Island in The Sun

Langkawi, officially known as Langkawi, the Jewel of Kedah (Malay: Langkawi Permata Kedah) is an archipelago of 104 islands in theAndaman Sea, some 30 km off the mainland coast of northwestern Malaysia. The islands are a part of the state of Kedah, which is adjacent to the Thai border. On July 15, 2008, Sultan Abdul Halim of Kedah had consented to the change of name to Langkawi Permata Kedah in conjunction with his Golden Jubilee Celebration. By far the largest of the islands is the eponymous Pulau Langkawi with a population of some 64,792, the only other inhabited island being nearby Pulau Tuba. Langkawi is also an administrative district with the town of Kuah as largest town. Langkawi is a duty-free island.

Azure Andaman

iPhone Friday this week comes from the beautiful island of Langkawi in Malaysia and an image shot from the Westin Resort & Spa at the south side of the island overlooking the Andaman Sea. This 5 star resort has a beautiful setting with its own private beach, spa, swimming pools and a range of restaurants in a quiet location close to the main town of Kuah.

Tanah Lot

This is a slightly different view of the famous Tanah Lot temple in Bali. Tanah Lot means "Land [sic: in the] Sea" in Balinese language Located in Tabanan, about 20 km from Denpasar, the temple sits on a large offshore rock which has been shaped continuously over the years by the ocean tide.

Tanah Lot is claimed to be the work of the 15th century priest Nirartha. During his travels along the south coast he saw the rock-island's beautiful setting and rested there. Some fishermen saw him, and bought him gifts. Nirartha then spent the night on the little island. Later he spoke to the fishermen and told them to build a shrine on the rock for he felt it to be a holy place to worship the Balinese sea gods.

The Tanah Lot temple was built and has been a part of Balinese mythology for centuries. The temple is one of seven sea temples around the Balinese coast. Each of the sea temples were established within eyesight of the next to form a chain along the south-western coast. However, the temple had significant Hindu influence.

At the base of the rocky island, poisonous sea snakes are believed to guard the temple from evil spirits and intruders. A giant snake purportedly protects the temple, which was created from Nirata’s scarf when he established the island.

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.

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.

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.

Turn To Clear Vision

This classic viewing binocular was shot at Seaport, East River, New York just close to the Brooklyn Bridge. This was a 3 bracket HDR shot post processed in HDR Efex Pro and then Silver Efex Pro 2.

"Giant Squid" Washed Up in Sri Lanka

Walking along the seafront in Colombo I spotted what looked exactly like a giant squid washed up on the beach. However as it turned out the "squid" was in fact a large tree with roots as you can see.

Kinghorn in the Kingdom of Fife

A view of Kinghorn on the Firth of Forth taken from the Fife Coastal Path with rain falling in the distance over Edinburgh. Kinghorn  is a town in Fife, Scotland. A seaside resort with two beaches, Kinghorn Beach and Pettycur Bay, plus a fishing port, it stands on the north shore of the Firth of Forth opposite Edinburgh. According to the 2008 population estimate, the town has a population of 2,930.
Known as the place where King Alexander III of Scotland died, it lies on the A921 road and the Fife Coastal Path. Kinghorn railway station is on the Edinburgh to Aberdeen and Fife Circle railway lines. Kinghorn only has a primary school so high school pupils must travel by bus to Balwearie High School in Kirkcaldy.

The town's lifeboat station is one of Scotland's busiest - regularly getting called out to all sorts of emergencies in the Firth. The meaning of the name Kinghorn derives from the Gaelic ceann gronn, 'head of the bog'. 
The historic Royal Burgh of Kinghorn lies on the golden coastline of the Kingdom of Fife. The former castle in Kinghorn was frequently visited by the Scottish Court in the period of the House of Dunkeld. The King's castle, controlling the sea way, stood on the headland above Pettycur. A later structure, Glamis Tower, stood just behind the High Street. Both buildings have totally disappeared and the sites built over in modern times. It was because of King Alexander III wanting to return to Kinghorn to see his new wife that he fell on the horseride from Burntisland and was found dead on the beach of Pettycur bay.
The castle remained an important possession of the Scottish crown, and this was recognised by the creation of the Earldom of Kinghorne in 1606. A burn fed from the freshwater Kinghorn Loch above the town once provided the town with its water and subsequently provided the source of power to drive the machinery of flax mills. 
The old town was dramatically transformed in 1846 by the construction of the railway viaduct across the valley of the burn and the opening of Kinghorn Station by the Edinburgh and Northern Railway which had its terminus at Burntisland for ferries across the Forth to Granton. Much of the former horse ferry traffic from Pettycur bay was lost to Burntisland. 
Following the opening of the Forth Railway Bridge in 1890,the North British Railway started to promote Kinghorn's picturesque sheltered bay and beach as a resort which led to considerable development of the town.

Sri Lankan Life Guard

Along the beachfront on Galle Face Drive in Colombo these lifeguards were on duty to ensure the safety of those people venturing into the waves of the Indian Ocean. Their bright red uniforms stood out as they took their position on the watch tower.
In the background of this photo you can see the Galle Face Hotel which sits on a prime spot overlooking the beach and ocean.

Jolly Green Giant Drink Stand

Along the beachfront of Galle Face Drive in Colombo, Sri Lanka you will find many food and drink stalls as well as other vendors selling brightly coloured kites and balloons. It's a great spot for a late afternoon walk in the fresh sea air as the sun is setting over the Indian Ocean.
This green drink and snack stand really stood out from the crowd and I half expected the Jolly Green Giant to appear from behind the counter. This was an ideal image to take multiple brackets for some HDR post-processing which was post-processed using the latest Nik software HDR Efex Pro.

The Wee Shoppe

The Wee Shoppe sits on the seafront at Kinghorn, Scotland which is very close to my home town. Here you can buy a selection of snacks, hot drinks, cold drinks, sandwiches, burgers, chips or ice cream and sit out on the esplanade to enjoy the view over Kinghorn Bay. There is nothing to beat the simplicity of an early Sunday morning bacon buttie washed down with a mug of steaming tea as you take in the fresh air of the sea and the wonderful views over the Firth of Forth.

Driftwood

Walking along a beach with the fresh air and the sound of the waves is always invigorating and there is also the chance you will come across something of interest washed up on the beach. This old tree washed and worn down by the wave action provided a great foreground for this photograph taken at the same beach where the Moeraki Boulders are in New Zealand.

Sun, Sea & Sand

Sometimes you just want to sit down in some isolated tropical beach to recharge yourself. This is a wonderful long beach in Phuket away from all the touristy areas and where you have miles of beach all to yourself.

Kuala Selangor

Kuala Selangor is a town in Selangor State on the west coast of Malaysia. Literally, Kuala means rivermouth in the Malay language, and thus this is a small town where the Selangor River (Sungai Selangor) meets the sea. It was the old royal capital of Selangor prior to moving to Klang, and finally to Kuala Lumpur. This small town was conquered by the Dutch when they invaded Selangor in 1784. It is located well off the normal tourism route and hence, still maintains its traditional "kampung" (village) atmosphere.

Taman Alam Kuala Selangor (Kuala Selangor Nature Park) is a forest reserve with an area of 2.4 square kilometres just outside town on the estuary of the Sungai Selangor river. It is known for its mangrove swamps, variety of birds and also the famous firefly park in Kuala Selangor which allows visitors to go in a boat along the river to see the fireflies.

Kuala Selangor is also known famously for the wonderful fresh seafood. Seafood restaurants are located in a small fishing town called Pasir Penambang after the bridge spanning the Selangor River. The seafood restaurants in Pasir Penambang serves halal seafood. Located within Pasir Penambang, there is a small seafood market where villagers as well as tourists come to buy seafood which are freshly caught by the fishermen who berth at the nearby pier.