Posts Tagged ‘malaysia’
Cameron Highlands, Malaysia
The Cameron Highlands of Malaysia are absolutely stunning. Everything is photogenic here from the rolling hills of the tea plantations, to the Orang Asli villages dotted around the rain forest. Once again a chance to do some decent trekking and meet local people.
Through a Child’s Eyes – Matt Preston
Protective Sister – Matt Preston
Village Sports – Matt Preston
Happy – Matt Preston
Children are always the first to appear when tourists come to their village. They play outside most of the day anyway but they’re easily the most curious of the villagers and usual greet you with an inquisitive look that is great to photograph. If you can get them to smile and laugh you’ve really made a connection. My only regret is not being able to spend longer at the villages as I loved spending time with the people there. A life so removed from my own western lifestyle.
Anyone for Tea? – Matt Preston
The tea plantations shimmer in the sunshine. they seem to go on forever. A perfectly pruned hedgerow as far as the eye can see.
Mossy Forest Wonderland – Matt Preston
Pitcher Plant – Matt Preston
The Mossy Forest, while i expected it to be quite mossy, is VERY mossy! High up on the slopes of the mountains, thousands of gallons of water pass through the thick trees as clouds slide up and over the peak. Due drops hang on everything helping the moss to grow everywhere. The ground is a soft cushion of leaves. It’s eerily quiet and utterly beautiful. Like a scene from Lord of The Rings.
Check out the rest of the photos from the Cameron Highlands in Malaysia
As ever your comments and tweets are very welcome.
Penang, Malaysia
Our first stop in Malaysia was a real surprise. Having come from the party island of Phuket in Thailand it was nice to be somewhere a bit more relaxed. Georgetown on Penang Island in the North West of Malaysia is a very colonial city with some of the best food we’ve ever eaten!
Turn Left at the Monks – Matt Preston
Big Incense – Matt Preston
The new 9 storey tall Pagoda over the Kuan Yin statue is very impressive and we were lucky to be there on the day it was opened to the public. It’s refreshing to see new architecture which such artistic work when the world seems obsessed with steel and glass buildings.
Kuan Yin Pagoda – Matt Preston
A fishing village not too far from Georgetown was a great place to meet some fishermen and watch them unload their catch. It was hard to get a decent vantage point as most boats are covered in ropes which I found quite annoying when trying to compose. Never
It’s Down There Somewhere – Matt Preston
Barrel of Fish – Matt Preston
We also visited a nearby Butterfly Sanctuary which is always a delight for any photographer. It was a shame I didn’t have my macro lens with me as so real close ups would have been fun.
Taking a Breather – Matt Preston
Catching Some Rays – Mat Preston
Clock Tower – Matt Preston
We really enjoyed Penang. The people of Malaysia are so friendly, the food was divine and the cheap bus service made getting around very easy. I’d definitely recommend it on any itinerary in Malaysia.
Check out the rest of the Penang photos below
As always your thoughts, comments and critiques are very welcome.
The big adventure countdown
Our big traveling adventure is just 1 month away! We’re starting to bite our nails a little bit now and frantically getting everything prepared. There’s an amazing amount to sort out when you own a house you want to rent and a cat that needs a new home!
Juggling finances plays a big part along with also increasing my skill and experience working in all manner of photographic situations. I’ve been lucky enough to shoot a few weddings as well as meeting up with some great models for portrait shoots and fashion shots. I’m very pleased with my work so far and hopefully will get to fit some more shoots in before we go.
Our plans haven’t changed much. Our hostel in Sydney is booked as is our flight to Vietnam. My new Macbook Pro has arrived and i’m busy setting that up with everything I’ll need for the journey and beyond.
I’ve also updated my “creative website”. Take a look at www.mattprestoncreative.com which covers all manner of creative outlets.
I’ll be updating this site in the coming weeks as well so keep an eye out for new features and blogs.
It’s really picking up pace now!
If you live in or have been to any of the following places do leave a comment with any advice or recommendations!
Singapore
- Singapore
Vietnam
- Hannoi
- Sapa
- Halong Bay
- Hue
- Nha Trang
- Mekong Delta
- Saigon
Cambodia
- Phnom Penh
- Kampot
- Bokor Mountain National Park
- Battambang
- Siem Reap
Thailand
- Chiangmai
- Bangkok
- Chiang Rai
- Ayuthaya
- Kanchanaburi
- Ko Tao
- Phuket
- Phi Phi
- Ko Lantra
- Krabi
Malaysia
- Penang
- Butterworth
- Cameron Highlands
- Kuala Lumpur
Australia
- Sydney
- Melbourne
Progress report on travel plans
September 20th 2009. The day that everything changes. Ok that’s slightly over dramatic but never-the-less accurate. Our plans for the “Big Adventure” are coming together and picking up pace.
For those of you that don’t know, my wife and I are planning to travel extensively through South-East Asia for around 3 months before moving to Sydney, Australia for a while. This is part of my drive to become a full time professional photographer and gives me a goal or deadline to work towards, you’d be surprised how motivational that is!
So here’s a rough itinerary, I’ll spare you the impressively in-depth version my wife has created. In 3 months travelling there’s hardly a day when we’re not booked to do something or travel somewhere!
September
20th – Fly from Heathrow, England to Changi, Singapore
27th – Watch the Singapore F1 Grand Prix with friends
October
Fly to Hanoi, Vietnam and spend a few days there as well as 3 days in Sa pa, treking & home stay and 3 days at Halong Bay.
Vist Hue City, Da nang and market town of Hoi An. Also the costal town of Nha Trang where there’s amazing beaches and sea corals.
On to Ho Chi Ming City, visit the famous Tay Ninh and Cu Chi tunnels. Cai Be on the Mekong Delta for a home stay.
Cambodia
21st – Boat and bus to Phnom Penh for a few days
Visit Kampot and Bokor Mountain National Park. Then to Battambang for a 
village home stay.
A boat to Siem Reap for Angkor Wat. Hopefully be there for sunset one day and revisit for sunrise the next day.
November
1st – Bus and train to Bangkok, Thailand
A few days in Bangkok before we go to Ayutthaya and then on to Chiang Mai visiting the sticky rice factory and do a bicycle tour.
On to Chiang Rai and possible home stay b
efore a hill-tribe trek.
An overnight train back to Bangkok before heading on to Kanchanaburi. Visit the Bridge over the River Kwai.
December
On to Ko Tao for a few days before hoping over to the islands of Phuket and Phi Phi for a week or two.
On to Krabi and Hat Yai before crossing the border into Malaysia
Visit Penang and Butterworth then train to Kuala Lumpur.
Train back to Singapore then fly on to Sydney, Australia around the 19th. Spend a couple of weeks enjoying Christmas while looking for a more permanent accommodation.
Flexible plans
Obviously these plans might change. That’s the wonderful thing about backpacking and traveling for extended periods of time. You can be flexible with your plans and get a chance to go off the beaten path. I’m really looking forward to the home stays and visiting a few sites and towns you wouldn’t normally go to. The flights are booked as are the Grand Prix tickets so it’ll be a fantastic start to the journey!
I will as ever be blogging throughout our travels and beyond. I’ll also be meeting up with locals from each country, doing photo shoots with local models and also meeting local photographers. Some of which I shall interview for blogs. The main point of our travels is to build up an extensive portfolio and hopefully do some networking with local photographic agencies and publications.
More progress reports on our plans as they are confirmed. If you have been to any of these countries please do leave a comment. I’d love to hear any recommendations on places to go, hidden gems, etc.