229) Lao/Thai B+W Film

These were taken in Laos and Thailand with Rollei Retro 400 film on my Contax G1.


Above and below: this is the man that let me sleep at his camp when I was lost in the jungle. In the top picture you can see him tapping out bee larva from a section of honey comb, that was the protein for both dinner and breakfast. Northern Thailand.




Above and below: around Laung Prabang, Laos.



The next four pictures below are from Maung Khoua, Laos. This was a very interesting town with very limited electricity. The first picture (directly below) is of a baby getting a bath. I watched as the father heated water in a stove and then poured it into the big tub where they washed the baby.






The three pictures below are from Nong Khieo, Laos. It is a small northern city, a few hours south of Maung Khoua, and almost as primitive in respect to things like electricity.





These last pictures are from Vang Vieng, Laos. Vang Vieng was a great place where Ed, Andrew and I spent most of our time exploring caves and walking around, enjoying the scenery.

228) The Desert Cries

Over the last two or three years the author Craig Childs has become a constant staple in my leisure reading. Anyone interested in the desert, nature or adventure might really consider picking up one of his books. The most recent book of his that I read is called The Desert Cries. In this book there is a chapter about a flash flood that killed 11 people in Antelope Canyon. The four photos here are from that canyon and the quotes are from the chapter about Antelope Canyon in Childs book The Desert Cries.

"In the desert, the two primary elements are stone and water. Stone comes in abundance, exposed by weathering and a lack of vegetation. It is a canvas. Water crosses this stone with such rarity and ferocity that it tells all of its secrets in the shapes left behind. Antelope Canyon's interior is the pure expression of both."

"Would this be the perfect place to die? It would be a swift and difficult death, I know that. Even ghosts are scoured clean from this place. I try to shake the thought from my head, because I remember that children were left behind, their parents killed here where I am standing."

"Even the ancient cross-bedding of the sandstone, the gentle lines left from the rock's origin, are swirled into the shapes. They look like the warp and weft of a loomed textile."

"Sweeping in and out of each other, the rock walls look more like fabric than stone. The canyon slides around itself, a hall of mirrors."

227) Nice Days

The weather has been very nice, today in particular was beautiful. Sun is shining, flowers are blooming, grass is green, all in all a pretty nice time to be stuck at home with no car.

226) Around the House

I've been home for a couple weeks now. I have been doing a lot of nothing, with a side of looking for jobs and some direction in my life. I am pretty limited by not being able to drive, and not having any friends in the immediate area. But it's not too bad, and I have been able to get to Chicago to visit people there.




In the mean time it is kinda nice living the lounge life. The weather is good, so that means campfires and sitting in the hot tub, and it is nice to be back home in spring. It has been about three years since I have been in WI in warm weather.

225) Odds and Ends

I got home a few days ago. The last few days in Seoul were spent at Nam's studio, eating very well, sleeping on the couch and trying to take care of last minute things.


These are just some odds and ends of pictures didn't make it up on other posts.

224) The Last Days

There are some days when I want to be with friends and family and all I have is myself. There are other days when all I want is to be alone and I find myself surrounded by people, or locked into conversations or other such things.



Two days before my trip in SE Asia was to end I met the perfect combination of my want to be alone and secluded and stunning surroundings. I rented a kayak all day and headed out to the southern part of Halong Bay for the best day of my trip.



The bay is dotted with small steep islands that are full of wonderful cliffs, stunted forests and birds. To make the scene better, some of the islands have small strips of beach and/or hidden coves. I was free to explore all of this alone and at my leisure, hardly coming in contact with people save the occasional fishing boat or junk going by at a distance.



I spent some of my time paddling around between the islands, some time relaxing or walking around on the beaches, and some time just sitting in my kayak in the middle of an indescribably beautiful cove just looking at the scene in front of me, and listening to birds.




When I got back to the town the sun was setting and I treated myself to the best cigar I had (a Fuente OpusX) and some Baily’s and a fantastic fish dinner. To end the night I got a massage that was excellent.



The next day I rented a bike and headed to Cat Ba National Park and did a little hiking and site seeing there, and then continued around the island on my bike. I met three other people and we had a nice dinner of sand crab (think of a mix between a military helmet and a prehistoric sea creature) and some good conversation.



The following day I left the island and headed back to Hanoi and caught my flight back to Seoul. It is always crazy how suddenly and unexpectedly a trip can end, especially when you have no idea what day it is most of the time. I love travel.

223) Cat Ba Island

Cat Ba Island is a wonderful place. I spent the day just walking around on the beach and on the trails that connect the separate beaches and climbing on the limestone to get some nice vantage points.



In general the people on Cat Ba are not as nice as the others I have encountered in Vietnam. As a matter of fact, I was even called a "cheapskate" today because I refused to buy some pearls. Of course there are some really great people here too, and those are the ones I will continue to give my business to. The picture below is from the balcony of my $5 a night hotel room.




Overall there is nothing worth complaining about. I am in an absolutely gorgeous place and eating wonderful food and smoking the last of my cigars (and I always save the best for last!)