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The North Borneo Railway: Steaming Back in Time
Features Malaysia 

The North Borneo Railway: Steaming Back in Time

5th July 20193rd April 2025 The Mango Road 0 Comments slider, Stories

The fireman throws logs into the already roaring fire, a whistle blows, and in a cloud of steam and smoke, locomotive number 6-016 chuffs out into a sun-drenched

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CONCERTS AND SHOWS


FESTIVAL The Rainforest World Music Festival will take to the stage in Sarawak, Malaysia, from July 20th to 22nd. The event, now in its 28th year, showcases traditional and modern music from around the world, as well as local artists.

The theme this year is “Connections: One Earth, One Love” and heading the show will be Al McKay, Guitarist and Musical Director of the highly acclaimed funk/Soul/Jazz outfit, Earth, Wind and Fire. Also on the bill will be Otyken from Siberia and, representing their home, At Adau, who blend ancestral traditions with contemporary world music.

There are also workshops to encourage greater participation in culture and creativity as well as music and dance. And, of course, there will be some awesome food. More info here and tickets here

Main altar of the Tin Hau Temple, Joss House Bay, Main altar of the Tin Hau Temple, Joss House Bay, Hong Kong.
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One of the oldest and largest temples dedicated to Tin Hau. It was built in 1266 by two brothers who were salt traders from Fujian province. One day their boat was caught in storms and as they were swept overboard they appealed to Tin Hau for help. To show their gratitude they built the temple on the spot where they came safely to land.
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#tinhau #天后古廟 #temple #天后 #廟 #historicbuilding #historictemples #chinesetemple #hongkonghistory #hongkongphotography #hongkongphoto #hongkong #hkig #discoverhongkong #travel #travelhk #explorehk #visualhongkong #visithongkong #amazinghongkong #ilovehongkong #discoverhongkong #discoverhk #awesomehongkong #picsofhk #exploringhongkongsnewterritories #letsgosomewhere #traveltheworld #traveladdict #themoderndayexplorer
The Cotai Strip, Macau. Sometimes referred to as t The Cotai Strip, Macau. Sometimes referred to as the Las Vegas of the East, Cotai is a parcel of reclaimed land given over almost entirely to casinos and hotels. The replica landmarks make it popular place with instagram enthusiasts and wedding photographers.
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#macau #macao #macau_ig #macau🇲🇴 #macautravel #cotai #cotaistrip
#cotaistripmacau #london #paris #venice #casino #hotels #lasvegasoftheeast #instagrammers
Chapel of Our Lady of Penha The church built in 1 Chapel of Our Lady of Penha

The church built in 1622 by the crew of the Portuguese ship São Bartholomeu who, after escaping from Dutch pursuers, vowed to build a church to commemorate the Virgin Mary if they made it back to Macau.

#macau #macau_ig #macau🇲🇴 #macao #church #citynights #addicted_to_nights #nightphotography #nightimages #nightlights #nightphoto #dusk #cityscape #urbanlandscape #urbanromantix #buildings #buildingporn #architecture #architecturelovers #architectureporn #travel #travelphotography #travelgram
Tian Tan Buddha at the Po Lin Monastery, Ngong Pin Tian Tan Buddha at the Po Lin Monastery, Ngong Ping
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#tiantanbuddha #bigbuddha #天壇大佛 #天坛大佛 #lantau #polinmonastery #ngongping #昂坪 #hongkon
#hongkong #discoverhongkong #hongkongphotography # #hongkong #discoverhongkong #hongkongphotography #hkig #amazinghongkong #explorehongkong #newterritories #china #asia #asiatravelguide #asiatravel
The chrysanthemums, among many others, are in bloo The chrysanthemums, among many others, are in bloom at the Wun Chuen Sin Koon Taoist Temple in Hong Kong’s New Territories.
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#wunchuensinkoon #temple #monastery #chinesetemple #shrine #religion #hongkonghistory #pingche #hongkongphotography #hongkongphoto #hongkong #hkig #discoverhongkong #travel #travelhk #explorehk #visualhongkong #visithongkong #amazinghongkong #ilovehongkong #discoverhongkong #discoverhk #awesomehongkong #picsofhk #globetrotter #letsgosomewhere #traveltheworld #traveladdict #themoderndayexplorer
Cherry pickers meet in secret behind the banana pa Cherry pickers meet in secret behind the banana palms in Hong Kong's New Territories.
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The machines are actually idle. There are a number of companies in the New Territories which rent or sell equipment to the construction industry. Their yards, filled with silent machinery, can sometime look quite surreal.
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#cherrypicker #cherrypickers #constructionequipment #industrialequipment #hongkong #newterritories #surrealism #surreal #strangeplaces #picsofhk #hongkongphotography #hongkongphoto #hongkong #hkig #discoverhongkong #travel #travelhk #explorehk #visualhongkong #visithongkong #amazinghongkong #ilovehongkong #discoverhongkong #discoverhk #awesomehongkong #exploringhongkongsnewterritories #letsgosomewhere #traveltheworld #traveladdict #themoderndayexplorer
This, I believe, is a light-vented or Chinese bulb This, I believe, is a light-vented or Chinese bulbul (Pycnonotus sinensis). Most of the year they prefer to stay up in the forest feeding on bugs and berries. But since those delicacies are scarce at this time of year they are not above slumming it down on my balcony in return for a handout of leftover rice.

This one was on the lamp post opposite, waiting for me to go inside so it could have its breakfast and squabble with the red-whiskered bulbuls and sparrows.
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#bulbul #lightventedbulbul #chinesebulbul #pycnonotussinensis #birds_brilliance #newterritories #hongkong #wildbird #bird #birdsofinstagram #birdphotography #birdstagram #birdwatching #birding #bestbirdshots #birdphotography #birds #birdlife #featheredfriends #birdsofhongkong #birdsofchina #birdsofasia #nature #wildlife #wildlifephotography #wildlifeonearth #wildlifecaptures #wildlifelovers #naturephotography #natureshots
It's hiking season in Hong Kong. But beware the ol It's hiking season in Hong Kong. But beware the old abandoned villages are hungry.

#hongkong #hongkongphotography #hongkongphoto #hiking #hikingadventures #hike #abandonedplaces #abandoned #spooky #spookyseason #architecture
Found this impressive butterfly waiting when I got Found this impressive butterfly waiting when I got home the other evening. It's a spangled swallowtail (papilio protenor) resting on the bougainvillea. The wing span is about twenty centimetres. They are actually quite common, I've just never seen one stay still long enough to take a picture of it before. I'm afraid I lack the patience of dedicated lepidoptera shooters.
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#papilioprotenor #butterfly #butterflyworld #butterflies #butterfly #butterfliesofinstagram #spanglebutterfly #swallowtailbutterfly #swallowtail #lepidoptera #lepidopteraofinstagram #insectphotography #insect #insectworld #insect_perfection #insectlovers #insectsofinstagram #wildlifephotography #naturephotography #nature #naturelover #nature_seekers #hongkongphotography #hongkongphoto #hongkong #hkig #discoverhongkong #traveltheworld #wanderlustsyndicate #traveladdict
A tourist browses colourful silk lampshades in Hoi A tourist browses colourful silk lampshades in Hoi An, Vietnam
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#lamp lampshade #tourist #tourism #nightmarket #silk #traditional #shopping#hoiantown #hoian #discovervietnam #ig_vietnam #vietnamtravel #vietnam🇻🇳 #vietnamtravelers #igvietnam #vietnamese #vietnam #loves_united_vietnam #asiatravel #unlimitedasia #ecotourism #seetheworld #traveldeeper #doyoutravel #traveltheworld #traveladdict #borntotravel #traveltheworld #travelenthusiast
The little rural hamlet of Muk Wu is dwarfed by th The little rural hamlet of Muk Wu is dwarfed by the towers of Shenzhen. Between them, though not visible, is the river that separates the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region from the rest of China.
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Muk Wu used to be in what was known as the closed area, a stretch of land that was set up in the 1950s, firstly to prevent gun smuggling during the Korean War, but was later expanded to stem in order tide of illegal border crossings. Previously only residents and their families were allowed in but the restrictions have since been rolled back so that now only the river banks and border crossing areas are closed.
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#exploringhongkongsnewterritories
Found this fellow the other day, he’d sheltered Found this fellow the other day, he’d sheltered out the storm in an old plant pot. I relocated him to the lemon tree and he’s been hanging out there ever since.
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#prayingmantis #giantasianprayingmantis #hierodulamembranacea #prayingmantisofinstagram #mantis #bugs #insectsofinstagram #mantidsofinstagram #bug #mantids #insectphotography #insect #insect_perfection #wildlifephotography #naturephotography #creepycrawly #abugslife #nature #insectworld #bugsofinstagram #insectstagram #insectlicious #beautiful_insects #insectguru #fulgoromorpha #earthcapture #inmygardentoday #colorfulbug #insects_of_our_world #insectlovers
A small Rainbow Village, near Tosari in the steep A small Rainbow Village, near Tosari in the steep valleys of the Tengger Highlands, East Java. One of Java's best known attractions, Mt Bromo, is nearby but most people just come to see the sunrise over the crater and leave again before breakfast. But it is a great place to chill out in the cool mountain air for a few days.
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#kampungpelangi #rainbowvillage #colorfulvillage #tengger #nature #agriculture #terracedfields #offthebeatenpath #earthpix #landscape #earthofficial #awesome_earthpix #earthfocus #earthoutdoors #landscapelovers #landscapehunter #fantastic_earth #landscapephotography #loves_united_indonesia #icu_indonesia #travelblogger #sceneryporn #traveller #amazingworld #mountainscapes #traveltheworld #wanderlustsyndicate #traveladdict #besttravelpics #letsgosomewherenew
The prows of pinisi rear up along the old harbour The prows of pinisi rear up along the old harbour front at Sunda Kelapa in north Jakarta, Indonesia. Pinisi are a type of two-masted schooner built by the Bugis of South Sulawesi. Most of them are motorised now but they are still used to transport cargo around the Indonesian archipelago. In previous times that included bringing timber from the forests of Sulawesi and Borneo to Jakarta and returning with everything from bags of cement to bottled water and anything else that is not readily available on the islands.
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The art of building Pinisi was recognised by UNESCO as a Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity in December 7, 2017.
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#pinisi #ship #boat #traditionalboat #sundakelapa #schooner #oldboat #harbour #jakarta #icu_jakarta #indonesia #loves_united_indonesia #icu_indonesia travelphotography #travelblogger #travelbloggerlife #traveller #globetrotter #letsgosomewhere #traveltheworld #wanderlustsyndicate #traveladdict #travellife #total_asia #lensbible
Another shot of the Tengger Highlands in East Java Another shot of the Tengger Highlands in East Java where villages cling to narrow ridges whilst vegetables, growing in the rich volcanic soils, tumble down the sides.
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One of Java's best known attractions, Mt Bromo, is nearby but most people just come to see the sunrise over the crater and leave again before breakfast. But it is a great place to chill out in the cool mountain air for a few days.
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#kampungpelangi #rainbowvillage #colorfulvillage #tengger #nature #agriculture #terracedfields #offthebeatenpath #earthpix #landscape #earthofficial #awesome_earthpix #earthfocus #earthoutdoors #landscapelovers #landscapehunter #fantastic_earth #landscapephotography #loves_united_indonesia #icu_indonesia #travelblogger #sceneryporn #traveller #amazingworld #mountainscapes #traveltheworld #wanderlustsyndicate #traveladdict #besttravelpics #letsgosomewherenew
The crab with the pretty green and black back is p The crab with the pretty green and black back is paraleptuca crassipes or the thick-legged fiddler crab, I’m not sure about the other one but they were both sharing a hole on some tidal mud-flats, though I think it was more to hide from me rather than for co-habitation. If one stands completely motionless for a few minutes they think you’ve gone and gingerly venture out. But the slightest click of the shutter and they dart back in again.
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Graham Street, Hong Kong . . . #central #alley #gr Graham Street, Hong Kong
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#central #alley #grahamstreet #street #asiancities #hongkong #hkig #discoverhongkong #travel #travelhk #visualhongkong #visithongkong #amazinghongkong #awesomehongkong #explorehk #asiatravel #discoverasia #chinatravel #unlimitedasia #asiatravel #letsgosomewhere #beautifulplaces #traveltheworld #travelgram #urbanlandscape #travellife #seetheworld #worldnomads #doyoutravel #themoderndayexplorer
I took this shot many years ago one foggy morning I took this shot many years ago one foggy morning on the Dieng Plateau in Central Java. Back then there were only two rather simple hotels. Early mornings were always wonderfully misty and mysterious but the sun would shine before lunch. In the afternoons it rained heavily.
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#dieng #diengplateau #exploredieng #terracedfields #offthebeatenpath #earthpix #landscape #earthofficial #awesome_earthpix #earthfocus #earthoutdoors #landscapelovers #landscapehunter #fantastic_earth #landscapephotography #loves_united_indonesia #icu_indonesia #travelblogger #travelbloggerlife #traveller #naturelover #indonesigeographic #volcano #globetrotter #letsgosomewhere #traveltheworld #wanderlustsyndicate #traveladdict #travellif
I made the epic journey from Pui O to Ping Che the I made the epic journey from Pui O to Ping Che the other day, one remote corner of Hong Kong to another. It involved three separate MTR trains sandwiched between two bus rides to cover a distance of about 75 kilometres and took a bit less than two hours. It was worth the effort for Wan Chuen Sin Koon, a Taoist monastery at Ping Che, is perhaps one of the prettiest in Hong Kong.
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It belongs to the Chunyang Taoist sect, a branch of the Quanzhen school, which was founded in the mid-nineteenth century on Xiqiao Mountain near Nanhai City, Guangdong. It moved to Hong Kong in 1944 but the current premises have no historical significance. The land was acquired in 1975 and used as a religious retreat but it wasn’t until 2000 that construction got underway in earnest.
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The monastery buildings are set in spacious grounds with lotus ponds and chrysanthemum gardens, though neither will be in bloom until late Summer or early Autumn when exhibitions of the latter are held. Also in the grounds is a large stele that contains the full text of Laozi's Tao Te Ching.
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Wan Chuen Sin Koon is also famous for its excellent vegetarian lunches served between 12.00 and 14.00. Portions are generous and tables fill up fast so get there early.
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#wunchuensinkwoon #pingche #exploringhongkongsnewterritories #temple #monastery #chinesetemple #shrine #religion #hongkongphotography #hongkongphoto #hongkong #hkig #discoverhongkong #travel #travelhk #explorehk #visualhongkong #visithongkong #amazinghongkong #ilovehongkong #discoverhongkong #discoverhk #awesomehongkong #picsofhk #globetrotter #letsgosomewhere #traveltheworld #traveladdict #themoderndayexplorer
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