Ports of Call - # 3 - Blue Waters Beckon You To Phuket Island

   







Approaching the port on Phuket Island, Thailand

Linking to That's My World Tuesday, Watery Wednesday

Little Blue Penguins

       


You don't have to travel to the Antarctic to see penguins. I visited the International Antarctic Centre in Christchurch, New Zealand and had the opportunity to 'encounter' and photograph some Little Blue penguins.


They aren't exactly blue, but they do have a shade of blue on their dark grey coat of fine feathers.





At the New Zealand Penguin Encounter, there is a huge natural-themed environment for the penguins. They can be viewed from from two levels, the upper level, outdoors, and the lower level, indoors.



The penguins in this centre are special. They have been rescued from the wild and cared for here. They all have physical disabilities that have left them defenceless, and they would have perished if left to fend for themselves in their natural habitat. What the people are doing there for sea bird conservation is just wonderful.




You just have to watch these videos of them...they're so adorable...especially the toddlers.


The first video is taken from the outdoor view. 

The second is of the penguins during feeding time in the pool.

soothing words,a caring touch

 scarred hearts mend

battered wings heal

Linking to: 

Camera Critters

 Haiku My Heart

Haiku Heights

MISSION QUITE POSSIBLE MISSION # 2

Monday, May 9, 2011

It is Tuesday here and on MISSION QUITE POSSIBLE, our mascot Grumpy Major has to pick the best accomplished mission for mention in his Honour Roll. Since this meme is still brand new and relatively unknown, for the first Honour Roll, Major is picking one out of two missions that were accomplished. That makes it 50% successful missions for the assignment 'As tough as a nail". Obviously, this was a mission, quite impossible!

Major's 2 Paws Up Honour Roll 

Mission # 1 : One@ Pet Creek 

Do visit Pet Creek by clicking on the link to see how that tough mission was accomplished.

MISSION # 2

This week, the mission is to capture "What brings you Joy".

I would like to thank Casa Mariposa for her wonderful suggestion for this week's mission. 

Further suggestions from you for future missions are most welcome.

The usual procedure follows...

1. Get your assignment for the week and post your capture.


2. Copy the URL of that specific post and paste it in my
    inlinkz box.


3. Leave a comment and have fun visiting the others to see 
    how their missions were accomplished!

It is Tuesday here and on MISSION QUITE POSSIBLE, our mascot Grumpy Major has to pick the best accomplished mission for mention in his Honour Roll. Since this meme is still brand new and relatively unknown, for the first Honour Roll, Major is picking one out of two missions that were accomplished. That makes it 50% successful missions for the assignment 'As tough as a nail". Obviously, this was a mission, quite impossible!

Major's 2 Paws Up Honour Roll 

Mission # 1 : One@ Pet Creek 

Do visit Pet Creek by clicking on the link to see how that tough mission was accomplished.

MISSION # 2

This week, the mission is to capture "What brings you Joy". I would like to thank Casa Mariposa for her wonderful suggestion for this week's mission. 

Further suggestions from you for future missions are most welcome.

The usual procedure follows...

1. Get your assignment for the week and post your capture.


2. Copy the URL of that specific post and paste it in my
    inlinkz box.


3. Leave a comment and have fun visiting the others to see 
    how their missions were accomplished!

Ports of Call - # 2 - Lovely Langkawi

Langkawi Island is located off the North Western Coast of Peninsular Malaysia. What is special about Langkawi is that it comprises 99 islands. It is well-known as the archipelago of 99 tropical islands, out of which, only four are inhabited!


Langkawi has been given a World Geopark status by UNESCO. The island's oldest mountain, Gunung Matchinchang emerged from the seabed in the Cambrian period. This area is a conservation area today. There is also a karst geopark and a geoforest park.

Of course, not everyone goes to Langkawi to see the geological wonders. You go for the sun, sea and beauty of the beaches.

The port where our ship docked is just lovely...the water so clean, the island so inviting with her verdant greenery. It was like landing on Fantasy Island, just a perfect Scenic Sunday on the shores of a tropical Malaysian island paradise.

Unbelievably peaceful tropical  island scenery. I just love the palm trees swaying in the breeze.
The noon sun cast a 12 o'clock shadow below the trees...a perfect shadow shot.




Linking to Scenic Sunday, Shadow Shot Sunday, Weekend Reflections 

Cute Cat Critters

I have been featuring all kinds of critters, but seem to have left out the most sensitive of all critters...the feline in our homes. Hope they'll forgive me once they see this post.


There were many felines that I have met on my trips ...some were acquaintances, some became close friends. I'll feature three of them here.


PROUD THAI TABBY
Met this proud feline at an artist's workhop in Phuket, Thailand. I don't think she is a Siamese cat, but this is one proud Thai tabby. It took ten shots before I could capture this image of her.She was a difficult feline to photograph.











PROUD TABBY'S FRIEND


This is a friendlier character. She strolled in when I was trying to capture PT's (PROUD TABBY)
profile, and she waited patiently for her turn under the lights. A most accommodating kitty. I have posted two images of her below to show her my appreciation.








SOLSTICE 
 She became a friend. When we were in Dunedin, New Zealand, in a lovely B+B, we looked out for Solstice as she was featured in the brochure. There was neither a glimpse nor shadow of her during the day. At night when I was at the computer table in the reading room, there she was, sizing me up from where she sat on the floor. Then to my surprise, she gracefully hopped on to my lap, and kept me company as well as warm until I left to go to bed. I'll never forget that bonding and that warmth from a total stranger. Just look at that graceful and gracious feline, my  friend in Dunedin.











Linking to Haiku My Heart is this haiku for Deb:

loving kindness of a heart

cherished eternally

winter solstice's warm embrace 

Linking to Camera Critters, Haiku My Heart, SOOC Saturday.

Ports of Call #1 - Singapore...Harbour Sights, Marina Delights

Trains and boats and planes...remember these lines from the lyrics of a Burt Bacharach song of the same title?

Trains and bloats and planes are passing by
They mean a trip to Paris or Rome
For someone else but not for me
The trains and the boats and planes...


I've got loads of photographs capturing these forms of transportation and more...all requisites  in the life of a traveller. I'm using these snapshots for my new series about all the different ports of call that I have had the pleasure of viewing from the vantage point of a sailor approaching land and shouting "Land Ahoy!" (Do they ever say this?) Anyway, in my series we'll be calling out "Ship ahoy!" as we spot all kinds of  ships, tugboats  and yachts. There will be sky and sea scapes, plus coastline landscapes for our viewing pleasure while we anticipate our dream cruise to take us to foreign shores.

This first post covers Singapore Harbour from which the cruise-ship departed when I went on my cruise to Langkawi and Phuket last week. Next in this series I will feature ports where we disembarked on the Western Mediterranean Cruise which I took last year in May.

A new post-modern architectural wonder being added to the Singapore skyline.

A water feature comprising gigantic mechanised  birds off Sentosa Island.

Is that a little tugboat pulling the huge schooner? The cable car line above connects Singapore to Sentosa Island.

We're sailing away..see you soon, Singapore!

Pretty heavy traffic here!

For more fabulous watery images, go visit Watery Wednesday.
For dramatic or clear skies, visit Skywatch Friday
Thursday Theme Song is fun...visit Hootin' Anni's.

As Tough As A Nail

I have to admit that this is quite a tough mission that Old Major has set us. This mission itself is as tough as a nail! However, I have captured an image of something as tough as a nail. This seemingly delectable pie is actually cloaked in deception. The outward appearance is inviting, luring its victim to have a taste of untold gastronomical gratification; but once the first bite is taken, the victim realises that the mission of chewing this pie is quite impossible! The filling of meat is as tough as nails. Such is the world of espionage we're dealing with here. 

Now you know that baking is not Rosie's forte.



For First Of The Month... a foiled effort, a day wasted toiling in the kitchen, sweating by the oven.
For MISSION QUITE POSSIBLE...an impossibly tough pie to chew, maybe Major would like it. Happy chewing!!!