Finally there was a break from the rainy weather yesterday. I wished for the sun but after days of gray, rainy weather; I was very happy to settled for a cloudy day. At least I can get out and shoot some fall colors. We took a road trip to Big Four mountain or also known as Big Four Ice Caves. I have never been there before so I was excited by the prospect of taking of ice caves. The trip was short. It took about an hour to get there from my house. As I stood in front of the majestic looking mountain peaks, I felt very grateful to be able to experience such beauty.

The elevation of the mountain is about 6,135 ft (1,870 m) and the ice caves are easily accessible with a short hike through the dense forest on a very well maintained trail.

On the way to the ice caves, I came a cross a nice little pond with the mountain reflection. I took a few shots. Unfortunately, the clouds were thick so the lighting condition wasn’t the for getting the bright fall colors I was looking for.

I didn’t like the dark clouds in the water. And decided to zoom in and use longer exposure to brighten the water.

The result was but overall, I still find the scene rather boring looking. So… I zoom in some more… all the way up to the maximum of the lens — which is 250mm. And when I looked into the view finder — something clicked in my creative brain. I was very excited by what I saw.  The reflections from the vegetation and tree branches created an amazing array of colors, textures, and details. I knew this was the kind of shots that would get my creativity working.

As I was busy composing, I saw a trout jumped out of the water causing ripples to form. Unfortunately, I wasn’t swift enough to shoot the fish jumping but very glad the ripples changed the stillness of the water. I love the painterly feel the ripples created.

It took me over an hour to make the 1 mile hike to the ice caves. Hey… there were a lot of distractions along the way. And yes, I did take pictures of the ice caves — but since it was too hazardous to go into the caves — the pictures from the outside wasn’t too impressive. A black hole covered with dirty snow is about as attractive as the yellow snow.

Life have a way of creating opportunities when you least it. I certainly enjoyed the creative reflections in the pond.

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Travel Destinations: Shaoxing, China

With a country as huge as China, there are so many places and attractions to visit. Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong are the most popular destinations in China, but there are other cities which offer just as much as these.

When travelling through Zhejiang Province, why not visit the wonderful town of Shaoxing. With a population of 4.3 million, it lies just 67km southeast of Hangzhou. It is a water town, a Chinese version of Venice, with its winding canals, arched bridges and historical buildings. The canals are still used today, but the town itself has undergone some modernization and lost some of that ancient Chinese romanticism that many western travellers fall in love with. Despite this, however, Shaoxing still has much to offer.

Shaoxing was the capital of the Yue kingdom from 770 to 211 BCE but has been an administrative and agricultural centre throughout history. Shaoxing has been the birthplace and home to some of the most important and vibrant figures from history, including the artist Xu Wei, the female hero Qiu Jin and China’s first great modern writer Lu Xun.

There are several great sights to visit here in Shaoxing. Take a trip to Lu Xun’s former residence. Lu Xun (1881 – 1936) is one of China’s greatest novelists, the author of ‘Diary of a Madman’ and ‘Medicine’. He was born and raised here until he was sent abroad to study. When he returned he taught at Guangzhou’s Zhongshan University and entombed in Shanghai. His home and buildings, known as the Lu Xun Zhonglu, are open to the public and here you can gain a sense of the man from these items.

Why not visit the Yingtian Pagoda. It was originally constructed during the Song dynasty and part of a temple but was destroyed during the Taiping Rebellion. It has since been rebuilt and stands on top of a hill, giving you some astonishing views of the city.

King Yu’s Mausoleum is another famous attraction. According to legends, Yu the Great became the first emperor of the Xia dynasty in 2205 BCE. He earned the name ‘tamer of floods’ as he was able to overcome the great dragons that caused floods. During the 6th century, a temple and mausoleum complex was built in his honour and over the long centuries, new features were added. It is located about 4km southeast of the city centre. It comprises the 24 meter high Main Hall, the Memorial Hall and the Meridian Gate. To get here, take the number 2 bus from outside the train station.

Shaoxing is a wonderful city, full of cultural attractions, great historic sites, divine restaurants and hotels to suit every budget.