some shots from my hometown

These photos were taken a while back (summer 2008) when I was back home. I didn't take many photos during my holiday, as I got ill due to very different weather between Singapore and back at home. Anyway, I managed to grab a few shots on several occasions.
The first five shots are lotus taken near my neighborhood, I ride a bicycle to a university nearby, where there was a large lake full of these lovely flowers, in the school. There was even a farmer fishing by the lake. All shots taken with 70-300 IS, which I feel is one of the most practical long lens in canon lineup.
















This is a shot taken from the bank of Luo river, which gives the name of my hometown as Luoyang (literally means "to the north of Luo river"). The river is of great historical significance, as it is not only the major source of fresh water for agriculture and transportation, but also related to a series of historical figures (quite well known) and their romance. Now the river is losing water due to excessive drain in upstream, it becomes much narrower in recent years.

The river is also a separation between past, now and future. On my side, you can find a populated city lying on layers of remains of civilizations dated back to 2000 years ago, on the other side, a giant, new but empty city is being built up. As like countless cities in China, Luoyang is expanding at rocket speed, however, this is done at a cost that cannot be overlooked.

The image was taken with Sigma 10-20, a very capable WA lens and true alternative to canon's offering. It was a hot day with heavy fog.




The image below was taken with 70-300 IS of the wild flowers growing freely beside my doorway. I like the afternoon sunshine on those flowers.




Entertainment of locals...
people enjoying yuju at night. All performance were from fans in local community. Image taken with Sigma 30/1.4




A view from my window, where a new city is booming




Below are two photos taken in a valley near Luoyang. A peaceful place for refreshing on weekends. I have to admit I didn't know about the place until I left Luoyang for many years.






This is an image taken in White Horse Temple, a temple built from A.D 64. A worshipper prays before a thurible. The temple still gathers large number of visitors each day, though many of them come to pray for wealth, offsprings and careers etc, instead of paying respect for their religious belief.
I found the overwhelming number of tourist a bit annoying...




My dinning table...