Afternoon in Putrajaya

Putrajaya is an architectural gem. Full of great buildings, great lakes. But often when you reached there, you couldn't figure out what to do.

Umai Cafe by the riverA gorgeous Sunday afternoon sunThe cafe was crowded ...The other weekend, Anita and I decided to have a quick drive there to enjoy a nice sunny Sunday afternoon. It was only half an hour away from our apartment. Along the eay, Anita was tasked at finding out which soot we should land at. We wanted to have a quick drink.

Back out into the sunThat famous balloon ...Too many skies ...The top pick was Umai Cafe, right next to a lake, in between Masjid Besi and Monumen Alaf Baru. I was pretty sure I flew my drone somewhere near there before.

Nice café serving local food. We stayed in the aircond since the weather was really hot outside. It was crowded for a Sunday afternoon, maybe because there were hardly any other choices. Before long, Anita was walking around trying the GoPro.

The administrative centre ...

The majestic Mosque We then drove towards Medan Putra before heading home. Nearby, we saw a new McDonald's. So, we might bring the boys the next time we venture there.

Monumen Alaf Baru

This entry was originally written in June 2015

The name could literally be translated to "The Millenium Monument", and built to mark the turn of the century. It was located at Presint 2, just 500m from Masjid Besi and across the river from Ayer@8. It had a lush green surrounding and the breeze from the lake made at a popular attraction.

I had the chance to fly my drone near it and capture a number of snaps. It looked like there was a new attraction near the monument in the form of a tethered hot air balloon ride, called the Skyrides Festivals Park. Not really to ride in one for the time being. Maybe I would do so if I had a foreign visitor with me.

It was quite fun flying there since there were plenty of landmark to see. I also flew across the lake towards Ayer@8 and also inland towards a race track for those into motor sports. That morning, there was a mini bike event taking place. I took the time to hover around the event trying not to catch too much attention.

There was also a cafe there by the lake for breakfast, but I had to rush back to the hospital to do my ward round. So, maybe next time.

What did I learn this time around? Flying at 9 am gave the best lighting for landmarks - although the shimmer won't be as brilliant as a sunset flight I took at Titiwangsa. It might also be fun to see if there are events going on at the sight when you plan to drone. You never knew that there may be things to photographs. But obviously, best to ask permission first .... Although most of the time, nobody would bother.

More Exploration

This entry was originally written in May 2016

It was Sunday morning and after gaining confidence from the flight at Marina Putrajaya the evening before, I decided to return to Putrajaya, but this time around, I picked a more conventional spot. It was Dataran Putra, right in front of the Prime Minister's Department and the famous Masjid Putra.

I arrived there quite early, when the sun was still low and hidden behind the hills and low clouds. I took the time to plan my route. I realised that to get some good light for the Masjid, I had to approach from the opposite site, far too close to the Prime Minister's Office.

So, I decided to take the high route and flew high to get a clear connection to the drone while taking the footage. It worked out great in the end and when the sun finally came out, the light was brilliant.

Apart from the Masjid, the actual Dataran Putra - basically a roundabout - was also a vista. I also flew across the lake to look at Istana Darul Ehsan as well as Jambatan Seri Wawasan.

The Istana was a gift from the Federal Government to the Sultan of Selangor for giving away the land - Putrajaya - to the Federal Government to build this administrative centre. It was clear from the aerial view how well the whole township was planned. There were still plenty of space and there were areas which were still not fully developed. The public transport over there was still a problem with the initially-proposed tram system not coming into fruition.

What did I learn from this outing? Basically how to plan for the routes for great light when flying the drones. Angle was everything as you were at the mercy of available light when you take photos of such buildings.

We Had Lift-off

Finally, the weather was kind. This time it was a Saturday morning on a public holiday - Agong's Birthday. I took my drone out to Putrajaya before starting my morning rounds in the glorious sunshine.

I made a couple of stops. The first one was at the site of my previous couple of cancellations, Masjid Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin - or better known as Masjid Besi. The second was near Monumen Alaf Baru, about 500 meters away from the first spot.

I will write about the two flights separately here, but suffice to say that it was a productive outing.

Sunset Droning

A few days had passed after my last flight. I decided to be a bit more adventurous. I took the drone out of town, enjoying a 30 minutes drive to Putrajaya.

I could not leave early since I had a meeting in town until almost 6, I had to rush across time to get to Putrajaya. Luckily the traffic was light and I had 30 minutes to spare before sunset.

The gorgeous Harriot-Watt University campusAt the opposite side of the lakeHeading back to the marina from the lakeI had a few choices when it came to the spot to take off from. For that afternoon, I decided to do it at Marina Putrajaya in the hope of catching the sunset.

I got what I wanted and managed to drone around exploring the marina, the nearby Lakeside Pullman Putrajaya as well as a smaller marina nearby which was hosting the floats for the upcoming Pesta Flora Putrajaya.

The Pullman Putrajaya located right next door to the marinaLooking down onto Marina PutrajayaYou can find me there somewhere ....And the sunset was great, despite the cloud cover at the horizon. I decided to use the 1080p resolution this time around rather than 4K since I was still getting familiarise with the drone. I concentrated more on aerial photography this time around after discovering how good the camera was. I felt confident to increase the range of the flight from then on ....