Family, Semarang - 3 of 3

Last, but definitely not least, I wanted to include a couple of photos of our family in Semarang. Well, now that I've chosen the pictures, its really our niece and nephew that have stolen the spotlight. But there you go.

Firstly, a nice picture of the kids in the car, from left to right, Santoso, Dylan, Shelda. Shelda and Dylan are the children of Hanna's older sister, Siannie, and Santoso is our driver Pak Kabul's son.

This is just a picture of Shelda about to eat a spoonful of sambal (chilli sauce), though, she never actually ate the sauce!

A candid picture of Hanna's younger sis, Merry. We thought this turned out quite well, especially as I just shoved the camera in front of her while we were walking to the car!

And lastly, one of Dylan and Shelda being themselves.

Hanna & Alan :-) 

Semarang, 2 of 3

For this post, I wanted to show some views of Semarang during the day. These photos were mainly taken whilst driving too and from eating establishments. I'm not 100% sure on the locations of some of these, but it gives an idea of what Semarang is like.

This second shot is of a local market. Strangely, Hanna and her friend have never been to this market, claiming its too hot, too busy, and not too safe. I had a strange desire to dive right into the market, but upon opening the window and feeling the oppressive heat, I decided against it, and settled for the local department store instead. Whenever Hanna's family needs something from the market, from foodstuffs to pet turtles for the kids, one of the drivers rushes off on a motorcycle... Perhaps one day, I will leave my wallet, phone, and any other valuables in the car, and venture deep inside this market...or maybe not?

Thirdly, a shot of the street around the corner from Hanna's house. I always find this place amazing, as its a four-five lane road, with huge warehouses all around, but if you look closely, you will see the entire road is paved...not cement, not tar, but pavers. Quite a feat really!

Lastly, just a nice sunset shot of a street that we ate in.

I hope these photos give you all a sense of the size and make up of Semarang. The one thing it doesn't show is the age of so much of the town. Once you get off the main roads, especially around the china-town area, the places are old and dark, with many of them looking like they've been through a few wars (such is the constant barrage of heat and moisture). I think next time we visit I will make sure I take some pictures of the older parts of Semarang.

Indecently, if you want to see more pictures of Semarang, which was a major port town during the Dutch colonial era, please visit Semarang@Wiki or www.semarang.nl. These sites have some photos of the landmarks in and around Semarang.

Alan & Hanna :-)

Semarang at Night - 1 of 3

We have just come back from a week in Semarang, and remembered to take some more pictures this time, so here is the beginning of a three-part introduction into the town of Semarang, Hanna's birthplace, and family home.

Firstly, a photo of Hanna's house in Kampung Petemesan, this has been Hanna's family home since before she was born. The lane to the left is a communal lane leading to a whole other section of the Kampung (or 'village'). The get to the house, you drive down a narrow driveway between two buildings (see previous posts). I doubt I could handle living here...its definitely a different style of living to what we're used to, but this is where Hanna's mum and sister Merry live, and its nice to see how people really live!

This is a view from the front of the house, showing some food stalls which have packed up for the night. You can't really see it, but just where the light is is Hanna's mum's factory.

This was just a view from the car at a Nasi Ayam stall we ate at, waiting for the others to come back. Its not a very good photo, I know, but I was trying to use a long exposure with a very small camera!

Lastly, a view of Semarang at night. This was taken on the eve of Hari Raya, the Muslim New Year, and was taken from the roof-top of a mountain side ice-cream shop. I was hoping to catch a glimpse of the fireworks that were happening all around the city, but I wasn't so lucky. It was a nice experience being there for Hari Raya, hearing the prayers chanting across the city...

Alan & Hanna :-)

Two funky german lights. Beijing, China

I had to include these two shots of the lights used in the Beijing branch. Both are imported from Germany, and I thought they looked cool.

I must admit, I'd probably pay more attention to the lights in the meeting room than the actual meeting!



Alan :-) 

Beijing, China

Well, it was back to China again, and although I didn't get the opportunity to see any tourist sites, I did get to see a lot more of the vast city (well, at least in the NE direction).

I didn't take many pictures during the week, just a couple from the various offices I visited. Ths one, taken from the 10F of the new bank branch, was trying to demonstrate the haze over the city. This was a cloud-less day apparently!


It also just happened that outside the window of the office was Google China. The government definitely can't filter the location of this site from me!


Last day in town, and I awoke to crystal blue skies. I was surprised, as I didn't think it was possible in Beijing. I didn't take any photos of the skyline, as I spent most of the day in a meeting room, but I did manage a shot of the hotel, just to prove that the sky was really blue!


Lastly, the setting sun from the potentially new China HQ. As you can see the haze was fighting its way back, and the blue sky was definitely losing.


Alan :-)