Etihad? Emirates? Doesn't matter: One Week of Photographing Asia!
May 23, 2018, 11:20 am
#16
Suspended
Join Date: Aug 2008
Programs: dont care anymore
Posts: 112
ah yet another photo of montane mansion yet a supposed hidden place to photograph in hong kong
https://www.halfhalftravel.com/trave...oto-spots.html and of course i am surprised not to see lai tak tsuen since apparently travel has turned to making sure you have been with where others have and posted something to prove it.
https://www.halfhalftravel.com/trave...oto-spots.html and of course i am surprised not to see lai tak tsuen since apparently travel has turned to making sure you have been with where others have and posted something to prove it.
May 25, 2018, 2:34 am
#18
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: Germany
Programs: Oneworld Emerald, *A Gold, Sixt Platinum, Etihad Gold
Posts: 108
Thanks for the kind words! Really appreciate it.
Wednesday, 18.4.2018
After the long odyssey it was time for „One Night in Bangkok“ – and it really was just a night, as I arrived late and had an early the flight the next morning. I booked the AETAS hotel due to its low price (60€) and good location. After arriving at BKK I queued up for 30 minutes to get a cab, only to get a driver that wanted to rip me off without the meter. After a heated arguments we agreed on a price close to the regular metered fare. The AETAS hotel was okay, with a bit of wear and tear here and there (still OK for one night). The view was good though:
Despite being super tired I walked to the closest station of Bangkok’s Skytrain and drove to Siam Paragon Mall. The food court in the basement is really convenient, and I was craving some Ramen and Gyoza. I found a good spot and it was definitely worth it, great Ramen with lots of flavour:
After a goooood night of sleep (I slept for 11 hours straight) I checked out and took a cab to the old Don Mueang airport in the north of the city. I checked in for my AirAsia flight to Siem Reap, surrounded by MASSES of Chinese tourists. DMK is always an interesting contrast to the new BKK airport in Suvarnabhumi:
Once I was airside I had some time (and Baht) to kill, so I went to a Japanese restaurant to order (once again) Ramen – this time a little bit disappointing though.
Via bus gate I boarded my Thai AirAsia Airbus for the short leg (less than 1 hour) to Cambodia.
The flight was as normal as it gets, just your regular AirAsia eco flight. After less than an hour I was finally back in Cambodia after 5 years, in a pretty new terminal with a new immigration area and free WiFi.
In Siem Reap I booked the Borei Angkor Privilege Floor this time. 5 years ago I already stayed at the Borei Angkor and was quite happy with it, so the choice was pretty obvious for me (especially for just 70€ per night). As promised via mail, the hotel driver was already waiting for me outside. After 20 minutes we arrived at the hotel, and I was able to check in at the separate lounge on the 4th floor:
My room was similar to the one I had 5 years ago, with the exception of the balcony:
My day wasn’t over yet though: when you buy a one-day ticket for Angkor Wat after 5PM, it’s valid for the rest of the day AND tomorrow. As a passionate photographer this was kind of a no-brainer for me as I wanted to catch the sunset. The concierge got me one of the hotel’s own tuktuks with Mr. Mao as my driver. We drove to the new, huge ticket office (this didn’t exist 5 years ago)…
...and continued to the entrance of the huge Angkor complex, past the walls of the Angkor Wat…
...all the way to Phnom Bakheng, from where you have a decent sunset view (not as great as the masses of people there might suggest though). I walked up the hill towards the temple which takes around 15 minutes, passing some elephants at the parking lot:
I already knew that Phnom Bakheng is overcrowded at sunset, but things have become even worse since I was here the last time: nowadays the access to the temple is limited too 300 person, and there’s a line at the bottom waiting for access. I queued up as I didn’t have another coice, but luckily it was my turn to go up right before the sun went down:
After the sun went down it went dark pretty quickly, and the security guards closed the place down. I met Mr. Mao at the bottom again and we drove back to the hotel. He also offered to drive me around the following day, which I gladly accepted. The long day ended with some basic but tasty Cambodian dinner, and an Angkor beer.
Wednesday, 18.4.2018
After the long odyssey it was time for „One Night in Bangkok“ – and it really was just a night, as I arrived late and had an early the flight the next morning. I booked the AETAS hotel due to its low price (60€) and good location. After arriving at BKK I queued up for 30 minutes to get a cab, only to get a driver that wanted to rip me off without the meter. After a heated arguments we agreed on a price close to the regular metered fare. The AETAS hotel was okay, with a bit of wear and tear here and there (still OK for one night). The view was good though:
Despite being super tired I walked to the closest station of Bangkok’s Skytrain and drove to Siam Paragon Mall. The food court in the basement is really convenient, and I was craving some Ramen and Gyoza. I found a good spot and it was definitely worth it, great Ramen with lots of flavour:
After a goooood night of sleep (I slept for 11 hours straight) I checked out and took a cab to the old Don Mueang airport in the north of the city. I checked in for my AirAsia flight to Siem Reap, surrounded by MASSES of Chinese tourists. DMK is always an interesting contrast to the new BKK airport in Suvarnabhumi:
Once I was airside I had some time (and Baht) to kill, so I went to a Japanese restaurant to order (once again) Ramen – this time a little bit disappointing though.
Via bus gate I boarded my Thai AirAsia Airbus for the short leg (less than 1 hour) to Cambodia.
The flight was as normal as it gets, just your regular AirAsia eco flight. After less than an hour I was finally back in Cambodia after 5 years, in a pretty new terminal with a new immigration area and free WiFi.
In Siem Reap I booked the Borei Angkor Privilege Floor this time. 5 years ago I already stayed at the Borei Angkor and was quite happy with it, so the choice was pretty obvious for me (especially for just 70€ per night). As promised via mail, the hotel driver was already waiting for me outside. After 20 minutes we arrived at the hotel, and I was able to check in at the separate lounge on the 4th floor:
My room was similar to the one I had 5 years ago, with the exception of the balcony:
My day wasn’t over yet though: when you buy a one-day ticket for Angkor Wat after 5PM, it’s valid for the rest of the day AND tomorrow. As a passionate photographer this was kind of a no-brainer for me as I wanted to catch the sunset. The concierge got me one of the hotel’s own tuktuks with Mr. Mao as my driver. We drove to the new, huge ticket office (this didn’t exist 5 years ago)…
...and continued to the entrance of the huge Angkor complex, past the walls of the Angkor Wat…
...all the way to Phnom Bakheng, from where you have a decent sunset view (not as great as the masses of people there might suggest though). I walked up the hill towards the temple which takes around 15 minutes, passing some elephants at the parking lot:
I already knew that Phnom Bakheng is overcrowded at sunset, but things have become even worse since I was here the last time: nowadays the access to the temple is limited too 300 person, and there’s a line at the bottom waiting for access. I queued up as I didn’t have another coice, but luckily it was my turn to go up right before the sun went down:
After the sun went down it went dark pretty quickly, and the security guards closed the place down. I met Mr. Mao at the bottom again and we drove back to the hotel. He also offered to drive me around the following day, which I gladly accepted. The long day ended with some basic but tasty Cambodian dinner, and an Angkor beer.
May 27, 2018, 7:14 pm
#21
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: Germany
Programs: Oneworld Emerald, *A Gold, Sixt Platinum, Etihad Gold
Posts: 108
Thursday, 19. 4. 2018
This Thursday was one of the very few days of this trip without a flight – but instead photographing old stones in the middle of the Cambodian jungle. If you’re just here for aviation photos you might want to skip this part.
I got up very early to get a proper breakfast as this day would be loooong and strenuous. The breakfast at Borei Angkor Resort is still pretty good, especially the different places where you can get fresh dishes created for you (crepe suzette, Cambodian soup, stir fry noodles, omelettes). I chose some very healthy options:
I packed my photo backpack for the day (EOS 6D, 3 lenses, filters, tripod) and met my driver Mr. Mao right in front of the hotel at 8AM. This was the route I’ve put together for the day:
It’s highly recommended to build your own route beforehand so you know exactly which spots you’ll go to. The drivers have their best in mind to show you around, but sometimes their plans might not match up with yours.
Our first stop that day was Angkor Wat which was even way more crowded than 6 years ago. Sure, the temple is still a highlight – but it’s hard to really enjoy the place properly when there’s just so many people around (I know, I’m also a part of the problem). The light was bad for photos as well, so I only spent very little time there.
At least there were some more hidden photo spots that were worth the visit:
Once you’ve made it out of the 2-3 main attractions of the Angkor complex, it gets way better: most tours just seem to visit Angkor Wat and Ta Prohm, but leave out the surprisingly empty rest of the enormous complex. We entered Angkor Thom via the Southern Gate…
...and I toured around Bayon first, the temple of many faces:
That was my POV then, right in the middle of the insane Cambodian heat:
I walked over to Baphuon next, which you can climb using a set of steep stairs:
As promised Mr. Mao was waiting on the other entrance after an hour of Angkor Thom, and as most drivers he had some (well needed) ice cold water for me. It was 11AM already and getting really got, so the wind while driving around with the Tuktuk was really welcomed. The next stop on my list was Preah Khan, where you can find wonderful carvings on the wall…
...long, emtpy hallways...
...and a wonderful two-story building:
Plus you’ll get a first taste of the enormous trees that made their way onto the temples over the years. As the bigger tourist groups don’t go there, it was surprisingly empty:
The last two stops on the afternoon were Ta Som, where a tree beautifully covers a whole temples...
...and Ta Prohm that rose to fame as the set of the Tomb Raider movie. Fame equals tourists, and this place was PACKED! With all the colorful Chinese tourist groups around you, it’s nearly impossible to take a good photo and there’s a literal traffic jam in some of the buildings.
It was 4PM in the afternoon then and after 8 hours in the heat (with a heavy backpack) was enough, I was just exhausted. Mr. Mao brought me back to the hotel after a wonderful day, and I took a long shower and raided the minibar. After some time to relax I wanted to end that beautiful day accordingly, and went to the Damnak Lounge on the Privilege Floor – located just a few steps from my room. Appetizer and Main were surprisingly good, especially considering the price.
Afterwards I went back to my room and feel asleep immediately...
This Thursday was one of the very few days of this trip without a flight – but instead photographing old stones in the middle of the Cambodian jungle. If you’re just here for aviation photos you might want to skip this part.
I got up very early to get a proper breakfast as this day would be loooong and strenuous. The breakfast at Borei Angkor Resort is still pretty good, especially the different places where you can get fresh dishes created for you (crepe suzette, Cambodian soup, stir fry noodles, omelettes). I chose some very healthy options:
I packed my photo backpack for the day (EOS 6D, 3 lenses, filters, tripod) and met my driver Mr. Mao right in front of the hotel at 8AM. This was the route I’ve put together for the day:
It’s highly recommended to build your own route beforehand so you know exactly which spots you’ll go to. The drivers have their best in mind to show you around, but sometimes their plans might not match up with yours.
Our first stop that day was Angkor Wat which was even way more crowded than 6 years ago. Sure, the temple is still a highlight – but it’s hard to really enjoy the place properly when there’s just so many people around (I know, I’m also a part of the problem). The light was bad for photos as well, so I only spent very little time there.
At least there were some more hidden photo spots that were worth the visit:
Once you’ve made it out of the 2-3 main attractions of the Angkor complex, it gets way better: most tours just seem to visit Angkor Wat and Ta Prohm, but leave out the surprisingly empty rest of the enormous complex. We entered Angkor Thom via the Southern Gate…
...and I toured around Bayon first, the temple of many faces:
That was my POV then, right in the middle of the insane Cambodian heat:
I walked over to Baphuon next, which you can climb using a set of steep stairs:
As promised Mr. Mao was waiting on the other entrance after an hour of Angkor Thom, and as most drivers he had some (well needed) ice cold water for me. It was 11AM already and getting really got, so the wind while driving around with the Tuktuk was really welcomed. The next stop on my list was Preah Khan, where you can find wonderful carvings on the wall…
...long, emtpy hallways...
...and a wonderful two-story building:
Plus you’ll get a first taste of the enormous trees that made their way onto the temples over the years. As the bigger tourist groups don’t go there, it was surprisingly empty:
The last two stops on the afternoon were Ta Som, where a tree beautifully covers a whole temples...
...and Ta Prohm that rose to fame as the set of the Tomb Raider movie. Fame equals tourists, and this place was PACKED! With all the colorful Chinese tourist groups around you, it’s nearly impossible to take a good photo and there’s a literal traffic jam in some of the buildings.
It was 4PM in the afternoon then and after 8 hours in the heat (with a heavy backpack) was enough, I was just exhausted. Mr. Mao brought me back to the hotel after a wonderful day, and I took a long shower and raided the minibar. After some time to relax I wanted to end that beautiful day accordingly, and went to the Damnak Lounge on the Privilege Floor – located just a few steps from my room. Appetizer and Main were surprisingly good, especially considering the price.
Afterwards I went back to my room and feel asleep immediately...
Jun 1, 2018, 5:33 am
#25
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: Germany
Programs: Oneworld Emerald, *A Gold, Sixt Platinum, Etihad Gold
Posts: 108
Friday, 20. 4. 2018
Finally it was time to fly again after a day pause
These were the flights on that day’s menu:
20.4. REP → BKK WE Y
20.4. BKK → HKG EK C
My alarm rang at 6AM already, as the first leg out of Siem Reap was supposed to start at 9:20AM. I took a quick shower, had a proper breakfast again and checked out at the lounge. Passing the pool a last time…
...and then off to the airport with the free hotel shuttle! Thai Smile was the airline getting me back to Bangkok in only 45 minutes:
Thai Smile was a pleasant surprise actually: solid leg room in Y and a pretty big lunchbox despite the super short flight – will definitely fly with them again if the chance comes up. After arriving in Bangkok I had 3:30h transfer time, so enough to get past immigration, get my bag, check in for my flight to HKG, and go through security again. Thanks to the Priority Pass for Security I was able to get to the Emirates lounge in record time.
After such a long break of flying I had to drown my sadness in some Moet again, and took a really good Caesars Salad from the buffet:
I really liked this lounge as well, until some families came in that just let their kids run around and scream. Luckily the lounge is just large enough to escape that (I’ve added some more photos of the lounge here).
Boarding for the short 2:15h A380 hop to Hong Kong was on time, and I luckily had my window seat again. This specific A380 was way newer than the ones before, and there was way less wear everywhere.
Passengers for this flight were lots of aviation enthuasiasts that wanted to fly EK C once for cheap (and BKK-HKG is the perfect choice for that). Most of them were so enthusiastic that they maximized their champagne experience to the fullest in the A380’s bar (can’t blame them)
I just enjoyed the flight in my seat, had some more Moet (this time the 2009) and a delicious roasted chicken as my main:
Our landing in HKG was pretty bumpy with lots of crosswind that day. Immigration was once again smooth, and the airport express train took me to Central. Hotel prices were super expensive that weekend, but at least I got a decent price for the 99Bonham in Sheung Wan. The hotel is pretty stylish and the rooms are large (for Hong Kong!), but the best feature for me was the room view from the 19th floor:
Cleanliness wasn’t so good in return, some long black hairs on the bathroom floor aren’t exactly my fetish. It was pretty late already when I arrived at the hotel, but I still wanted to cross one of the planned photo spots from my list. I took the MTR on Central towards the East, walked a bit and found the spot to take my photo:
To my own shame I saw the banners stating that photography is not permitted only after I took 4-5 shots, so then I packed my stuff and walked away in shame. As pointed out before in the thread, all these Instagrammers made this spot too popular and it (understandably) became too annoying for the people living in that apartment block. I went back to the hotel, grabbed some late 7/11 snacks and fell into the bed.
Finally it was time to fly again after a day pause
These were the flights on that day’s menu:20.4. REP → BKK WE Y
20.4. BKK → HKG EK C
My alarm rang at 6AM already, as the first leg out of Siem Reap was supposed to start at 9:20AM. I took a quick shower, had a proper breakfast again and checked out at the lounge. Passing the pool a last time…
...and then off to the airport with the free hotel shuttle! Thai Smile was the airline getting me back to Bangkok in only 45 minutes:
Thai Smile was a pleasant surprise actually: solid leg room in Y and a pretty big lunchbox despite the super short flight – will definitely fly with them again if the chance comes up. After arriving in Bangkok I had 3:30h transfer time, so enough to get past immigration, get my bag, check in for my flight to HKG, and go through security again. Thanks to the Priority Pass for Security I was able to get to the Emirates lounge in record time.
After such a long break of flying I had to drown my sadness in some Moet again, and took a really good Caesars Salad from the buffet:
I really liked this lounge as well, until some families came in that just let their kids run around and scream. Luckily the lounge is just large enough to escape that (I’ve added some more photos of the lounge here).
Boarding for the short 2:15h A380 hop to Hong Kong was on time, and I luckily had my window seat again. This specific A380 was way newer than the ones before, and there was way less wear everywhere.
Passengers for this flight were lots of aviation enthuasiasts that wanted to fly EK C once for cheap (and BKK-HKG is the perfect choice for that). Most of them were so enthusiastic that they maximized their champagne experience to the fullest in the A380’s bar (can’t blame them)
I just enjoyed the flight in my seat, had some more Moet (this time the 2009) and a delicious roasted chicken as my main:
Our landing in HKG was pretty bumpy with lots of crosswind that day. Immigration was once again smooth, and the airport express train took me to Central. Hotel prices were super expensive that weekend, but at least I got a decent price for the 99Bonham in Sheung Wan. The hotel is pretty stylish and the rooms are large (for Hong Kong!), but the best feature for me was the room view from the 19th floor:
Cleanliness wasn’t so good in return, some long black hairs on the bathroom floor aren’t exactly my fetish. It was pretty late already when I arrived at the hotel, but I still wanted to cross one of the planned photo spots from my list. I took the MTR on Central towards the East, walked a bit and found the spot to take my photo:
To my own shame I saw the banners stating that photography is not permitted only after I took 4-5 shots, so then I packed my stuff and walked away in shame. As pointed out before in the thread, all these Instagrammers made this spot too popular and it (understandably) became too annoying for the people living in that apartment block. I went back to the hotel, grabbed some late 7/11 snacks and fell into the bed.
Jun 2, 2018, 5:58 am
#26
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: Germany
Programs: Oneworld Emerald, *A Gold, Sixt Platinum, Etihad Gold
Posts: 108
Saturday, 21. 4. 2018
On my first morning in Hong Kong I was feeling a little bit sick, I guess due to all my running around in the Cambodian heat. I still wanted to use my time in Hong Kong though, as there were more photo spots waiting for me on one of the two days without any flights
It was an awesome sunny day with perfect weather, so I took the Star Ferry over to Tsim Sha Tsui.
Once I was there, I just played around a bit with my lenses:
It was around 11AM at that time, and luckily my favorite restaurant was right around the corner and opened at 11:30AM: Din Tai Fung at Silvercord Mall. After a few blocks I was there, and queued up along all other waiting guests. Once inside I ordered some (as always) delicious Xiao Long Bao and a Wonton Soup:
After paying the bill (around 25 USD) I walked out and headed towards the next photo spot I wanted to check out: the ferry terminal nearby features some awesome symmetrical views when standing at the right place. After some searching I finally got up to the rooftop and had the perfect timing as well – the sun was in a perfect spot at noon:
I could even create some nice stars as the sun broke beautifully on the building’s edge:
Part 1 of my photo todo list was done, and part 2 should follow right after. I walked through the heat of Kowloon Park to Jordan Metro Station, and took the metro to Choi Hung in the northeast. Choi Hung is “just” a residential area, but there’s a real beautiful colorful building that you might have seen before:
As with every photo spot that pops up on Instagram, it gets crowded with young people taking selfies in front of the building. It’s actually a really nice place though, as there are basketball courts on top of that parking space and locals were enjoying that sunny day.
After I had the shots I wanted, I was pretty exhausted and took the metro back to Central – but not without stopping in Mong Kok and check out the Goldfish market again:
One interesting thing to see was the amount of people doing picknicks on the walkways above the streets there. Somebody told me afterwards that it’s mostly house staff on their days off (again learned something there as it confused me when I saw it).
After some relaxing in the hotel it was 5PM, and I didn’t want to go somewhere by subway again as it was freezing down there and hot out in the open – just what I want to avoid when I have a cold. I quickly checked the webcam of Victoria Peak but there were lots of clouds, so no ideal photo conditions. Still I took the cab as the sun was setting, and the ride up is quite inexpensive anyway (around 11 USD from Central). I went to my favorite spot off the beaten path and took a few photos – and they turned out quite OK despite all the clouds:
After I was done I headed back to the taxi queue which was obviously long – but nowhere near as long as the one for the peak tram, which looked just insane comparing it to my first visit 7 years ago. I asked the driver to drop me off at the Star Ferry Terminal again, so I could take another ride at night and take some photos of the skyline…
...and went back to Din Tai Fung for dinner again (I’d addicted) to close out the day.
On my first morning in Hong Kong I was feeling a little bit sick, I guess due to all my running around in the Cambodian heat. I still wanted to use my time in Hong Kong though, as there were more photo spots waiting for me on one of the two days without any flights
It was an awesome sunny day with perfect weather, so I took the Star Ferry over to Tsim Sha Tsui.
Once I was there, I just played around a bit with my lenses:
It was around 11AM at that time, and luckily my favorite restaurant was right around the corner and opened at 11:30AM: Din Tai Fung at Silvercord Mall. After a few blocks I was there, and queued up along all other waiting guests. Once inside I ordered some (as always) delicious Xiao Long Bao and a Wonton Soup:
After paying the bill (around 25 USD) I walked out and headed towards the next photo spot I wanted to check out: the ferry terminal nearby features some awesome symmetrical views when standing at the right place. After some searching I finally got up to the rooftop and had the perfect timing as well – the sun was in a perfect spot at noon:
I could even create some nice stars as the sun broke beautifully on the building’s edge:
Part 1 of my photo todo list was done, and part 2 should follow right after. I walked through the heat of Kowloon Park to Jordan Metro Station, and took the metro to Choi Hung in the northeast. Choi Hung is “just” a residential area, but there’s a real beautiful colorful building that you might have seen before:
As with every photo spot that pops up on Instagram, it gets crowded with young people taking selfies in front of the building. It’s actually a really nice place though, as there are basketball courts on top of that parking space and locals were enjoying that sunny day.
After I had the shots I wanted, I was pretty exhausted and took the metro back to Central – but not without stopping in Mong Kok and check out the Goldfish market again:
One interesting thing to see was the amount of people doing picknicks on the walkways above the streets there. Somebody told me afterwards that it’s mostly house staff on their days off (again learned something there as it confused me when I saw it).
After some relaxing in the hotel it was 5PM, and I didn’t want to go somewhere by subway again as it was freezing down there and hot out in the open – just what I want to avoid when I have a cold. I quickly checked the webcam of Victoria Peak but there were lots of clouds, so no ideal photo conditions. Still I took the cab as the sun was setting, and the ride up is quite inexpensive anyway (around 11 USD from Central). I went to my favorite spot off the beaten path and took a few photos – and they turned out quite OK despite all the clouds:
After I was done I headed back to the taxi queue which was obviously long – but nowhere near as long as the one for the peak tram, which looked just insane comparing it to my first visit 7 years ago. I asked the driver to drop me off at the Star Ferry Terminal again, so I could take another ride at night and take some photos of the skyline…
...and went back to Din Tai Fung for dinner again (I’d addicted) to close out the day.
Jun 5, 2018, 10:03 am
#30
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: Germany
Programs: Oneworld Emerald, *A Gold, Sixt Platinum, Etihad Gold
Posts: 108
