people – Seite 5 – rene bauer photography

Taiwan: The Prison Island (Lü Dao)

There is also a dark side in the history of Green Island. For the period of so called „White Terror“, from 1949 until late 1980’s, many political prisoners were held on a prison on Green Island, which got the name Prison Island back then. Nowadays it’s converted to a museum and memorial.

There are more places outside the prison walls, which played a role in those times. Most obvious the cementery, but also a cave, in which the prisons were forced to play and watch scenes and plays in order to get the right mindset for the Taiwanese society.

März 17, 2024März 17, 2024 by Rene Bauer Categories: Asia, history, landscape, nature, reportage, travelTags: Asia, cave, coast, greenisland, history, island, landscape, lèdao, memorial, museum, nature, people, prison, prisonisland, renebauerphotography, reportage, taiwan, Travel, whiteterror Hinterlasse einen Kommentar

Taiwan: Hot Springs And Night Market

Not far from Taipei is a hot spring area in the town of Beitou. It’s easy and fast reachable from Taipei by metro train. In a few steps, a green park invites for a stroll, or to play mahjong, or skating.

I found the public bathing places. There’s an open air one, but i decided to go to the more authentic bathing house. At entrance i got informed, that female and male visitors have separate zones and use to bath naked. I acknowledged and entered, after changing room, a room packed with men sitting in and around two pools. The temperature of the water was between 42-44°C, while the second pool had a thermometer showing constant 45.9°C. The hottest bath i ever had.

Back in Shilin, i went another time to the nearby night market, enjoying some food and the lively atmosphere.

März 6, 2024März 6, 2024 by Rene Bauer Categories: Asia, culture, gastronomy, history, portrait, reportage, tradition, travel, urbanlifeTags: Asia, beitou, city, food, hotspring, mahjong, nightlife, nightmarket, park, people, portrait, renebauerphotography, reportage, shilin, taipei, taiwan, temple, Travel, urbanlife, waterfall Hinterlasse einen Kommentar

Nights out in Taoyuan and Taipei

Many years back i met a beautiful couple on travel. Somehow we stayed in touch, but i postponed my trip to Taiwan year for year. Meanwhile they got two wonderful kids. After my first days in Taiwan and the great experience of the Lantern Festival in Shifen, my friends invited me for dinner in a ‚hot pot‘-restaurant in Taoyuan. The food was delivered to the table by a robotic trolley and was really delicious. But there was more entertainment by a ‚changing mask‘- dancer, which was great amusement (but not only) for the kids. I’m so thankful for my friends, who gave me this great evening, i would rarely experienced on my own.

The next evening i was just strolling around my neighborhood in Taipei. Surprised of the lively street around it. The famous tower building Taipei 101 was mostly in clouds. That’s why i postponed the viewpoint up there. Just having a walk on the streets was amazingly interesting already.

März 3, 2024März 1, 2024 by Rene Bauer Categories: Asia, culture, food, gastronomy, reportage, tradition, travel, urbanlifeTags: Asia, city, citylife, cityvibes, citywalk, dance, dinner, entertainment, food, friends, maskdance, night, nightout, people, portraits, renebauerphotography, spicy, taipei, taipei101, taiwan, taoyuan, Travel Hinterlasse einen Kommentar

Start Into New Asia Trip: Jomtien, Pattaya, Bangkok

Just before i checked in my flight to Bangkok i decided not to see the hustling city but go to the nearest beach from the airport first. Since there was a direct bus link from the airport to Jomtien Beach, just next to Pattaya, it was a good decicion.

A few days on relaxing beaches, nice walks trough forest hills nearby, visiting temples and lookouts, eating at local night markets and having a beer in the street of bustling nightlife.

Bangkok with its skyscrapers, the green lush parks, but busy, noisy traffic, is a whole different story. I ended up in the famous-infamous Khao San Road, a backpacker area even long since my first visit here 30 years ago. When i went for a stroll there among the nightly, crazy party folks i thought literally: ‚New generation, same shit!‘, but enjoyed it.

März 1, 2024März 1, 2024 by Rene Bauer Categories: Asia, culture, history, landscape, nature, portrait, reportage, tradition, travel, urbanlife, waterTags: Asia, bangkok, beach, beachlife, beer, bigbuddha, bkk, buddhism, cappuccino, city, citylife, coffee, landscape, nightlife, nightmarket, pattaya, people, renebauerphotography, skyscraper, southeastasia, temple, thailand, Travel, urbanlife, walkingstreet Hinterlasse einen Kommentar

Lantern Festival In Taiwan

The celebrations of Chinese New Year held over quite a time in Taiwan. One of the highlight is the famous Lantern festival in the Pingxi area outside of Taipei.

To get there was already an adventure, since the trains were already fully packed all day long. Once there, the crowd is blocking the ways, even the railways, of the tiny village. People are busy everywhere to buy lanterns and write on them their wishes for the New Year of The Dragon, taking pictures with it and let them fly towards the sky. Beside that, food and entertainment are important too. Food stalls along the way making good business today.

The main event takes place a few hundred meters out of the village. A big stage with dancers, singers and performers entertains the crowd. Big screens displays the show to the unlucky ones bogged in the mass outside of this place, means people like me. And then, in waves, dozens of lanterns get released towards sky, floating over the heads of the spectators, dragged away from the wind.

After the first bunch of released lanterns closing to the horizon, dimming their red lights into the dark night, i slowly make my way back too. There’s still much to see and watch while passing happy people bathing in their hope for a good year coming.

Februar 26, 2024 by Rene Bauer Categories: Asia, culture, food, history, reportage, tradition, travelTags: Asia, chinesenewyear, festival, lantern, lanternfestival, people, pingxi, pingxilanternfestival, portrait, renebauerphotography, reportage, shifen, streetphotography, taipei, temple, tradition, Travel, yearofdragon 1 Kommentar

Iceland: Arriving In Reykjavik

The worst was not the temperature of -6°C, but the strong wind. Within minutes out on the car park, searching for my rental car, my fingers got numb. It took me several minutes more to defrost them again and finally got my gloves out of my luggage. Lesson learned, always keep your gloves ready.

Strolling around Reykjavik, enjoying the clear morning air, the long dawn in the morning and of course some bakeries with coffee and sweets. But also visiting some landmarks as the sculpture ’sun voyager‘, the rainbow street or the famous Hallgrims Church. From the bell tower one get a fantastic view over the capital city and the surroundings. It was absolutely worth it.

A worth was also to visit the bar ‚Hus Mals Og Menningar‘ with their daily live music. You can’t end your day better than with a glass of local beer and music from ‚The Bookstore Band‘

Februar 4, 2024Februar 4, 2024 by Rene Bauer Categories: culture, europe, humansofplanetearth, landscape, nature, reportage, roadtrip, travel, urbanlifeTags: city, graffiti, hallgrimschurch, iceland, icelandair, landscape, northerneurope, people, rainbowstreet, renebauerphotography, reportage, reykjavik, roadtrip, sunvoyager, Travel, urbanlife, wallpainting, winter, winteriniceland Hinterlasse einen Kommentar

Winter In Turkey: Gelibolu/Gallipoli

Winter in Turkey impressions #17: Gelibolu, also known as Gallipoli, gained sad notoriety after a disastrous battle on WWI with many thousands killed. In the history of the many New Zealander and Australian soldiers involved it bekam known as ANZAC day.

For me was it the end of an very interesting trip trough the history of times. But before i left Turkey, i met an very nice couple riding a Honda Africa Twin. A newly wed couple, it turned out, on their trip trough their own country. After a nice chat, i handed over a sticker, which i got from an other Turkish friend and motobiker.

Güle güle ve yakında görüşürüz. Teşekkür ederim Türkiyem!

Januar 20, 2024Januar 12, 2024 by Rene Bauer Categories: history, landscape, nature, portrait, reportage, roadtrip, tinatortuga, tradition, travel, turkeyTags: anzac, anzacday, battle, beach, gallipoli, gelibolu, Landrover, landroverdefender, landroverdefendertdi300, landscape, middleeast, nature, overland, people, portraits, renebauerphotography, reportage, ruins, sea, tinatortuga, Travel, turkey, war, wwi Hinterlasse einen Kommentar

Winter In Turkey: Ürgüp

Winter in Turkey impressions #11: Ürgüp in Capaddocia and surroundings in winterly conditions offers also unique landscape. My new friend and i went around to experience this Turkish winter wonderland.

Just more random photos…

Januar 14, 2024Januar 14, 2024 by Rene Bauer Categories: Asia, culture, history, landscape, nature, reportage, roadtrip, tinatortuga, travel, turkeyTags: ügüp, cappadocia, cave, cavehouses, city, Landrover, landroverdefender, landscape, nature, overland, people, renebauerphotography, reportage, snow, tinatortuga, Travel, turkey, winter, winterinturkey Hinterlasse einen Kommentar

Winter In Turkey: Tarsus

Winter In Turkey Impression #6: Tarsus offers not only historical places like the ‚Cleopatra’s Gate‘, but i was also lucky to meet a friend there, who explained me everything about the sweet „Künefe“.

Januar 9, 2024Januar 5, 2024 by Rene Bauer Categories: culture, history, landscape, portrait, reportage, roadtrip, tinatortuga, travel, turkey, urbanlifeTags: anatolia, church, citylife, cleopatra, cleopatrasgate, künefe, landscape, nature, overland, people, portraits, renebauerphotography, reportage, roadtrip, tarsus, tinatortuga, Travel, turkey, waterfall Hinterlasse einen Kommentar

Winter In Turkey: Kas and Demre

Winter in Turkey Impressions #5: A friend from Istanbul spent some times in Kas. I followed his invitation and he kindly showed me around in the area. One of the highlights was also the Church of Saint Nicholas from Demre, the real ‚Santa Claus‘, who was kind to children and gave them gifts.