Monkey Magic story carved in stones for Treasure Tuesday

 

These two photographs were taken with the Laowa 9mm f/5.6, a lens so impossibly wide that one expects the world to bend into caricature, yet the distortion here remains surprisingly restrained, allowing the grandeur of the scene to breathe naturally. The setting is a sprawling collection of sculptures drawn from the legendary Monkey Magic tales — warriors, demons, immortals and mythical beasts frozen mid-gesture with wildly vivid expressions carved into their faces. Every figure seems caught in the middle of some celestial drama, their exaggerated poses and ornate designs radiating both humour and ferocity.

Beside them rises the immense Guan Yu Taoist temple, reputedly the largest in Taiwan, where scale itself feels like an act of devotion. Everything there is magnified beyond ordinary proportion — the towering gates, the colossal statues, the sweeping roofs adorned with dragons and fire-coloured tiles. Even the silence feels enormous. Beneath the tropical light, the entire place carries the atmosphere of myth made physical, as though one had wandered not into a temple precinct, but into the pages of an ancient epic where gods, legends and human imagination all stand shoulder to shoulder in monumental form.

Sony A7RV

Laowa 9mm f5.6 

Linking Treasure Tuesday

Frankston Sand Sculpture Competition on Easter for Treasure Tuesday

 

The Frankston Annual Sand Sculpture Competition, once a cherished highlight of my childhood, has long held a special place in the cultural life of Melbourne’s coastal regions. Originating in Frankston, this beloved event drew crowds for years with its grand and intricate creations, becoming a seasonal tradition for many families. Some years ago, however, the competition was relocated from its original site, a change that saddened me deeply at the time. To my delight, the event has returned this year to its rightful home in Frankston. I had the pleasure of accompanying my mother to the shoreline, where we spent a delightful day capturing photographs and revisiting old memories. Though the sculptures are now more modest in scale and number, the return of the competition rekindles a sense of joy and nostalgia.

Sony A7RV

Laowa 9mm f5.6 

Linking Treasure Tuesday

Group meet

The group meet was rather interesting. Some nice art work on display.