Malacca Butterfly and Reptile Sanctuary

Selamat datang ke Melaka!

As part of my series on Melaka, my hometown, a UNESCO World Heritage Site as a historic city of the Straits of Malacca, I am sharing these photographs of the Malacca Butterfly and Reptile Sanctuary. 


TAMAN RAMA-RAMA & REPTILIA MELAKA
Malacca Butterfly and Reptile Sanctuary


First of all, I have to admit that my sole purpose of visiting this place was to photograph the butterflies. Secondly, I am not too keen on photographing reptiles. In fact, I sort of closed my eyes and ran past the snake collection area. I did brave myself enough to snap a few shots of the crocodiles, but one of them gave me a hungry look, so I walked hurriedly on. Hence, these photographs I am posting are only of pretty birds and butterflies, and harmless tortoises and koi. No snakes, my apologies.


At the entrance...

Pretty Polly welcomes the visitors.

 90% of these photos are straight out of the camera (SOOC)...including the parrot images and the peacock. For the peahen, I had to pop her colour a little as she is rather a Plain Jane.

Another Polly says hello. (No, she merely squawked )

   

He just wouldn't spread his wings for me...proud peacock!

Pouty Peahen is pretty proud too.

"Do you think we qualify for Mellow Yellow Monday? We are pretty yellow up-front!" 

"Oh! She wants a snapshot of us?  Why didn't she say so?"

Let's go inside, explore the grounds...

Reflections in the Koi Pond 

The Asian Brown Tortoise...largest in Asia (grows up to 25 kg!)

I can't figure out the significance of the giant eggs...this leads to the butterfly sanctuary!

THE BUTTERFLY SANCTUARY!!!

Stop me if keep on filling this post with the butterfly photos I took. I love them all...

However, I shall try my best to limit myself to publishing one of each variety...if I can. Oh, this is really hard for me.

A shadow shot...a 12 o'clock shadow, to be precise!

Alright, alright. I shall save some of the photographs for the next few write-ups on each individual species.



Linking to:
Weekend Reflections
Scenic Sunday
Shadow Shot
SOOC
Mosaic Monday
Macro Monday
Mellow Yellow Monday

Fremantle

To say that the port city of Fremantle has character is an understatement...it has a charming ambience that distinguishes it from the modern city of Perth. A mix of late Georgian, Victorian, Gothic architecture make the town of Fremantle most interesting to visit, and certainly unforgettable.


Much of the architecture in Fremantle was built by the convicts during the colonial era in the mid 1800s. The Gaol, now renamed the Round House is a well-known landmark. It was a jail until 1886.




Another landmark is the Fremantle Town Hall, representative of Victorian  architecture. It opened in 1887.






Gothic Architecture
St John's Church attracted my attention at first glance. Overlooking King's Square, it is said to be the true heart of Fremantle.






Just look at these ornate facades. Just lovely!









Gold Rush Architecture
Described as a 'rich' style as we can see from the examples below. The Gold Rush brought prosperity to Fremantle in the 1890s, and the architecture of that era reflects that.





I like this pretty shop window.

  

The people  we saw on the streets and park were busy and on the go on that day, though.


  

  





Linking to:
Skywatch Friday
Weekend Reflections
Scenic Sunday
Shadow Shot
SOOC

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 

Siberian Seagulls

The  proudest moment in my newly acquired interest in bird photography occurred when I was at Green Lake in Kunming, China. I had always admired my blogger friends who photographed birds apparently with ease, and obviously with great success, judging from the fantastic close-ups of all kinds of birds in their blogs. In my own garden I could only watch as some mynahs hopped on the ground. Each time I moved in to attempt to point and shoot some photos, they would have flown off at the slightest hint of movement.


I resorted to photographing birds that do not fly...I do not mean roosters and such, I mean yard art birds. However my big break came when I heard about the thousands of migratory seagulls which would be at Green Lake after flying over oceans, land and lakes from Siberia. I am of course referring to the birds; I'm not from Siberia. Surely out of the thousands of birds there, I would be able to capture one or two decent images of birds in flight. There were throngs of  photographers by the lake using the best in bird photography equipment no less. I wasn't the least daunted. Using my Sony Cyber-shot, I clicked deliriously away. Here are some of my favourite captures.

What a delightful day at Green Lake, the day I became a bird photographer.

This post is specially for Weekend Reflection, Straight Out Of The Camera, Camera Critters, Scenic Sunday.
Do go over and watch the action there.