Bubbles in Bangkok

Last year when I was working with the EARCOS (East Asia Regional Council of Schools) folks in Bangkok, Thailand, I led the group on a photo walk through the town behind the school. We came across this adorable little girl blowing bubbles, and her parents were more than happy to let us photograph her (thanks mom & dad!). I shot this with the GF1; this was the first trip I took with that camera. I really am appreciating more and more how a camera that small and unobtrusive lets you get in close to people without them freaking out about a big camera in their face. At some point I suppose I’ll have to go Lecia…

Blowing Bubbles in Bangkok @ November 2010 | Panasonic Lumix GF-1 & Lumix G 20mm ƒ/1.7 @ ISO 100, ƒ/1.7, 1/1300

Tattooed Man in Bangkok, Thailand

Bangkok is a city of smiles, and people are generally very open to being photographed there. I have a tendency to shoot street photography while obscuring people’s faces, for both privacy and future-use rights, although in this case it could be argued that even with his face obscured, he’s still recognizable due to the tattoos.

He was very friendly and approached me when he saw me shooting, and his friend helped to “pose” him (arranging his shirt and hat) for the photo.

Amazing place, Thailand.

Tattooed Man in Bangkok, Thailand @ November 2010 | Panasonic Lumix GF-1 & Lumix G 20mm ƒ/1.7 @ ISO 100, ƒ/1.7, 1/1600

That tattoo didn’t end there…

Tattooed Man in Bangkok, Thailand @ November 2010 | Panasonic Lumix GF-1 & Lumix G 20mm ƒ/1.7 @ ISO 100, ƒ/1.7, 1/1000

Floating Market “Dumnoen Saduak” in Bangkok, Thailand

I’ve had the fortune of visiting Thailand twice, and on my first visit in 2008 I did all the “touristy” stuff, including touring the famous floating market, Dumnoen Saduak. (I’ve seen the name more commonly listed as Damnoen Saduak, but I have a photo of the sign spelled with a “u” instead of an “a” taken at the market itself, so I’m sticking with that!) It’s a cool place to see, but to be honest it was so touristy that it actually put me off quite a bit. I guess my expectations were outdated, but I was expecting to see a real market in use by real people. However the truth of what I saw is that it’s almost entirely there for the tourist, and my tour boat guide magically managed to take me to all of his friends’ shops, where I was plied with trinket after trinket. I had to ask the pilot repeatedly to take us to a food market, but I didn’t have any chance to buy any food myself. It’s like he really didn’t want me to see the “real” market and literally steered me away from it. Also it was something like a two or three hour ride from downtown, which really made for an unexpected start to the day.

If you go, be prepared for the long drive and have a guide you can communicate with. I do have lots of great people photos from the tour, so in that regard it’s worth it. Just limit your expectations.

Floating Market “Dumnoen Saduak” in Bangkok, Thailand @ June 2008 | Canon EOS 1Ds Mk III & 70-200mm ƒ/4L IS USM @ ISO 100, ƒ/4, 1/60

Image Format

As you can see, I’m starting to play with the format a bit. This will continue to evolve, but I’ve added in a proper caption with the camera and exposure info, which, considering this is a photography blog, I guess that’d be nice to share ;-)

Traveler’s Feet and Traveler’s Feet

I get a lot of comments on my little “traveler’s feet” slideshow on the right column here, which is always fun to do. I haven’t traveled lately so I guess the slideshow is a little stale… gotta fix that! Anyway, an old friend was watching the slideshow recently and spotted a similar pair of shoes on my feet to the ones on his… and sent in this photo. Too funny!

My original photo (taken on a tuk tuk in Bangkok, Thailand)

My friend’s feet… I love it!!

Twitter compilation… arriving in Bangkok

Again, here is my "arrival" experience as I rode from the Bangkok airport to the hotel. As well as the first evening of dinner because, well, it's fun ;-) And it'll be a few before I get to properly blog that. So here you go.

Arriving in Bangkok…

Well that was... interesting. Now spending 3am to 5am at the airport waiting to fly to Bangkok.

Bangkok for the weekend!

What's the Rupee worth? Thai currency exchange desk: "NO! No Indian!!!"

Never seen such massive advertisements draped over buildings. 15-20 story BMW ad!

Starbucks in Bangkok.... look I know it's wrong, but I needed a damn double-cap, b'okay?

Girl sleeping (?) in phonebooth, legs out to sidewalk. No one helping her; nor stealing her purse. Yes she's breathing.

Just saw my first elephant walking down the sidewalk... on a leash.

Mmm Thai street food. Chicken skewers, 10 Baht ea. That's about 33 cents. Yum.

Crispy chicken to die for. Bring this recipe stateside and give the Colonel a run for his money!

And something wrapped in a Betelnut (?) leaf. Mystery food. Inthink it was raw beef with almonds. Nope, not that dumb.

And now noodles at yet another vendor. What a meal.

Twitter compilation… arriving in Mumbai

Yes yes I'm very behind on blogs. It seems that the only time I have to sort photos and write posts, I find myself wanting to either eat, drink, or sleep. Bizarre, that.

So because I know not everyone subscribes to my twitter feed or logs in daily to catch up (aw, really?!) I'm posting my "just arrived in Mumbai" experience that I twittered from the airport to the hotel. There are more twitters from Mumbai than just these, but I rather feel like sharing the "arrival" experience.

Same with Bangkok; see next post.

So here's the compilation… arriving in Mumbai:

Hot. Humid. And very very wet. Welcome to Mumbai!

Mumbai airport smells of a wet farm. Took a while to identify, seems so out of place.

Just saw a man in a loincloth bathing under a garden hose -- and haven't even left the airport yet

Pouring rain here. Headline of today's The Economic Times reads BEARS DO A RAIN DANCE. Gee thanks.

Ah, the child beggars. One of the saddest things you'll see here, and one I'd blocked from memory. Shit.

So, so much trash on the ground. Desperate looking shops line the road. I don't recall it looking this bad.

Brilliantly colored vegetable stall a stark contrast against the dark, wet, and grey.

School letting out. A chaos of brightly colored sari's as moms collect their kids. Beautiful.

Black and yellow auto rickshaws like bumblebees in a hive. Or, bumper cars at an amusement park.

Dogs, crows and people digging through the trash side-by-side

Arriving at the hotel. Oppulance across from abject poverty.