The weekend it was.... at Singapore GP 2014

It was my second time to Singapore GP.

Here is what I want to share for general public with walkabout tickets Zone 4.

1. Go early and enjoy the Padang activities

2. Go on a Friday or Saturday. Sunday's Final race is just for enjoying and less for photo clicking.

Entry at gate 3

Free standing bleacher at turn 7-8, almost empty on Saturday but no place to stand and peep even on Sunday

Esplanade bridge drive

3. Dont miss the concert, anyways it is crowded to approach the MRT just after the race. Soak in the atmosphere and have some dinner at the Padang.

4. I carried Canon 70-200mm f4L non-IS on Saturday and used 24-105 f4L IS on Race day.

The Saturday is the day when the place is less crowded. The cars come out in daylight for practice.
So you can get a decent shot in proper exposure.

The reach of 200mm was seldom used as there are very less straight line race track visible for walkabout tickets. Turn 10 has a limited straight line visibility. You may try your luck.

I realized that i shot 50% or more at 70 mm with my 70-200mm. At times I wished that I had a wider lens. So I took 24-100mm on Sunday. Decision well taken.

Turn 12, narrow turn, need a wider lens

Shooting locations, Turn seven Bleacher, Turn 11 bleacher, Turn 13 near Fullerton, Esplanade straight drive etc. None of them asked for a 200 mm zoom.

Courtesy:- http://www.f1nightrace.com

After the Saturday the hell broke loose and it started raining. I could not take a decent shot of Robbie Williams performing.

On Sunday it was a different night all together. Got nice #JLoBooty shots with the 200mm decent reach.

#JLoBooty

Enjoy the shots! Leave your comment or feedback down in the comments section.

Reaching Taiwan!

Passports !✔

Visas ! ✔

Taiwan currency ! ✔

Hotel Booking printouts !✔

Onward flights booking printout!✔

All set to fly to Taiwan!

It was an early morning flight to Taipei...

Changi airport was not that busy...

The flight left at 7 AM

We reached Taoyuan airport Terminal 1 by 12 PM. The airport was like a big prayer room, with tall sloping roofs, looked liked made of bamboos tied together.

Once out of immigration, there is a Sim card counter at the floor 1(ground floor). Image courtesy:- fellow traveller

  There is a convenience store at the basement on the way. If you are hungry then you can cook the ready to eat food offered by the shop. There are tables on the right for quick bite. Recharge yourself and your electronic gadgets at the charging points. The bus ticket can be bought before boarding the bus.

The bus station is at the basement; Bus no 1819 goes to the Taipei main station.

The buses are frequent and comfortable. An hour's ride over the tallest highways I ever saw in my life!

Source

We reached Ximending in time for lunch. Had our ready to eat Indian packet at hotel...

The 7-11 s in Taiwan allow you to use their microwaves for heating your food. So you can buy your favourite snack there; heat in your own microwave safe box and continue your trip. We had bought the ready to eat packets of Indian food at 2 SGD each.  The scenes from hotel windows here.

The Taipei MRT map looks something like the below. Source here

We soon headed for Taipei 101 as it was approaching sunset. But to our disappointment they had closed their west gallery and there was still one hour waiting time in the line. We decided to chuck the idea of going to the top. Instead wandered around to absorb the atmosphere.

Below is the Ximending Night Market....

We stayed at the Smart Hostel (Ximending Taipei).

It was a pleasant stay considering it is not a hotel. However the home like feeling  with home like fitting....

Sleep took over once I was done ogling at the Taipei 101 seen from the hostel room on 13th Floor.

A Short Taiwan and South Korean tour..

For those who interested to know where is Taiwan, see the map below.

I never heard any of my friends mentioning travel to Taiwan or Korea before.
But budget airlines do go there from Singapore.
So one fine day in December 2013, I said to myself why not....

There were different kinds of questions asked when i told someone about my plans. Like, where is Taiwan? Is it in China? Which Korea are you going to? What is t he food that you get there?

Most of them didnt knew where these countries are on world map, neither did I few years back. So why not see these places and come back with stories, bring back a piece of time I spent there to share with my extended family... I liked the idea...

The visa process was very simple.

Fill up and print the the Taiwan Visa Online form.

The South Korean visa rules in detail here.

I had to submit the forms with the letter from employer and my bank statements that I receive in my snail-mailbox.

The total process takes about 3-4 days. So allow yourself to plan well in advance.

Also the Taiwanese tourism authorities give goodies for people with Confirmed air ticket and accommodation reservations. Why not check these before you fly there too?  

Are you flying to Taiwan too?

Now the important part of planning is when do you travel there. The Spring and autumn are my most recommended times for anything above the Tropic of Cancer and Capricorn. These are distinct seasons which can be enjoyed for a brief period of times near the topics.

So I chose the spring.... Start of April it is.... More to come in further pages....