Perfect Moments Photography | A Rene Pallesen Journal

14. November 2004 01:45
by Rene Pallesen
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Karnak - "the Most Perfect of Places" - Part 1

14. November 2004 01:45 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

14. November 2004 01:44
by Rene Pallesen
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Temple of Horus - the Most Complete of Its Kind Part 3

14. November 2004 01:44 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

14. November 2004 01:40
by Rene Pallesen
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Temple of Horus - the Most Complete of Its Kind Part 2

14. November 2004 01:40 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

14. November 2004 01:39
by Rene Pallesen
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Temple of Horus - the Most Complete of Its Kind Part 1

14. November 2004 01:39 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

14. November 2004 01:38
by Rene Pallesen
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Horses

14. November 2004 01:38 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

14. November 2004 01:37
by Rene Pallesen
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Temple of Hatshepsut - Egypt's Only Female Pharaoh Part 2

14. November 2004 01:37 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

14. November 2004 01:36
by Rene Pallesen
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Temple of Hatshepsut - Egypt's Only Female Pharaoh

14. November 2004 01:36 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

14. November 2004 01:34
by Rene Pallesen
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Pyramids of Giza

14. November 2004 01:34 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

14. November 2004 01:07
by Rene Pallesen
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Bedstemor's 85th Birthday Fest - Part 3

14. November 2004 01:07 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

14. November 2004 01:01
by Rene Pallesen
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Bedstemor's 85th Birthday Fest - Part 2

14. November 2004 01:01 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

4. February 2018 22:02
by Rene Pallesen
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Pak Ou cave - Laos

4. February 2018 22:02 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

A two hour boat ride north of Luang Prabang is the Pak Ou cave. Since we were traveling two families the best way to get there was to hire a slow boat just for us.

The flow boats are long narrow boats that are ideal for navigating the Mekong River. This part of the river is full of underwater rocks but the boats seem to navigate these treacherous waters with ease.

Having the boat for ourselves gave us more flexibility with regards to how long we wanted to spend at the cane and also meant that we have more room to move around.

The front of the boar is where the captain sits and steers the boat. After this there is a section for the passengers followed by a small pump toilet and then the living quarters for the captain and his family. Out the back there is a small kitchen for them to do the cooking.

The cave is upstream into an area full of limestone mountains.

The many boats moor at a long and wobbly floating bamboo bridge that takes you to the cave itself.

The cave itself is not big but it is full of small Buddhas that have been put there over hundreds of years. You can tell that this used to be an important place of worship.

Now however the place is so crowded with tourists (guilty here too) coming in on boats that it is hard to move around. I could not stop myself from taking this photo of Buddha holding up his hands to stop more boats arriving.

At the top of the hill the hill there is what I think is a more 'pleasant' cave. It is equally interesting and much less crowded because most tourists don's make it up the many steps to the top.

4. February 2018 16:03
by Rene Pallesen
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Lao Lau (rice whiskey) - Laos

4. February 2018 16:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

The traditional Lao Lau is still being made. Just north of Luang Prabang on the river there is a little village on the river called Whiskey village whos main income is from the production of Lao Lau.

When I was there two decades ago this is what the locals were drinking (now they drink beer instead). I still remember the foul taste from the home brew that was distilled in large oil drums after having been fermented in large clay pots. Whenever I see it I always wonder if distilling strong alcohol right next to an open flame is the wisest of ideas!?!?

The process itself hasn't changed, but these days most of the whiskey is sold to tourists and I tastes a lot more pleasant that it did back then.

3. February 2018 15:03
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Food - Laos

3. February 2018 15:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

The food in Laos is good. It is traditional cooking mostly still cooked over an open fire.

You see them start cooking the food well before sunrise in big pots.

The food itself is mostly a fusion of Thai and Vietnamese. It has all the noodle soups from Vietnam, but with the more street food and spice of Thailand. The picture below is a typical noodle soup with a traditional cube of coagulated blood.

We were eating a lot from small street type restaurants following the rule that is had to be popular with the locals. The logic behind this is that the locals would know what is good and would also be choosy regarding the quality of the food, so chances are that it would be fresh and not cause food poisoning (none of us or the kids had any issues on the trip).

There are some dubious food there, such as some of the meat BBQ where they sometimes have the meet cooked earlier on the side of the BBQ and then just re-heat it when you order it.

Also be careful with some of the food stalls where the food may have been sitting there for most of the day and often from the day before.

From a 'snack' perspective there are some personal favourites that I absolutely love such as the BBQ fried squid - the packet stuff is just not the same.

Also the Bamboo and coconut fried rice is delicious - they sell them at bus and train stations and especially the purple rice one is yummi!

The freshly made puffed breads over an open fire - they will use two rakes to flip them until they are done.

2. February 2018 00:02
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Temples - Laos

2. February 2018 00:02 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

The temples in Luang Prabang are some of the most beautiful anywhere. Yes, Thailand has some amazing temples, but these are different. They are smaller, and more intricately decorated.

1. February 2018 23:02
by Rene Pallesen
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Luang Prabang - Laos

1. February 2018 23:02 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Luang Prabang is without a doubt the cultural highlight of Laos. The old part of the city is beautiful and there are good reasons why is has been heritage protected.

I believe it has the most beautiful temples of South East Asia - they are not the largest or even the oldest, but the amount of details that has been put into them is absolutely stunning.

In addition to this there are a lot of other very interesting things to see in and do in the city, which I will cover in later posts.

The city itself is situated between two rivers where one of them is the Mekong which is still fairly busy with slow boats and ferries (The chinese are building a large bridge across the river north of the city)

The section between the two rivers form the city itself which consist of four parallel streets each about a kilometer long.

Everything within the city itself can be covered on foot and in the evening the main streets are blocked for card and reserved for pedestrians.

The place is dominated by a big hill with a small temple and stuba on top. It is very popular with tourists to climb the hill around sunset. And there is a great view of the mountains from the top.

There are some things that have changed in the city since I was there the last time. The most noticeable is the amount of tourists and fine hotels - and here it is really the more wealthy middle aged Europeans you see. The main street of the old city is full of modern western European influenced restaurants, souvenir and antique stores.

Fortunately you don't have to travel further that to the parallel streets to fine more low key Laos places to eat.

Also, last time I visited, I stayed in a small guest house near the city centre called Tanoy Guest House. When I stayed here I became good friends with the family and the place was named after the oldest daughter who's name was Tanoy.

The place is still there and apart from a larger fence it looks pretty much unchanged.

29. January 2018 21:01
by Rene Pallesen
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The War - Laos

29. January 2018 21:01 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

The 'secret' war in the 60's and 70's had a major impact on the country. A massive amount of bombs were dropped by mostly the Americans in mostly the Northern and Eastern part of the country. This was partly an internal civil war but also to stop the North Vietnamese using the country as a supply route.

To get an insight into this was I can highly recommend the books by Christoper Robbins called 'The Ravens' and 'Air America'.

The impact today is that un-exploded ordnance (mines, cluster bombs etc.) is covering large parts of the country and that every year lots of people including children gets injured or killed.

It is also very noticable, especially in the Hmong villages that there is no presence of old men. This is because most of these were killed either during the war where especially they took heavy casualties despite the American support or through 'education' camps after the war.

Last time I went to Laos I went to Plains of Jars which was one of the most heavily bombed areas and the debris was everywhere. We weren't going there on this trip, but to give the family and friends an insight into the history and the dangers to present people we visited the COPE organisation in Vientiane.

Here is Aiden in front of an unexploded (disarmed) clusterbomb. Looks just like a ball and tempting for kids to play with.

These were dropped from canisters on aircraft with several hundred in each load. It is estimated that 1/3 of these didn't explode on impact.

This map shows the areas most effected.

If you look for the bombs they you see them everywhere - mostly disarmed and used as fence posts.

There is also remains of anti aircraft guns such as this one in Luang Prabang. The barrel had been removed but everything else still worked on it and they could turn it by rotating the handles, much to the amusement of the kids. During the war kids only a little older than our kids would have been fighting at the front lines.

18. January 2018 19:01
by Rene Pallesen
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Ally J Wilkinson

18. January 2018 19:01 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Model: Ally J Wilkinson

16. January 2018 21:03
by Rene Pallesen
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People - Laos

16. January 2018 21:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

One thing that I love taking photos of on my travels are People.

A lot of the photos of the people of my travels are in the other posts, but here is a selection that didn't really fit into the other stories.

This is an old woman sitting doing preparing food or doing her handicraft outside her house while observing the street life.

Someone was shooting a wedding, I used the opportunity to snap a photo of my own.

A woman bathing in the Mekong

A girl posing for her boyfriend on top of the hill at Luang Prabang

A woman walking down the street

Another woman doing handicraft outside her shop

12. January 2018 00:02
by Rene Pallesen
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Fishing - Laos

12. January 2018 00:02 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

The fishing along the rivers in Laos are still very traditional.

It is the circular throw out nets, fish traps and people foraging along the river banks to collect river seaweed and snails for eating.

In most places they still use dugout canoes for the fishing.

In the various town you see people sitting repairing their fishing nets.

Kim told us that when she was a little girl she used to help the family repair the fishing nets, but that she's forgotten how to do it.

One of the delicacies in Loang Prabang is the local riverweed. We saw multiple people collecting it and also sitting cleaning it.

11. January 2018 19:01
by Rene Pallesen
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Vang Vieng - Kids highlights

11. January 2018 19:01 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Some of the other highlights for the kids in Vang Vieng was the gym at our hotel. The local guys used it to train for kick boxing and the kids felt inspired.

Also, one evening we spotted someone launching wishing lanterns. We asked where they came from and through a lot of pointing we found a local shop keeper selling them.

We bought one and launched it an the kids loved the experience.

Also, one of the trees at the hotel had two little monkeys staying there most of the day. The kids loved standing there shouting profanities at them.

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26. December 2012 10:01
by Rene Pallesen
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Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2012

26. December 2012 10:01 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

My Dad wanted to see the start of the Sydney to Hobart Yacht race again this year.

Unlike the last time we were there in good time this year and found a great parking spot and a fairly good vantage point of the race without too many crowds.

While waiting for the race to start the James Craig was cruising back and forth outside the harbour.

Once the race started and the boats passed the heads it became very busy both on the water and it in air with all the boats and helicopters (at one point I counted 11 at the same time) and my Dad was busy clicking away.

This year turned out to be a new course record, so great conditions all the way to Hobart.

25. December 2012 09:44
by Rene Pallesen
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Christmas Day 2012

25. December 2012 09:44 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Christmas Day we celebrated with Kims family at her sisters house.

It was the usual crowd of our familys and everyone bringing dishes to share and as usual there was a lot of different foods to try.

It was great to have the whole family together (Aiden was again eating too much).

And even Santa made an appearance again this year...Thank you so much Santa!!!!!

24. December 2012 09:28
by Rene Pallesen
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Christmas Eve 2012

24. December 2012 09:28 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

This year we celebrated Christmas at home with my Dad and his partner with the traditional Christmas Duck and Ris-a-la-mande.

It was Lucas' first and Aiden's third Christmas...Aiden is now getting old enough to enjoy the experience...

...especially the food

After dinner we opened presents according to the Danish tradition and Aiden was very excited about the big box from Bedstefar...

...containing a big truck.

From Mummy and Daddy he received a Lightning Mcqueen car (radio controlled).

...and also a drawing pad.

Merry Christmas...

22. December 2012 01:24
by Rene Pallesen
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Maroubra Beach December 2012

22. December 2012 01:24 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

On one of the days we took my dad to Maroubra beach for breakfast.

It gave them a chance to check out what out local beach is like and also Aiden a chance to have a bit of a play in the sand.

21. December 2012 12:49
by Rene Pallesen
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Kids Dad with Grandchildren 2012

21. December 2012 12:49 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

At around Christmas time Kims dad asked me if I could take some more photos of him and the grandchildren.

Last year I took some of him using a blue background and he asked for something similar (although I am not a big fan of blue)

21. December 2012 09:21
by Rene Pallesen
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Christmas Family Photo 2012

21. December 2012 09:21 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Every year I like to take a Christmas family photo.

This year having my dad around meant that I could get hime to assist us with taking the photo as I needed someone to stand on a ladder taking the photo while we as a family was lying plat on a bed.

Merry Christmas 2012 Everyone!!!!

21. December 2012 09:12
by Rene Pallesen
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Matraville Christmas Lights 2012

21. December 2012 09:12 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Every year some of the houses in Matraville puts on a spectacular christmas light show.

Every night there are hundreds of visitors and it is worth seeing.

Here are some of the lights from this years show.

21. December 2012 08:54
by Rene Pallesen
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Barrenjoey Lighthouse 2012

21. December 2012 08:54 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

This holiday season my Dad and his partner is visiting us from Denmark.

It has been a while since he was here and in also a while since we were in Denmark, so Aiden had grown a fair bit since.

The first couple of weeks we bought then some trips to various places such as Hunter Valley and the Blue Mountains.

One the weekends we would treat then to various dinners Thai, Indian, Moroccan, Brazilian, Aussie, Chinese etc. as well as try to make time to take them to see some of the sights around Sydney.

The first weekend Aiden was sick so we had to cancel our trip up the Northern Beaches to Barrenjoey Lighthouse so we had to stay home and let them explore by themself. On the second weekend we managed to go there and bring Aiden along as well sitting in his little backback.

It was a warm day and the climb is fairly steep so especially my dads partner was pretty hot by the time we reached the top where the light house is.

The view was definitely worth it.

Walking back along the beach we decided to make a drink stop to clench the thirst.

20. December 2012 04:16
by Rene Pallesen
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Merry Christmas 2012

20. December 2012 04:16 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

First of all Merry Christmas everyone!!!

With a bit of arm twisting Kim finally agreed to let me do a series of 'sexy' Santa photos.

A lot of work had to go into these couple of photos in terms of getting the outfit, but the right colour wrapping paper, wrap all the boxes, set them up to it looks nice, getting all the lighting right and not least convince Kim to do the actual shoot.

Then I had to sort out the photos I needed and then do all the editing...I think the end result is pretty good and very much in the spirit of Christmas.

And did I mention that I am married to the most beautiful (and sexy) Santa there is???

18. December 2012 08:51
by Rene Pallesen
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Lucas 3 months

18. December 2012 08:51 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Lucas is now three months young and the other day I did a series of monthly photos of Kim and him on our bed.

29. June 2015 13:07
by Rene Pallesen
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Phuket - Tuk Tuks

29. June 2015 13:07 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

The traditional Tuk Tuks of thailand are now completely gove from the Phuket area and have been replaced by mini taxis.

These have been fitted with big music subwoofers and tv's in the passenger compartments.

The Kids loved riding them...especially the 'green' ones. We used them to transport us to most places.

25. June 2015 12:07
by Rene Pallesen
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Phuket - Hotel swimming pool

25. June 2015 12:07 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

The pool at the hotel was great.

The kids loved it and it was nice jumping in the pool after an excursion out and about.

It really boosted the kids confidence swimming there.

If it had been up to Kim's family then they would have stayed at the pool the entire trip and not have left the hotel.

24. June 2015 11:07
by Rene Pallesen
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Phuket - Monkey show

24. June 2015 11:07 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

There was also a monkey show with a larger trained monkey.

Apparently in the past they used trained monkeys to fetch coconuts for them and they demonstrated how they trained them.

Kim's dad had his photo taken with the monkey.

23. June 2015 11:07
by Rene Pallesen
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Phuket - Snake show

23. June 2015 11:07 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

They also had a snake show at the elephant place.

Some of the snakes were very poisonous such as this monocled cobra.

And the huge king cobra (which kept coming over the safety barrier).

Chong and I volunteered to hold the python.

I wonder how often the snake guy has been bitten by his snakes.

22. June 2015 11:07
by Rene Pallesen
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Phuket - Small monkeys

22. June 2015 11:07 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

At the place we went riding elephants they had a group of little monkeys that we could hold and feed.

They were chained to their little houses which was a bit cruel, but the kids loved seeing the monkeys up close.

The kids thought it was very funny when one of them grabbed my nose.

21. June 2015 11:07
by Rene Pallesen
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Phuket - Elephant ride

21. June 2015 11:07 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

One morning we went on an elephant ride with the family.

Kim had been on elephant rides before and is terrified, but she was still brave enough to do it again (She was screaming that she wanted to get off most of the way).

It was an amazing experience for the Kids.

They got to see the big animals up close.

20. June 2015 08:07
by Rene Pallesen
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Phuket - Kata Beach

20. June 2015 08:07 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

One one of the first days we went to the beach at Kata. The hotel had a shuttle bus to the beach which was an easy 10 minutes walk away.

The beach was actually surprisingly nice with warm water.

About two months ago a sailing boat stranded on the beach during a storm. No one has claimed the boat and a few attempts of lifting it off the beach has failed.

We told the kids that it was a pirate ship, so they wanted to have a closer look.

Kims dad didn't want to go in the water, but decided to keep to his thing with wearing warm clothes in hot humid weather.

19. June 2015 08:26
by Rene Pallesen
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Phuket – Travelling

19. June 2015 08:26 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

This year we traveled to Phuket in Thailand along with Kim's sisters family and her dad.

We had to fly via Bangkok, so we were a bit worried how the kids would handle the long flight (especially Lucas), but everyone handled it reasonably well.

The boys were very excited to be going on a big aeroplane.

Once we arrived to Bangkok it was pretty obvious to see that they were very excited.

The only thing that never made it all the way to the hotel was our stroller. We lost it somewhere between Phuket airport and the hotel...but wasn't a big loss and hopefully someone puts it to goo local use.

20. May 2015 12:05
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Passport photo session

20. May 2015 12:05 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

It is time to renew Aiden passport and like last time there were a lot of outtakes that we could not use, but which were quite funny.

20. May 2015 11:05
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Grandma and grandpa

20. May 2015 11:05 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Here is some more photos of my grandma and grandpa on my mothers side.

Here she is with her sisters (my grandma on the far right)

Here is some of her when she was young.

Here is one that I assume was taken in 1969 based on the date of the photo.

I think this one if my grandpa when he was young.

And here is some more.

And here is some family gathering photos.

I think it is her brother on the left. And my cousin Mette on the right.

And this is with my grandparents on my fathers side (left to right bedstefar, mormor, morfar, bedstemor, mum and Claus).

30. December 2021 17:12
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Christmas 2021

30. December 2021 17:12 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

This Christmas was almost normal with the Covid restrictions lifted.

As usual we did our annual Christmas photo.

Kims dad is staying at Kims sisters place over Christmas after haing been in hospital. He is looking the best he has for years.

29. December 2021 17:12
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Surfing 2021

29. December 2021 17:12 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Lucas and Aiden got themselves a surfing lesson. Aiden was too scared to go, but Lucas had a great time.

Because he liked it so much we decided to get him (and Aiden) a surfboard for Christmas as well.

29. December 2021 17:12
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Various 2021

29. December 2021 17:12 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

This are from various events of 2021

Lucas Holy Communion

Lunar Esclipse

Swimming at Yarra Bay in the middle of winter

Aidens Learning award

Empty Maroubra Beach during covid lockdown

Seafood dinner with family

Chillies harvested from the garden

Cooking lobster at home during lockdown

Spotted Herbie in our local area

Monkeys in a tree

Playing games at home during Covid lockdown

Enjoying a hot chocolate during Covid lockdown

Boys make a mess and have to clean the house

Dinner at home during Covid lockdown

Conference call with family during Covid lockdown

How many people can you fit into a dinghy?

Pho at the local cafe

Going for a walk after Covid restrictions lifted

On a conference call with Dalai Lama from home

Kim received a Hoodie to keep her warm in the cold winter evenings. I thought it was something else and wrote instructions on the packaging.

Aidens birthday was bowling with his friends and dinner with family

Kim dressed appropriately for walking 20 meters to the car

The boys learning to use a hammer.

Spending time at Yarra bay

Aiden still struggling, although him now having a piano seems to help him.

Lucas got some more awards at the Athletics carnival to add to his swimming awards.

29. December 2021 17:12
by Rene Pallesen
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Guinea Pigs

29. December 2021 17:12 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

We were looking after a couple of guinea pigs for a couple of weeks while one of Aiden friends was away.

The boys had to do all the work cleaning and feeding them.

29. December 2021 17:12
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Karate 2021

29. December 2021 17:12 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Again we did karate this whole year. This included a number of gradings followed by social events.

I treated myself to a new gi (uniform) when I graduated to my 3rd Kyu.

29. December 2021 17:12
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Playing Chess

29. December 2021 17:12 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Lucas has joined the chess club at school, so for fun (and to give him practice) we sometimes play. I was very proud that I one day managed to checkmate him with just two pawns and my king.

29. December 2021 17:12
by Rene Pallesen
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Piano and Guitar

29. December 2021 17:12 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Mid year I decided to get an electric piano. I've always wanted to learn and we wanted to boys to start playing as well.

We have been using an online lesson system and it has been working really well for us. Especially Aiden seems to pick it up quickly.

Aiden has also been begging to get an electric guitar, so this Christmas we got him one. It is fortunate that the same online lesson subscription also covers guitar playing.

29. December 2021 17:12
by Rene Pallesen
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Kims 50th

29. December 2021 17:12 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Kim had a big birthday this year. All the plans were ruined so it because a low key affair with just a family dinner.

Plan:

A - Europe trip - Covid cancelled

B - New Zealand Ski trip (travel bubble was open) - Cancelled day before we were to leave

C - Staycation in Sydney - Locked down to local council

D - Staycation in same council - Restricted to 5 Km radius

E - Dinner at home

We did however make up for it later with some golf and spa while she wasn't working.

29. December 2021 17:12
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Hunter Valley

29. December 2021 17:12 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

We did another Hunter Valley Trip with Sasha and Richards families.

Again we stocked up on a lot of wine.

29. December 2021 16:12
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Basketball Game

29. December 2021 16:12 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

KA had some spare tickets for a basketball game between Sydney Kings and Melbourne Phoenix, so we took the boys.

27. March 2002 11:14
by Rene Pallesen
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Whale Watching

27. March 2002 11:14 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

We went with Donna and Sandra up to Port Stephens to go Whale watching.

It was a great day (very cold) and we saw lots of whales.

Click here to see more photos from: Whale Watching/Slideshow

27. March 2002 11:03
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Climbing in New Zealand

27. March 2002 11:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

I went climbing with Andy in New Zealand. We flew onto the glacier at Pioneer hut with a skiplane.

We attempted a couple of peaks in the area but were mainly unsuccessful due to sloshy conditions and late starts. Andy eventually insisted going down after taking a bit of a slide after taking a bit of a slide. We did however get a little bit of climbing done.

Click here to see more photos from: Climbing in New Zealand/Slideshow

16. September 2001 11:10
by Rene Pallesen
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My Friends in Denmark . . .

16. September 2001 11:10 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Believe it or not, I still have quite a few friends in Denmark. I would like to put photos of all of them here - unfortunately I do not have photos of all of them. If you are one of my friends and your photo is not on this page then please do not despair - I still consider you a friend, and maybe, the next time I go to Denmark, I shall have photos of you all!

Kenneth in kitchen

Here is one of my best friends in Denmark. This photo was taken quite a while ago, before I came to Australia.

Kenneth is now living here in Sydney, on the beautiful Manly beach - only about a half hour away from me. Kenneth came to stay with me a few months ago. He was trying out a new job, and actually came back! He is going to give Australia a go, to see if he likes it like I do. No more biting winters, lots of warmth and sunshine, beautiful mountains and bush to explore... and I think he has discovered, there are lots of friends to make - especially the pretty fun-going ones with two legs and a skirt! *smile*

He is actually a pretty good cook. Whist he stayed in my apartment for a couple of months, he cooked pot roast with gorgonzola sauce, and also gave a wonderful 3-course dinner for a small group of friends here. About two years after I arrived in Australia, I returned to Denmark for a visit. On the day I arrived in Denmark, he threw together a party for me!

Ester

Here is Ester, another one of my friends.

She is a fashion designer and paints some wonderful paintings.

Me!

Naturally at parties, there was quite a large amount of beer being consumed (how can you not?? - not possible to have a party otherwise in Denmark.

It was nice to taste one of the annual Christmas beers from Tuborg.
Created: Jan 2000 Last Updated: 16 Sept 2001

28. July 2001 11:11
by Rene Pallesen
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Photo Gallery

28. July 2001 11:11 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Photo Gallery

I have placed photos here - those I could not fit on the respective webpages.

Schwedagon
Big Stuba at night

Mandalay
Mandalay facing east

Marionet
Puppet Show 1

Volleyball

Created: 3 Nov 2001

28. July 2001 10:52
by Rene Pallesen
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South East Asia ( 24 July ~ 24 August 2001 ) . . .

28. July 2001 10:52 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

I initially made plans to explore Burma and then make my way across the border into western China at Burma's only border crossing up north. I had not made any definite plans wanted to play it by ear... but in the end my trip consisted of Thailand, Cambodia and restricted areas to Burma.

I was away for a total of 5 weeks and must admit that parts of my trip really frustrated me - there were many restrictions in Burma and being in Bangkok at times stressed me because of all the tourists and crowds. I really only went to Cambodia to see the magnificent Angkor Wat - actually I really did enjoy being there. I think my most enjoyable part of the trip was the days I had climbing on the secluded areas of Krabi.


Burma (23 Jul ~ 5 Aug)	Cambodia (6 ~ 10 Aug)	Thailand

28. July 2001 10:51
by Rene Pallesen
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Monkeys . . .

28. July 2001 10:51 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

There were quite a lot of monkeys at Mt Popa.

Mother & Baby Monkey

The photo above in the middle, shows monkeys that look like they are playing around. They are actually fighting monkeys and can be very dangerous because they bite and also snatch things from you.

They were rather oblivious to me being there, until the flash on my camera went off. Then their attention was on me and they were ready to attack.

I adopted the “monkey mentality” - avoid eye contact and move away backwards - the only way to stop the monkeys from attacking is to not look at them.

Monkey 1

28. July 2001 10:50
by Rene Pallesen
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Burma Up North (continued) . . .

28. July 2001 10:50 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Whilst I was up north, I watched a rather interesting game of volleyball.

I have never seen such dexterity and agility amongst the players!

It was amazing to see how flexible these guys were.

Volleyball Player Photo 2

28. July 2001 10:50
by Rene Pallesen
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Mt Popa . . .

28. July 2001 10:50 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

There is a monastry on Mt Popa - a hill located 50km away from Bagan.

When I was there, it was a cloudy day.

Woman selling petrified wood at Mt Popa

I ran into a woman selling petrified wood - quite silly really, considering the place was covered with it.

Road sign

They must think tourists are stupid! *laugh* I managed to pick up a couple of small pieces to take back with me.

As you can see, there are stacks of them around.

And no... this is not a tombstone.
This is actually a road sign.

Example of petrified wood

You would be surprised how big some of these pieces are - this piece below was actually about a metre long and 40cm wide.

Toilet in Burma

Actually what I found interesting were the toilets in Burma.

My girlfriend tells me that squatting over a toilet is quite common in Asia.

In many of the city areas, they would have toilets as we know them, and they would also have a carved hole in the ground, on which either side, one places their feet on.

Toilets in the rural area are more crude than that - a hole leading into a gaping pit.

However, what I found interesting about these toilets were that recycled running water was used to wash away any excrement. The water is first used for washing one self and then used in the toilets.

As there were a few toilet cubicles a row, sometimes you would see the excrement from a toilet uphill go beneath you! *laugh*

Very clever and environmental system, I think!

Me at Mt Popa

Trying to grab a snooze... *smile*

Like Schweddagon, most of this is real gold as well.

And yes, there is a monkey sitting near my head.

If you click to the next page, you will see that I have taken a series of photos of the monkeys.

28. July 2001 10:49
by Rene Pallesen
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Puppet Show . . .

28. July 2001 10:49 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

I saw the most interesting puppet show, known as the “Mandalay Marionettes”

There were 2 or 3 puppeteers out the front, with a live band of musicians.

Unfortunately, it was more of a show for the tourists, rather than the locals.

It cost 1,000 chats or US$2 per show.

28. July 2001 10:49
by Rene Pallesen
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Burma Up North . . .

28. July 2001 10:49 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

I decided take a 20-hour train-ride to Myitkyinã *laugh* it took 20-hours to get there by train because there was only one track.

It was definitely faster to run next to the train than to travel in it!

We had to wait for the oncoming train to return before we could travel north.

At one point, we crossed a bridge that was so rickety that I thought it would collapse any moment!

Working in the rice fields

Locals working in the rice fields.

Locals using water-buffaloes to plough rice fields.

Jrrawaddy River

The train travelled along the Jrrawaddy River.

It would have been nice if I was able to travel to Mandalay via a riverboat down the Jrrawaddy River.

People living on lake

It was amazing to find out that people live “on” these lakes, by building houses on stilts.

This sort of housing is quite common in many parts of Asia, especially areas where monsoons quite frequently flood an area.

It is also very environmentally-sound, I think, and hurts the land less.

Most of the houses are made of wood.

Myitkyina in rain

Myitkyinã is pretty dismal in rain!

There is a huge drug problem in Burma, especially through the crossings into China.

I have scanned a copy of a recent newspaper article about this problem in Burma.

18. December 2012 08:11
by Rene Pallesen
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Lucas first Christmas

18. December 2012 08:11 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

The first Christmas for Lucas is approaching. This also means that he is being subjected to all kinds of Christmas rituals such as posing for his Dads Christmas photos.

12. December 2012 08:12
by Rene Pallesen
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Kims Dads Birthday 2012

12. December 2012 08:12 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

This year we celebrated Kims Dads birthday with a big lunch for the whole family where everyone brough along something to eat.

Afterwards we did some family photos with Kim and all the grans children as well as my Dad and his two grand children Aiden and Lucas.

Click here for more photos

5. December 2012 06:34
by Rene Pallesen
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Glasses - Feeling old

5. December 2012 06:34 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

I finally had to bite the bullet and get my eyes checked out for glasses.

I had started developing a headache if sitting in front of the computer or reading for extended periods of time

So I now have some reading glasses that I can use...makes me feel old.

3. December 2012 11:19
by Rene Pallesen
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Aiden playing with water

3. December 2012 11:19 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Needless to say that our lives currently revolve around looking after Lucas and Aiden.

This Saturday I took Aiden swimming in the morning and I must say that he is getting more and more confident in the water. We reached another milestone with him being happy to just swim around (in circles mostly) wearing his floaties without holding onto me.

In the afternoon it was really hot...36 degrees in the shade, so we decided to let him have some more waterfun at home in the inflatable pool.

3. December 2012 11:15
by Rene Pallesen
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Aiden playing with Playdough

3. December 2012 11:15 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

This weekend we bought some playdough for Aiden to play with.

Initially he wasn't sure what to do with it, but after a while with a bit of guidance he started getting a bit more creative.

3. December 2012 01:25
by Rene Pallesen
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First December 2012

3. December 2012 01:25 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

It is now the first of december and the Christmas shopping has started in the shopping centres.

The other day the mall has a big sale and with that sale they has different characters walk the floor...in this case a Teddy with a girlie Santa.

Aiden was very excited but a lille scared of the big teddy bear.

25. November 2012 11:07
by Rene Pallesen
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Lucas two and a half months

25. November 2012 11:07 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Last week Kim asked me to bring the camera an take some photos of Lucas on the bed.

He is now two and an half months old and is now able to smile and get excited when he sees you and when you talk to him.

He is still keeping mummy up at night although we think he is getting a bit better on that front.

24. November 2012 01:21
by Rene Pallesen
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An Oldie, but a goodie

24. November 2012 01:21 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

This photo was actually taken more than 6 months ago, but going through some old photos I found it too good not to post.

I was setting up for a pregnancy shoot (then Kim was 4 months due) and Aiden was trying to assist me with the setup. He happened to sit down it the perfect spot and give me a pose that tells so much about his character at that time...sucking his fingers and everything.

...and by pure coincidence it happened that the photo was perfectly lit.

20. November 2012 12:56
by Rene Pallesen
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Lucas Foot

20. November 2012 12:56 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

I took this photo a couple of months ago, but haven't come around to finishing it until now.

It is a photo of Lucas' foot in my hands.

12. November 2012 11:44
by Rene Pallesen
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Old Photo - Aiden/Daddy looks the same?

12. November 2012 11:44 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

I found this old photo of myself that my dad took of me when I was about 3 years old (I think).

Looking at Aiden today there is a strong resemblance in the facial features.

The photo was badly damaged and requires a fair bit of restoration, but at least I now have a digital copy of the photo.

3. February 2017 08:02
by Rene Pallesen
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Zimbabwe - Flying out

3. February 2017 08:02 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Leaving Zimbabwe we had the experience of the aircraft (an old B737) breaking down with engine problems prior to our departure. Although this is not uncommon, most international airports would have a team of aircraft mechanics along with spare parts to fix problems.

Victoria Falls do not have all the same facilities due to the low volume of aircraft, so in our case the pilot and co-pilot stepped up and went out to fix the problem themselves. With just a two hour delay we were back underway.

I doubt a pilot from a big international airline would step up and get his hands dirty or even have the skills to fix basic and common problems....credit go to bush pilots!

1. February 2017 15:02
by Rene Pallesen
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Zimbabwe - Victoria Falls

1. February 2017 15:02 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

The main reason why we made the trip up to Zimbabwe was that our trip to South Africa would be our best opportunity to see and experience the Victoria Falls (and also give Kim and the boys to opportunity to visit another African country).

It is an amazing sight as the entire area around the falls is completely flat. The Zambezi river is at the point of the fall over a kilometer wide and the entire river suddenly drops into this narrow gorge.

The falls themselves are on the Zambian side of the border, and most of the lookouts are on the Zimbabwe side.

The effect is that the water spray gets pushed several hundred meters into the air above the gorge and creates a perpetual plume of rain clouds and spray making it impossible to stay dry.

This also meant that it was a challenge to keep my camera gear dry. I did bring a waterproof case for my camera, but after a few minutes a stopped using it because I couldn't mount the camera on a tripod at the same time. Instead I opted for covering the camera with a microfibre towel that somewhat helped, but otherwise I had to rely on the weather sealing on the Nikon camera and lenses.

To make it easier to dry we had dressed the boys ourselves in rash and sports shirts. This dried very quickly after getting wet unlike cotton clothing. We did bring some disposable ponchos but only Kim used hers a little.

31. January 2017 13:01
by Rene Pallesen
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Zimbabwe - Big (Baobab) Tree

31. January 2017 13:01 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Just outside Victoria Falls there is this Baobab tree that they keep showing to tourists (behind fencing so tourists don't vandalise it). We were brought there on the way to the Boma restaurant because the other people in the bus wanted to see it.

They all went Ooooh and Ahhh by seeing it, but I must say that it is neither big or beautiful as far as Baobab trees go...even the fig trees here in Australia are bigger (and better looking).

31. January 2017 12:01
by Rene Pallesen
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Zimbabwe & Zambia - Sunset cruise on the Zambezi River

31. January 2017 12:01 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

In the evening we booked a sunset cruise on the Zambezi river.

It was a beautiful calm evening and the boat slowly cruised in and out between the river islands within Zimbabwe and Zambia. In the distance there were clouds and rain forming beautiful rainbows.

There were lots of hippos around and we also spotted a couple of crocodiles and other wildlife. This time of the year there weren't any elephants as they don't need to go to the river during the rain season.

30. January 2017 14:01
by Rene Pallesen
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Zimbabwe - Instant Billionaires

30. January 2017 14:01 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

One thing about Zimbabwe was that everything is quite expensive for tourists in Victoria falls.

Back in 2008/09 the whole economy collapsed and the local currency was worth less than the paper it was printed on. As a result the entire country started using stable currencies such as US dollars.

In Victoria falls this means that everything is paid for in US dollars and since everything is more or less government controlled they try to milk tourists for as much hard currency as they possibly can.

As a result most tourists stay for a shorter duration as they probably would otherwise which is a pity as the benefits of tourism isn't shared with the rest of the country.

The country also has all the typical African inefficiencies and illogical processes which I experienced back in my days in East Africa, but which greatly annoyed Kim.

She was however greatly amused when I came back after a walk telling her that I had made her an instant billionaire - with the note here held by Aiden with a smug on his face.

30. January 2017 13:01
by Rene Pallesen
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Arriving to Zimbabwe

30. January 2017 13:01 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

During the break we decided to make a trip to South Africa and on the way do a quick detour to the Victoria falls on the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia.

The first evening we book dinner at Boma restaurant. Even though it is a bit touristy (everything around the falls are) they promised a buffet dinner with various game meat and dancing/drumming.

On the menu was Mopani worms, Wort Hog, Elan, Guinea Foul and spit Lamb.

Poor little Lucas was so tired that he fell asleep in the car there and slept the whole way through.
Although Aiden was tired he did enjoy the experience (in his silly fashion).

The drumming was very interactive and the dinner guests could join in.

Good start to the trip.

19. December 2016 13:12
by Rene Pallesen
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Christmas family photo 2016 - Naughty Elves

19. December 2016 13:12 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

It has been another year and again Merry Christmas 2016.

Following the tradition I have created another family photo for this year. Aiden and Lucas are growing older and also more naughty, so this year we decided to do something different and let the parents have a quiet evening while we let the boys 'hang out' together.

9. December 2016 17:02
by Rene Pallesen
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Botany Bay walk

9. December 2016 17:02 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

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