Yima - Rural Village

Just outside Yangshuo, China is a small village called Yima which sits in a rural area surrounded by beautiful karst hills, paddy fields and a river which is a tributary of the main Li River. Rice, vegetables and many fruits are grown in the rich soil close to the river. The river provides good transportation and you can see many bamboo boats moving up and down the river.

In this small village of Yima is a wonderful Qing Dynasty house, known as the Pan House as the household here are the descendants of General Pan, a great hero of the Qing Dynasty.

Here you can view what life was like many years ago, water being pulled from a hand pump in the yard, a grinding millstone and a simple log-fired kitchen.

The main room of the house with wonderful old carvings and Chinese pictures decorating the bare stone walls.

Boats 'n Bicycles

Life in Amsterdam, Holland revolves around the canals. It's a easy way to travel around the city and as you can see many people live on canal boats moored in the canal. So unlike many other European cities which are choked full of cars and motorbikes here you find boats and bicycles which is certainly much more environmentally friendly and also a lot more peaceful.

West Coast Paradise

One of my favourite spots to visit in my home country of Scotland is the north west of country and the little village of Plockton is one of the most idyllic and quiet spots to stay at for a couple of days just to unwind. This part of the country seems to have a micro climate helped by the Gulf stream currents and you can see some tropical style trees and plants growing here. The sheltered sea loch provides a safe refuge for the fishing boats and few pleasure yachts as can be clearly seen in this image.

Sound of The Sea

Sounds of the Sea by HighlanderImages

This is the idyllic setting of Penang Island in Malaysia taken from the 3rd floor of the E&O Hotel, Georgetown one morning as the local fisherman came in to check his lines. I was testing out my Soundman binaural microphones to record the ambient sounds of the sea, the birds (comprising one very vocal large black crow), a gardner sweeping leaves and the sound of the boatman.

Sea of Orange - Koninginnedag

This is a panorama shot at one of the major canals in Amsterdam, Holland during the Queen's Day crazy celebrations. 

Koninginnedag or Queen's Day is a national holiday in the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Celebrated on 30 April (the 29th if the 30th falls on a Sunday), Koninginnedag is Queen Beatrix's official birthday. Though Queen Beatrix was born on 31 January, the holiday is observed on 30 April as it was the birthday of her mother and predecessor, Juliana. Many of the traditional activities are held outside, and observing the holiday in April makes suitable weather more likely.

The holiday was first observed on 31 August 1885 as Prinsessedag or Princess's Day, the fifth birthday of Princess Wilhelmina, heiress to the Dutch throne. On her accession, the holiday acquired its present name, Koninginnedag. When held on 31 August the holiday was the final day of school summer vacation, leading to its popularity among children. Following the accession of Wilhelmina's daughter Queen Juliana in 1948, the holiday was moved to her birthday. Her daughter, Beatrix retained the celebration on 30 April after she took the throne in 1980. Beatrix altered her mother's custom of receiving a floral parade near a royal palace, instead choosing to visit different Dutch towns each year and join in the festivities. In 2009, the Queen was carrying out this custom in the town of Apeldoorn when a car was driven into a crowd surrounding the royal family's vehicle; seven people in the crowd were killed, and the car's driver also died soon afterwards.

Flea Market

During the Queen's Day (Koninginnedag) celebrations in Amsterdam you can see many people selling items on the streets. This lady had staked out a good location on one of the bridges over a canal and was trying to sell a large array of clothing. I liked her comfortable cross-legged pose set off nicely with the cigarette in her hand.

Koninginnedag is known for its nationwide vrijmarkt ("free market" or flea market), at which many Dutch sell their secondhand items. It is also an opportunity for "orange madness" or oranjegekte, for the national colour, when the normally straight-laced Dutch let down their hair, often dyed orange for the occasion.

Safe Haven

This early morning photo of Plockton harbour highlights how beautiful and peaceful the west coast of Scotland can be. The long sheltered sea lochs (or as the Norwegians would call them fjords) offer a safe refuge for the many small fishing boats that are used in this part of the country.

Prinsengracht Canal

This is a view along the Prinsengracht canal or Princes Canal with the Westerkerk (Amsterdam's tallest church) seen in the background and on the left one of the buildings is the famous Ann Frank House. Many of the buildings along the canal were built during the Dutch Golden Age, a period spanning the 17th century when Dutch trade, science, military and art where the most acclaimed in the world. This canal is the fourth and longest of the canals in Amsterdam and is named after the Prince of Orange.

Canal Lights

The canals in central Amsterdam are delightful to walk around and as evening comes many of the bridges are lit up creating a beautiful sight. With many restaurants and bars along the banks of the canal it is easy to wander for a while then stop for a drink then head on for some dinner at a canal-side restaurant. 

Blue Lobster Pots

Fishing around Scotland is still a major part of life and in many of the seaside villages and towns there is a harbour for all the fishing boats. These bright blue lobster pots were seen stacked on the harbour wall at Plockton.

Lobster traps are usually constructed of wire or rope and wood. An opening permits the lobster to enter a tunnel of netting. Pots are usually constructed in two parts, called the "chamber" or “kitchen”, where there is bait, and exits into the “parlour”, where it is trapped from escape. Lobster pots are usually dropped to the sea floor about a dozen at a time, and are marked by a buoy so they can be picked up later.

West Coast Dawn

This is an early morning view at Plockton on the north west coast of Scotland with a glassy smooth sea and moody atmospheric skies. It was certainly very peaceful and apart from the occasional sounds of the seagulls it was deadly quiet. Yes this is a very soothing way to start the day with a slow walk along the seafront breathing in the fresh west coast air.

Boy Liam

It was low tide at Plockton harbour and this little fishing boat Boy Liam was sitting proudly above the shore waiting patiently on the incoming tide. The tide in this part of the country moves in quickly as we found out when my mother was almost stranded on the small island just in the distance of this shot due to the rapid influx of the water. Luckily she made it back to shore with only a few blue stains on her feet from the seawater soaked shoes!

High & Dry

This is the small remote village of Toscaig in on the west coast of Scotland on the Applecross peninsula and this bright blue boat stood out having been left high and dry at low tide. This image was post processed in Nik Software's HDR EfexPro 2 and Silver Efex 2 applications.

Canal Boat

This scene, shot on one one of the canals in central Amsterdam, almost looked like an oil painting with the murky canal water, the floating leaves and the run-down boat with the peeling paintwork. The photo comprised of 3-bracketed shots and was post-processed in Nik Software's HDR Efex Pro.

Early Morning Boat Ride

A boat heads out over West Lake in Hangzhou, China in the still early morning air. This is the best time to walk around the lake when the air is still and the morning light is very attractive for photography.

West Lake Fisherman

An early morning walk around the West Lake in Hangzhou, China is a great start to the day. You can see many activities with people walking, cycling, singing, dancing or doing their tai chi. This boatman and fisherman were out early but by the look of their empty baskets it wasn't a successful outing. You can see the Leifeng Pagoda in the background of this photo.

Lake Tonle Sap, Cambodia

The Tonlé Sap ("Tonlé" meaning "Large Fresh Water River," but more commonly translated as "Great Lake") is a combined lake and river system of major importance to Cambodia.

The Tonlé Sap is the largest freshwater lake in South East Asia and is an ecological hot spot that was designated as a UNESCO biosphere in 1997.

The Tonlé Sap is unusual for two reasons: its flow changes direction twice a year, and the portion that forms the lake expands and shrinks dramatically with the seasons. From November to May, Cambodia's dry season, the Tonlé Sap drains into the Mekong River at Phnom Penh. However, when the year's heavy rains begin in June, the Tonlé Sap backs up to form an enormous lake.

For most of the year the lake is fairly small, around one meter deep and with an area of 2,700 square km. During the monsoon season, however, the Tonlé Sap river, which connects the lake with the Mekong river, reverses its flow. Water is pushed up from the Mekong into the lake, increasing its area to 16,000 square km and its depth to up to nine meters, flooding nearby fields and forests. The floodplain provides a perfect breeding ground for fish.

The pulsing system with the large floodplain, rich biodiversity, and high annual sediment and nutrient fluxes from Mekong makes the Tonlé Sap one of the most productive inland fisheries in the world, supporting over three million people and providing over 75 percent of Cambodia's annual inland fish catch and 60 percent of Cambodians' protein intake. At the end of the rainy season, the flow reverses and the fish are carried downriver.

National and local observers often state that the Tonlé Sap Lake is rapidly filling with sediment. However, recent long-term sedimentation studies show that net sedimentation within the lake proper has been in the range of 0.1-0.16 mm/year since circa 5,500 years before present (BP). Thus, there is no threat of the lake filling up with sediment. On the contrary, sediment is not a threat to the lake but an important part of its ecosystem, providing nutrients that drive the floodplain productivity.

The reversal of the Tonlé Sap river's flow also acts as a safety valve to prevent flooding further downstream. During the dry season (December to April) the Tonlé Sap Lake provides around 50% of the flow to the Mekong Delta in Vietnam.

The lake occupies a depression created due to the geological stress induced by the collision of the Indian subcontinent with Asia. In recent years the building of high dams in Southern China and Laos has threatened the strength and volume of the reverse flow into Tonle Sap; a phenomenon that environmentalists have been slow to recognize or raise concern about. Already fish catches are significantly down.

The Tonle Sap Lake and its surrounding provinces are part of the Tonle Sap Biosphere Reserve. There are nine provinces that are part of the Tonle Sap Biosphere Reserve, these are; Banteay Meanchey, Battambang, Kampong Chhnang, Kampong Thom, Preah Vihear, Pursat, Siem Reap, Otdar Meanchey, and Krong Pailin.

Brugge Canals

Because of the many canals in Brugge it has sometimes been called The Venice of the North. Today these canals are not used commercially but are used for boat tours which allow you see many of the sights of Brugge and give you a different perspective of the town. During a half-hour boat trip on the canals of Brugge you are treated to some fantastic views over monuments and historical buildings and you can experience aspects of Brugge you would never be able to have when walking. Visiting Brugge from one of the boats on the canals means experiencing Brugge from a totally different angle, it is a relaxed way of taking in breathtaking impressions of Brugge.

Medieval Style Living in Brugge

This is a wonderful example of a medieval style house on the banks of the canals in Brugge. The easiest way to move around and acquaint yourself with the layout and architecture of the town is to take one of the boat tours along the canals. 

Brugge is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located in the northwest of the country.

The historic city centre is a prominent World Heritage Site of UNESCO. It is egg-shaped and about 430 hectares in size. The area of the whole city amounts to more than 13,840 hectares, including 1,075 hectares off the coast, at Zeebrugge (meaning "Brugge aan Zee" or "Bruges on Sea"). The city's total population is 117,073 (1 January 2008), of which around 20,000 live in the historic centre. The metropolitan area, including the outer commuter zone, covers an area of 616 km² and has a total of 255,844 inhabitants as of 1 January 2008.

Along with a few other canal-based northern cities, such as Amsterdam, it is sometimes referred to as "The Venice of the North".

TSS Earnslaw - Vintage Steamship

In Queenstown, New Zealand you can have the opportunity to take a cruise on the vintage steamship, TSS Earnslaw. Launched in 1912, the TSS Earnslaw is the largest and grandest vessel ever to ply Lake Wakatipu. Today, the TSS Earnslaw is believed to be the only coal-fired passenger-carrying vessel still operating in the southern hemisphere. The TSS Earnslaw makes several trips daily across Lake Wakatipu to Walter Peak High Country Farm on the western shores.