Hong Kong

I went to China this week for business.  Unfortunately, I did not get much time for picture taking in China.  However, I had one extra day today that I spent in Hong Kong.  Here are the best pictures from my excursions.

I got to Hong Kong about noon.  This is the view out my hotel window:


After getting settled in, I took the ferry over from Kowloon (where I'm staying) to Hong Kong island proper.  I wandered the streets, and eventually  made my way to the tram that took me to the top of Victoria Peak (this picture was actually taken by a professional; I bought a digital copy):


The glowing tower on the far left is the International Commerce Centre tower - 1588 feet - fifth tallest in the world.

I hung around there long enough for the sun to set over the South China Sea:


...so I could take some pictures from the top of Hong Kong by night:


I made my way back to the ferry, stopping for a few pictures on the way.  This is the Legislative Council building with the Bank of China tower (1205 feet to the top of the spires) in the background:


Every night at 8PM, the City of Hong Kong puts on a light show.  This video shows the finale:



And here I am, heading back to the hotel.  Almost time for bed:


On the way back to the hotel, I strolled along the Avenue of Stars - Hong Kong's version of the Hollywood Walk of Fame.  Here is Jackie Chan's star, signature, and handprints:


And, finally, I got back into my room.  Same view as first picture, only at night:


Hong Kong has been an amazing experience; I only wish I had more time to explore.  Tomorrow: the airport and back toward home!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

August 21, 2017 Total Solar Eclipse

Image
Like millions of other people, we went chasing the Great American Eclipse. We chose Nebraska, since everybody we knew was going to Wyoming, and the climate models suggested a good probability of clear weather. Our initial camp was at Lake McConaughy, which is just inside the line of totality. My sister Danielle and her husband Edward got there early to start scouting. Our plan was to check weather forecasts and then go mobile the day of the eclipse. The morning of August 19 I got up early and snapped this shot of the moon on its way to its date with destiny: Sunday morning we checked the forecasts. It was not looking good for Nebraska in general, but east-central Nebraska seemed better than western according to the forecasts. So we packed up camp and headed out to Camp Augustine, a Boy Scout camp near Grand Island, Nebraska: They had camping spots available, and a large field which would be good for observations. After a rather hot, muggy, sleepless night (dry camping wi
Read more

April 8, 2024 Total Solar Eclipse

Image
On April 8, 2024, a total solar eclipse crossed a huge swath of the United States. We had been planning a trip to see it ever since the August 21, 2017 total solar eclipse . Our chosen destination was at Chalk Bluff River Resort and Park , near Uvalde, Texas, due to statistical likelihood of clear skies in South Texas: The main attraction at Chalk Bluff is Nueces River and the the eponymous bluffs that rise above it: Chalk Bluffs The eclipse was widely publicized. Enough so that the state of Texas found it necessary to put warnings on its highway signs: Texas DOT warning sign Texas DOT warning sign We arrived at Chalk Bluff on April 6. As eclipse day approached, it became clear that the weather was not going to be our friend: NWS blended forecast for eclipse day So, what was originally going to be an "Eclipse expedition, with a possibility of some birding" became a "Birding expedition, with a possibility of seeing an eclipse". It is fortunate that we chose thi
Read more

Addendum - new vs. old Canon 100-400mm

Image
In my previous post on this lens, I used a 1.4x teleconverter on both lenses.  I got a request to repeat the test without the teleconverters, so here are the results. These are all shot at ISO 400, f/5.6 at 400mm, 1/1600s, autofocus with the center point, RAW.  It is later in the day, and it looks like light clouds and shadows moving in the breeze are slightly changing the lighting between the shots, so caveat emptor.  First the whole image with the old lens: Next, the new lens: Here are the locations of the crops I took: First, the center crop.  The old lens: The new lens - again, sharper even in the center (although the moving shadows from the windy day make it a little harder to tell): The left edge crop, the old lens: The new lens - significantly sharper: And now, the corner crop, the old lens: And the new lens.  It is no contest: The chromatic aberration is not as bad with the old lens without the teleconverter - but the sharpness i
Read more