Left Vietnam, back in Hawaii

I left Vietnam a couple of days ago after a month of travel and I am back home in Hawaii now. I have downloaded all my photos and am sorting through them now. Soon I will put some new ones on my website.

Hoa Lo Prison aka Hanoi Hilton

After Hue I spent a couple of nights in Halong Bay and Cat Ba Island and then arrived in Hanoi a couple of days ago. I think I will just hang around here for the last few days of my month in Vietnam.

Visited Hoa Lo Prison aka Hanoi Hilton in Hanoi yesterday. I stopped by there when I was in Vietnam about 11 years ago too. Much of the prison is gone now, but they have preserved one large section and made it into a museum.

Hue

I left Hoi An after 3 good days there and arrived in Hue today. Spent some time walking around The Citadel (the former emperor's city within Hue).

Being in Vietnam I am reminded of another time and long ago. Here is Country Joe McDonald with his Feel Like I'm Fixing To Die at Woodstock in 1969:

Hoi An

I am 15 days into the travels and still have the same time left, so in the middle of the trip now. I arrived in Hoi An yesterday and will be here a few days. I remember Hoi An as one of my favorite places when I was in Vietnam some years ago. Much is still the same, but the old, historic part has become a UNESCO World Heritage site and the old houses have become clothing shops, art galleries, and restaurants. :-( It is also much cleaner now. That is all great for the Vietnamese because obviously they are prospering, but it gives that part of town the feel of many of the old parts of Europe. Before, that part of town had just a few shops, mostly for local people, and the occupants and friends sitting out in front cooking, eating, selling vegetables, etc. Fortunately, there is still plenty of that too, just not in that section of town.

I got up at 5:00 AM and then outside at 6:00 to get down to the river and market early this morning and spent 4 hours walking around and shooting. Got many good shots. Actually, I think I have gotten a lot of good shots throughout the trip. We'll see when it comes time to download them all and review them though. :-)

Arrived in Nha Trang today

Since last posting I again went down into the Mekong Delta for a couple more days, but to different places. Visited the famous and extensive Cu Chi tunnels used by the Viet Cong during the war. Also, did a homestay with a family on a canal in the Delta. Cool. I visited the tunnels and did a homestay when I was in Vietnam last time too. Then back to Saigon and the next day to the old French colonial mountain resort town called Dalat. There are many hills in the town with a lake and looks a lot like a European village in Austria or France. Temperatures were nice and cool and a wonderful change from the heat and humidity in Saigon and the Delta. Stayed 2 nights there. This morning made the drive to Nha Trang and got here about 3 hours ago. It is on the ocean with a nice beach, although today is overcast with occasional drizzle.

I got my lens back!

Last night I got my lens back! I figured the chances were only about 5%, but they found the lens and brought it back to Saigon for me. I was sure it was gone forever and I would not be able to use it on this trip. Also, I would have the dilemma of deciding whether I would buy a replacement when I get back to Hawaii. I don't want to buy any more lenses for the Sony mount because the company's direction with their cameras is so erratic. They have a point & shoot mentality and don't really understand photography, I think.

Small disaster averted...maybe

A few days ago I spent the night in Can Tho while in the Mekong Delta and in the morning I was in a hurry to get my stuff together in my hotel room so I could checkout. I accidentally left my Sony 11-18mm camera lens behind. :-( I didn't discover this until the next morning in Saigon though. For the last 2 days I have been trying to find out if the hotel staff found it and if so can I get it sent to me here in Saigon. The other complicating wrinkle is that I am leaving Saigon first thing in the morning. Well, the tentative good news is that this afternoon the hotel in Can Tho said they had found my lens and that they will give it to someone who is taking a bus to Saigon today (for other reasons) and that I can pick the lens up at 7:00 PM not far from where I am staying. I have my fingers crossed that all is well, there are no mistakes, and the lens is still in like new condition. I will know in a couple of hours, I suppose! Please, please!!!

Yesterday and today I continued wondering around Saigon with my camera. It is still very hot and humid so everytime I happen to be near my hotel I go in and take a cold shower. I guess that I have been averaging about 4-5 showers a day since I got here. :-)

My first few days in Vietnam

I just arrived in Ho Chi Minh City aka Saigon on Wednesday and it begins a month of travel in Vietnam. I was here for a month almost 11 years ago, but felt ready to return and, I hope, get some good photos. It sure is hot and humid here, not unexpected, but it has been almost 3 years since I was somewhere with this sort of climate (last time was Cambodia and Thailand) so my body is not acclimatized to it yet.

I took a few photos while walking around Wednesday afternoon, but it was the hottest time of the day so after an hour and a half (including a stop for a beer) I returned to my hotel for a cold shower and to relax in my aircon room. Thursday morning, early, about 6:00 AM I started wondering the streets. Of course, that early it is a bit cooler and most importantly there is a lot of morning activity to photograph. Then a stop for breakfast. After eating I was walking again and over a period of 30 minutes while walking in a park I was approached over and over by cyclo drivers hoping I would hire them to show me around. Finally, a guy that seemed particular easy going and whose English was a bit better approached me and I agreed to a particular route and price. We even wrote the price of 150,000 dong on a piece of paper to ensure there were no misunderstandings. From my experience you can do all of this and still at the end you discover you are dealing with a real jerk. Well, he didn't disappoint me. :-)

We rode around and stopped often so he could take a break under a tree, get something to drink, and talk with friends while I walked around to take photos. After 3 hours we were done and he suggested we stop at a little sidewalk place to have a "happy hour". I bought us each a beer and we talked some more. I noticed that planned or unplanned he had taken me to an almost deserted road with almost no traffic and no one walking on the sidewalk. Normally there are people everywhere in Saigon with many people walking along, bicycles, motorbikes, cars and a cacophony of sound. On this road on the edge of District 1 though it was quiet and almost deserted. I figured it probably meant nothing but I have traveled enough to know that this may not be a coincidence. Still, he was friendly and all seemed fine. Also, it was the middle of the afternoon. While we were sitting on the sidewalk drinking our beer he asked if I would write a note in a small notebook to recommend him. He had showed it to me earlier in the park and it had many comments from satisfied customers. I readily agreed and wrote a note. Then he asked me to go ahead and pay him and then he would take me back to the park where we had met.

When it comes time to pay you find out if you have an asshole on your hands. The moment of truth had arrived. I had a good time so decided to give him a 20,000 dong tip -- I figured he would appreciate that. I gave him the 150,000 dong plus the 20,000 dong tip and rather than be happy he became very agitated. He told me that I owed him 450,000 dong because the charge was 150,000 dong per hour. Of course, that was bullshit. We had very carefully gone over everything several times in the park. He had clearly pulled this scam many times because he seemed so practiced at the way he sprung it and the words he chose. With no hesitation I refused to pay him more. Guidebooks will tell you that in Southeast Asia people do not show anger and yell so you should also remain calm. Well, I can tell you that many times I have seen people in Southeast Asia angry and yelling at each other. Therefore, when this guy, his name was Tian, suddenly exploded and started yelling at me demanding I pay him the additional amount it made me angry too, but didn't seem particularly out of character for the culture. Be warned, guidebooks often have incorrect information. :-) I told him firmly and clearly that I would absolutely not give him anymore money. He had the 170,000 dong in his hand so I started to walk away. He grabbed my arm and pulled me back and in a very threatening way told me I could not leave. At this point I was beginning to think we may end up in a fight, but I stayed very firm and kept my eyes locked right on his. I told him to never touch me again and that he had two choices: 1) take the 170,000 dong or 2) we go find the police. He refused to get the police and told me they wouldn't and couldn't help me, but I insisted that I was going to find them and he could accompany me. He planted himself right in front of me and was very close blocking my way.

I hoped this wouldn't turn violent, but I decided that if this was going to then I guess it will happen and I started wondering how I would fare. He was about 20 years younger, maybe 2 inches shorter, but stockier. He was probably a kung-fu wizard though. :-) I hope he didn't have a knife. I also had my camera around my neck and started thinking that it would almost certainly get smashed and broken.

I told him again I was leaving and looked him straight in the eyes and said, "So, what are you going to do about it?" I wondered if this would be the point where he would turn violent. For the first time he got quiet and then looked down at the sidewalk. He was clearly thinking things over, probably thinking the same thing I was: Do I want this to turn into a fight? After a rather long delay he looked up and said he would take 200,000 dong and he would take me back to the park. I told him no that all he was getting was the 170,000 dong and he didn't even deserve the 20,000 dong tip, but I had already said I would give it to him so I wouldn't go back on my word. I told him to stay away from me and I would find my own way back. Although I didn't know where we were I knew it couldn't be too far so I walked until I found a road and turned to the left. Soon I was back in the heart of District 1 and about an hour later I found my way back to my hotel. I am sure he had pulled the scam many times and probably had been successful most of the time. He was good at trying to intimidate people. He failed this time though so I hope he hesitates a lot the next time. Although from time to time, especially in Egypt, I have had similar experiences, this one was probably the most intense. The world seems to be getting meaner. One misadventure in the can, I hope no more! :-)

Friday I left Saigon to head south into the amazing Mekong Delta. For the last two days I have been traveling mostly by boats on the river and watching and photographing all the hustle and bustle of life on this big river. Yesterday morning I took a boat going from Saigon to My Tho and then later on to Ben Tre. Had lunch at Ben Tre and did some exploring with my camera. By evening I got to Cat Tho to spend the night and this morning got up early to take a boat to the big Cai Rang floating market. I think I have gotten some pretty good photos. I got back to Saigon this evening and am glad to be in an aircon room again! It is so hot and humid here! I have been thinking about it and figure that maybe if I stay here 30 years or so then I might get acclimatized. :-)

Going to Vietnam

It has been more than 10 years since I went to Vietnam last time, but I am going again on Monday for a month of travel. I hope I can get some good photos! Here are a couple of photos from when I was there last time.

4th of July Waikiki Outrigger Canoe Races, 2010

Yesterday for the 3rd year in a row I was at the beach in Waikiki for the annual Independence Day, 4th of July outrigger canoe races. You can check out the Independence Day gallery (in the Hawaii gallery) to see photos from the Waikiki Outrigger Races yesterday at the beach! There are also photos from 2009 and 2008:

http://www.bakubo.com

Just like in 2009 and 2008 it was a lot of fun! When I shoot there I am barefoot and just wear board shorts. On the beach and out in the water up to my waist and almost to my chest a couple of times. Like in previous years my hands and camera didn't get a drop on them. Oh, I am good. :-)

It was a blast with all the boats launching and then returning, the crews on the beach, and the cheering fans. Also, children there too!

Pan-Pacific Festival Parade

The annual Pan-Pacific Festival Parade was held here in Waikiki a few days ago. I met my friends Celia, Shunwah, and Erick on Kalakaua Avenue to watch the parade. It was good to see them again and it was a fun time!

Lantern Floating Ceremony

Went to Ala Moana Beach Park this evening for the Lantern Floating Ceremony held on Memorial Day each year. It is good to be back in Hawaii. I was over waist deep in the water when I took this photo. :-) Forgot to take my wallet out of my back pocket so it got soaked along with money and various cards, papers, etc. It is all drying out now.

I flirted with a Pentax K7

I flirted with the Pentax K7 this month and I thought some people might be interested in what I found. I got a fantastic deal for a new K7 + 18-55mm for US$855 with free shipping and no tax. I had been giving some thought to getting one to try out so when I saw that deal I jumped on it. Sadly, I returned it yesterday. The only reason I returned it was because compared to my A700 at ISO 1600, 3200, and 6400 it was worse. In all other ways that I care about it was a very nice upgrade from the A700. A big bonus is that it was smaller so for travel that would be very welcome.

I shot 3 raw shots in my hotel room a few days ago with the K7 and A700 and ISO 1600, 3200, and 6400 (K7 v1.03, A700 v4, both with high ISO nr off). I used the meter readings for both and got similar histograms. The first thing I noticed is that at ISO 1600 the K7 needed a half stop more exposure and at ISO 3200 and 6400 it needed 2/3 stops more exposure than the A700. Since I only go to higher ISO settings when I need a faster shutter speed this immediately was a problem. Even with that additional exposure I discovered that the K7 had significantly more noise than the A700. I tried both ACR 5.4 and RawTherapee 2.4.1. RT was better, but better for the A700 too. I also tried Neat Image on the K7 images and with careful work improved them a bit, but it also improved the A700 images. Then if you consider that I really should compare the K7 ISO 1600 to A700 ISO 1200, K7 ISO 3200 to A700 ISO 2000, and K7 ISO 6400 to A700 ISO 4000 the K7 looks even worse. Just to reiterate, I am only talking about high ISO.

The camera and its features are really wonderful. Note, for other people very fast AF or fps or something else might be really important. I checked the things that were important to me and the only bad thing I discovered was the high ISO.

If the K7 had the Kx sensor or even the A550 sensor it would be really nice. For me though, I find that when I travel I use ISO 1600 and higher from time to time for people at night on the street, etc. so it is important. It sure was hard to return it, but I decided that even if I kept it I would end up picking up the A700 in preference for a trip and also that with the poor high ISO I wouldn't be motivated to buy any additional Pentax mount lenses. Maybe a K7 update will be out this year though and I bet Pentax addresses this one big shortcoming.

Back in California

I was up in Vancouver, British Columbia for a couple of months, but now back on the road again! Here is Mt. Shasta with a crown of clouds in northern California this morning.

Vancouver, British Columbia

I have been in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada for the last week and expect to hang around here for awhile. Here are a few photos from the last few days. As usual, more photos are on my website:

http://www.bakubo.com

Redwood National Park, California

After leaving Ukiah yesterday we drove up the California coast to Redwood National Park near Oregon. The coastline there is beautiful and so different than further south. Here are a couple of photos:

Santa Cruz, California

Yesterday was a lot of fun in Santa Cruz because I could meet some old friends after not seeing each other for about a year. Arrived in Ukiah up in northern California this afternoon. The drive north of the San Francisco Bay Area was good passing by many beautiful vineyards and wineries with wonderful weather.

Here's a photo from yesterday in Santa Cruz:

California Coast on a rainy, winter day

We arrived in California a few days ago and have been driving up the coast. Here are some photos from a couple of days ago when it was raining a lot as we drove the winding road that hugs the coast with the ocean on one side and rocky cliffs right up to the road on the other. There were many small rockslides and my car was almost hit by a rock that fell off the cliff and rolled onto the road right in front of me. Barely missed it.

So far have stayed in Bakersfield, Morro Bay, Monterey, and Santa Cruz.





More photos from the road trip so far in the New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, Nevada, and California galleries:

http://www.bakubo.com

Red Rock Canyon, Nevada

We have spent the last week hanging out in Las Vegas to recharge the ol' road trip travel batteries. :-) No interest in gambling, but Las Vegas is a convenient place in the west to stay for awhile.

Leaving Las Vegas today and next stop is California! Here are a few photos from Red Rock Canyon northwest of Las Vegas.

Zion National Park, Utah

After leaving Page, Arizona we drove west and went to Zion National Park, Utah yesterday. Lots of snow falling much of the way and in the park, but after emerging from the long tunnel in the middle of the park it was raining instead of snowing. Here are a couple of photos:

Horseshoe Bend near Page, Arizona

Yesterday we arrived in Page, Arizona. Here are a couple of photos at Horseshoe Bend:

Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado

Went to Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado today and am spending the night in Cortez.

White Sands National Monument, New Mexico

On another road trip! Here are a couple of photos from White Sands National Monument, New Mexico:

Egypt, Jordan, Israel photos on my website now

The 4 weeks travelling in Egypt with short side trips to Jordan and Israel was fantastic! I have some new photos in the Egypt, Jordan, and Israel galleries on my website:

http://www.bakubo.com

Please take a look!

Japanese Onsen

One of the great things about Japan is the onsen and the whole Japanese onsen culture. Whenever I am in Japan I always accept any invitations to go to one. My wife went to a new one with her mother while I was in Egypt and she suggested we go there today because it is an especially nice one. It also has a big room with comfortable recliners and individual LCD TVs that you can relax in between baths. Of course, besides the various indoor onsen pools of various temperatures they had several rotemburo (outdoors onsen). They have big digital thermometers next to each one and most were 41-43C, but one was 45C and another was 19C. The air temperature outside was about 6C. I didn't get in the 19C one.

We were there for about 5 hours and bathed and relaxed 3 times in the onsen and also I watched a movie on the movie channel. The Japanese do onsen better than anyplace in the world. Here is the place we went today:

http://www.soratomori.jp/

Back in Japan

I am back in Japan now! The 4 weeks in Egypt (with side trips to Petra, Jordan and Jerusalem/Bethlehem) was fantastic. As soon as I get a chance I will put a few of the photos on my website:

http://www.bakubo.com

Coptic Cairo

Merry Christmas!

Since it is Christmas Day I thought I would tell you about where I went today here in Cairo. I went to Coptic Cairo. Actually, it was my third time to go since it is easy with a subway station right there. Don't need to walk for 2+ hours through the maze of Cairo or haggle with a taxi driver. Just hop on the subway for 1 Egyptian pound (US$0.18) and in less than 10 minutes I am there.

When Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus fled to Egypt to escape persecution one of the places they stayed was in a cave here. Now it is under the Church of St. Sergius, built in the 4th century. From inside the church you can look down into the cavern.

Also, in Coptic Cairo there is the Ben Ezra Synagogue which occupies the shell of a 4th century Christian church. It is said that this is the spot where the prophet Jeremiah gathered the Jews in the 6th century BC after Nebuchadnezzar had destroyed the Jerusalem temple. The adjacent spring is believed to be where the pharaoh's daughter found Moses in the reeds, and where Mary drew water to wash Jesus.

Wandering in Cairo

Today I was walking around Cairo and several guys wanted me to take their photo. This happens sometimes in Egypt. In other countries it is not unusual for children to want their photo taken, but here it is even adults, sometimes. On the other hand, there are even more who react angrily if they even see a camera. Afterwards they wanted a photo with me. The friendliest guy used my digicam to take this photo. Unfortunately, he is not in it since he took the photo, but I have a photo of him and the others from my DSLR. No one could speak English, but they were fun and since I was lost and looking for the Al-Azhar Mosque they pointed me in the general direction.

I love just wandering around and getting lost in big cities. I have done it many times in Tokyo, in Bangkok, Paris, London, Rome, Saigon, Vienna, Munich, Budapest, Athens, Quito, Marrakech, Tangier, etc. and now Cairo too!

Pyramids, Sphinx, and a Camel

This morning I went to Coptic Cairo again (was there a few weeks ago) and then in the afternoon I took a taxi (after going through the traditional bargaining about the price) to Giza to see the Pyramids and the Sphinx again (for late afternoon light instead of morning light a few weeks ago). This time I rode a camel around for over an hour and waited for the sunset with the Bedouin camel driver from the Sinai way out in the back of the Pyramids in the desert sand and drank Bedouin tea. Can you guess his name? :-)

"Your name is Mohammed? You don't say?"

Soon after arriving in Egypt I had already met a surprising number of men named Mohammed. I commented on this to one. He laughed and said it is like John in America. Well, I assure you it is not. :-) I would say that well more than half of the men I have met were named Mohammed. If you don't know someone's name or have forgotten it you are pretty darn safe in using Mohammed. You will probably be right. :-)

Musing about what is next in Egypt

I left Dahab yesterday by bus and 9 hours later in the evening got to Cairo. I still have until 12/26 in Egypt and although after my first 5 days in Cairo I was ready to leave the city I have been looking forward to getting back here for the last couple of days. I don't know if I will stay here the whole time until my flight back to Japan on 12/26, but I might. There is still a lot here that I want to see that I didn't when I first was here a few weeks ago.

I may also try to get up to Alexandria for one night or even just do it on a long day trip. The train is something like 2 hours so being able to just leave my backpack here at the Cairo hotel and not need to find a place to stay in Alexandria looks attractive to me at this point. Especially since my Lonely Planet book's description of Alexandria make it sound just mildly interesting. Although the city has an amazing history the book says most of the evidence of that history is long gone except for what you can find in the museum. Still, I would like to visit even if just for a day.

Dahab was a good place to recharge my batteries, which get quickly depleted in other parts of Egypt. :) Although I was there a week I also went on a 2 day trip to Petra from there and a 1.5 day trip to Jerusulem/Bethlehem from there so much of the week I was not actually in Dahab.

Aya, back in Japan, is quite ready to leave there since it is cold and she hates cold weather. I really want to spend at least another week in Tokyo though to see some good friends that I have not seen since the last time I spent an extended time there (3 months) in 2007. I hope she can hold on a bit more. :) I told her that if she can then we may consider flying down to Thailand from Japan so she can warm up. I am not really ready to head back to the States yet. If we did that then it might give me a chance to go back to Laos for awhile -- I was last there in 1998 using film.

Back in Cairo

This morning I left Dahab in the Sinai and after about 9 hours on the bus I arrived in Cairo. The hotel I called yesterday and made a reservation for tonight turned out to *not* have a room available when I arrived (about 8:00 PM). Fortunately, they had a guy walk with me to their affiliated hotel 5 minutes away and they had a room. Room looked fine and got checked in, went out and got some dinner, and now back using the free wifi. :-)

Today on the bus sat next to a young woman from England and we had a long and interesting talk. She got off at Taba so later I got to talking to another young woman from Honduras.

Here is a photo at the hotel in Dahab just before I took the bus to go to Cairo this morning. The 2 guys worked at the hotel and they were great. The 2 little boys are from Nigeria. They were there with their parents and the father used my camera to take this photo.

Petra, Jordan

I just got back from a fantastic 2 day trip to Petra, Jordan. Met a young Irish woman named Ann who had just finished 2 years of working in Tanzania and was slowly making her way home to Ireland. Spent much of the first day exploring Petra with her before she left that evening. Also, met a very nice English couple living in Scotland named Steve and Ruth. We spent much of the second day together. Petra was awesome!

Israel

I got back from the quick 27 hour trip to Jerusalem and Bethlehem about midnight last night. Although quick I still had the chance to spend some time walking around in old Jerusalem (Wailing Wall, Church of the Holy Sepulcher -- Golgatha, Tomb of Jesus, etc.) and also walked around some in Bethlehem (Church of the Nativity -- Birthplace of Jesus, manger, etc.). I may go on a 2 day trip to Petra, Jordan tomorrow. Since Dahab is so close I think it's a good opportunity to do both.

Going to Jerusalem

Leaving Dahab tonight about 10:00 PM for a quick trip to Jerusalem and will be back in Dahab about 25-26 hours later -- driving all night tonight. The opportunity came up and I don't know if I will ever be this close again so I am going! Got up at 6:00 AM today so it looks like 40+ hours with no sleep. About 6:10 PM now.

Small incident on the way to Dahab

A couple of days ago when I met the guy with the van outside the Sharm El-Sheikh airport who I rode with to Dahab there was one more small incident that I didn't mention. A bit of background first. As some of you probably know there were 3 suicide bombers here in Dahab in 2006 who killed 23 and injured dozens. In Sharm El-Sheikh in 2005 3 bombs exploded and killed 88 and injured over 200. In 1997 there was also the terrorist attack in Luxor which killed 62 and injured 12.

Anyway, back to the ride to Dahab. After we had left Sharm El-Sheikh and were out on the desert highway we passed a couple of men in their 20s standing beside the road. The driver stopped and asked me if it was okay to pick these guys up so they could ride with us. He said they were police. Hmm, no uniforms. Why do they need a ride to Dahab? Of course, although it seemed a bit strange he did ask me and most likely there was nothing more to it than what he said, but I decided to say no. After all, I don't want to turn into another Daniel Pearl. I also made a joke that if they were willing to each pay 1/3 the cost then I might say okay. :-) The two guys were talking in Arabic to my driver through the open window and I guess he told them I didn't want them to share the ride. They gave me a dirty look and we drove off. Right after we started driving again my driver said that they just wanted a ride to the police checkpoint that was ahead. I could see it maybe 600-700 meters down the road. Maybe they were police, but everyone else there, I noticed, had uniforms on. I am not sure why they wanted a ride to get somewhere they could walk in 5-8 minutes. It was about 8:30 AM and not hot at all. I guess they just continued waiting there until they got a ride. :-)

Incidentally, not far from my hotel here in Dahab there is a foot bridge on the concrete walkway right next to the ocean that goes the full length of the central part of Dahab. There are many open air restaurants, dive shops, small hotels, etc. The foot bridge is in the most central location. I noticed that on both ends of the bridge the concrete appears to have been sort of blasted in an area about a meter circumference and then many pockmarks radiating away from it. I haven't asked but I am pretty sure this is where the suicide bombers did their dirty work. It looks exactly what one would expect if a bomb loaded with bolts, ball bearings, etc. was to explode there and the place that has the most people hanging around.

Anyway, it was probably nothing more than what the driver said and I am not a scaredy-cat, but at the same time it is good to use some common sense. Of course, between the two extremes of them just being police who wanted a 30-40 second car ride and being terrorists looking to kidnap a foreigner there are other possibilities such as two friends of the driver who would try to put the hard sell on me to go to some shop, hotel, etc. :-)

In Dahab now!

I got up very early this morning and with my backpack I walked in the dark to the Luxor train station about 8 minutes away to find a taxi. It was so early that I thought it was the one place I would probably find one. No problem! Got to the Luxor airport and the flight to Sharm El-Sheikh with departure and arrival exactly on time!

Outside the Sharm El-Sheikh airport I found a man with a van who lives in Dahab and he offered me a ride there for about the same as a taxi to the bus station + bus ticket to Dahab. It was 1000% better because I didn't have to wait a couple of hours at the bus station and he took me right to the door of the hotel in Dahab instead of ending up at the Dahab bus station and needing another taxi. It was illegal so when we arrived he asked me to slip him the money very discreetly so no policemen would see it. :-)

No room available but they asked me to wait a couple of hours because someone would probably check out by noon -- and someone did. Got a large room with an enormous patio/balcony about 30 meters from the ocean. The ocean and brown desert mountains of Saudi Arabia in plain view across the Gulf of Aqaba (part of Red Sea). Now that I have been here all day I realize I am paying a bit too much for this room but I just told them I would stay 2 nights and then I can move if I want. Can't believe they are screwing me with the US$23 price per night. :-) Probably US$17-18 is more realistic here for this room. Lots of places to eat here and many backpackers. Very comfortable place to hang out for a few days.

Having a beer next to the ocean right now. :-)

Ozymandias

This morning I bought a plane ticket from Luxor to Sharm El-Sheikh for early tomorrow morning. Then I hope to catch a bus to Dahab in the Sinai. In the afternoon I took the ferry to the west bank of the Nile and then hired a driver to take me to a few places. Went to the Ramesseum Temple and Medinet Habu Temple -- both something like 3300 years old. Fantastic! Darn, got to leave the hotel by 5:30 AM tomorrow to catch the flight.

The famous sonnet Ozymandias by Percy Bysshe Shelley was inspired by the Ramesseum Temple of Ramses II:

OZYMANDIAS

I met a traveller from an antique land
Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk, a shatter'd visage lies, whose frown
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamp'd on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed.
And on the pedestal these words appear:
"My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!"
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,
The lone and level sands stretch far away.

Luxor

I left Aswan 3 days ago and have been in Luxor. Went over to the west side of the Nile yesterday and visited the Valley of the Kings, Deir al-Bahri (Temple of Hatshepsut), Valley of the Queens, and Colossi of Memnon. This morning I walked and walked through the streets of Luxor to the Temple of Karnak. Of course, everything was amazing! I didn't like the hotel I was staying at so this morning I moved to a much cooler place.

Elephantine Island

Yesterday morning Davis moved on so Kazuko-san and I took the ferry from Aswan over to Elephantine Island to take a look at the two Nubian villages there. While walking around a very nice Nubian man named Mustaffa came up to us. He was proud of the villages and walked with us for a long time telling us about them and introducing us to some of the people. After 2 hours we took the ferry back and had a fantastic lunch overlooking the Nile which was full of feluccas! Then Kazuko-san took the train later in the afternoon to continue her travels. I plan to move on to Luxor today.

Great Temple of Ramses II

Got up at 2:50 AM this morning to start the long slog to Abu Simbel to see the Great Temple of Ramses II and Temple of Hathor. The Ramses II temple was the most awe inspiring place I have ever been to! The entrance with the 4 colossal statues and then the interior with more huge statues and the bas reliefs on the walls, the heiroglyphics, and the atmosphere were spectacular!

Later in the day also took a boat to Agilkia Island to see Philea, the Temple of Isis -- wonderful. Then Kazuko-san, Davis, and I (they are the two solitary travellers I met yesterday) had a combination breakfast, lunch, and early dinner about 4:00 (our first meal since eating yesterday about 3:30 PM). We had some very good fiteer and the place had aircon so we could relax. 24 hours without food had given all of us headaches. Feel fine now!

Felucca on the Nile

13 hours after leaving Cairo on the all-night sleeper train last night I arrived in Aswan this morning. Got out of the station and promptly met a young Japanese woman looking for a taxi in the bedlam. Coincidentally we were going to the same hotel so we shared the taxi. Got there and met a young Australian guy and the 3 of us spent the day together.

The day ended with a 2 hour ride on a felucca (traditional Egyptian sailboat) on the Nile River ending just after an absolutely gorgeous sunset!

King Tut

Here is Steve Martin in 1979 singing his humorous song King Tut (on Saturday Night Live -- I saw it live at the time). In 1979 the “The Treasures of Tutankhamun” (King Tut) exhibition from the Egyptian Museum was touring the U.S. at several big cities. I was a college student in Texas at the time and wanted to go, but the nearest place was far away in Chicago. King Tut was a bit of a mania at the time with magazine covers, TV shows, etc. Steve Martin decided to poke a little fun. Finally exactly 30 years later I saw the King Tut exhibit today at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. :-)

Going to Aswan

This morning I moved to another hotel in a different part of Cairo. As expected, when I arrived the taxi driver demanded more money than what we had agreed to before I got in. No problem, I just said no and got out, short and sweet, no arguing. :-) I booked a sleeper car for the 12+ hour ride to Aswan for tomorrow night and then spent the afternoon in the awesome Egyptian Museum.

Pyramids and the Sphinx

Went to Giza this morning to see the amazing pyramids and the Sphinx. Fantastic, but the aggressive touts who swarm all over you everywhere are just a royal pain in the butt and almost make you wish you had never come to Egypt. :-) Also, went to Saqqara to see the step pyramid -- the first pyramid and the oldest stone monument in the world.

I am in Egypt now!

I left Japan on 11/29 and flew to Cairo for 4 weeks of travel on my own in Egypt. As usual, no plans or itinerary. At the moment I am staying around the old Islamic Cairo so it is cool to walk around there with my camera. I will be travelling to other parts of Egypt too. Of course, after I get back to Japan I will prepare some photos and put them on my website. I don't get back to Japan until after Christmas though.

New Japan photos online!

I have been travelling in Japan for the last 6.5 weeks and in that time I have gone to Tokyo, Takayama, Shirakawa-go, Magome, Tsumago, Nagoya, Ise-shima, Futami, Meoto Iwa, Himeji, Kagoshima, Kurashiki, Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, Hiroshima, Miyajima, Matsuyama, Omogo, Oboke, Iya Valley, Kochi, Katsura-hama, Onomichi, Seto Inland Sea! I have some new photos in the Japan/Japan 5 and Japan/Japan 6 galleries on my website. If you have a chance then please take a look!

http://www.bakubo.com

Traveling in Japan

I have been traveling in Japan for the last month and will probably be here for another couple of months. I just arrived in Matsuyama on Shikoku yesterday and plan to take a rest for awhile. So far, I have been to Tokyo, Takayama, Magome, Tsumago (all in the mountains), Nagoya, Ise-shima, Futami, Meoto Iwa, Himeji, Kagoshima, Kurashiki, Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, Takayama again, Shirakawa-go, Kyoto again, Hiroshima, Miyajima, and Matsuyama. Of course, I have taken a lot of photos and I will add some new ones to my website as I get a chance. I will put a few here on my blog too. For now, you can also see many of my previous Japan photos from many other trips and when I lived here by checking out the Japan gallery on my website:

http://www.bakubo.com

Here is just one from a matsuri (festival) in Ise-shima. They are carrying an o-mikoshi.

Manoa Falls Trail

This morning I went up to the Manoa Valley and hiked on the Manoa Falls Trail to the 150 foot tall Manoa Falls. Actually, I have been there 3 times since 2007 and the trail is always awesome. It goes through some very lush, green, wet rainforest and everytime I have been up there it rained off and on. The first time there I met some young ladies and when they got to the pool at the bottom of the waterfall they stripped down to their bikinis that they had under their hiking clothes and got under the waterfall. I have some photos here:

http://www.bakubo.com/galleries/Hawaii/index.html

Here are just 3 samples:

Paris photo

I just noticed that the owner of a famous photography website has posted a photo remarkably like my 2001 B&W photo. I used a 20mm lens though to give it a more dramatic perspective and he used a 28mm lens. Also, I waited until a boat came along to fill in some of the empty space of the river. Here is the link to his new photo and below is my 2001 photo.

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/1photo-pages/paris_cliche.shtml

Personally, I like mine a lot more. :-) I have posted my photo (in B&W and color) on several photo forums over the years and it also was published in Popular Photography magazine years ago. By the way, he calls it a "cliche", but until I saw his today I had never seen another photo like mine before. :-)