs S's laundry line at Windermere Hut.

_EPS1573

Probably a lot more appetizing than it looks, our first dinner of fresh vegetables and rice noodles at Waterfall Valley. Our guides spared no effort in making sure we got hot fresh meals at all times, which explained why our food bags were always so heavy. So if you are ever looking for a trekking operator which provides great meals, please surf on over to Tarkine Trails.

_EPS1726

Making nori rolls in preparation for the ascent to the Labyrinth. They were loaded with wasabi, which certainly helped with the climb.

_EPS1798

Our trip ended on the shores of Lake St Clair where the group spent an idyllic time relaxing on the jetty and skipping stones on the still waters of the cold lake. The lake is also the deepest in Australia, bottoming out at 200m.

All in all, a wonderful trip which allowed us to connect with our holiday destination on a very different level. The pack weight took a bit of getting used to, since we were carrying our food, water, tents, sleeping bags and personal supplies on our backs. I did manage to shed 2kg, though it would take a couple more trips to bring my weight down to a sensible level.

Being in the outdoors, especially one as grand as the Tasmanian wilderness, has etched a lasting memory. I found myself continually inspired by the surroundings whilst enjoying a quiet solace which I haven't experienced in a long while. We were fortunate to have a great group of people with us, who arrived as strangers to each other but left as friends. That made the experience so much more rewarding and enjoyable as everyone brought a kaleidoscope of different backgrounds and humor along. I won't be surprised if we returned for another trip in a different part of Tasmania. The 80kms or so we hiked only revealed a fraction of what the island state had to offer and there is just so much more to see.

Monday, November 10, 2008 

Aviation Photos 7

Continued from Aviation Photos 6.

While I've taken quite a back seat to photographing airplanes these days, there are still a couple of images of these metal birds which I'd like to share.

aviation-7-1

No, I wasn't flying in formation with a B-2 Spirit when this was taken. This is a scale model close to Lockheed's famed Skunk Works where it spends its days as a gate guardian.


aviation-7-2

I've always liked this livery of Air Tahiti Nui. It kinds of transports me to an idyllic desert island setting whenever I set my eyes on it.


aviation-7-4

This little unusual airplane is the Northrop N9M Flying Wing. The only one of its kind left in the world, it first flew as a developmental aircraft in Northrop B-35 program. I was quite fortunate to see this airplane in flight as shortly after this picture was taken, the aircraft suffered an in-flight fire and has not flown again since.


aviation-7-3

This is probably the last image of my aviation series of photos. My interest in aviation photography has waned over the last few years and I hardly have any new material on this topic. So I guess it's apt that this one is flying off into a golden sunset.

Labels:

Thursday, November 06, 2008 

Lunch's Over

_P2Z0345

The long break has been great, but it's time to get off my ass and to start posting again.

The past year and a bit has been a strange blur, dealing with the major renovation project of my new home and doing quite a bit of soul searching in the midst of yelling at contractors whilst enduring nosebleed after nosebleed. If you ever want to shorten your life span by a couple of years, try building yourself a new house.

My camera equipment survived the transition but I'm not quite sure if I still remember how to use most of it. I actually found myself referring to my camera manual a couple of days ago when I decided to reach for the sorely neglected Canon.

Wife has been a great source of encouragement (or nagging, depending how you see it) in getting me off my lazy butt and to start doing something with photography again. I'm seeing the little beginnings of some ideas which have been floating around in my head, of course seeing them through to fruition is another matter altogether. Nonetheless, I find myself thinking a little bit more seriously about executing these ideas. 

So, please watch this space.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, that's my lunch for today. Tweaked the recipe some to suit my taste but the original can be found here.

Friday, March 30, 2007 

Walkabout in Serangoon Road

It's been a bit since my last walkabout in Joo Chiat so I packed the Widelux and Ricoh for a spot of shooting. I haven't walked the Indian enclave of Serangoon Road with my camera before so a trip to Little India seemed appealing. Below are a couple of frames from the 3 rolls I shot, I'll let the pictures do the talking. Enjoy!














Labels: ,

Friday, March 16, 2007 

MV Doulos - Part 2

This is a continuation from Part 1 of my recent trip on the MV Doulos.



Although the Doulos has seen many modifications throughout its long history, much of the work on board is still done manually. Here the deckhands stow the lines in preparation for the departure from Manila.



Safety drills are practiced regularly, while at sea and in port. The lifeboat crew is seen here preparing to lower a lifeboat in a man overboard scenario whilst underway to Cebu.



Approaching the main harbor of Cebu, a pilot boat approaches to board a local pilot to help guide the bridge crew of the Doulos steer the large ship into the confines of the harbor.



Volunteers are eased into shipboard life through their family groups. Older crew members act as surrogate parents to a group of volunteers. These groups meet weekly for prayer and social interaction.



The volunteers on board aren't just young adults, there are several whole families on board, some with young charges.



A schooling program is available on board, as well as recreational facilities catering to the kids.



I learnt to look forward to the freshly baked loaves of bread emerging from the bakery every morning. They really stood out from the simple fare found on board.



Dr. Carter attending to one of his many patients for the day. The ship had been without a dentist for the last several months and the recent arrival of Dr. Carter was a welcomed one as the list of dental cases started piling up. Dr. Carter also provides dental care in the land missions where teams are sent to remote areas where medical services are sorely lacking.



A glimpse into the world's largest floating bookstore. This is a typical public crowd which can be found on the Doulos on any given day in port.



Visitors, both young and old, browse through the many selections available on board.



Not quite your regular Borders, but there are unused shelves to rest yourself on for a quick browse.



On a typical land mission, a team of volunteers helps build a day care center for a village in Cebu.



Everyone on board is involved in the ministry side of things. Captain MacDonald leads a group of Manila volunteers in a quayside ministry session.



It was but a short stay on board the Doulos for me but the trip left me with deep impressions of the sacrifices many of the volunteers made to spend time away from their homes and families. It was just incredible to hear the many wonderful testimonies from young christians who have made a decision to devote their lives to mission work or just came on board to discover more about themselves.

Labels:

About me

  • I'm Mr Sanguine
  • From Singapore, Singapore
My profile

My ipod top weekly plays

mrsanguine's Last.fm Weekly Artists Chart





Subscribe in Bloglines
Subscribe in FeedLounge