Water Taxi Anyone?

While in China I was enjoying the beauty of Hangzhou which has been a favorite retreat for people of prominence and imperial rulers for centuries. The splendor of Hangzhou is centered on and around the greatness of the massive West Lake, the largest part of West Lake is known as the Outer Lake and it is bounded by the North Inner Lake, Yuehu Lake, West Inner Lake and Lesser South Lake. Now you can see why I spent so much time on this lake and I have posted several images taken here and the cool ting is no two photos look like the same location either. The water taxi or tour boat was a relaxing way to take in the entire lake this boat trip took about 45 mins and we saw why this lake is so popular that boast 20 million visitors a year, not bad, that's like a good amusement park in America's visitor count. West Lake is a great place to spend a day you can enjoy a peaceful bike ride around the lake or take a boat either way you can’t go wrong on this must see while in Hangzhou.  

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All images and words © Bill Hamilton, All rights reserved, copying and or distributing these images without my permission is strictly prohibited.

The Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge

The Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge is a double-decker bridge across the Yangtze River and its upper deck is part of the China National Highway 104, the lower deck is the railway passage. This bridge is massive and impressive. This day it was overcast and light rain the entire day, but it was still worth the visit. This bridge is also one of the premier destinations for suicide which is not part of any tour group I’m sure. Nanjing is a very busy and it’s an important city commerce hub, but the real treat of Nanjing is the people and old world charm of this historical city. 

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All images and words © Bill Hamilton, All rights reserved, copying and or distributing these images without my permission is strictly prohibited.

 

Fisherman's Wharf in Taiwan

If you want a nice afternoon of relaxation and sightseeing just hop a jet to Taiwan and take the bullet train to Kaohsiung and go directly you the fisherman's wharf. If you hike up to the top of the hill and you will find a beautiful little outdoor cafe where you can grab a drink and a snack, but the real treat is the view of the wharf. If hiking up 1,000's of steps to catch the view is not your thing you can just walk around the fishing boats and you can find a small cafe where you can sit outside and enjoy the fresh sea breeze and close your eyes and just imagine your back 200 years before cars and motor scooters became the noise that drown out nature and the relaxing sounds of the ocean. 

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Sign of the Times or Just Gibberish?

Is this the sign of the times or just gibberish? When I got off the train in Danshui Taiwan my first reaction was WTF? Where am I going from this point and then of course you follow the crowd or if you’re lucky like me you’re traveling with someone who speaks and reads the language and you navigate from there. If you don’t have a local guide, you learn to ask strangers for help and read maps even in languages you don't understand. This got me thinking about people who risk everything to migrate to a foreign land where they don't know anybody and don't speak the predominate language of that new country and they risk it all for the chance at a new and better life for themselves and their families, man what guts and faith that must take. You wonder are things so bad where they are coming from and what made them so desperate to feel they have no options left, or on the flip side do they have a dream so big, so consuming, and so strong they don't view this as a huge risk because their faith is so huge, so strong that this is their calling it's no longer a risk but the only path for their life. Have you ever had a passion so strong that you went against the dominate belief or the general condenses that you were willing to risk a sure thing and risk the safety of what you were taught and threw caution to the wind and followed your heart, your passion, your dream because your faith in God and yourself was enough that the fear left you and it was replaced with a calm and clarity of what your future might be? If you haven't had that voice inside you, I hope and pray that one day you too will find your calling, your passion, and your reason for being.

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Saturday in the park...

A Walk in Paradise

There is nothing more relaxing than a quiet walk on a beach either in the early morning or at sunset; this photo taken in the early morning on Coronado Island in San Diego. It’s not a secret to anyone who knows me or reads my blog “I Love Coronado Island”; I truly believe that it’s near perfect for my personality and desires. I love the surf, I love Islands, I love sailboats in a quaint little harbor, I love great food, and Coronado has all this plus the greatest hotel on earth, The Hotel Del Coronado. Go visit and take your personal walk in paradise. 

To view my gallery visit www.billhamiltonmedia.com. All images © Bill Hamilton, All rights reserved, copying and or distributing these images without my permission is strictly prohibited.

Parade Floats Are Cool

Parade floats are cool for so many reasons, first; just the sheer creation of the concept of the float and how it works all the engineering that goes into the float, second; the creative minds who think up the float design that is the finished product that we see with all the colors, lights, music, the visual elements, and thirdly; to me the execution of all aspects of the float experience the people who put all the bells and whistles together so we can enjoy the float rolling down the road during the parade. This float I captured during The Texas State Fair and this was to highlight the Chinese Lantern exhibit they had at the fair grounds. I love the colors and just the delight to experience these modern marvels every year at the State Fair of Texas nightly parade.

To view my gallery visit www.billhamiltonmedia.com. All images © Bill Hamilton, All rights reserved, copying and or distributing these images without my permission is strictly prohibited.

Life's Thrill Ride

Fear the great motivator to either do something or not to do it? I love going to amusement parks, state fairs, or local carnivals something about the atmosphere and the food, I love the smell of the worst food on earth. The rides have always intrigued me too, maybe its the thrill the ride offers the riders or maybe its the NASCAR mentality where you know a wreck could happen at any moment that's why they are called "thrill" rides. I do enjoy the typical roller coaster with it's steep incline and rapid descent into turn after turn, but I know I'm attached to a rail, which for some reason makes me think I'm safer, or am I? Life is similar to a "thrill" ride it's a short time we are here and it's exciting too see if we make it to the end of our journey without the major disaster in life. Watching our life unfold knowing that we did or did not accomplish all that we hoped for or did we come to the end of our journey filled with disappointment and regret? I challenge you to reevaluate where you are and what changes can you make to make sure your journey ends with found memories and experiences that you can be proud of and one that your family can say your life was a full of accomplishments, a life with few regrets, a life you'd be proud for your family to emulate, a life God will say good job, you ran a good race.

To view my gallery visit www.billhamiltonmedia.com. All images © Bill Hamilton, All rights reserved, copying and or distributing these images without my permission is strictly prohibited.

Why I hate Plastic Bottles

I don’t dislike plastic beverage (water) bottles for the same reasons most people hate them, I do moderately recycle, I’m not concerned about saving landfills, I’m not too concerned about toxins they may contain as part of the material DNA, I’m not really motivated about getting a nickel back from each bottle I take to a recycle center even though these are all good reason not to indorse plastic bottles, my reason for this bitterness is people do not really know how to use them when drinking and this has become so clear to me while trying to enjoy my yoga practice, that’s right yoga has brought this abuse to my attention. The plastic bottle was designed to hold liquid so you can enjoy the liquid when you are ready to drink, but here is where I get irritated….You do not need to “squeeze” the dam bottle to get the liquid out and into your body, “gravity” will allow as much liquid as you can handle at any one time to enter your mouth. “Do Not” squeeze the plastic bottle the noise is like finger nails on a chalk board, don’t do it, show some manners, some class, don’t be a pig, hold up the bottle and let gravity drain as much beverage as you desire. Squeezing doesn’t accomplish anything, nada amigo! Drink with class and everyone will appreciate it and not to mention you won’t disrupt my personal meditation time and we both can be in a Zen like state of bliss, Namaste. 

To view my gallery visit www.billhamiltonmedia.com. All images © Bill Hamilton, All rights reserved, copying and or distributing these images without my permission is strictly prohibited.

Waiting is the Hardest Part

Waiting, wow the one word we don't really care to hear, wait! Wait what, I want it now, I need it now, I deserve it now, wait no way. In a society that is build on instant gratification, if you doubt this look at the inventions of drive thru restaurants, pharmacy, and liquor stores, the convenience store, smart phones, quick emergency medical care that advertise no wait times, etc. If your a surfer you lean the discipline of waiting between waves, you learn to appreciate the fact if you wait the pay-off might be the perfect wave. Are you waiting for the perfect wave? The hardest thing in life to learn is how to be content with where you are in your life at this moment, it might not be what you want, it might not be perfect, but do you appreciate where you are in your life's journey right now? If you can be happy where you are you have found peace and you know that the perfect wave might be up next, that is a winning outlook on life.

To view my gallery visit www.billhamiltonmedia.com. All images © Bill Hamilton, All rights reserved, copying and or distributing these images without my permission is strictly prohibited.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to everyone, I hope 2014 is a great year full of love, happiness, and peace! As I was looking back on 2013 this is still one of my favorite images, just the simplicity and innocence of children loving the beach experience, they didn't realize it at that moment but they were building childhood memories that will last a lifetime. Make as many new life long memories as you can in the coming year. The advice I live by and what I have passed down to my kids, spend your money on life experiences and not possessions. In twenty years you won't remember what shoes you wore yesterday, but you will never forget experiencing a beautiful waterfall or sunset.

To view my gallery visit www.billhamiltonmedia.com. All images © Bill Hamilton, All rights reserved, copying and or distributing these images without my permission is strictly prohibited.