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Archive for the ‘international travel’ Category

Sep

Patriotic Photo Theme

Filed Under international travel, local travel, photography

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Aug

Interview: Travel Journaling

Filed Under graphic design, international travel, kahunna.net

Travel Journal, 2001 I was recently approached by Gill over at the website Journal Craft Inspiration for an interview on my travel journals. It was fun to share some of my tips and stories with her and her readers. I recommend exploring around on her site - she’s got a lot to look at. If you’re visiting from journalcraft.co.uk, then hello and welcome! If you would like to read more about my journals, please check out the following:

Here’s a snippet from the interview:

Do you complete your journal entry ‘on-site’ or do you continue working on it when you get home?

I tend to define my journal as one moment in time, capturing thoughts, plans, and important information for a journey from the late planning stages to the return home. On some trips, I can’t find time to write during the day, so I’ll spend an hour or so in the evening, preferably at a cafe, furiously writing down everything I can recall that happened since the last time I wrote. When I’m home, the journal becomes a time capsule, its contents “sealed”. Nothing will be added or taken away from it.

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Aug

Nicaragua, Redux!

Filed Under international travel

It’s official. My next international trip will be to Nicaragua! I’ll be going back to the Central American country on November 26th and spending 18 days backpacking.
I spent two weeks in Nicaragua in December of 2006 exploring the lakes, cities, and volcanos. It wasn’t more than a few days into that trip that I realized I’d have to come back. There’s just so much to see and do!

So now the planning begins. I’ll share some of the aspects of it here on my blog. My only regret on my last trip was spending too much time in Internet cafes, so I’m reluctant to say I’ll be updating frequently while in the country.

If you care to read more about my first trip in 2006, here’s a few links:

You’ll hear from me again sooner than later!

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Aug

A Treasure of Maps

Filed Under graphic design, international travel, retrotravels.net

A treasure of maps was recently “dug up” in my parent’s storage space and returned to me. Around 1994, when I moved away from home to attend college, I was forced to get rid of most of my National Geographic Magazines - a nearly-complete collection of every issue back to 1929. However, I was able to keep all of the supplements/inserts since they didn’t take up much room. I’ve been looking through the three boxes and have found more than just maps, folded posters, and old panoramic photos. I’ve also found one of the reasons why I love travel. I think most people would start to feel a desire to explore the world after looking at a few maps. The beautiful and distinct fonts, the colors, the clarity. A National Geographic map is good enough to hang up on the wall and call it “art.” In fact, President Roosevelt used National Geographic maps in the White House Map Room during World War II. Today, a case of world maps presented by the National Geographic Society still resides in the Map Room.

Below you will find a small selection of the hundreds of maps from my collection showing “snap shots” of the quality work National Geographic has produced in their world-famous cartographic department. If it takes a while to load or you’d like to view them in a flickr slideshow (800 x 800p res) by clicking here.

Have the urge to share a story about your National Geographic magazines or maps? Share it in the comments!

Viet Nam, Cambodia, Laos & Eastern Thailand (1965)

Scandinavia (1963)

Australia (1963)

West Indies (1962)

South Central United States (1961)

Japan & Korea (1960)

Hawaii (1960)

Africa (1960)

Southern South America (1958)

British Isles (1958)

Alaska (1956)

Eastern South America (1955)

West Indies (1954)

The Great Lakes Region (1953)

China Coast & Korea (1953)

The Top of the World (1949)

Europe & The Near East (1949)

Classical Lands of The Mediterranean (1949)

The Southeastern United States (1947)

The United States of America (1946)

The Philippines (1945)

The Northeastern United States (1945)

The Pacific Ocean (1943)

The Theater of War in the Pacific Ocean (1942)

The Indian Ocean (1941)

The Atlantic Ocean (1941)

The White Mountains of New Hampshire (1937)

Africa (1935)

Arctic Regions (1932)

Louisiana (1930)

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Jun

Cabot Straight, Nova Scotia

Filed Under Uncategorized, international travel, photography

There are a group of Nova Scotians who proudly live in the northern Highlands of Cape Breton. They are the descendants of the Scots who arrived hundreds of years ago. My friend from nearby Asby Bay said that two families living in Meat Cove, the northern-most land of Nova Scotia, have been feuding for years. She told me of a story where the feuding was so violent, the Canadian National Guard had to be dispatched by helicopter to break it up.

The image below shows Cabot Straight, the tip of Cape Breton, and the town pf Capstick. The clouds hung over the strip of land like a halo. If you look closely, you can see Newfoundland on the far left.

Click on the photo to load a zoom-able image.

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Jun

Nova Scotia Journal

Filed Under international travel

A little sand from the beach, a pocket of coins, a clump of moss… it is the little ordinary objects I come in contact with on my journeys that seem to find themselves returning home with me. These relics become physical connections to memories made on my trip. A vial of sand from Pleasant Bay, Nova Scotia reminds me of strolling along the beach, sharing the misty morning with a flock of seagulls. A pocket of coins instantly reminds me of a short conversation with a local while standing in line at a market. Or the friendly waitress who told me, without any sense of showing indifference towards me, that Canada doesn’t use $1 and $2 bills but rather coins. Or the beautiful moss I plucked from the forest where I had a magical encounter with a moose.

Then there is my journal. I consider my travel journals the most precious relic from my trip, capturing the moments better than my photography or any other object I find on my travels. I didn’t find a lot of time to journal on this trip, but when I did, I scribbled as much details as I could remember. Here are a few scans from my Nova Scotia journal:

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Jun

Trip Report: Nova Scotia

Filed Under Uncategorized, international travel, photography

I visited a friend in Nova Scotia for a week earlier this month. The excuse to visit her and her Canadian providence was to teach her high school art class a little about photography. She could have simply asked if I wanted to go up there to take our her trash and I’d probably had said “yes”, but it was fun to share some of my photography tips and tricks with her class.

The area she lived in - Cape Breton Highlands - is unbelievably beautiful. Wildflowers were in bloom, the pristine forests were alive with wildlife. I saw moose, coyotes, egrets, geese, rabbits, snakes, eagles, toads… I went on a couple hikes and admired how they were so clean and without graffiti or trash, an unfortunate occurrence here in Southern California.

If you want to save money, you should go to Nova Scotia instead of Scotland. After all, Nova Scotia literally translates to “New Scotland”. The people speak English with a Canadian/Gaelic accent. Even street signs along the Cabot Trail, the main highway snaking up the eastern coast of Cape Breton Island, are in both English and Gaelic.

I enjoyed the graciousness of my host and those who lived in the area. The people I met in the highlands of Cape Brenton had family in the area for many generations. I was staying in a cabin with a friend on the property her family settled on some 200 years earlier. The graveyard on the old property had over 100 tombstones, all related in some way to my friend. Her great great great grandfather who came over from Scotland was buried there.

All the sleepy towns in the area were beautiful, with their cottage-like houses painted either white or a bright color. A local told me that since the weather changes so often and usually involved wind and rain, they use protective boat paint to cover their homes – which probably comes in colors with names like “Ocean Blue”, “Fire Truck Red” or “Banana Yellow”. With the contrast of their well-manicured lawns, the brown rocky shoreline and the blue ocean, it was easy to take “postcard perfect” photos. Here are a few:

I’ll post more photos, as well as a few other things (maps, journal scans, etc.) from my trip, in the coming weeks.

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Jun

Déjà Vu

Filed Under international travel, photography

I am spending the weekend preparing for a trip to Nova Scotia, Canada where I’ll be visiting a friend I haven’t seen since 2004. We met while backpacking through Croatia and have kept in touch ever since through e-mail. She invited me to teach her high school class a bit about photography, so I’ve spent the last few hours looking through my photos for examples of composition.

I came across this photo I took in Marrakesh, Morocco last December:

I remember having a strong feeling of déjà vu last month when taking photos of the Pasadena City Hall. It wasn’t until I found the Morocco photo that I realized why:

It might not be obvious at first glance, but the photos are of lanterns hanging from ceilings taken from below looking directly up.

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May

22nd Annual Los Angeles Bug Fair

Filed Under Uncategorized, YouTube, entomology, graphic design, international travel, kahunna.net, local travel, photography, retrotravels.net

Who gets excited for bugs? I do! Who has been wanting to go to the annual Bug Fair? I have! Who spent seven hours walking around the Natural History Museum like a kid in a candy store? I did! Who’s the biggest geek? I am!! I’m really starting to concentrate on being a better macro photographer - specifically an insect photographer. The details that small creatures have can make is seem you’re looking at an alien. I brought my Macro Ring Lite (MR-14EX) and used it on most of my shots. They had added extra lighting in the dark halls of the NHMLAC, but not enough to really light up the displays of insects well enough. In this shot, I held the ring light behind and to the left of this Rose Haired Tarantula (which was alive and for sale).

This Cobalt Blue Tarantula had a gaze like Dirty Hairy… I mean, Dirty Harry.

I tried to write down info of each insect/arachnid I photographed, but I missed writing down the names of these guys, so I’ll make up names for them until someone posts a comment and gives me their real names. This first one is called the Kryptonite Bug, only found in the Arctic Circle on the underbellies of polar bears.

Below is the famous Cross-Eyed Skipping Beetle from Zimbabwe:

Next up is the Bunza Wunza found in the jungles of Tazmania. it was named after the sound its wings make while attacking small (very small) villages.

The Goldminer Beetle from Niger actually eats gold, which seeps onto its back to form a hard shell.

Little known fact: Pea Soup is actually made using the Pea Soup Beetles, pictured here:

Ok, I’ll stop with the fake names. Here are some photos of creatures and their real names: Silkworms eating lunch:

Phil Mays’ famous collection of beetles. One girl asked “were these painted?” Natural colors can be so beautiful, some find it hard to believe they exist without some help from us.

Morpho Butterflies:

Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches really are beautiful when you look at them closely.

Scorpion:

Phil Mays’ Butterfly Collection

They had a beehive on display:

Despite the photos so far, there were some humans at the bug fair. While waiting in line, I spotted Huell Howser interviewing a staff member. Huell is the host of California Gold, the longest running television series about California. You’re in the right place if Huell is around.

This girl looked so much like Dora The Explorer, it was uncanny. Her hair was just a bit longer but in the same style and she wore a Dora backpack, evidence to me that she has been a fan of the children’s animated character for a while.

By the time I left around 4pm, this guy had filled two boxes with his butterfly purchases!

While I was at the Natural History Museum I decided to visit the Pavilion of Wings, an seasonal exhibit of live butterflies. Although the butterflies were everywhere, the helpful docents were excited to point out butterfly eggs and incredibly small caterpillars. I’m really glad I brought my macro lens! Eggs: Caterpillar: Butterfly:

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May

Best Camping Tool Ever

Filed Under YouTube, international travel, local travel

Outdoor Mag : Buyers Guide

This summer, Outsider Magazine will release their annual Summer Buyer’s Guide. On the cover in all of it’s glory is one of the best tools I’ve owned: The Leatherman Skeletool CX.

I purchased the multi tool recently from REI.com, which had it on back order for weeks. My first impression is of the design - almost a piece of artwork, especially when compared to the boxy design of earlier versions of the Leatherman. When I received it, I was impressed by how light they made it. Weighing in at just 5 ounces, clip it into a belt loop and you’ll forget you are wearing it. Holding it feels like it was designed for my hand.

My only concern is the bit connection, where the Phillips #1 and #2 bits and 3/16 in. and 1/4 in. flathead bits (included) connect into the end of the tool. It would seem that an active hiker like me could easily knock it out and lose it forever. For this reason, I usually leave the Phillips bits at home and keep the flathead bits in the secured slit within the handle. (Who uses a screwdriver while camping/hiking/backpacking anyway?)

I first tested this tool in the wild while in Joshua Tree National Park last weekend (see last post). One of the very first uses was well worth the price of the tool. And I just happen to be holding my video camera when it all went down: