Kim gave me tickets for a performance called Bale de Rua (Brasilian street dance). This satisfied the criteria of experiences rather than objects as presents.




The performance took place in the opera house and it was really good. There was some really cool tricks.

I am still wondering why the dance crew consisted of 15 men and one woman...the woman didn't do anything that required her being a woman so it was a bit odd and could just as well have been a performance consisting of 16 men.

Kim had bought really good seats on the 4th row (almost too close) so we could see every drop of sweat.

While my dad was here we were looking after Kims nephews and niece a fair bit.

They loved coming over here to talk to my dad and play.

When they are here we put them to good use:

Here's is Kayla baking scones for us



And here she is sweeping the floor.



And here she is haging up the laundry.



Unfortunately I didn't get a photo from yesterday when she was watering the lawn for me.

While my dad was in Sydney we went to a number of different restaurants. We tried to find venues of the sort he hadn't tried before or that is unusual for his side of the hemisphere.

There was the Yum-Cha (For those that are not familiar with this...it is a sort of chinese dumpling place where you just point at the items you want from trolleys). And my dad was brave enough to try the chicken feet this time.





We also did Japanese a couple of times (once at Liverpool St which was terrible) and then later at Wagaya at the entertainment centre (which was excellent).




We also did brasilian (no, we did not all get a close shave). This was a lot of meat and we were all very full afterwards.




We also did French food at Tabou in Surrey Hills.



And one evening we did hot-pot at home with friends.



And Kims dad cooked his famous crabs.

New years eve we celebrated first with Kims family in Coogee. Here they had a firework at 9.30pm which was rather small.

Since my dad is in Sydney we though that he should have a look at the proper midnight firework, so after Coogee my dad and I drove into the city to watch the firework at Sydney Harbour.

Kim stayed back with her family because we expected to walk a fair bit to get into the city and especially to get back afterwards (and it would be hard to walk with her being pregnant).

I brought my camera gear and this is some of the shots I took (I haven't had time to photoshop anything).

Every year the local area puts on some amazing christmas decoration lightshows outside their houses.

One evening we went for a drive to take some photos...and here they are:

One day when it was raining and we were unable to do any work outside, we took my dad to the Blue Mountains.

It was nice and warm up there considering that the weather was sort of drizzling. My dad wanted to go and have another look at the Three Sisters, but they were covered in clouds, so instead we came up with taking the scenic railway as an alternative into the Jamison Valley.

As soon as Kim saw the drop into the valley she immediately bailed out and said that she didn't want to go....too steep.

My dad and I continued into the valley and went for a walk along one of the tracks there. While there I did some close-up photos of some of the local fauna.




After the walk we headed back up to the top with the cable car and then to Katooma for some lunch.



After lunch it was clearing up a bit, but the sisters were still covered. Instead we went for a walk at Wentworth Falls. My dad had never been there so that was something new for him.





After the walk it was getting late and we headed back to Sydney.

Every year on Boxing day (26th December) the Sydney to Hobart Yacht race kicks off.

It is a great event for anyone interested in sailing to see the large boats exit out through the heads of Sydney Harbour.




My dad was interested in seeing the race start and I wanted to get some great photos with the ships and the north head in the background.

We arrived at Watsons bay about 30 minutes before the race start and only just made it up to the viewpoint as the boats went through the heads. We were running the last 500 meters so as not to miss it (it has been a while since I've seen my dad run that sort of distance).



It was spectacular to watch all the ships and the follow boats head out through the harbour and head south towards the Tasman sea.



On the way back to the car we walked past the nude beach full of perverts (I don't mind nudists...but when it is old men with hard-on's standing facing the public swinging their willy's back and forth or pouring beer on it then they are exhibitionist perverts....click here...and....here...so see what I mean).

The winner of the race this year finished after 2 days and 9 hours.

In the morning of Christmas Day we were so stuffed that we weren’t ready to start eating again already.



Kim’s family always puts on a big feats on Christmas Day with turkey, ham, seafood and a lot of other Asian and non Asian dishes.



The food was great and amazingly Santa Claus appeared again (He must have been hovering around in the area).

This may also come as a surprise to you....but Santa Clause does exist and he visited our house on Christmas Eve.



We did the traditional Christmas dinner with friends coming over along with some of our nieces and nephews. Soeren and Nui joined us with their daughter and Andy joined us with his daughter so it was an almost equal representation of adults and kids (if you count me as a kid).



Later on in the evening Santa Clause appeared (Ethan asked where the reindeer were and apparently they were parked on the roof).

Ethan had been asking all evening whether Santa would be coming. Eventually we told him that Santa is a very busy man and that he visits all the good kids first and leaves all the naughty ones until later...that kept him quiet for a while.



He gave the children lots of presents and soon afterwards he headed off again...he is a very busy person this time of the year (I think he borrowed a couple of beer from the fridge).



By the end of the evening we were so stuffed with food that we had to be rolled into bed.

My dad arrived early January to spend Christmas and New Years Eve here with us.

Before he arrived i asked him if he'd mind helping with a couple of jobs arround the house. I told him that the biggest job was the tiles in the outdoor area in the back yard.

When they built the house they only tiled a part of the area. Later they extended the area but didn't level the area properly so where the joint between the old and the new area was the tiles weren't the same level and were either loose or broken. My dad thought it was best if we removed all the tiles on the upper deck and then poured a new concrete slab on top of the old one. He said that this would guarantee that the area would have the correct run-off from the house and at the same time avoid any spots where water would collect (There is two small areas where the water collects with the result that dirt and leaves collect and makes a mess).



So far we have removed all the old tiles (360 tiles in total equalling more than 1 ton worth) and carried these to the front of the house. We also carried 1.3 ton of cement to the back to pour the slab (65 bags of cement). My dad was poiring most of this and leveling it while I was at work before Christmas. On top of this is all the new tiles, adhesive and grout (all heavy lifting).


I notices after a days rain that water was collecting in a couple of areas and my dad told me that I shouldn't worry about it as he would be able to compensate for this when laying the tiles to ensure that the water would run off.


The slab is now complete and we are ready to start laying new tiles. We bought a jackhammer which has been a life saver in terms of removing the old tiles and mixing the new cement and adhesive.

The area won't look too much different from before though. We are laying the exact same type of tiles (otherwise it wouldn't match the rest of the area at the back of the house and at the front).

I just really hope my dad does a good job making sure everything is level, because otherwise this would be a waste of the $3000 it is costing in materials and tools (I can also see that I will have a cleanup job to do afterwards...there is cement on the walls and the fence of the house how...my dads comment was that he couldn't take that much care and that I'd just have to re-paint the house). If water is still collecting then we could have accomplished the same for a fraction of the price (and work) by just replacing and leveling a couple of rows of tiles at the area where they were broken (admittedly this would have been uneven, but the savings would probably have justified it).


Problem is that I won't know how dodgy the job is until after we've finished the grouting which wouldn't happen until end of this week (with a lot of effort).

Anyway...will provide an update when we finish.

This year it was my Grandmothers 85th Birthday. As per the tradition the whole family went on a trip overseas, this time to Egypt.

It was my first time to Egypt so it was a different experience. I can recommend that you take a read of the Travel Journal by clicking here!


Click here to see more photos from: Egypt 2004/Slideshow/Travel Journal

2004 was the year I started working for Captaris. One of the first things I did was to visit our office in Calgary to learn about our workflow product.

My visit coincided with the Calgary Stampede, so lots of cowboys in town, indians and rodeos. I also too a bus ride up through the Canadian rockies through Banff, Lake Louise and up to the Columbian Ice Fields.

Click here to see more photos from: Canada 2004/Slideshow

In 2004 Australia was being drawn into the war in Iraq. A lot of Australians were opposed to the war, but the politicians wouldn't listen.

On a nice sunny day several hundred thousand people gathered around Hyde park in the middle of the city to demonstrate and express their opinions against Australia entering into the war.

I was of the belief that the war was a mistake in the first place and was totally unjustified, so I was decided to join the demonstrations and at the same time see if I could take a few photos.

Click here to see more photos from: The 2004 Anti War demonstrations/Slideshow

Andy and Tink had their first baby...a little (and very hairy) girl names Mia.

This was also one of those periods where I was checking out what it would be like to have a beard.

My grandad passed away in 2003.

He was getting old and was getting tired of living so he decided to end it.

With EDI I went on a field trip to visit one of the big containerships in Botany Bay.

It was facinating to see the size of those ships.

I celebrated Christmas and New Year with my parents in Thailand.

We spent the time in the Northern Part of Thailand in the Golden Triangle around Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai.

We rented a car for a couple of days and got to see a lot including all the hill tribes that still to this day live in this part of Thailand.




Click here to see more photos from: Thailand/Slideshow

In 2003 Kenneth got married to Anica. I was asked to be the best man by Kenneth.

The wedding took place at a homestead in Sofala three hours drive west of Sydney.

It was a wonderful weekend surrounded by wonderful people.



Click here to see more photos from: Kenneths Wedding/Slideshow

Contents . . .

My photo collection is vast. Many of them are in my albums, others scanned as images here. I have tried to include the best of the best, and will keep doing so. Feel free to explore any of the links - it make take some time to peruse them all...

( We recommend viewing of the photos through MS Explorer )

AUSTRALIA - HOME
Cockatoos at Home	Narrabeen Beach	New car	My Jobs

MY FAMILY
Grandmother's 85th	Grandmother's 80th	Donkey Day Out	My Brother Claus	My Father

2001
New Zealand (Mt Cook)	South-East Asia

2000
Chilli Festival	Ecochallenge Borneo (Sabah)	Sydney Olympics

1999

Home 19. September 2017 15:09 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Aiden starting Year 1 19. September 2017 15:09 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet Aiden is now in Year 1 at school. This photo is from his first day back at school. Share Aiden is now in Year 1 at school. This photo is from his first day back at school. 19. September 2017 15:09 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Aidens missing teeth 19. September 2017 15:09 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet Aiden lost his front teeth. Share Aiden lost his front teeth. 19. March 2017 16:03 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Zimbabwe - being chased by Leopards 19. March 2017 16:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet I just completed this photo of the boys about to be eaten by a leopard in the dark jungle.At the air Share I just completed this photo of the boys about to be eaten by a leopard in the dark jungle. At the airport in Victoria Falls they had these awesome stuffed animals that I though could be fun for some composite work. Trying to get the boys to act scared rather than just being silly was a different matter. Here are some more photos of the animals. 8. March 2017 14:03 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments South Africa and Zimbabwe - Travelling with the boys 8. March 2017 14:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet Traveling with the two boys can sometimes be a bit of a challenge, but this time it actually went ve Share Home 25. December 2009 10:24 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Expecting 25. December 2009 10:24 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet expecting Share Good news everyone...we are expecting a baby and the stork should be delivering around mid June next year. I guess most of you guys already know by now....for the rest of you...Surprise!! It is not unexpected as we were trying. Now there is a busy time ahead preparing for the baby. Kims wants the baby room painted (Even though in my opinion the baby doesn't care what colour it is). We will also need to get hold of stuff like prams etc. If there are any baby items that you can spare (especielly items such as car baby seats, pram and changing table) then we would be very grateful. We don't know if it is a boy or a girl yet (We should know by the end of January). 17. November 2009 08:46 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments One year Anniversary 17. November 2009 08:46 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet one year anniversary Share yesterday it was Kim and I's one year anniversary. We actually celebrated it on Saturday with a visit to one of Sydney top restaurants called Bilson's. Yesterday we instead planned to have a nice evening out watching a movie in the evening. Kim was apparently waiting for me to deliver something to her office (or so her colleague said) but after work I was waiting at the car with a bunch of flowers. Kim was so excited to go out in the evening that she forgot to get off the train at our station with the result that she by accident ended up in Parramatta (western Sydney)...it took her one and a half hours to make it to the car...but fortunately the flower still looked fresh. When we got home I spend some time experimenting with some photos and some lighting of the flowers before we went out, and here are the results. The Macro photos are taking using a 35/50mm lens reversed. The light comes from a single strobe reflected of a mirror. The movie was really good and entertaining. We saw 2012...and it doesn't pretend to be anything other than what it is. 2. November 2009 08:13 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Sculptures by the Sea 2. November 2009 08:13 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet sculptures by the sea Share Every year in October & November there is an exhibition called Sculptures by the Sea. The city exhibits close to 200 sculptures on the stretch of coastline between Bondi and Tamarama. The public can go for a walk and have a look at the sculptures and vote for their favourits...if they are able to find parking that is. Some of them are really good and some of them at just plain weird. Here's some photos I took of my favourites. 12. October 2009 11:44 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments An almost non-climbing event 12. October 2009 11:44 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet an almost non climbing event Share It has been raining almost constantly for the past two weeks (since the dust storm really) and Andy and I had organised to go climbing in the Blue Mountains together with a friends of his (Dan) who's never been on on real rock before. We looked a the forecast and it didn't look promising for the mountains so the night before we decided to go to plan B and go to Barrenjoey instead. The quality of the climbing is more limited, but at least it is a shorter drive and walk-in in case you have to bail. We arrived up at Palm Beach in the morning and the roads were still soaked in water from all the rain the night before. We therefore decided to stop at a cafe and have some breakfast and let the cliffs dry out a bit before walking in there. While eating breakfast we were having a look at the latest radar pictures and we could see that it was pouring down in the mountains and we could see rain approaching the Sydney area. After breakfast we were trying to decide whether we should bail or go climbing. After much procrastination we decided to climb and went to the carpark. Andy pulled out the insect repellent and started rubbing it into his genitals (or so it looked) saying that it would keep the chicks away (which I'm sure his wife appreciates)...or was it ticks. For Dans benefit we started out on one of the easiest climbs around there called Jezebel. Andy did the first lead and as he finished we could feel the first rain drops. I then did the second climb and once I reached the top the rain became heavier. The plan was to have Dan follow me up so that he could try an absail from the top. Once he reached the top it really started pouring and all of us became drenched while setting up the absail and clearing the gear. Dan made it down in good style (although nervous) and once I'd made it to the ground as well we quickly packed our gear and headed back home for a nice warm shower. Mostly a non-climbing day really...but Andy did get his sugar-hit with the pancakes. 12. October 2009 11:37 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Wicked - How did the wicked witch become wicked? 12. October 2009 11:37 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet wicked Share Saturday evening Kim and I went with a couple of friends to the Capitol Theatre to see the Broadway play called Wicked. The play is about how the Wicked witch became wicked in 'The Wizard of Oz'. The play very cleverly provides the background for the Wizard of Oz. This was Kims birthday present to me earlier in the year...satisfied the criteria for presents: Must be an experience or a consumable. It was a really nice evening and the play was very funny...especially the Wizard of Goodness (a real blonde) 23. September 2009 04:35 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Freak weather and dust storms 23. September 2009 04:35 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet freak weather and dust storms Share The last 24 hours has been the most freak weather I've (and anyone else) has experienced in Sydney. Yesterday we had 30 degrees during the day and in the evening a huge thunderstorm descended upon Sydney with massive rainfalls and very high winds. Kim found that water was dripping through ceiling and my first though was "This ain't good" and rushed up to check if there was a hole in the roof tiles or in the plumbing (if you see one of the previous posts then you'll notice that we've installed Solar hot water and this system is positioned above that same bathroom). I could clearly see where the water had come in, but it wasn't through any gaps and it seemed that the strong winds had pushed the water backwards and upwards under the tiles...whew...but I'll have another look next time it rains. Then this morning I woke up and looked out the window and everything was covered in a bright red and yellow haze and it was blowing a gale. I had a look at the forecast and stuck my head outside the window and it turned out that all of NSW was encapsulated in a massive dust storm with fine red dust coming from the Australian outback. Everything outside is now covered in this fine dust, cars, windows...everything. One of out friends too the following photo from his balcony: The area covered by the dust is huge and apparently it may even reach New Zealand. 14. September 2009 12:55 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments BBQ 14. September 2009 12:55 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet bbq Share This weekend we invited a group of my friends over for BBQ. The official excuse was for my recovery after my Hernia surgery (which is still causing me some grief some days). It was a beautiful spring day with 31 degrees in the shade and luckily I had put up a gazebo outside to cover the area and provide a bit of shade. Most of the day I was attending the BBQ cooking Lamb Cutlets, Fish, Prawns, Vietnamese Sausages and Chicken skewers. The last batch of chicken skewers I forgot on the BBQ with a very predictable result. In the evening we had Kim's family over for dinner/BBQ, so a repetition of the afternoon. 6. September 2009 10:44 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Sasha's and Mavis's wedding 6. September 2009 10:44 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet sasha s and mavis s wedding Share This weekend we went to Sasha's and Mavis's wedding. Family and friends were invited to attend the ceremony at Greenwich at 10am. The location they had chosen had a stunning view of Sydney Harvour and skyline. When we arrived neither the groom or the bride were there. Approximately 20 minutes later the bride arrived, but still no groom, so she did another round in the car. Finally at 10.30 Sasha arrived with his dad after having been stuck in traffic, shortly after Mavis arrived in her beautiful wedding dress and the ceremony could get under way. It was a beautiful ceremony, beautiful location and beautiful weather. After the ceremony it was photo time. The reception was at a restaurant called Occilate Wildly in Newtown. The food was nice and at the end of the afternoon everyone went on their way. 27. August 2009 12:18 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Videos from our trip in Italy and Denmark 27. August 2009 12:18 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet videos from our trip Share During the trip Kim took a number of videos using her compact camera. Here are the best ones (Click on the links to download the videos): Denmark: Knights Fighting Firing Weapon Italy: Verona Aida the Opera 1 Aida the Opera 2 Aida the Opera 3 Aida the Opera 4 San Gimignano View of Cinque Terre Cinque Terre from the boat Driving to Portofino Portofino View of Lake Como Lake Como from the Boat Driving on mountain roads Cow (Dont kill the cow) Switzerland 27. August 2009 10:27 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Hernia Surgery 27. August 2009 10:27 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet hernia Share The week before we went away on holi Home 28. March 2019 13:03 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Kanasawa Parks - Japan 28. March 2019 13:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet Share 27. March 2019 14:03 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Nikko - Japan 27. March 2019 14:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet Share 27. March 2019 14:03 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Tokyo Parks - Japan 27. March 2019 14:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet Share 27. March 2019 14:03 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Kanasawa Samurai District - Japan 27. March 2019 14:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet Share 27. March 2019 14:03 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Kanasawa - Japan 27. March 2019 14:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet Share 25. March 2019 10:03 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Australian Formula 1 grand prix 25. March 2019 10:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet On the weekend I went to the Formula 1 grand prix in Melbourne. It was a work sponsored event with o Share On the weekend I went to the Formula 1 grand prix in Melbourne. It was a work sponsored event with one of our vendors and great access to see the race and the pits. Here is some of the photos from the event. 5. February 2019 11:02 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Japan - Akihababa 5. February 2019 11:02 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet Share 5. February 2019 11:02 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Japan - Tokyo fish market 5. February 2019 11:02 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet Share 5. February 2019 11:02 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Japan - Tokyo Disney land 5. February 2019 11:02 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet 28. July 2001 10:47 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Burma Religion & Politics . . . 28. July 2001 10:47 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet politics Share Politics . . . There is a lot of politics going on in Burma that an outsider should not get involved in - Burma is one of those countries where political opinions are best kept to oneself. In Burma, use of the Internet and mobile phones is illegal. This is the government's way of controlling the information entering the country. Even access to equipment such as laptops is illegal - the country is so poor that many could not afford such a piece of equipment. I saw many young women queueing for their rations. They were standing so close together that I thought they were lesbians! *laugh* The girls stand close together so another person cannot jump the queue by pushing in. The girls here are very young, some have barely reached puberty and are doing some very hard work. There is a lot of critique by Amnesty International, of Burma's use of young girls to provide maintenance for the roads. 28. July 2001 10:47 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Medicine . . . 28. July 2001 10:47 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet medicine Share Medicine . . . My girlfriend, Arumi, tells me one sees the wares of a 'Medicine Man' quite often throughout Asia. Whether they sit by the roadside, or whether they own a shop in a building, one will see very similar items being sold around Asia. The “pellets” you see here are in fact different types of roots such as ginger or some unknown vegetable, that have been sun or air dried. You will see the antlers of various animals such as deer or even rhino. There are also skulls from different animals - some of these animals may be endangered species, but somehow you will see them being sold in these markets. These skulls are definitely not being used as “trophies” around the house! The Burmese, like many Asians, believe in using very 'natural' remedies to cure common ailments. A Medicine Man may not necessarily be a “doctor” according to western standards - that means he may not have a university degree. However, a Medicine Man, may be what we know as “witch-doctors”. Some of the remedies they know are very natural and useful. Unfortunately, not all of these remedies work. Around Asia, you will see shops or Medicine Man selling items like tigers' paws and skulls, or ground ivory tusks. Many of these are sold as cures or enhancements for the sex life. In Burma, there is virtually no wildlife left. You will even find that even tobacco is sold naturally. Not in cigarette form, but in leaf form! The laws in Burma are not quite the same as they are here. Marijuana is also sold very freely. Lotus Fruit . . . Quite often in Asia, you may see lily pads floating on the water. In fairy-tales, you hear about frogs sitting on a lily pad. You will be amazed to associate that this fruit here, comes from the flowers/plant growing out of the water near the lily pads. The yellow seeds come from the flower itself. The seeds are used often in many Asian desserts, and said to promote better blood circulation. While, the root of the lotus plant is also a delicacy. It is white when cooked, and has a crunchy texture, similar to that of the water chestnut. Mainly used in savoury meals, although used as a dessert as well. Personally, I think it is too much hassle retrieving the fruit! *smile* Created: 31 Oct 2001 28. July 2001 10:46 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Schwedagon . . . 28. July 2001 10:46 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet schwedagon Share Schwedagon was a holy place with extremely large and beautiful temples. To get to Schwedagon, you had to travel up very long escalators. I took this photo because these escalators were the only escalators I had seen during my whole trip in Burma. As Schwedagon is a very religious place for the locals, I guess to travel up these escalators give the sense of travelling to a higher and holier place. The temples at Schwedagon were really impressive. I was told that collectively, these temples were built with 39 tonnes of pure gold. At the end of the day, the locals all contributed in cleaning the place. They clean all the tiles and are very organised. Here is the 'Big Stuba'. All that gold... Up close, the temples are a glorious sight. Especially at night! Can you see those lights at the base of the Big Stuba? Each is a 'mini temple', illuminating a Buddha. You can really see the magnificence of these temples! There are lots of rules or procedures about the way one prays to the Buddhas - very complicated to an outsider! I saw a couple of the buddhists pour water onto the statue of the Buddha. Depending on the day of the week a buddhist is born, the individual would pour the respective number of bowls for the day of the week. A buddhist believes that by doing this, it would bring them luck. At Schwedagon, I noticed there were hardly any tourists, mostly locals paying homage. Can you see how intricate the carvings are in the foreground? The monks rung this bell to announce prayer times. It brought luck to ring the bell. For example, if you were born on the 1st day of the week, you rung it once to bring good luck. If you were born on the 6th day of the week, you rung it 6 times etc. 28. July 2001 10:45 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Myanmar ( Burma ) 23 July ~ 5 Aug 2001 . . . 28. July 2001 10:45 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet myanmar burma 23 july 5 aug 2001 Share Burma/Myanmar surprised me in many ways. I would have liked to see more of Burma than I did, but due to military restrictions, I only had access to certain parts of Burma and was not able to see any of the indigenous people along the border as I had initially planned.Burma is a very poor country. It was difficult to travel... travelling 100 kilometres could sometimes take up to 6 hours. One of the most beautiful places in Burma, I thought, was Bagan. I took many photos in Burma, and tried to order them in the following pages: I spent some days in Yangon, which had a heavy colonial influence. Schwedagon was another place full of temples, a place laden with pure gold. Whilst travelling, I could not help notice how influenced the people were by religion, and Burma's politics is one thing an outsider should not get involved in. I was fascinated by what the Burmese used for medicine. They also had some rather interesting local fruit. Mandalay also had an interesting colonial battle history. Whilst there, I watched the “Mandalay Marionettes”. With the restrictions up north, I did not get to see much. But you would not believe how the Burmese play volleyball! Finally, at Mt Popa, I went there to see a local monastry, and saw a lot of wild monkeys there. Yangon ( Rangoon ) . . . This is the city-centre of Rangoon. Rangoon is the capital city of Burma. It is actually a pretty big city if you compare it with other parts of Burma on a map. Most of the buildings are from the old colonial period when the British occupied Burma. Unfortunately they have not been very well-maintained. Can you see the green bits on the clocktower? If you are thinking it is vegetation growing on it, you are right! There is quite a bit growing on most of the buildings in the city. There were so many pigeons! I managed to catch a pictures of a pigeon flying mid-air - can you see the blurred grey thing near the tree in the middle of the photo? Next Return to SE Asia menu Return to Top Created: 22 Sept 2001 28. July 2001 01:56 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Burma newspaper 28. July 2001 01:56 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet burma newspaper Share 15. June 2001 10:27 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments 3rd Place in Photo Competition! 15. June 2001 10:27 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet competition photo 2001 Share I took part in a photo competition in November 2001, using one of the photos I had taken during my trip to Mt Cook in January 2001. This photo was of Kevin, the alpine guide from my group in the technical climbing course. The following photo and comments appeared on the Planet Fear website, in the Front Line Photography Competition - not long after I was notified that I was one of 20 winners, and I was even more surprised to find out that I had come third! The comments above the photo were my comments that I had emailed to them when I sent the photo. The comments below the photo were (one of the judges) comments about my photo. 3. Rene Pallesen The attached photo was taken in New Zealand on the main range near Mount Cook. The valleys to the west are filled with clouds formed by the moisture from the forests underneath. The snowcovered mountains in the north are visible through the clouds. The photo was taking using a Nikon FM10 using a Fuji Sensia 100 film. Literally bathed in atmosphere. It would be easy to muff this high key exposure but Rene is spot on. The vertical format adds to a shot capturing all the euphoria of life on the tops. Reminds me of the legendary Mountain mag front covers. ~ Comment by Ian Parnell, Planet Fear Feel free to see my photo on their website. Also, you could go to the Planet Fear website to view the other winning photos. 15. January 2001 11:14 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Mt Cook 15. January 2001 11:14 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet mt cook Share Created: 18 Aug 2001 Last Updated: 16 Sept 2001 15. January 2001 10:59 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Mt Cook ( 15 ~ 28 January 2001 ) 15. January 2001 10:59 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet mt cook 15 28 january 2001 Share Mt Cook ( 15 ~ 28 January 2001 ) I decided to do a Technical Ice-Climbing course with Alpine Guides in New Zealand. I spent 10 days at Mt Cook doing a very challenging course, but I learnt a lot. I learnt all the techniques required to do ice-climbing safely. I also learnt the necessities of surviving in the icy mountains. Prior to the trip, a lot of preparation was required. Everyday, I went jogging to build up my fitness, so by the time I left for New Zealand, I could run 3km on the sand without getting puffed. I also had to buy some of the equipment. I had to buy cramp-ons (looks like spiked metal soles) to attach to my boots; ice-axe and ice-hammer; a new Gore-tex jacket (I needed a new one anyway) and some other clothing and equipment. The photo on the right became a 3rd-place winner in a photo competition. Our group consisted of 4 other doing the course. There were no prerequisites, other than a love for the mountains and a very high fitness level. Not all of us who do this course go on to climb the great mountains. We also discovered it takes guts and courage to stand on top of the world and feel confident. One cannot be an ice-climber if there is a fear of heights or if unsteady on the feet. All of us in the group had come from different backgrounds. Søren was an experienced climber, who had aspirations of going to the Himalayas. Alan was a rock-climber who wanted to try the challenge of ice-climbing. Rob too loved the mountains and wanted the experience and challenge of being on the icey slopes of New Zealand. I had had quite a lot of climbing and mountaineering experience, but this was my first time ice-climbing. The person holding the camera is Søren. I met him in NZ, whilst waiting for the bus for Mt Cook. To my surprise, he was a Dane living here in Sydney. He was a professional photographer (hence you see him holding the Nikon). He and I had similiar experience so our speed through the course was pretty much the same. I actually ended up cracking a rib whilst on the course. I did this during a 'self-arrest' technique, where we actually throw ourselves down a steep slope and try to use our ice-axe to stop ourselves from falling any further. This technique is used in case you fall down a crevass and have nothing to hold onto. Rob was the other person doing the course. He once dropped his ice-axe and one of us had to abseil down to collect it, as an ice-axe is a piece of equipment that is vital and you only carry one of these each. We worked in pairs, but had to swap partners as our guide took turns working with each of us. Ice-climbing is nothing like rock-climbing. You cannot use your fingers (well, they will freeze if you take your gloves off), so you really on equipment like ice-axe and ice-picks to anchor yourself into the ice. These pieces of equipment are really important, especially if you are sleeping on a ledge or stopping for a rest. Other than someone belaying you, using ice-picks to secure yourself into the ice is the backup should your belay fail. We each took turns at ice-climbing! Alan is the one in the blue jacket, Søren is the one in the red. I guess Søren has more photos of me climbing, whereas I can't take photos of myself! In the following section, you will see a series of photos of Mt Cook. If you want to have a look at the black & white version of this (quite artistic), click here. 17. September 2000 10:58 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Olympic Day Out ( 17th Sept 2000 ) 17. September 2000 10:58 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet olympic day out 17th sept 2000 Share Last September, Sydney held the Olympic Games. I saw a lot of the events on TV but was disappointed with the coverage of other countries' involvement. However, I did manage to be at Olympic Park during the Games and also see the first handball match - Denmark vs Norway. I managed to get tickets for the game and had a very nice day with my girlfriend and the Lenehans. I also managed to get some pretty spectacular photos of the Olympic torch. Here is Stadium Australia, where the Olympic torch is held. Most of the major track & field events, as well as athletics were held here. It is a pretty spectacular building - and HUGE. During the Olympics, you could not go into just any of the buildings at Olympic Park. You had to have a ticket for an event before you could enter the building. As you can see me, I am wearing my T-shirt supporting Danmark! This is one of the few days that I can wear the T-shirt. It was a very sunny and warm day and the place was full of people. During the Olympics, you could only get access to the whole of the Olympic Park if you had a ticket. They had quite tight security, and had to go through a detector on the perimeter of the grounds after you got off the train/bus. The handball game started at about 2pm and we managed to wander round for quite a bit before going into the arena wear the handball was. The food as amazingly expensive! Normally a fruit salad would only cost about AUD$3, cost up to AUD$8 that day!. Bottles of water was double the price. They really made it a money-making event for tourists! The funny thing too, we noticed that as you entered Olympic Park, all of the signs were in French and English, and all the announcements were given in French first, then English. It was most peculiar! As we got closer to where the handball games were being held, we saw a lot of Danes and Norwegians dressed in country colours! Danes in red and white and Norwegians... well, there was a guy there who had lots of cow bells around his neck and attached to his clothes. He was wearing a traditional metal helmet and dressed in old-fashioned gear. It was amazing to feel all the atmosphere - just to be there. We were all in the true Danish spirit! Even my girlfriend was dressed in a white T-shirt and red pants! We painted flags on our faces with some face paint. We were definitely there to support the Danish team! Even Lance could not help get caught in the moment with us! *smile* A break in the handball game - Danmark vs Norway! Danmark in red & white, Norway in blue & white. We had pretty good seats - it was a matter of whoever got there first, had the best seats, although we had to enter through certain doors. All the journalists and officials sat on the left. We even heard that the crown prince of Danmark was there for the game, even though we could not spot him. There were flags everywhere, Danish and Norwegian waving about. Everytime Norway scored, you could hear countless numbers of cow-bells being rung! A few times, some of the people tried to start a Mexican wave, but that did not work out. It was a very fast and furious game. It was the only handball game that the Danish lost in the whole Olympic Games, and they eventually came first in the finals! Just after entering Olympic Park, we managed to get a group photo! As you can see the place is very crowded but very festive - you just had to be there! A most glorious sunset! After the handball match, we wandered around for a bit longer. The day had been quite warm, so the night was a beautiful clear night. After the Lenehans left, Arumi and I had a look at a small Aboriginal art exhibition located at the Park. We sat on one of the few grassy patches, to watch the flickering of the lights and just enjoy the day. We eventually went home, but Olympic Park was still swarming with people, who were there to watch events that went on later into the night. Although we did not get the chance to see any other events during the Olympics, it was definitely worth the day we spent there. We would have loved to see the final game when Danmark won, but as usual, we were not very organised... Below, I have included photos taken on the night of the Closing Ceremony. These were taken from Graham's apartment on a hill at McMahons Point. We had a spectacular view of the fireworks that went off after the Closing Ceremony. It was really windy on the balcony, but I managed to get some photos of the Olympic rings that were placed on Sydney Harbour Bridge. Beautiful, isn't it? << Older posts Newer posts >> Newer posts 1 2 ... 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 Older posts