Canon EF 24-85mm f3.5~4.5 USM @ Cijin Lighthouse 旗津燈塔

2009.7.30


This year, we decided to let our daughter, who is in kindergarten, go on summer vacation. So I took her back to Kaohsiung. My mother would join us two days later, and we would go to the Pingtung Ocean Park to see the beluga whales. In the meantime, besides going to the Children's Playground at Dream Mall, I planned to take my daughter on an educational trip.

Everyone in Kaohsiung knows that the only way to get to Cijin Island is by walking through the harbor tunnel or taking a ferry. We only had our legs, so we chose the latter. In the morning, we took a bus on Fifth Avenue to the ferry pier at Xiziwan. The ferries come and go very quickly, and we didn't have to wait long. After boarding the ferry, it took about 10 minutes to dock. Once we got off the ferry, we were in the heart of Cijin. The lighthouse we wanted to visit was about 15-20 minutes away. We finally found the trailhead to the lighthouse based on my memory from 10 years ago. It was a hot day, and we were sweating profusely after climbing a short hill. My daughter was only able to climb the hill successfully with my encouragement and coaxing.

The wind on the mountain was strong, and it made us feel refreshed. I was busy taking photos, while my daughter was busy getting stamps in the exhibition hall. I made a promise to her that we would go to the Hengchun Cape Lighthouse to get a stamp two days later, with a map of all the lighthouses in Taiwan full of stamps.

I used my portable digital single-lens reflex zoom combination, Canon EOS 30D + Canon EF 24-85mm f3.5~4.5 USM.

今年我們答應讓上幼稚園的女兒放暑假，所以我帶著女兒回高雄，兩天後媽媽再來跟我們會合，一起去屏東海生館看小白鯨。這兩天的空檔除了去統一夢時代的兒童樂園玩，我打算帶女兒來個知性之旅。

高雄人都知道，要到旗津不是走過港隧道就是搭渡輪，沒有交通工具只有兩條腿，我們選擇後者。一早我們就搭上五福路上的公車，來到西子灣的渡船口，渡輪來來回回的速度很快，幾乎不用等。登上船後約莫10分鐘，就已經要靠岸了，一下船就是旗津最熱鬧的地方，離我們要去的燈塔大約15~20分鐘。好不容易憑著10年前的印象找到燈塔的登山口，大熱天爬一段小山坡就滿身大汗，女兒也是在我又催又哄的鼓勵下才順利地爬上了山。

山上的海風很大，讓人覺得暑氣全消。我跑進跑出地忙著拍照片，女兒則忙著在展示廳裡蓋紀念章，我跟她約好，帶著蓋滿紀念章的全省燈塔地圖，兩天後我們還要去鵝鑾鼻燈塔蓋紀念章。

我的隨身數位單眼變焦組合 Canon EOS 30D + Canon EF 24-85mm f3.5~4.5 USM。



Photo 1: Cijin lighthouse 旗津燈塔


Photo 2: From the Cijin Lighthouse, overlooking Kaohsiung Harbor 從旗津燈塔俯瞰高雄港

For other great photos, please see the Cijin Lighthouse album.
其他精彩照片請參閱 旗津燈塔 相簿。

Canon EF 17-40/4 L USM & Carl Zeiss Sonnar 1.4/85 T* @ Taipingshan and Cui Feng Lake 太平山與翠峰湖

2009.7.18

The first time I went to Taipingshan was with my girlfriend (who happens to be my daughter's mom), and that was about 10 years ago. I remember it was autumn, and the mountain was freezing cold. Unfortunately, the Taipingshan Mountain Resort didn't have hot water for showers, and due to unfavorable weather the next day, we missed the chance to visit Cui Feng Lake. Ten years later, my wife's company organized a staff trip, finally giving me the opportunity to witness the beauty of Cui Feng Lake.

After having lunch at the mountain resort, we took a small bus and walked a short mountain trail. Then, a group of us switched to a nine-passenger minibus to head towards Cui Feng Lake. We arrived at the lake around 3-4 PM, and mist had already started to rise. The vastness of the lake was concealed, with occasional glimpses of the scenery along the shore when the sunlight brushed through. It is said that the view during sunrise is more captivating, offering a clear view of the entire lake. However, I personally prefer the ethereal beauty of Cui Feng Lake veiled in a thin mist.

In recent years, with global warming, high-altitude lakes like Cui Feng Lake fall into the high-risk category. How long they can be preserved remains uncertain. I sincerely hope that global efforts to combat climate change prove effective, emphasizing energy conservation and carbon reduction – a responsibility shared by everyone. 

第一次去太平山是和女朋友(就是我女兒的媽啦)一起去的，已經是10年前的事了，記得是秋天，山上冷得不得了，偏偏太平山山莊還沒有熱水可洗澡，隔天因為天候不佳，也就沒有去拜訪翠峰湖了。10年後，老婆的公司辦員工旅遊，終於有機會一睹翠峰湖的樣貌。

中午在山莊用完午飯，搭了碰碰車，走了一小段山林步道，一行人便換上九人座小巴前往翠峰湖。到達翠峰湖的時間大概是3~4點左右吧，已經開始起霧了，整個湖面有多大看不出來，偶而有陽光掠過才可以看到岸邊的景色，據說日出的景色更吸引人，可以看到整個湖面，相較之下我還是比較喜歡這披著一層薄紗的翠峰湖。

這幾年來全球暖化，像翠峰湖這種高山湖泊也是屬於高危險群，能夠保存多久沒有人知道，希望全球的抗暖化行動真的有效，節能減碳，人人有責。

Due to the limited Canon AF lenses I currently have, I brought along the Canon EF 17-40/4 L USM and the Carl Zeiss Sonnar 1.4/85 T* (Contax). The former served as a general zoom lens (27-64mm), while the latter acted as a telephoto lens for capturing distant scenes (136mm). This combination has recently become my standard travel setup. For beginners using Canon APS-C cameras, I recommend the Canon EF-S 17-85mm/4-5.6 IS (27-136mm) as a versatile travel lens.

由於目前手中的Canon AF鏡頭有限，所以僅攜帶了Canon EF 17-40/4 L USM 和 Carl Zeiss Sonnar 1.4/85 T* (Contax)，前者當一般變焦鏡頭使用(27~64mm)，後者當拍攝遠景的望遠鏡頭使用(136mm)。這樣的組合最近已經成為我的標準旅遊配備，至於Canon APS-C相機的初學者倒是建議挑選Canon EF-S 17-85mm/4-5.6 IS (27~136mm)作為旅遊鏡。



Photo 1: Taipingshan 'Pong Pong Car' Station 太平山「碰碰車」車站


Photo 2: 'Pong Pong Car' speeding through the cypress forest 檜木林間疾駛而過的「碰碰車」


Photo 3: A glimpse of Cui Feng Lake amidst swirling clouds 雲霧繚繞的翠峰湖一偶

For more photos, please refer to the Taipingshan and Cui Feng Lake album.

更多照片請參閱 太平山與翠峰湖 相簿。