Thean Hou Temple in Kuala Lumpur is one of the largest Chinese temples in Malaysia. Dedicated to Goddess Tian Hou (Heavenly Empress), the temple was opened in late 80s and has became a popular tourist destination known for its beautiful architecture as well as numerous cultural and festivity events.
Sharing a few photos during my visit last week; was attending a friend’s marriage registration ceremony, a popular sub-service provided by the temple…
Habitat 67 is a famous housing complex in Montreal, Canada. Designed by architect Moshe Safdie and built in 1967 as part of the Universal Expo, the project is still hailed for its futuristic design after 40+ years…
Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; formerly the world’s tallest buildings.
Didn’t like the towers when it was completed in the 90s; used to think that it was a complete waste of money. Only started to appreciate the project after some global travelling over the past few years… as I began to realise the significance of having some iconic buildings or landmark in a metropolis.
Took these pics in April 2008; was testing with my new DSLR camera which was bought a few days before this…
The Gate Tower Building, commonly known as Bee Hive, is an office building in Osaka, Japan, famous for having a highway passing through the 5th-7th floor of the building.
According to the Japanese wiki… the story could date back to 1983 when the old structure at the location had to be reconstructed due to its old age, but the city planner had decided to acquire the land to build a highway instead.
Not sure who initiated the idea, but after five years of negotiation, the land owner and involved parties reached an agreement that the highway would be constructed through the new 16-storey office building as it is now.
The construction started in 1989 and was completed in 1992.
Photos of some outdoor exhibits of various Vietnam’s ethnic tribes at the Museum of Ethnology in Hanoi, taken during my Hanoi visit in July 2008…
Interesting culture and places in Hue, Vietnam; as featured in the 3rd episode of The Amazing Race Asia (TARA) season 3.
Hue City
Huế is a historic city in central Vietnam and was the imperial capital of Nguyen Dynasty (1802-1945). Hue is located about 1100km from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam’s capital city. It took about 25 hours of bus ride to travel from HCMC to Hue.
Complex of Hue Monuments
The Complex of Hue Monuments is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Sites; the complex comprises of 16 historic monuments from the Nguyen Dynasty. Among the monuments that featured in The Amazing Race Asia were the Khai Dinh Tomb, Minh Mang Tomb and Hue Citadel (the pitstop).
Bahnar Rong (Ba Na Rông) are communal houses of the Bahnar tribe from Central Highlands (Tây Nguyên) region in Vietnam.
The distinctive features of traditional Bahnar Rong are its tall and steep roof, and also its lifted platform which are built to adapt to the (often rainy) tropical weather. The houses are traditionally used for cultural, religion and gathering purposes for men.
These traditional Bahnar Rong are almost obsolete nowadays, as the people are replacing their communal houses with iron and cement instead.
Photos below were taken at Museum of Ethnology in Hanoi where the Bahnar Rong, along with other traditional houses of various ethnic minorities, were built as an effort to preserve the fading Vietnamese traditions and heritage.
Interesting culture and places in Chiang Mai, Thailand, and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; as featured in the 2nd episode of The Amazing Race Asia (TARA) season 3.
Mae Kompong
Mae Kompong is a village in Chiang Mai Province. Once a poppy growing area, but now home to a small community of forest dwellers who cultivate tea and coffee plantations.
Mae Kompong is also home to the Treetop eco-tourism village where visitors can take an exhilarating flight (with zip line and slide) through a 1500 year-old rainforest in the “Flight of the Gibbon” adventure…
