The Terra Galleria Blog – QT Luong

Taichung is linked to Taipei by a High Speed Rail line, whereas there is no train station in Lukang because in the past the city refused to allow railroads to pass through. This, combined with the silting of its port, led to Lukang’s economic decline. However, that economic decline averted the modernization that demolished historical [...]

After the Vietnam photo tour, I took advantage of the fact that Eva Air was making a transit in Taipei to spend a week in Taiwan. Before the trip, I did not know much about the country besides its separatist history and the label “made in Taiwan”. I had planned to read my guidebook during [...]

When traveling to a country for the first time, I often select places to visit based on the UNESCO World Heritage list. The international program lists and helps preserve sites of outstanding cultural or natural importance to the common heritage of humanity. What makes it significant is that although listing of a site is approved [...]

Last fall, before I traveled to Vietnam for a family visit, I noticed that most flights had connections in Seoul. Thanks to my wife and sister-in-law influences, I’ve watched a few 15-episode Korean TV dramas, but I’d never been in the country, so I was curious to check it out. While on the Asiana (excellent [...]

As seen in the two previous posts, there are plenty of sights and views in Saigon – more “interesting” than “spectacular” – however what interests me the most in that city is simply to observe and capture simple moments of life. In many places, I’ve been threatened verbally for taking photographs of people. In my [...]

I am always drawn to high viewpoints, because they provide an entirely new perspective. The immediacy and chaos of the street immersion gives way to a more detached experience where greater urban patterns emerge. Just one decade ago, there were not too many high viewpoints available in Ho Chi Minh City, but since then a [...]

This was taken across the street from the Anvil Motel. As Mike Cavaroc told me, their “Internet special” discount makes it the least expensive lodging in town. I spent my days in Grand Teton National Park, so I photographed Jackson at night. Turned out that everything in town looked better at night, even the iconic [...]

After scrambling to arrange transportation in Penang, and then Melaka, things went more smoothly for Singapore. Upon arriving at the bus station in Melaka City, I promptly bought tickets for the next day from one of the many companies providing service to that major city-state. Singapore is known for its strict laws. At the immigration [...]

Melaka being a popular tourist destination just two hours away from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia’s capital, I expected it to be a breeze to book bus transportation, but it turned out not to be the case. First, you’d think that the area around the Jalan Petaling street would be full of travel agencies, but I managed [...]

I had initially planned to travel by sleeper train from Penang to Kuala Lumpur. Making arrangements proved surprisingly difficult. None of the travel agents in town would handle train reservations. When I called the official railway office, I was told that reservations could be made over the phone only if the planned journey was at [...]