A post lasik dive trip. Why not? I went through my calendar and found a 2 week break that fit nicely into my schedule, so I had them blocked and sent a couple of emails to my contact at Twofish Divers. This will be my fourth time there and my second this year. I’m a little like a whale on migration, always going back to the same area year after year.

Just over less than a year, so much has changed here. I was greeted by many new faces, who would after this trip, become familiar faces that I hope to see again soon. Their way of life intrigued me. It seems like the digital revolution hasn’t really hit them yet. Life revolves around family, the sea and music. Almost every night, they will be singing and playing their homemade instruments. Merry making till the last guests turn in at about 9pm. After which some of them will stay back to have a game of chess or watch english dubbed chinese kungfu movies. I didn’t seem to notice all these ongoings in my previous trips. I knew enjoying the experience is going to be of higher priority over photography this time.

I am happy I learned something new this trip. A change in approach and mentality.

Overall, it was a great trip. A trip that offered me more questions than answers. I am already looking forward to the next trip.

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I don’t have to look far to find what I want.

The Singapore skyline from The Marina Barrage.

Left: Approaching Sydney’s international airport. The land below is the Royal National Park, which we drove through a few days later. We didn’t have time to stop by, but the drive itself was mesmerizing.
Right: On the beach at Port Stephens. On the right hand side of the beach is the sand dune, which stretches a few kilometers.

Left: Wentworth Falls. Taken on the way down to the falls. Definitely not for someone with weak knees. The steps are tight and steep.
Right: Dog’s pawprints on the beach.

I see Anteater.

The Opera House.

From Mrs Macquarie’s Chair.

Strategically chosen seats to catch the sunset on the way home. Oh… and I got all 3 seats for myself. Although I think the A380s are not the best for plane photography because of the huge distance between the double glazed windows.

Anyway, here are some of the images I took during the trip.

The Sydney Opera House and the Harbour Bridge… and the moon at 10am in the morning! It was the last day of my trip and I had an afternoon flight to catch, so I decided I should just hang aound the city before taking a train to the airport. And that was the first day that I stepped into the city in the whole 10 days. Been mostly traveling out of the city this trip. I was told that the sun and moon usually meet in the morning for a chat here in Sydney.

Left: wind swept footprints on the sand dunes at Port Stephens. Pretty amazing stretch of sand dunes right beside the beach. Reminds me of Frasers Island in Queensland.
Right: The Three Sisters of the Blue Mountains from Echo point lookout. If this was in Singapore, it’ll probably be called 福禄寿.

Partner or no partner.

No partner? Nehmind… the four legged one makes a good substitute:)

Pelicans at The Entrance. The lamposts used to be straighter.

Here’s my attempt on the 1st tier of the Empress Falls along the National Pass of Blue Mountains.

Learned a great deal during this trip, in terms of handling of the camera among other things, things that I can apply to my job. It was a fruitful trip and I will be back again. Many thanks to the friendly staff from Twofish divers, good to see you guys again:D Here are some pictures from the trip.

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A coconut octopus grabbing the mouth of a discarded bottle while the strong surges swept the sand across the seabed.

Here’s a shot of the clown fish and wishing everyone a Happy Lunar New Year!:D

Clown fish with isopod in mouth. Because of that, it looks like it’s smiling. A lucky find there:D