Conrad Olivier, a talented Denver based Destination Wedding Photographer

Do something for Haitians in the earthquake zone!

2010-01-13T21:26:00.002-07:00

Give here - give there, but give to some organization!

transparent giving on betterplace.org,
the platform for social projects.

Calendar project

2009-12-01T12:38:00.003-07:00

I've been working with a great group of people on a calendar for a local coffee shop with a bit of flair. They are known as Perky Cups, staffed by bikini baristas (at least on Bikini Wednesdays).

A Wedding... Ethiopian style!

2009-04-23T09:42:00.005-06:00

Injera... the bread of life for Ethiopians and many 'Westerners' who enjoy Ethiopian food at local restaurants around Denver, Colorado. In our area, there is a strong community of Ethiopians who have many wonderful restaurants in the Denver area (my favorite is, of course, Mesob). When I was asked to photograph this wedding, I was once again energized - why? Photographing people of diverse cultures presents many challenges and even more opportunities... what could be worse than stagnation or doing the same thing all the time, right?

The photograph of the couple (on the right) was shot just as the sun was 65% behind the mountains... (strongly backlit) in a parking lot with fresh yellow lines (less than ideal, but it was an impromptu pose/photo moment) which I felt the connection between them was strongest of most of the 'portraits'. ISO800

Steamboat Springs, Colorado

2008-07-30T08:17:00.016-06:00

Steamboat is a magical place indeed with a lush green valley and some amazing waterfalls, hot springs and friendly people. Hence, it makes a perfect place for Amy and Warren to settle down in after living in NYC. On July 26, 2008, this couple celebrated with close friends and family in an outdoor wedding.

I happen to know the bride and many of her friends who are a LIVELY bunch to say the least... the call themselves the 'wives' - not b/c two of them are now married, but b/c they decided a long while back that they were committed to each other in a serious, but lighthearted friendship. Saira (lives in Egypt, NYC, and Colorado), Laura (NYC), Romona (NYC), and I'm not sure where Katie lives... last but not least, Warren & Amy (Sil), who have given up life in New York for some elbow room in the Rocky Mountains.

After the wedding and reception, things got a bit more serious with Sake Bombs and cigars... even I was compelled to do one Sake Bomb (at least I managed to beat the bride, but there is not beating her husband at this game as he is a former bartender). Even the bride's grandmother 'appeared' to get in on the action...

The wedding of Andre & Christina at Niagara Falls

2008-06-24T08:00:00.005-06:00

We made our way to the church on foot, stopping traffic to get images in the middle of the street as the clouds began to unload their cargo.

Andre & Christina at the point of no return! I could tell that neither of them has second thoughts... this makes my job of portraying people in love much more believable and easier. Here I've chosen to show an image favoring the groom since they are often overlooked during these moments or the photographer simply shoots them in profile getting one eye of each face producing a more flat image (IMHO).
Thank you Andre & Christina!

Photographing many people in close quarters is always a challenge as there is always someone who is unaware that important images are being created during this fleeting moment. I felt fortunate once more as the people try to be respectful of my line of site during this chaotic moment. I took about 15 frames of this 5 second slice of reality. Christina's mother is just about the shower them (lower right foreground).

Posing at the falls. I have the falls over exposed so that they do not detract from the couple. When photographing powerful subjects, one must be careful not to relegate your subjects as secondary by the more distracting background.

Wedding in Phnom Penh

2007-04-09T09:54:00.000-06:00

My buddy Ed and I were just about to head south towards Takeo when we were invited to another wedding by our friend, Chariya. We went to Takeo for one night, then rode back to Phnom Penh so that I could photograph the event and help drink some of the 100 cases of Asahi beer that were on hand. We probably had 3 or 4 dinners that night as we were the table butterlies... toasting all of the guys drinking beers is nearly obligatory, but we didn't really mind (a toast between guys in Cambodia involves drinking the entire beer or at least your entire glass). The next morning we packed up our things and drove back down to Takeo where we enjoyed having the entire city to ourselves. Enjoying Vietnamese food for about 3000 Riel per plate and Khmer desserts for 1000 Riel (4,000 Riel = $1USD), we found that walking down the dark and deserted streets was the best way to settle all of that food before crashing out. What a refreshing and relaxing place ~ Takeo... a few weeks later, we came back through Takeo and visited Phnom Da were we met a few guys that were enjoying rice wine...

These guys really work hard in the fields growing rice... as you can see behind them, there is no where to hide from the relentless sun... just rice, mud, and sun. So I helped them out with their next 'purchase'...

Steung Mean Chey revisited...

2007-03-23T07:56:00.000-06:00

I returned to Cambodia for 2 days without sufficient funding, but I knew that one way or another I would succeed in my effort to make a difference. I returned to the landfill on 19March2007, after meeting 6 other very motivated people who wanted to be a part of the effort... Each of them gave of their money and time to get the shoes and rice to those who needed them most. Again, people were literally running (many barefoot) towards us as they know that whatever it is that we are handing out is in very limited supply.

In the end, it was a very successful visit not only because most of those who showed up now had sandals and a small quantity of rice... but also because the message is going to spread by word of mouth via the 6 other people that were a part of the effort. I saw only two children who were still barefoot, which is two too many. I will return again within the year with more sandals and boots as I know that I only saw a fraction of the women and children that live in this landfill on that day. A very special thank you to those that assisted me on that day: E. Kobak, J. Botterill, M. Taplin, N. Wharf, N. Smith, and M. Fairley... and to those that made donations S&J. Patel, C. Runyan, and C. Olivier.

Steung Mean Chey landfill

2007-03-11T01:29:00.000-07:00

***Update: 17March2007
(A few people have made donations in the last few days and I will return to Phnom Penh 18March2007 to take more sandals especially small sizes for the very young children that seem very much on their own... it's one thing to be homeless, fatherless, or hungry, however, this is something very different.) Thank you Chris R and Clay O.

11March2007
My second visit to the landfill in Phnom Penh revealed that although there are people and aid groups trying to assist the people, there is still much that is needed at that location. I also understand that there will be a new or additional landfill for PP. Conditions at the landfill in March 2007 are significantly better than November 2005 as the fires and smoke were minimal, air quality was not nearly as putrid as expected - in fact I removed all of my protective gear including sun glasses. Going there completely masked with a hat, sun glasses, and a face mask makes one feel very alien (and removed) in such an environment full of the most vulnerable of souls.

Witnessing the hordes of shoeless children running toward me through burning trash, broken glass, and everything else under the sun - all barefoot - was difficult at best... knowing that I had already run out of small flip flops (sandals) gave me a sinking feeling which you might equate to near complete failure on my part. If you or someone you know have knowledge of an NGO or ways of acquiring more aid please contact me.

If you ever wanted to be a part of something keep these facts in mind - I can purchase small flip flops for about .62 cents (USD) or 2500 Riel - up to about $1 USD for larger sizes... Rice is also extremely affordable at just over .25 cents per kilogram... imagine what $5.00 USD buys? 20kg of rice - or a coffee at Starbucks... it's up to you... if you want to lend a hand - on www.fotoscape.com (Giving Back) there is a link for donations.

I had several people on hand to assist with crowd control, rice dispensing, and sandal fittings, however, the crowd grew so quickly that I was unable to see the feet of the children that were so close to me... it made it hard to match correct sized sandals w/ the feet. At last the four of us were over run by the crowd which dispersed only after all of the supplies were exhausted... I managed to squeeze out and take a few photographs...

Varanasi thoughts

2007-02-21T03:13:00.000-07:00

Dawn on the banks of the Ganges is a special time when color and sound fill the
air...

Chanting...
very loud bells ringing continuously... through the night and day!
the murmur of the people...

The sun only breaks through the thick atmosphere well above the horizon.

...sipping masala chai while watching the dead move toward the Harischandra ghat...
watching the rooftop activity... cow patties are prepared, laundry dried, children play...

...inhaling the ash and smoke of those freshly cremated, anticipating the biryani for breakfast

Kites fill the sky at dusk, but now there is only one kite in view now...
Flown by a small child on the ramp of the Harischandra ghat... Poetic.

Kolkata to Varanasi

2007-02-05T01:21:00.000-07:00

Howrah train station in Kolkata is an amazing place... the flow of humanity to and from the station is evident within 4km of the station - untold numbers arriving and departing by foot with full luggage in hand or atop the head. 2nd Class A/C is more expensive than many other classes in the train, however, it was well worth the added expense as it was a 20 hour ride through the night... arriving around noon, the train crossed the bridge over the Ganges river yielding an impressive view of the ghats all along the western banks of the river... there are no permanent structures on the east side in the flood plains so it provides an interesting backdrop of river delta soils and a few holy mens tents clustered together.

Aside the expected bathing and ritual that encompass Varanasi, I was photographing a batch of water buffalo - in the Ganges... squatting down to take the photo, I realized one of the water buffalo blow some snot out and charged my way from about 2.5 meters away... instinct does kick in. I have more respect (fear) of falling or being knocked into the Ganges than being plowed over by a water buffalo ~ fortunately, I employed my newly acquired Indian driving skills & I now have become a water buffalo matador - pushing off of his head and rolling to the side... and of course, gracefully clearing the scene of the incident w/o even so much as a mud imprint anywhere on me. Just another encounter with a wild creature for me... better a buffalo than a crocodile!

The burning ghats are always doing brisk business. I`m sleeping just outside of one of them... all day and all night, bodies arrive from all parts of India to be cremated on a wood pyre or in the electric crematorium (less expensive/faster). Bodies cue up on the ramp after being carried down the road that my guesthouse overlooks. The chanting of those carrying the bodies lets you know when they approach. The body is usually placed on the ground for a short time and different accoutrement's are applied/purchased and the body heads either up the ramp to the electric crematorium or down to the shore of the Ganges. Last night, there was someone quite well-to-do as they were burned on top of a large stop altar... instead of just on the shore/sand... this also attracted a large audience. Kite flying is a very popular passtime for the youngsters of Varanasi... its as if the spirits are flying about all over the city... On average, I can see about 50 kites from the rooftop.

Kolkata

2007-01-30T23:37:00.002-07:00

Upon arrival it's all quite amazing if not overwhelming... after a brief trishaw ride, I climbed into a local bus - 30b - to Dum Dum station... there were so many people on the bus it grew dark inside the bus as the windows were obscured by the crush of humanity... not being able to see what was going on outside was of less consideration than what all was going on inside of the bus... lets call it a ~power skirmish~... getting out of the bus was something I didn't think was possible... magically, the flow of people began and it was as if I was rebirthed by the bus as it unceremoniously spat us out into Kolkata streets.

Having a very nice cup of chai, we relaxed and took in the ambiance of the surroundings which are best described as a chaotic dance that all beings do within the city. Amid all of the disorder, one finds that there is order albeit different that what I personally have known. Jetairways service from Bangkok is outstanding - economy class felt more like First Class with lovely food, attendants, and on board entertainment beyond what I knew existed in any class. Such are the juxtapositions in life...

The people of Kolkata are an artful breed... vivacious and colorful in every respect.

Simple and effective inline image spam fighting method

2007-01-04T10:13:00.000-07:00

So, the spammers have been sending you new spam in the form of inline images.
I have a web background which facilitated a way around these lousy attempts to clog my inbox. If you attempt to figure out what the name of the image is - you are led to believe that it's 'untitled.bmp' - and you can build a filter to block that, but it doesn't work (because that's not really the name of the image - it's actually encrypted). Upon closer examination of several inline image emails that I had received, I found a common character set that could be used to filter by.

Here it is: "cid:"
Build yourself a filter in whatever your email client may be... find this string and do whatever action it is you prefer. While testing, I had it append the message title to let me know that it worked, later I changed the action to 'delete' the message completely. This method should be fairly safe for most of your email unless of course you get emails full of these encrypted inline images from your peers. You might lose an email if you were say talking about things that are
rancid: or placid: but how often would they be followed by a colon? Best of luck!

Bore tides & Belugas

2006-09-03T22:29:00.001-06:00

Upon occasion if you are in the right place at the right time you might see both... As my friend was explaining the basics of a 'bore tide' - he said, look out there - there it is coming in! I was like whoa, is this like a scripted tour or what? Alas, it wasn't... Perhaps he was just sharpening his timing skills for his next date! Belugas began surfacing along the inlet or deeper channel just offshore as it filled the with silty grey seawater. 'Belugas' get their name from the language the word is borrowed from ~ Russian ~ which means 'white' (belugas are white). The bore tide itself was quite impressive - it pushed in decisively and it was quite photogenic as the back half of the waves were lit by the setting sun in the last days of August 2006. Some areas in Alaska can experience up to a 25' difference between high & low tides...

Canto do Galo

2006-04-26T08:48:00.000-06:00

Capoeira. The world is a humbling place... right when you think you are so cultured, you discover something else so wonderful... that's something I love about living. I'm not to going to be your guide to Capoeira... I won't even tell you what it is... why would I spoil your moment?

I've never photographed an event or a group of people more cohesive than these people... apart from perhaps apsara. The energy they expended was nothing compared to the energy in the venue where the batizado was held... it wasn't electrifying, but it demanded & held my attention like nothing else. Like many things cultural, if you look a little deeper, there is always much more going on than meets the eye. Charismatic leaders keeping the artform alive...

A Fresh Start...

2006-03-19T11:04:00.000-07:00

My friend, Paul, will have just that. He apparently died of some type of coronary complications in Phnom Penh, Cambodia where he made his home for the last year or so.

He was instrumental in my last outing in Cambodia - without him, many of the photographs that I took would not have been possible... Cremation will occur in Phnom Penh on Tuesday, 21.3.2006

A character shrouded in cheerful yet very sarcastic banter, Paul had a laissez faire, laissez aller, laissez passer attitude. From what I gather, he has had a profound effect on the people that knew him. It is clear that his spirit is in Phnom Penh - people sensing him around every corner...

Here are a few quotes to remember him by:

...in his chicago deep throated voice - "I told ya guys not to ride at night!

"well, I guess I'm not a team player see you at Sop..."

What's it like when you...

2006-02-18T16:10:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, you just don't know what the day has in store for you or what you might have up your sleeve. The good thing about getting older is that you have the option of getting better at some things... like how to spend one's birthday. Of course, I had the fortune of spending mine with a few good friends... Perhaps you have some days that aren't the greatest - advice - don't dwell on those - let them go & set new goals that have nothing to do with your past achievements or failures (they can only hold you back).

Barefoot in Death Valley

2006-02-09T11:24:00.002-07:00

He did it... 26 miles on a rough stretch of washboard rocky road in Death Valley. My friend, Chris and I met up in Vegas and drove to Death Valley in our rented 'SUV' - well, it was supposed to be an SUV, but it was "unavailable", so we took the Hyundai Sonata offroad, which was remarkably comfortable as an offroad vehicle - perhaps much more so that the Santa Fe we were to use. All in all we did just under 100 miles of washboard roads which were in better shape than years past.

Perhaps he is the first person to run a marathon in Death Valley without shoes... he was well recognized everywhere inside the park after the race - "how are your feet" - "they're great thanks"... "Are you the barefoot guy?"... Apparently, there is a small, but growing number of barefoot enthusiasts... He says his feet held up good until mile 20, at which point the callouses began to wear away in a few spots...

Fruits of our labor... an image from the Racetrack where large rocks plow thru the mud without witness only to be frozen in time awaiting the next rain. They have attached GPS units to these rocks to track their movements - apparently a 700lb rock actually vanished w/o a trace some time ago... Chris' theory is that the lakebed swallows these rocks when it's very soft... I tend to agree as there is not a lot of rocks on the edge of this playa.

Pit vipers and such

2006-01-27T21:09:00.000-07:00

Just when Koh Phi Phi was starting to feel a little too quiet... along comes this white lipped pit viper. He posed for a few photographs before I took some infrared video of his beady eyes. News of him caused widespread unrest amongst the other bungalow guests at an unnamed beach on Ko Phi Phi... I felt pretty secure because he'd already come to this space - looked around - found nothing and left... so I knew he wouldn't be back.

I was more concerned with the windy nights and the coconut trees overhead, the three gecko-stalking cats that would come into the bungalow (had most of the windows and doors wide open).

One evening, a young man that lives and owns a bungalow/bar/restaurant was having a good time drinking on the beach with friends. He was practicing spinning the ropes that often have fire at one end - I know there is a name for this - but I didn't care to remember - sorry! He shrieked in pain over the reggae tunes and crashing surf... all sorts of people (there were only about 12 foreigners at this beach) rushed to see what had happened. Exclaiming in drunken English that his shoulder was out of socket - he sought anyone who could help. First in line, the drunkest of drunks gave his arm a twist and a tug - amidst the moaning and outbursts of pain he gave up... then the next and the next. Finally, it was decided that he need to go by longtail (boat) to the small hospital/clinic in the touristy part of the island. We were on a side of the island taking quite a beating from the waves that night... nonetheless, one of the longtail boat drivers agreed to take him on the 20-30 minute journey. There was much delay in departure as more and more of the people drinking (aka drunks) were wanting to go on a boat ride in complete darkness in a boat with short sides... long story short, everyone started heading back to the bar (naturally) and I asked what the deal? The guy was laying on the 'floor' of the boat - (I'd like to see how he did that! - you know what I mean if you have ever been in a longtail) - the surf pounding on the boat slapped him a few good times in just the right manner and voila - he felt fine - should back into socket. A few more beers and he was no worse for the experience.

I had feelings of wanting to no be such a wuss and try to toughen up my white pansy-ass feet... so off with the sandals (I had forgotten about all of the glass we saw on the beach and picked up)... there was just a tsunami there and all. It wasn't long thereafter that I wandered over to the makeshift bon-fire (camp fire) and almost planted my foot squarly on a board with not one, but two nails sticking out of it - which probably helped me not get thoroughly punctured - I escaped with only minor puncture wounds.

Other than that, I drank a lot of tea and just took it easy with my friend, Zamil, from Australia/UK. It was a week without vices...

H5N1 - Deep fried!

2006-01-02T13:06:00.000-07:00

I had a lovely eye infection for the last few days while I was in Bangkok which lasted a total of 12 days. I was considering wearing my new H5N1 t-shirt that I got at the Indy Book Festival in Bangkok just a while back, I had to scratch that idea since I had a touch of bronchitis (according to the US medical personnel) which they declined to treat. I had this weird suspicion they wanted to let me incubate... as I left the 'unmentioned facility' the employee let me know that they'd be sure to start me on Tamiflu if needed - that's great, but I was going out of town again for another week or so - nothing like preventative medicine. Apparently, no one will become famous for 'discovering' bird flu in my body this time. I was asked if I was near any poultresque type creatures - I said, no, not exactly...

This image was taken in early November on the edge of Cambodian civilization (where the paved road meets the unpaved). You cannot live your life in fear, you must heed the warnings, but use your own judgement as well (if it's good that is...). I'm not saying that I didn't shooo the chickens that walked under my dinner table, but don't let the media overload your sensibilities.

Well cooked chicken that you didn't handle/cuddle/kill beforehand will not harm you. In the end, the real danger will not be the chickens themselves, but people transmitting H5N1 around the globe to one another.

Ko Phi Phi

2005-12-14T21:46:00.000-07:00

Spending söme quiet & and introspective time on a secluded part of the island that was hit by the 2004 tsunami. Very lovely Muslim Thai family taking care of no more than 10 to 15 tourists on this beach. Beautiful rainstorm yesterday... attached outdoor - open air bathroom - showëred in the rain. Hiked to the top of PP Don in a rainstorm - perfect! At the end of the secluded beach, rasberry colored rocks adorn the pristine sand grounding the interpreted elements of this scene.

Looking down at the beach shrouded in the clouds and rain. Descending soon to search for a green papaya for 'som tum' - the restaurant doesn't have any at the moment...

Crutches

2005-12-05T19:37:00.000-07:00

In life, people often act more like cattle - following the footsteps of the one before them. Granted, if short on time I wouldn't be against the idea of using a guidebook as a supplement for your travel information - rather I use them mostly as a guide for how to avoid tourist gathering spots... 'watering holes'. I would advise not to rely on them as one might a religious text or methodology - unless you want a very predictable outcome which I find utterly pointless. (of course, you needn't agree). Interacting with the local people is often very rewarding assuming you are able to comply with local culture/customs - you'll learn about things the guidebook isn't ever going to provide you. If you are ready to go to the slaughterhouse, get on that trailer with all of your brethern - otherwise, take a chance and do something different.

( testing the local spirits)

I'll admit that from time to time I borrow guidebooks from other people, I hope to end that practice, but as with most elements of change - time is required.

December 5th was His Majesty's 79th birthday... Thai people love and honor their King more than most Westerner's can fathom... he's noted to be the longest reining (living) monarch - enjoying nearly absolute popularity with his people. Most people wore yellow or gold shirts to mark his birthday - he's noted to have registered more than 2000 projects benefiting his people. If you've ever been to Thailand, you know that before each movie you watch in a theatre - there is a moment when all stand to pay homage to him. It's a very interesting phenomena... of course, there is always political sides to take in most countries, and the King apparently manages to remain impartial (so to speak).

Giant Turds...

2005-12-03T10:41:00.000-07:00

I'm riding in the front of one right now. Maintenance is never proactive, refueling is something we do together, your only nemesis is from within - what am I referencing? (I know you thought I'd never ask).

Where to begin... having driven over, in, and off of the Darwinistic backroads of Cambodia, I clearly understand that just because one has 250cc's... doesn't gurantee that you won't have a giant (head on) bus passing a 4x4 truck passing a roto-tiller 'bus' passing various animals (generally cows as most other creatures move out of the way).

About that nemesis, it could just be the four dollars you saved on that second class bus ticket, the overnight ones without the toilet, or with my luck - getting the seat above it. Might just be nausea, not to worry a plastic bag will not drop out of the compartment above - though you'll wish it would... Let's not even get into how time passes on a bus

Forget about Rock, Paper, Scissors... it was 7a.m. and I saw 6" of AK-47 peaking out from under his fake leather jacket... Of course, he took a seat in the back with a nice vantage point. And people worry about bandits stopping a bus - take it in stride - if it was okay with Laos TSA (if they had a TSA) - it's okay with me.

In Laos & Thailand, buses seem to follow a certain bit of genuine etiquette, however, my heart is still with the Cambodian smiles and her people even if their concept of live and let live on the road is more 'Move or die' - there is no right and 'wrong'.

The Novice and I

2005-12-01T01:58:00.000-07:00

As we rode the local bus to Phonsavanh from Luang Prabang, I was delighted to see that we wouldn't ever run out of brake fluid as the driver's assistant added it religiously via an inverted bottle attached to the dashboard. That was only the first clue that perhaps the brakes on this old Chinese bus weren't up to snuff. We managed an average speed of about 9km hour or so give or take 10km in either direction. As we hit sharp inclines, the bus door would be opened and the female assistant would hop out and run along side the bus in the event the bus driver wasn't able to get it into gear (she had a chock block in hand to stop the bus from rolling off the cliff). As we leveled out, she'd hop back in and secure the door.

We followed a very new (two years old) road along the spine of the mountains passing many different and humble villagers and villages clinging to the steepest of hillsides. Views that one can only dream imagine, most of these people have no other reality as most haven't been to Luang Prabang or Vientiane.

Motion sickness is a part of life inside a bus in Laos... it appears I will escape this fate, my young friend, Hongnaly "Lee", wasn't as fortunate. The bus ride was somewhere between ardous and too difficult to describe... so I'll leave it at that. He's a wonderful and bright novice monk studying English and Japanese in Luang Prabang. He comes from a family of rice farmers in a village about 84km away from LP. We became friends one afternoon while I visited with him and his brother in the Wat. I invited him to go with me to Phonsavanh to see the Plain of Jars - a mysterious place of stone jars and foggy mornings (otherwise, unnotable). I learned many things about the life of a young novice... the dreams, thoughts, and rules. What a pure soul already - he's been a novice for two years and will become a monk when he reaches the age of twenty.

After the ardous bus ride, his stomach was empty for more than one reason... I brought him two servings of soymilk so that he'd have something. I felt guilty as I sat down and had several Indian dishes at a local restaurant... I thought to myself, being a monk is quite challenging indeed. He wanted to buy a camera, but I told him to use one of mine - he did a nice job and got to enjoy one of life's little pleasures - to be a tourist (an opportunity most do not realize/achieve). He hopes to study in Thailand and become a doctor one day ~ as he has tuberculosis.

Mistaken identity

2005-12-01T01:52:00.000-07:00

Hailed by two Lao guys, I was offered a thimble sized glass of whisky... After I finished that, I was given a hunk of grilled meat - "ma" - I knew exactly what it was... however, the Japanese girl didn't, the Turk passed on this opportunity, while the other Japanese guy went for it as well. It wasn't long before she inquired... when I told her it was grilled dog - her expression was priceless as she shrieked "uuuuuuuhhhhuuuyyyyiiiiii" as we crossed the road. She commented that it was too chewy though it had a nice flavor - I agreed and told her she could spit it out.

After a nice dinner, I went to the Wat at the confluence of the two rivers in Luang Prabang to meet my new friend, the novice monk at 8pm.

Destination: Pak Beng

2005-11-27T21:35:00.000-07:00

As I approach the northern border of Thai, I feel refreshed thinking of the challenges, opportunities, and smiles that are to come... A few days aboard a cargo boat destined for Luang Prabang via the Maekhong river should be a good experience. /// Nov 26
It's no cargo boat... however, it is full of tourists... The well beaten path. Six or seven hours to go - looking forward to the Maekhong rapids.

//Nov 27

Pak Beng was a nice frontierish feeling town - crashed yet another wedding - the town was fresh out of electricity, but a generator kept the wedding party going. The climate in Laos is very cool and refreshing - people bundle up w/ winter coats while I insist on short sleeves. Luang Prabang is lovely. Quiet, scenic, and peaceful... best of all - quite clean... I overheard some tourists who made comments after being in the interior - "it feels like we are back home". Lao coffee is darker than a moonless night.

Killing time...?

2005-11-24T14:32:00.000-07:00

Perhaps fate is always at work... while waiting for my bus to Chiang Rai I wandered about in an area of BKK that I've never been to before. I had about 6 hours to 'kill'... I stumbled upon a Wat... walked in and spoke with Toon, a monk there. Apparently, funerals happen there everyday. Attending a funeral is usually part of a planned event in ones day, well, not for me... I sat in for the final stage of a funeral. I've even been to a funeral on my birthday. Perhaps I wasn't really killing time - since none of us really know how much time we have before the crematorium billows out our last wishes.

The day before, I walked about 6km in downtown BKK since it was 'cool'... I ended up at the Marble Wat - where there was merit making and a ceremony going on for Rama V (a Roman Numeral) - father of Thai Photography. Again, as if by fate, it was a ceremony honoring the 100th year anniversary since Rama V made a big push for photography in Thailand - bringing the art form into vogue. Even today, photographs of the current king often display him holding a camera. I was afforded the opportunity to photograph these two groups of 4 monks during the ceremony along with about 6 other Thai photographers.

Luck is a big part of Thai culture... I'm not sure if the past two days are about luck or some strange unguided path that I'm supposed to walk. Even this morning, I somehow found my way to where I was going without a map on foot alone at 6.30am... Preparing to enter Laos by land/river crossing.

Two weddings, two countries

2005-11-20T20:09:00.000-07:00

Khmer and Thai wedding parties are as different as their cuisine, culture, and history. The population of Cambodia is dwarfed by that of Thailand - with approx 11 million in Bangkok (according to one source).

Imagine what appeared to be a 6' tall wedding cake ceremoniously cut from the highest tier to the lowest by a sabre held by the bride and groom in front of 1000 guests. Last night, my friend, Gog, was married in BKK.

Last weekend in Phnom Penh, Khmer dancing followed dinner after the empty beer cans hit the floors - while you may have a preconceived notions, I found both weddings to be a lot of fun as well as culturally insightful.

Many Chinese traditions were a part of the engagement and wedding ceremonies.

Things Orange...

2005-11-17T18:06:00.000-07:00

Heading downhill from Preah Vihear, we were hit with a bit of rain which made it even more difficult and dangerous to go down the 1875ft to the base of the mountain... when we began, Paul went first - the mark left by his rear wheel was about 45' long - we really were shi##ing bricks then! We had to use the front wheel brake - a REAL bad idea going down a very steep incline, but that took care of that problem. Mentally, it was a hard start to the hardest day on the road yet... the roads were in great shape for a while, then we hit about 5km of really rough road that had already claimed a large transport truck. Wheels embedded to the top, drive train dropped into the mud via failed U-joint. I found a guy under the truck taking care of the repairs. I was weary of slipping and sliding along the ridges of all the ruts in the road as it was ''muddy"to say the least... I opted to go thru the puddles head on, eventually I chose one that swallowed me and the dirt bike whole. It didn't look deep enough (although it was 3.5' across). My bike wasn't going anywhere as the intake hose had fallen off and sucked in a lot of water. Some very nice Khmer guys stopped w/in about 15 minutes to troubleshoot the bike - eventually we pushed, towed and finally got it started, but then there was just too much water coming out of the muffler. I got an oil change on the spot thanks to these guys who had everything including bottled water for the three of us as the sun was pounding before the rains that would ensue. Ed had lost his shoe momentarily in the mud from trying to keep his bike up - he was almost completely orange and brown with dust and mud. As darkness fell, much before we were ready, a long sleeved shirt ended up in Ed's read axle chain sprocket - again our Cambodian chase car appeared within minutes to render aid (although we could have taken care of this problem - they insisted even though they were wearing nice slacks and shirts)... on the road again we drove into darkness (no fun) as that is when everyone starts cooking and that means smoke and ash, bugs, unseen objects and obstacles. We arrived completely rain soaked and muddy beyond recognition. Dinner was ginger pork with rice - damn good.

Preah Vihear

2005-11-15T15:36:00.000-07:00

Secluded high above the vast plains of Cambodias northern border, the very important Preah Vihear ruins / temple complex is perch a long and narrow mountain.
Getting here has taken the last four days via 250cc motorbikes - from PP to Battambang to Sisaphon to Samraong to Analong Veng to Preah V - mostly w/o roadsigns. Road conditions vary from perfectly grated to 4' deep ruts - its zig zag & up down for the last 700km. Views from the top of the fourth temple afford one with spetacular vistas of all that is below. We made one major in judgement and followed the advice out a guide book - it tooks thru an overgrown trail complete with a landmine warning sign. After a very ardous time thru difficult drops and stream beds we hit a dead end of impassable stone stairs - each us went down multiple times, still and clawing our way.

The road up Preah Vihear is between 45 and 60 degrees - the generator just turned off so...

Fried Mama w/ seafood

2005-11-13T09:05:00.000-07:00

I decided against the fried frog w/ cheese... the fried mama was a ramen noodle dish w/ squid and shrimp - not bad! The visit to psa muen chay (the landfill) went smoothly - we took 25kg of rice as well as the medical and hygene items- details to follow. We have arrived in Battambang last night and are heading out north of here shortly. The roads have been excellent and this will change soon, nonetheless, we have the right equipment.

Two worlds

2005-11-10T03:19:00.000-07:00

Today was the engagement ceremony for my friend, Gog. It was at the Montien Riverside in Bangkok... it was lovely and a nice experience as I enjoyed photographing it as well. I'm short on time at the moment... nonetheless, I'm contemplating tomorrow. Phnom Penh's worst awaits me... there will be no succulent pig that has just been roasted for those gathered to eat the skin... the landfill is going to be a test of many kinds. more to follow.

Solitary Confinement

2005-11-09T23:15:00.000-07:00

As Cha Am was the epitome 'tourism en masse', Kha Sam Roi Yot, was serene. Getting to the secluded beach of Laem Sala ended up taking me two days, not that it was very far away, but I ended up in a fishing village near Sai Cave (Tham Sai) - where squid and shrimp are king... and 'sleeply fishing village' was an understatement - although i did see some people move about now and then - even myself occassionally - hot, steamy, sticky, & still - ugggg! Laem Sala is surrounded on three sides by the karst mountanious peaks - it's probably about 1km or so long - white sand and shells. The only other people there besides myself were some fishermen and their wives who uses seines to catch small shrimp - we are talking less than one inch long. Soon I moved beyond my puritanical disdain for bathing with mosquito larvae in my bath water as there were more mosquitos in the air to present a 'real' danger. The Nakhon P cave was truly spectacular - after a long uphill hike of 480m, I was rewarded with views of two sinkholes (caverns) letting the sun light thru the rooftop. In one of the caverns, there is a replica of the palace (in minature) - talk about an unexpected finding - although I had seen a photo of it before - it was still well worth the visit. Getting ready to be with my friend(s) for her engagement, then off to Phnom Pehn for some serious dust.

Diesel therapy

2005-11-06T10:30:00.000-07:00

...started out better than expected with a good A/C unit and only a few hundred kilometers to traverse. Being inside a bus is actually better than being outside as far as air quality is concerned - just as one's stomach must acclimatize to the new unseen freeloaders inside, so too must you adapt to lengthy travel by bus or whatever means of transport it may be. The key is a little at a time (at least in the beginning). As far as acclimatizing to the food fun, I was a bit overzealous with my favorite dish - som tum. I had two of them for dinner - a rather acidic concoction indeed which percolated for about 10 hours. I know that is exactly what you were hoping to hear about, right?

Cha am is a narrow sliver of beach with more seating than stray dogs, which reminds me I saw the most outrageous stray dog ever- all he had left was a tuft of fur that was blondish/orange much like a lion or hyena, his skin tanned nearly black, crusted patches of skin (presumably) - poor little guy. If he was mine, I'd pet him often, but with a set of 'hazmat' gloves...

The big city...

2005-11-05T00:17:00.000-07:00

The onslaught of stimuli left me fixated on the occasional beeping of a fare meter inside our taxi - i found it to be like being in a state of restrained Chinese water torture albeit ever so brief - momentary madness - isn't that a sign of artful genius?

As laid back as i may seem, i feel like i'm in 2nd to last place here in BKK - as westerner, 10 solid minutes at a red light is unacceptable, yet many thais have an unspoken way of handling this part of their reality - they manage not to think.

Easier said than done?

Yes.

/wildlife encounter/
a gecko fell onto my hand riverside during lunch - ever vigilant, nonetheless, it got the best of me¤

Remedial therapy

2005-11-04T10:00:00.000-07:00

Rehydrating my face and soul took about an hour in a day spa... it's good to check prices as the first spa I checked into wanted about $700 for 5 hours - now, I don't know what Indian candle wax treatment is exactly, but I do know that the 12 course facial I had was worth every bit of $5 I paid for it at the next spa 25m away. I recall the intensly cold items being applied to my face making me forget about most everything momentarily... then four hands working on me like yesterday's spaghetti. I was getting hungry and was tempted to eat one of the pieces of cucumber that sat upon my lips...

***I've got about 6 pounds of toothpaste in my backpack, 600 bandaids, neosporin, 10 toothbrushes (thanks Jennifer) and will soon be acquiring more for the children in the Cambodian landfill... if you were wanting to make a donation - please do so before the 12th of Nov as I will be there and will have assistance to carry the supplies by that point - hey, thanks for volunteering Ed!!! Thanks also goes to Samir, Chrissy, and Pear who have already donated and or committed to making a difference!

Chess with a Monk

2005-11-03T09:48:00.000-07:00

Funny how life is all about 'hurry up and wait' sometimes... if you can keep your head about you, it's not so bad. I had the good fortune of sitting next to Saem, a monk based in Bkk. Turns out he has been to the temple in Denver. He'd just returned from Taiwan and will go to Germany on the 10th of Nov to take care of Loi Kratong for some thais somewhere in Germany. He really gets around (at least in my book). Speaking of patience, we ended up in the bathroom - the swarm of humanity had to do their thing before him as he patiently waited for ALL to finished before cueing up. A similar situation occured on the aircraft when we were to disembark, everyone assumed he would wait on the aircraft till it emptied, however, he waited until someone motioned for him to exit thus allowing me to exit the aircraft as well. It was a good way to begin - slowly and patiently - besides it was already 2am (an essentially irrelevant factoid). I invited Saem to a chess match on the aircraft as there was an LCD in the back of each headrest with games and movies... unfortunately he didn't know how to play. I may attempt to visit his Wat in Southern BKK before he goes to Germany.

!Road Rules!

2005-10-24T09:17:00.000-06:00

Cambodia... I was wanting to brush up on my road skills and prepare myself to employee an altered mindset - driving is a very 'fluid' experience in much of SE Asia - <i>going with the flow</i> is an understatement. So I ran across these questions - what would you do?

Question 1:
How do you properly execute a left turn?

A) Come to a full stop at the intersection, carefully look both ways and wait for a gap large enough to allow a safe crossing over the lane of traffic to complete your turn.
B) Come to a full stop at the intersection, look both ways and say, “Am I friggin’ nuts?” and immediately return the bike to the rental shop.
C) Fly into the intersection, lean on your horn, stop for no one.
D.) Drive directly into oncoming traffic, stay to the side of the road, and continue moving forward against the flow of traffic crossing over when you get a sufficient break in traffic all the while maintaining a silly grin on your face.
The correct answer is B if you’ve never ridden a bike here before, C for cars, trucks, and tourist vans, and D for motorcycles.

Question 2:
You’re on a major two-way street approaching an intersection with what is a clearly-marked though minor one-way street. Do you…
A). Keep going only casually looking in the direction of cross traffic because anyone coming from a one-way street will surely yield the right of way to traffic on a larger two-way street.
B.) Stop and look in the direction of the expected cross traffic flow to see if it’s safe to cross.
C.) Stop and look both ways like your mother taught you.
D.) What’s a one-way street and why would I stop at an intersection?

Cambodians would answer D and your answer is whatever you have to do knowing a Cambodian is doing D.

(excerpt from farangonline.com)

Infrared photography

2005-10-02T21:06:00.000-06:00

The waiting is over. The modified Nikon D100 has arrived and it's been fairly easy to get used to using it. Shooting things only in IR (Infrared) is a challenge. I'll spare you the granular details of what exactly IR light is and what wavelengths it occupies. Rather, I report that my first findings are that all things with Chlorophyll appear white as I had knew they would. Suprisingly, pine trees or their needles rather, remain in a normal grayscale tone whereas more palmate leaves that are still alive appear quite bright and white - almost glowing. Human subjects also appear slightly brighter and tend to exude a glow which could add to the mood of any photograph. Unfortunately, ducks, geese, gulls, and comorants appear pretty normal in a B&W sense.

I've used different types of Near IR film before... the prices are somewhat more than 'normal' film and often require special handling and development. This camera is going to open up a new world for me as a photographer. If you wanted to try screwing a IR filter onto your camera - I say go for it - however, you'll not be photographing things that move very successfully as the exposure times are significant... ie - requiring a tripod. The beauty of this camera is that the IR filter is not on the lens, but on the CCD itself. Allowing normal daylight thru the lens and to the operator's eye (TTL). Focusing is still an apparent challenge with Infrared... plus, any camera takes a bit of time to get to know.

Retooling...

2005-09-23T00:36:00.000-06:00

Preparing myself for an upcoming outing to SE Asia. While many prepare & some flee the gulf coast in the wake of Rita, I ponder how to streamline my style of packing for international travel & photography. I'll carry approx. 2 cameras & a video camera as the objective for the trip is photography. My thoughts are with those who will lose life, property, and loved ones.

I have several objectives for this trip. I will travel from Thailand to Cambodia where I have already been twice before. However, this time I intend on taking some care packages for the young children of Cambodia. Cambodia is a country that is much like a shattered vase - merely patched together with something less than superglue. The people of Cambodia are very resilient and warm/friendly. This is the country that Princess Diana was involved in their land mine removal programs. I've read that the average pay is $170/month for these skilled workers - a very handsome salary in Cambodia. After losing approx. 2 million individuals during Pol Pot's reign in/around 1975, the majority of the population is under 20-30 years old. I will visit places you might not think of visiting... this is not a vacation mind you, however, I hope to reach some of the children in that frequent the trash dumps around Phnom Penh. Perhaps you want to reach out (pens/paper) as well - let me know if you think it's worth taking $5 donations via paypal. I intend to document the act of goodwill.

It's funny, in a dark sort of way, that even in our country (USA) as toilet paper was introduced, people were reluctant to use it for it's intended purpose - rather they opted to save it for writing paper as it was deemed to 'nice' for wiping oneself.

If you have any ideas on this sort of thing - pls share - I'm thinking it's logistically easier to buy pens/paper in Thailand & then transport across the border.