Siem Reap, Cambodia –
To be honest, I don’t normally chimp.
I just don’t think to do it.
I try to force myself to do once or twice, to make sure I’ve got my camera set right for whatever I’m shooting.
But then I focus in on what I’m shooting, and don’t think to do it.
However, there is one situation where that all changes, and I chimp with every photo I shoot.
And that’s when I’m shooting in the dark.
Otovalo, Ecuador –
We’ve all seen the image.
The roasted, whole pig.
In the center of the banquet table.
With the feast going on all around.
Well, here’s a slight twist on that scene.
There is the roasted, whole pig.
At least it started out whole.
It’s been carved on a bit.
And there’s a lot of activity going on around, just like in the feast scenes.
Only we’re not in a banquet hall.
And the activity going on isn’t a celebration of any sort.
Nope, it‘s the everyday activity of a bustling market place.
Lots of stalls, all around, where people are selling and buying.
And there, in the midst, is the food section.
Continue reading A Day At The Market – Otovalo Saturday Market
Tamarindo, Costa Rica –
“You’re welcome to swim to the beach, but don’t go past the tree line. The Saudi Billionaire who owns the house there doesn’t like it.”
Not that I was planning on swimming all the way to the beach, it’s at least fifty meters, and I’m not that strong a swimmer.
Plus the ocean has a very strong current today.
Not a good combination.
But there are others that make the attempt.
Several are successful.
Including a Father and very young daughter.
And she’s not willing to try to swim back.
I don’t blame her, she can’t be more than six or seven, if even that.
Already, two of the passengers have gotten into trouble in the strong currents.
One grandmother, here with her spouse, children, and grandchildren, exhausted herself near the reef.
Luckily, she was wearing a life-vest.
Continue reading Sunset from the Boat – Taking a Sunset Cruise from Tamarindo
Mae Klong, Thailand –
“When you hear the horn, get away from the tracks.”
Not exactly the words you expect to hear when visiting a market.
I mean, what you expect to hear about is what you might find at this market that you might not at a different one.
You know, regional specialties, or other things that set one apart from another.
And that is exactly what we are hearing about.
What sets this market apart from the others around the country.
Maybe the world.
The tracks.
Delft, Netherlands –
“It’s the coldest winter since 1928,” the man behind the counter told us.
Great.
It had been spring-like weather the week before, but we happened to be visiting during an extreme cold snap, with high winds.
We were not prepared.
So, after a brief bit of shopping for a hat that wouldn’t fly off my head with the slightest breeze, we backtracked a little to take a few photos of things we had passed on our walk from the B&B where we were staying.
As we were taking our photos, we ended up just outside the Primehof, the former palace of William of Orange.
As with many former palaces across Europe, it was now a museum.
I think this must have something to do with palaces having lots of large, spacious rooms. These tend to lend them to become museums over other potential uses.
That and often being centrally located in town.
It all adds up.
Continue reading A History of Plates – A Visit to the Primehof
Huế, Vietnam –
Symmetry.
Some find it comfortable.
Safe.
Balanced.
Predictable.
Others can find it boring.
So, when someone desires symmetry in their abode, it tells you something about them.
And, when you get right down to it, this is an abode.
Just because they’ve been dead for a while…
Craters of the Moon, ID –
Bleak.
That’s what it looks like to me.
I’m glad that I didn’t have to cross this stretch on foot.
Or in a wagon train as a settler, for that matter.
The stories are all bleak.
The miles and miles of nothing but cinders underfoot.
Like millions of tiny razors, cutting and slicing.
Reducing foot and hoof to a bloody mess.
Makes me glad that I’m visiting now, and not back then.
Now, when we’ve got good pavement to drive on.
And good shoes to walk in.
Continue reading Lava Fields in the Wind and Rain – Craters of the Moon
Miramar, Costa Rica –
“Don’t step on the wood. It’s slick.”
Now you tell me.
We were about three quarters of the way through the series of zip lines. Twenty-five of them to be exact. And we had about a half-dozen still to go.
But to get to the next line, we had to hike down a series of steps carved into the mountain side.
These steps consisted of mostly dirt, with a wooden board acting as a retaining wall, at the edge of each step.
I had just put too much of my weight on the wood retainer at the edge of one of those steps.
And I had just gone flying down the mountain side, but not on any of the zip lines.
I went flying, on my butt, down several of the steps…
Ouch!
Actually, it was more of a whoops than an ouch.
It didn’t hurt.
As long as I didn’t move.
Continue reading Zipping Through the Jungle – Zip Lining in Costa Rica
Leysin, Switzerland –
I’ve been watching.
The older teens like to spin themselves before launching.
They also seem to get the highest on the banks of the turns.
Maybe there’s something to their technique worth trying.
So, on my next run, I sit and work to start myself spinning as I start to slide down the slope.
Down, around, up the bank of the turn, down and then up the bank of the next turn, and I’m at the bottom of the run.
It’s all over way too soon.
And soon enough, our two-hour window is over, and we’re turning in our tubes.
We’re tired, but it’s the good type of tired.
Continue reading Snow Tubing High in the Alps – A Visit to the Tobogganing Park
