The Ones That Stand Out - Best of 2010

I selected these 15 images to be my favourites for the year as they involved an interesting story to shoot and are relevant to my time spent working and traveling a small part of Asia. They are the ones that stood out and I thought I’d share them with you as 2010 draws to an end.

The end of 2010 is not a milestone or specific date that determines some kind of change or the start of something new for me. I’ve been viewing some interesting “best of 2010’s” this past week on leading news websites and thought I’d give it a go to re-publish some of my favourites too.

This blog has been my creative outlet for some time now and I hope you are enjoying the photos and stories I share.

Here are some of the images in no particular order for 2010:

1. Seokmodo Landscape

I drive past this house everyday towards school, but I never have the opportunity to stop and take a photo. One late afternoon in summer I decided to leave school and go for a walk to this view point to shoot this image. It is yet another reminder of where I am currently finding myself teaching out on a rural island in South Korea. This image will always stand out when I think back of Seokmodo Island and the commute to school.

2. Kaohsiung by Night

I stayed at my cousin Xenia and her husband Estienne in Taiwan before coming to South Korea. This photo was taken from the roof of their apartment building. Estienne and I climbed to the top with some beers and a chair each. I placed my camera on the chair for this shot as I had no tripod. I also ended up going back for more shots during the day. Estienne was my ‘Kaohsiung tour guide’ and was always keen for an adventure. It was his idea to go shoot photos and drink beers on the roof.

3. Exploring Bali’s East Coast

Clementine and I rented a scooter on our last day in Indonesia to explore Bali’s East Coast. This was one of the best days in Bali. We took the back roads through rice paddies and gravel roads and took this shot just before sunset. I took many photos here which resulted in us driving back in the dark dodging trucks and stray dogs.

4. Over Night

South Korea is growing at an enormous pace and new apartment skyscrapers seem to appear over night. I see this growth weekly when I take a bus into Seoul, but I never have the opportunity to stop for a photo. This was taken when I came back from China. An acquaintance picked me up with his motorbike and having our own set of wheels allowed me to stop on route for this shot.

5. Palm Trees and Rice Paddies

This image was taken in Bali Indonesia. It was one of the images I had in my mind of what I thought I might see while visiting Indonesia. It’s a cliché image that will probably appear on travel websites and in coffee table books, but it was still an amazing sight to witness.

6. Chained Dog

One of the first and most prominent things that stood out for me upon my arrival in March was that almost all dogs were chained to their kennel and lived outside in harsh conditions. I walked around my town before spring to shoot some of these dogs and found many to be just as cautious and curious as me. This dog at first looked as if he wanted to attack me but he soon calmed down and allowed me to come closer. This is not a common sight in the urban parts of South Korea, but here on the outskirts it is.

7. Taking Shelter While Viewing the Forbidden City

It started raining on the day that I visited the Forbidden City and hundreds of tourists took shelter under their umbrellas. I did not have an umbrella and took this shot just before the rain came down hard. I tried to capture the size and attractiveness of this palace with all its visitors regardless of the weather.

8. Carrying the Load

I took this image on Gili Trawangan Island in Indonesia. We did not stay on Trawangan Island, but had to take the ferry from there for Bali. This image was taken from the main tourist drag, though you wouldn’t think so. I tried to capture the non-tourist aspect of the famous Gili’s as I waited patiently for the women to walk past the boat with their load.

9. The Changing of the Season

This image was taken on the ferry that I commute on daily. I see these birds every weekday and have grown tired of them. The landscape changes frequently though and was what drew me to the ferry deck on this autumn day.

10. Mount Rinjani

Rinjani was truly one of the most spectacular sights ever. The photo does not do justice for the sheer size and beauty of this extravagant volcanic crater. Getting to this view point took a grueling one day hike and we camped at the top near the rim. The weather on the day before was miserable with downpours and no visibility, but on this morning we were lucky to be treated with a clear view of the crater. It was a memorable sight, though a wider lens and more time at the top could have helped to justify the size of Rinjani.

11. A View of the North

This is an image of North Korea taken at the DMZ (demilitarized zone) on one of the only clear days in April. I used to take my camera to school every day in the beginning of my contract and on this day our school took a field trip to the controversial DMZ. The soldiers on duty said that we were lucky to have a clear view of the North as the days before had no visibility. This image is not great, but it would have been useless if I didn’t have a 300mm lens in favourable weather conditions. Getting a clear photo of the north was difficult with all the photographic regulations in place. Tensions on the Korean peninsula between North and South have increased since my visit and my experience of this strong divide and sightings of the North have added to my understanding of this sensitive issue.    

12. The Great Wall of China

Not much to say about his image other than I had the opportunity to hike 8km on one of the seven wonders of the world on a perfectly clear, warm day outside China’s capital Beijing.

13. Forbidden City Wall

I visited the Forbidden City in Beijing on an overcast day with the possibility of rain. I found this big red wall towards the end of my long walk through the palace grounds and waited for a local to walk past. I took this image of a man pushing his motorbike only seconds before the rain came down.

14. Clementine’s Visit (s)

I’ve been extremely grateful and lucky to have had Clementine visit me three times in Korea. I took this image of her feeding Seagulls during her first visit in May. It was taken on the ferry that I take to school everyday and I see Koreans feed these birds daily. What makes this image special is that it is not just any Korean feeding the birds. It was Clem having fun and sharing these experiences on the outskirts with me.

15. Giving Assistance

This image was taken near Ubud in Bali Indonesia. Clementine and I went on a cycle tour through the small villages of Bali and I took this image of the locals doing daily work in traditional wear. I made use of my 300mm lens and waited for them to start loading the rice.  

Taipei 101

I applied for my South Korean working visa in Taipei and the Korean embassy is situated next to the second tallest building in the world, the Taipei 101. The 101 used to be the world’s tallest skyscraper until the completion of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai in 2010. The Taipei 101 was completed in 2004 and has 101 stories at 510 meters.



The 101 skyscraper has the highest viewing point of all skyscrapers. Visitors are able to view Taipei from the 90th story – an awesome sight.



I bought my observation ticket and stood in the line with the hundreds of other visitors. The elevator is the fastest of its sort and took us to the viewing deck in under 45 seconds where I was treated with spectacular views. The city was slightly polluted as most big world cities are and I could almost see across the whole of Taipei.
I only spent one day in Taipei as I wanted to travel to the East coast by train.










I decided to go to the Taipei International Cycle Exhibition held in Taipei. So the following morning I took the subway to the exhibition hall just before my East coast departure. Getting into the exhibition would be a different story as it was only open to exhibitors and influential people. I looked around and soon figured out my move. I walked to the registration desk and told the lady that I had forgotten my business card at my hotel (as you need one as proof to enter). I then said that I was travelling in Taiwan and the newspaper I work for back in South Africa asked if I could come to document the event as they knew I was in Taipei. She handed me a form to fill out and my handwriting was terrible, so next moment she handed me my pass that read: Albert Redief. Along with the pass was a free meal and fruit juice – Score!

Inside was crazy. There was too much cycling products to view in the limited time I had. I just wanted to see BMX products, but finding them was hard, so I decided to rather just claim the free meal and head back to the main station.

Taroko Gorge and beyond

I decided to go back to Hualien to rent a scooter and drive into the mountains at Taroko gorge. The scooter trip was the highlight of my time spent on the East coast. I left Hualien early Monday morning as I wanted to miss the weekend rush and the tour busses of the day. In Taroko gorge there were already numerous tour busses by the time I arrived and the Taiwanese tourists with their latest digital cameras clogged some of the view points. All of them wearing a helmet in case of a rock fall. I looked at them and thought: you all look like sheep. Then a parks board official told me that I had to wear one too. I joined the sheep with my digital camera and snapped some shots of the beautiful river gorge.







I felt like a small kid who was told what to do, where to walk, what not to touch and when to not linger. Taroko is covered with warning signs saying: walk here, do not linger, do not climb over the fence, do not lean against the fence etc and spoils the beautiful scenery. Too much information and rules... I had to leave the tour groups.





I climbed on my scooter and drove into the mountains. The mountain pass became more and more breathtaking as the climb progressed. I drove through several tunnels, next to sheer cliffs, narrow pathways and overhanging vegetation.
Halfway to the top were Buddhist monks looking out over the valley bellow and I stopped to embrace the view with them. The monks offered me some tea and organic fruit where after I continued my climb.











The skies were clear and the air fresh. A complete opposite to the city and industrialised West coast that I had seen the week before.
If this mountain pass had to be in South Africa then it would be a must cycle route for all cycling enthusiasts. It’s on the level of the Sani Pass in terms of being epic, but not as difficult. I drove 50km into the mountains before turning around at 2700m above sea level. The mist started to pull in and the views disappeared. It started to rain as I got to the bottom and I arrived in Hualien soaked.





I had an enriching one day scooter adventure and want to do similar scooter adventures in the near future.
From Hualien to Kaohsiung was easy. Two train trips of 6 ½ hours and I was back to my base camp with Estienne and Xenia - I had completed my journey around Taiwan by train!

Kaohsiung by night

My first week in Kaohsiung - Taiwan!

I made it to Kaohsiung in the south of Taiwan. 36 hours to complete three flights, one bus ride, one train trip and a lift on a scooter.



I am staying at my cousin Xenia and her husband Estienne’s apartment in the east of Kaohsiung city. They have been English teachers in Kaohsiung for 3 years and know all the ins and outs of the city. In their spare time they show me around and I am very grateful for the support base given to me.







No one speaks English and ordering the right food becomes tricky. Xenia and Estienne introduced me to their usual restaurants and street vendors where I can order food from. I mainly eat across the street at the Buddhist restaurant where I order veggies with rice and look at all the strange looking people. Travelling and finding accommodation in Kaohsiung would be extremely difficult had it not been for Xenia and Estienne. I often go for long walks or take the girl bicycle for rides to the harbour and city centre, but communicating to the people, reading a menu or asking directions are complicated and often frustrating. I would love to speak to the Taiwanese about their government, social issues or lifestyle, but the communication gap limits me. I therefore just observe the people and their culture.



I have only been in Taiwan for one week and I am spending all my time in one city. My observations and understanding of the people and the country will obviously develop over time. The reason why I am only based in Kaohsiung for the moment is because I need access to the internet and a postal address to receive documents. I applied to go teach English in South Korea and I need to be in contact with my agent and finalize my contract. I’ll go up to Taipei to arrange a working visa for South Korea at the embassy as soon as very thing is sorted with my contract. I am therefore still waiting like I did back in Cape Town; I just chose to wait in another country. I have received news from Korea that they need me to report for work on the 26th of March and I am waiting to hear from my agent as I am making this post - so my time in Taiwan will be short.









It was my birthday on the weekend and Estienne and Xenia took me on a scooter ride through the city to Cijin Island near the harbour. I’ve been cruising around on Xenia’s scooter for the past week and I love it. There are so many scooters on the road and even finding parking for the scooter becomes a challenge compared to back home where I would park anywhere. Xenia and Estienne gave me a Lomo fisheye camera for my birthday (so amped on the camera!!), so watch the blog for some of those pictures coming your way soon.







I need to start making plans in terms of visiting the embassy in Taipei and seeing as much as possible in the short time I have here. I need to be here in Kaohsiung to sort my Korea job out, but at the same time I want to go explore the east coast. I have an opportunity to go to the east coast on the weekend, so I am pretty excited for that.
These photos are some of the images I captured while cruising around on the bicycle or walking through the busy alleys of the city.









Just making this blog post possible was a mission - Downloading a one month free Photoshop, working on a PC with a pirated Windows copy and using a mouse that hardly responds made it all the more difficult. My future blog posts might even be more complicated, who knows?