RYANN REYES

These are some of my photos from my recent trip to Manila. After my cousin’s wedding, we went down to the still operating Enchanted Kingdom; then had an overnight stay in Tagaytay; and then headed back to Manila again.

1. National Hero 2. The view from our Makati condo 3. A Wedding Reception at The Manila Hotel 4. Carousel 5. Space Shuttle 6. Taal Volcano 7. A Bowl of Roses at Sonya’s Garden 8. Tagaytay Sunset  9. That’s me at NAIA Terminal 3-Gate 118 10. Metro Manila at Night 

I recently went to Manila to attend my cousin’s wedding. It was a very quaint family affair. As always, I was very emotional all through out the event. I love weddings. I really do. I felt so blessed and honored to witness the most important day of my cousin’s life. I’m very happy for the newlyweds and I wish them a happy and prosperous marriage. And just so we’re clear, I wasn’t the “official photographer” of my cousin’s wedding. I’d like to think of this as my wedding gift to her. I might get some of these framed soon. Here are some of my favorite photos from the wedding up to the wedding reception. 

1. “Here comes the Bride…” 2. Spossa Bella 3. Bouquet 4. RB 5. “You may now kiss the bride…” 6. Amante-Gador 7. While Waiting 8. The Newlyweds 9. Wedding Reception 10. Busy Bride 11. Siblings 12. Wedding Guests 13. My Beautiful Cousins 14. First Dance 15. Photographed by RB 16. Reyes Family Portrait

This is a shoot I did with the awesome swimwear line City of Vintage for their latest Summer collection aptly titled Sun Tan. There were two photographers on the shoot, and these were my shots. It was styled by the amazing Vanessa East with Mac VB, the owner of City of Vintage. Make up was done by Isabeau Gomez. And our model was the Russian stunner, Lana Novikova.

It’s been a while since I did this. And I’m really glad Mac liked what I did. This is also one of the most significant shoots for me because of personal reasons. I’m looking forward to doing more shoots like this in the future. 

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After Guangzhou, we went to Panyu District (番禺区). It was still a cool spring day in Panyu. But I was so happy that the sun finally showed up. I was able to spend one whole day in Panyu. Huang and I stayed in a hotel around the area, courtesy of his dad. They didn’t want me to alone. Huang already prepared a list of the best places to see here. I told him that I wanted to see the more historical and rustic side of China. And that’s exactly what we did.

Our first stop was at the Baomo Garden (宝墨园). It’s a garden built at the end of the Qing Dynasty. It boasts of ancient gardening styles and ancient building styles in Southern China; an incredible river network that is incorporated in the whole garden; and exquisite works of art in ancient and modern times. It’s basically a garden museum with in a museum. 

It’s like time never touched this place. They also had old songs playing in the background. So going around the garden was like being transported through time. I always found myself smiling and just staring at the wonderful view. The whole place is too beautiful.

Feeding the Koi Fishes was one of the most zen and most relaxing thing we did there. It was chaotic, but it was a beautiful chaos. Like a dance even.

Spring was all over the Rose Garden. All the roses were full bloom. You can even see the bees pollinating all over the area. I’m actually starting to love Spring more than Summer, now that I’m in a country with 4 seasons.

There was a museum about ancient artifacts from the various dynasties in China. It was filled with vases, statues, jewelry and paintings. But my piece from the museum was the Jade Burial suit. Each tile was made up of jade, and it was sewn in together with a gold string. Only men with distinction were allowed to be buried with those suits.

This was also inside the museum. This isn’t actually a painting. It’s a piece of marble slab that was cut, and then it revealed this. It’s amazing how nature imitates nature through art.

The Golden Buddah, staring silently and happily at the beautiful garden outside.

I found this little kiosk where this man was making works of art with burn marks. I later found out that what he’s doing is called, Pyrography. It is the art of decorating wood or other materials with burn marks resulting from the controlled application of a heated object. Of course I had one custom made for a special someone in my life.

More of the beautiful ancient architecture and gardens. Everywhere you turn, there’s always something beautiful to see. With birds singing, the cool spring wind blowing, and the sun in the sky, this is the most relax I’ve been in my entire life.

Names on the golden bamboo. I was tempted to write my name, but it would be too obvious because it would be the only name there written using the roman alphabet.

I was really surprised to see a section of the garden dedicated to turtles. Lots and lots of turtles. And then explained to me that in China, the turtle is a symbol for longevity.

Speaking of longevity, I wish would live long enough to be like this guy. Sitting at the Baomo Garden, with his cool walking stick and just basking at the awesomeness of it all. Like a Sir. A Chinese Sir.

More Koi Fish around the garden. The interconnected river system inside made sure that the fishes have a huge space to roam around. It may not show in the photo, but these fishes are huge. 

This is me using the Chinese Spouting Bowl. You’re supposed to dip your hands in the water and then rub your wet palms along the handles on the sides until water begins to vibrate, and eventually spout water droplets. They said if you successfully did that, you’d have lots of good luck. Here’s a video of me with the Chinese Spouting Bowl.

After we left Baomo Garden, we went to another historical place, The Old District of Panyu. Most of the houses were made of oyster shell, just like wall of the house with the little rectangle window. It’s amazing how much effort went in to preserve this area. 

Everywhere you look there’s always red lanterns. Red Happy Lanterns. The place is littered with them. Not that I’m complaining. It makes the whole place even more beautiful. I’d love to see all of them lit at night.

Just me playing with the locals. What? It was bright sunny afternoon. I couldn’t help it.

This is where we ate lunch. I had Ginger Soy Milk with Cow Lungs. And of course, Red tea. Apparently, that’s what this restaurant is most famous for.

After lunch, I asked Huang if it was alright for us to walk around the neighborhood. I asked him if it was safe, and then said that the people are very peaceful. Except when they get drunk and fight. But yeah, it was a very peaceful walk through the very narrow alleys.

The Fauna of Panyu’s Old District. The dog was happy to see me. Not so much with the cats. Even in China it’s still the same. The sign on the door of the cat photo says, “Do Not Enter” or something like that. 

If there’s one common denominator with all the old houses I’ve seen is the use of the Red Bricks. In China, Red is the color for Happiness, Luck and Prosperity. Which makes perfect sense. I’d love to live in a Happy, Lucky and Prosperous House myself. While walking around I had to remind myself that I am so blessed, humbled and so grateful that I am able to walk around this place. I was very overwhelmed and was almost in tears because I just can’t believe I’m in a place like this. I only get to see this on TV or online. That’s why I am very grateful for this opportunity, especially that it’s my first time.

After walking around, we went back to our hotel, had a quick massage and then headed out for dinner. This was the last time we saw each other. And since it was my last time here, I wasn’t allowed to choose the food. He said we’ll order the usual food that you have in the Philippines. 

So we had Chicken for dinner. That’s a chicken alright. Complete with head, feet and other internal organs. I only ate the legs and wings. But it was good though. Good Chinese chicken.

After dinner, we stayed there and had a super long conversation about anything and everything. In one of our conversations, we talked about the Chinese Zodiac. I told him I was born in the year of the Dragon. And then he reminded me that this year, 2012 is the year of the Dragon. He told me that maybe I was destined to be in China on this particular year. Maybe some things are really meant to happen. Getting a more personal tour of China from Huang made my trip more meaningful. I was able to see China through his eyes. One may go to China expecting to see all those tourist spots, as with any other first timers. But it is the moment when you gain important life lessons along the way is when a trip to a foreign country becomes more meaningful. I hope I get to see Huang soon.

Next stop, Beijing!

After Qingyuan, we headed straight to Guangzhou (广州). Spring was only starting in China. When we arrived in Gunagzhou, it was gloomy and the temperature was 17 degrees. Hence, the gloomy looking photos. At first glance, you wouldn’t think that you were in China when in Guangzhou. It’s a very developed city and a far cry from Qingyuan. Since we only had a very limited time there, we went straight to the best place in town to see everything at once, The Canton Tower. 

The Canton Tower is an observation and TV tower built for the 2010 16th Asian Games. It is the tallest structure in China standing at 1,968.5 feet, and it is the the fourth-tallest freestanding structure in the world. Being on top of the Canton Tower was the best way to see the entire city. And Guangzhou is huge! It’s only the third largest city in China and southern China’s largest city.

I was way over my head when I bravely decided to really go up the tower. When I was there, I realized that I had an irrational fear of heights. Being on the 111th floor of the Canton Tower quickly reminded me of that fear. But the view from up there was breathtaking. 

People from inside the indoor Observation Deck. It’s 428 meters up from the ground. This tower has been in operation for two years but a lot of people still come here, even on a gloomy day where you can barely see all of Guangzhou. And now that I was there, I finally made up my mind to go even higher on the tower. There was no turning back!

We headed up to the Outdoor Observation Deck to ride inside The Bubble Tram. It revolves around the edge of the Observation Deck and it literally gives you a 360-degree view of Guangzhou. At this point, we were already 450 meters up from the ground. 

What a view it was from the very top of the tower. And looking at all the giant bubbles slowly revolving around is quite a site. The full unobstructed view of Guangzhou from inside the Bubble Tram was amazing. 

It was a bit hard to take good pictures from inside the bubble tram due to the curvature, but the view and the feeling inside was awesome. 

The View of Guangzhou from inside the Bubble Tram. The little island at the edge of the Pearl River is the Haixingsha City Plaza. This was the venue of the Opening and Closing Ceremonies for the 2010 16th Asian Games. It was huge!

Huang and I inside the bubble tram, photographed by his dad. His dad is my dad’s student. We’re the same age and he speaks really good English because he was able to study in the UK for about 7 years. And have a lot of things in common so it wasn’t hard for us to get along. He became my tour guide/interpreter during my stay in the Guangdong Province. It’s nice to have a new friend in a foreign country. The funny thing about this is that, despite being residents of Guangzhou, this was also their first time in the Canton Tower. So all of us were excited to be there.

I felt like all of this was happening too fast and I had to take a few minutes to just stop, breathe, and look down at where I am in the world right now. During the trip I felt like I was looking at China through my camera, and not with my very own eyes. I felt really humbled and blessed that I am able to do the things that I did. I paused for a while and took one last look of the city below from inside the Observation deck before going down the tower.  It’s a bit green because of the tint.

After that we headed down outside to the Outdoor Plaza. There were still lots of place that I want to visit in Guangzhou, and most of them are just right across the Pearl River. Like the Guangzhou Library, Guangdong Museum, Guangzhou  Opera House and many more. Too bad we didn’t have enough time in there.

Just across the Pearl River, is the stands on the Haixinsha City Plaza. Back in 2010, I really watched the Opening Ceremonies for the 16th Asian Games. For an Olympic or any Sporting Opening Ceremony geek like me, you can’t imagine how excited I was to see this up close and personal. The things that happened here two years ago were nothing short of amazing. Zhang Ziyi even sang here during the Opening Ceremonies! Yes, I live for these things. Imagine how I felt when I knew I was going to the Beijing Olympic Park.

And suddenly, a photo of myself at the banks of the Pearl River with the Liede Bridge in the background. This was photographed by Huang’s dad.

And just outside the Canton Tower, a few blocks away from it is the Chigang Pagoda (赤岗塔) or the Red Mound Pagoda. It was built in 1619 during the Ming Dynasty. And it still stands to this day. I love that despite the many buildings and towers shooting up in the city, they still managed to preserve what defined this city a long time ago.

When you’re driving around in Guangzhou, or in any part of developed China, you would notice that the city and entire country is growing, literally. You can always see constructions cranes left and right. There’s always a new bridge, a new building, a new road that’s being made everywhere. I don’t want to sound too political but now I understand why the USA and other countries are afraid of China. The photos are a bit green because of the tint. I took the photos while inside a moving car.

“When in China, Eat it!” That’s what Huang told me when we went to an authentic Chinese restaurant in Guangzhou. They didn’t have a menu, but they sort of had a zoo inside where in you could choose what animal you wanted to eat. I chose the ones that didn’t move or was already dead. I couldn’t bring myself to see a rabbit getting killed just so I can have fresh rabbit stew. You know what they say, the Chinese will eat, Anything and Everything. Also, I wasn’t allowed to take photos of the merchandise. So that’s the only two photos I managed to take.

As we took a 1 hour drive to our next destination, I saw that the Canton Tower was very colorful at night, as with the rest of the city. China at night is very beautiful. I hope next time I can stay longer and explore other places and towers (there’s a lot of them around) in Guangzhou. At this point, my dad was still busy with his University affairs back in Qingyuan, while I was busy sightseeing. Next stop, Panyu City!

After our quick transit from Hong Kong, to Shenzhen, and then to Guangzhou, the first stop on my China trip was in Qingyuan (清远).

Qingyuan is mostly a rural city. The rustic and weathered brick houses is what I love most about this place. It’s very laid back and life there revolved around farming. I was told that they used mostly red bricks because a house, or any building for that matter, doesn’t need to look extra fancy. As long as it will serve its purpose of being a house, no paint and other decorations were necessary. A very communist way of thinking. And there’s still lots of this red brick houses until now. But most of them are abandoned since more and more people are moving out to bigger cities like Guangzhou. I think the uniformity is what makes this place so distinct and hauntingly beautiful at the same time.

We then went to Niuyuzui Original Scenic Resort to show us endemic flora and fauna in the area. We followed a trekking path to see the main attraction of the park, the Mucuna birdwoodiana or the Grain Que Flowers. People really love that flower so much that they really go through all that forest just to take photos of it. There were  also rivers, streams and waterfalls around the 270 hectares park. Notice the weird looking creature on the sign?

Of course, I tried a lot of Chinese dishes for lunch. But seeing the familiar Shumai (yes that’s the correct spelling) was a pleasant surprise, and a breath of fresh air from eating pigeons scorpions and cow lungs. Authentic Chinese food for the win! I’ve always loved Siomai (Filipino spelling) so eating 3 sets of these really made me feel like I was home. You know what they say, you can take the boy out of Cebu, but you can’t take Cebu out of the boy! Also, I apologize for only taking one photo out of all the meals I had there. I was too busy eating them.

After our little excursion, we headed back to our hotel and took a nap. After dinner it is customary in China to walk around for 30 minutes. So that’s what we did. Our hotel was just located at the banks of the Northern River, in the heart of downtown Qingyuan. There was a park on the river bank so it was a perfect place to do our little walk. It’s amazing how this city is old and new at the same time.

This is the main reason for my trip. This is where my dad had his conference at Qingyuan Polytechnic. While he was busy with all his graduate school affairs, I was busy roaming the streets and exploring Qingyuan with my own personal tour guide/son of my dad’s Chinese student. It was a nice personal tour of this city. This got me even more excited about all the other cities that I will see in China. I only stayed here for one day. There will be more photos of my trip soon. Next stop, Guangzhou!

I’d like to believe that I tell better stories through my photos than with words. These 10 photos is a little glimpse of what’s been happening in my life so far. There’s a running theme to this. But I’ll leave it up to you to guess what it is.

1. Twilight 2. Cebu at Night 3. Street Lamps  4. Starry Night 5. Caught in the Headlights 6. Reflection 7. Ceramic Flowers 8. Harris 9. Lanterns 10. A Self Portrait.

In keeping with tradition, these eleven photos are some of the highlights of my life from 2011. This year has been a year of discovery, growth, loss, forgiveness and love. These photos really mean a lot to me, so I hope you enjoy looking at them as much as I enjoyed compiling them. Happy 2012 Everyone!

Yes, I am still alive. It’s funny when I have to explain why I have been away. I was very busy from work that I mostly spend my mornings and afternoon asleep. For lack of a good writing skill, here is a photo essay of what I have been up to since the I’ve been away.

1. A Beautiful Rainy Morning 2. A few of my favorite Books. 3. A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein 4. Richel Reyes 5. Palm Trees 6. Eurasian Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus) 7. Scene of the Crime 8. Pretty Pastry 9. A self portrait of me wherein I am not wearing a shirt whilst I am enjoying the cold rainy day.

P.S. This might become a weekly thing now.
P.P.S. December is my birthday month. I will be accepting Birthday gifts in cash or in kind. You have at least 13 days to do that.