Shah Zaman Baloch | Shrine of Abdul Latif Bhittai

Photo © Shah Zaman Baloch - All Rights Reserved

Eons ago, I worked for a US international bank that saw it appropriate to send me to Karachi for about 9 months; an internship kind of thing to learn the tools of the trade. Whilst I enjoyed it (and probably learned absolutely nothing of value), I had no interest at the time in photography nor did I seek to immerse myself in a foreign culture. I was just out of university...it was my first job, and rather myopically, I was only focused on being a banker.

Foolishly, I didn't travel to Lahore or to Peshawar...I stayed put in Karachi and its surrounding region. I regret not having the intellectual and visual curiosity at the time to explore the immensity of what Pakistan has to offer...especially what has become one of my photographic obsessions: Sufism.

One of Pakistan's premier Sufi saints is Hazrat Lal Shahbaz Qalandar, whose Urs (death anniversary) is widely observed, and is said to be attended by half a million pilgrims. But through of the talented work of photographer Shah Zaman Baloch, I've come across this wonderful image of the shrine of the Sufi Abdul Latif Bhittai.

Abdul Latif Bhittai was Sindhi Sufi scholar, mystic, saint, and poet,  and is considered to be greatest poet of the Sindhi language. His death anniversary is held in a small village not far from Hyderabad, and about 200 kilometers from Karachi.

Shah Zaman Baloch's website portfolio consists mostly of single frames of his native Pakistan. Although he originally wanted to be a painter, he saw a newspaper advertisement of admission for Bachelors in Film and TV at the National College of Arts in 2005, and started his career. While his website has a photography gallery, his main area of expertise are in the fields of Direction and Cinematographer. 

Visit SaiGon by night on Tour Vietnam travel

Need to see an alternate side of Saigon? At that point this visit is for you! Give us a chance to take you outside of region 1 and demonstrate to you regions that most guests don't get to see. The city additionally looks much changed during the evening than it does in the daytime.....from the lights of the red paper lamps in Cholon  to the astonishing perspective of the Saigon River during the evening from Thu Thiem span.

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Experience the surge of driving down the recently constructed Saigon interstate, and look upon the radiant Bitexco Tower, one of the tallest structures in Vietnam! See the swarms of individuals accumulate at a considerable lot of the alternative walkway bistros that mysteriously show up during the evening. We'll likewise reveal to you the wide complexity between the old Saigon and the new cutting edge city that is creating!

Saigon by Night offers a totally distinctive experience than our day visits. We'll bring you to 5 of the most mainstream areas in Saigon that most voyagers don't regular furthermore provide for you an opportunity to attempt a few tasty Vietnamese road nourishment! You can pick between 3 light supper dishes, from the greatly famous "Banh Mi" (Vietnamese baguette sandwich),  to the lesser well known "Banh Uot" (steamed rice noodles with pork sausauge and sweet fish sauce) and in conclusion, our individual top choice "Com Tam" (barbecued pork slashes on broken rice)! Don't stress vegetarians...we additionally have you secured!

If you don't mind note that this visit is offered on a join in premise, so there may be different visitors going along with you on the visit. Our most extreme gathering size for the Saigon by Night visit is 10 individuals. We do offer a private visit choice for an additional charge.

Dalat travel in Vietnam

Dalat is a bumpy sentimental city with a cool "western" atmosphere. The French named the city Dalat from the latin 'Dat Aliis Laetitiam Aliis Temperiem' ("Giving Pleasure to Some, Freshness to Others", and it is ordinarily known as 'the City of Eternal Spring', which has made it a prominent ends of the line for occasion creators who need to beat the hotness, and for Vietnamese couples, for whom it is known as the city of affection. 

The normal temperature is 17°c, and does not surpass 25°c in the most blazing season. In the early mornings, the city emerges to enchanted haze over the lake. Its calm atmosphere is perfect for agribusiness, and lately the quantity of ranches and estates around the city have developed quickly. It gives the majority of blossoms and vegetables for the monstrous markets over the south of Vietnam. Dalat is likewise extremely well-known for its mixed bag of blooms and orchids and in addition broad pine woodlands, which may help voyagers to remember home more than the tropics in the valleys beneath. 

Catholic church dalat

Tuantadalat is another of those Vietnamese towns that started as a French resort territory. Whatever else may be said in regards to the French, they surely had great taste in picking locales for resorts, and Dalat is existing evidence of that. Intended to be just about a Swiss snow capped town, the French urban organizer Ernest Hebrard outlined the high country town with wide avenues, exquisite estates, a green, open green spaces, schools, and unassuming homes.

Related post: Vietnam travel

Fortunately for Dalat's present day guests, the city was basically untouched amid the American Vietnam War, be that as it may its prevalence among passionate Vietnamese couples has lead to a decent lot of kitsch "attractions" and this joined with the blasting agrarian industry implies the town is currently much busier than the serene slope station of the past, with more solid structures, karaoke rooms and 'small scale inns' springing up crosswise over town. Nowadays to delight in the best of Dalat it is best to utilize the town as a base to investigate the slopes and nature encompassing it than to expect excessively from the town itself. 

Touring in Dalat 

Dalat Golf

Jaremythe first thing the guest to Dalat will most likely recognize is the structural engineering. Since the city was developed essentially by the French and the Catholic Church, Dalat is an intriguing mix of French pilgrim construction modeling, combined with ravishing Jesuit structures and Vietnamese pagodas. 

One site very nearly all Dalat's manuals will lead you to is the Hang Nga guesthouse, referred to all the more normally just as 'Insane House'. Manufactured by Hang Nga, Ph.d. graduate of Moscow State University's structural engineering project, Crazy House is a honeycomb of peculiar rooms and lobbies that additionally serves as a nearby lodging. Rather than straight lines and corners, Crazy House is all bends, as though its solid had softened, trickled, and after that solidified into its curious shape. 

An alternate building worth visiting in Dalat is Binh III. Ruler Bao Dai fabricated three separate manors for himself in Dalat, and albeit every one of them have been restored and made open, its Binh III that is the most amazing. 

To stay in Vietnam like genuine sovereignty, nonetheless, book your room at the Sofitel Dalat Palace, an extravagance inn that is been affectionately restored and sits on a fairway. With an entryway fit for a ruler's assembly hall, work of art beautifying its restaurants and suites, together with the advanced solaces of satellite TV and small bars, there's no place else in Dalat that offers such rich extravagance. Regardless of the fact that you can't stand to stay in the Sofitel Dalat Palace, at any rate have a mixed drink and supper there in one of the three bars and two restaurants. After supper, move ground floor at PK's Disco. 

Lionlyonnexuan Huong Lake is a prominent goal with honeymooners; you can walk around its external banks, or contract an oar watercraft and go out for a twist. In any case, be cautioned that the lake was as of late emptied, and won't be topped again off until January or February 2011. 

Xuan Huong Lake isn't the main lake in and around Dalat, however. Only 5 km north of the downtown area is the Valley of Love, where a lake was included 1972 to make its pleasant, quiet magnificence significantly more appealing. On the opposite side of town lies the Truc Lam Pagoda, the second greatest Zen Buddhist focus in Vietnam, encompassed by Tuyen Lam lake and pine woods. 

Only 20 minutes from Dalat lies the Lang Bain mountain; at a tallness of 2169m above ocean level it isthe most noteworthy mountain in the Southern Vietnam. It is a mainstream spot to climb and appreciate dazzling vistas of the encompassing ranges and it is likewise conceivable to camp. For the individuals who don't feel so lively it is additionally conceivable to get a ride to the summit. 

Getting to and around Dalat 

It is not difficult to get to Dalat as there are every day immediate flights from both Saigon and Hanoi. The flight from Saigon takes only 35 minutes while transports run like clockwork and take 6-8 hours from Ho Chi Minh City. The best time to visit is November to May, as there is less rain and a charming temperature - however be arranged for it to get nippy in the winter months. It is an extraordinary spot to lease a motorbike of your own to investigate the slopes, or you could tackle one of the 'Simple Riders' who have earnt an incredible notoriety as great advisers for investigate the region and Vietnam as  whole.

Location is Anantara Hoi An Resort's best asset in Vietnam Travel

The best of Vietnam is, from multiple points of view, showcased in Hoi A, with its laid-back riverside bistros, provincial structural engineering, luxurious sanctuaries, peripheral patchwork of rice paddies and sandy shoreline. It has a rich inn scene, as well, with two new resorts opening this mid year, on a bank of the Thu Bon River, and on the shoreline.

The inn is contemporary Vietnamese, in shades of mandarin and chocolate with high contrast photography of old Hoi A clinging the dividers. Frontier style Heritage Bar serves crisp from-the-waterway fish and neighborhood fortes such ascao lau, a noodle and pork soup;banh bao, shrimp packages; andbanh it, a samosa-formed package of coconut wrapped in banana takes off. There's additionally a French-style outside restaurant, a spa, swimming pool and bar.

Related post: travel Vietnam

There are two gigantic swimming pools, yet its about the shoreline, which you can see from each of the rooms. The lodging has Vietnamese and steak restaurants, and a terminus parlor bar; visitors can likewise acquire a bicycle and cycle to the riverside Fusion Lounge for the same sustenance around the local area.

Matilda Temperley | Omo Valley

A few years ago,  Matilda Temperley traveled to Ethiopia's Omo Valley with a portable studio to, as she says it, to "isolate the subjects from their surroundings, extracting the individual from his or her contextual backgrounds so as to bring their gaze, unmediated, into the image."

The Omo valley is at a crossroad of cultures and civilizations and many tribal groups, such as the Mursi, Suri, Ebore and others live around the South Sudanese, Ethiopian and Kenyan borders. These tribes have developed their own unique styles of self decoration to differentiate themselves from their neighbors. The Mursi women, as an example, have their lower teeth removed and ceramic plates inserted that stretch the lips.

"Tribal porn", as some correctly describe it,  is what fuels the gradual and steady increase in the tour groups, and there's been an increasing stream of westerners into the valley in the recent years. Tourist cash in making its way into the tribal regions, and is polluting their cultures. The fashions in the more accessible Omo Valley villages are changing, with tribes people adorning themselves with as much accessories as they can find in order to beg for photos.

It's regrettable and very sad to see these proud Omo Valley inhabitants being encouraged by many unscrupulous tour agents, tourists and photographers to do so, at the risk of losing their identity and age-old cultures.

The Ethiopian government's actions are also a contributing factor. The  forthcoming hydroelectric Gibe III dam is expected to cause potential humanitarian disaster for the region's 500,000 inhabitants. The dam will allow Ethiopia to become a major energy exporter, but will also allow for large-scale commercial farming through irrigated agriculture along the banks of the Omo. Another change in the ways of life for the tribes of the Omo Valley.

Matilda Temperley is a British photographer, who had career in tropical infectious diseases before taking up photography. She is known for her stylised portraiture of marginalised societies. 

Masks of Dwo | Aitor Lara

The masks of Dwo from José Bautista on Vimeo.

To start off the week, here's a really unusual dance ritual performed by the Bwa people of Burkino Faso.

According to Wikipedia, the Bwa people are an ethnic group indigenous to central Burkina Faso and Mali. Their population is approximately 300,000 and they are known for their use of elaborate masks, made from leaves or wood, used in rituals.

While 5% of the Bwa are Muslim, and 10% are Christian, the remaining 85% are animists. The latter worship a creator god called Wuro, whose son was Dwo, the god of new life and rebirth. The Bwa use leaf masks more than wooden ones, and these leaf masks frequently represent Dwo in religious ceremonies. The masks also represent the bush spirits including serpents, monkeys, buffalo and hawks. These performances generally take place in the dry season between February and May.

Aitor Lara is a Spanish photographer/videographer who worked in different countries bringing to light the anthropological dimensions of social minorities such as indigenous peoples, and sex workers. He showed his work in international photography fairs such as ARCO and ParisPhoto. He received a number of research grants, including one that allowed him to carry out a project in Uzbekistan. He published a number of books, including Maestranza, a photographic report about the bullring of Seville. He has published in magazines such as NewsWeek, Financial Times, Ojo de Pez orVokrug Sveta. In 2012, he published the book Ronda Goyesca edited by La Fábrica. He was a nominee of the Magnum Foundation Emergency Fund Grant in 2012.

BongSen hotel in tour travel VietNam

Bong Sen Hotel was recompensed one of main ten Vietnam Hotels in 2001. Stay at Bong Sen Hotel explorers positively will be awed with the enchanting cordiality, expert administration and present day solace to reflect the engine of Bong Sen Hotel: "A Warm Home Away From Home".

It is suitable for both business and occasion voyagers to Ho Chi Minh city (Saigon) who demand quality administration at sensible rates.

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Settlement: 

- Standard: twofold couch or twin cot rooms with window in 24m2.

- Deluxe: twofold or twin couch rooms with private gallery for city see in 32m2.

- Junior Suite: twofold or twin couch rooms with windows for city see in 38m2.

- Executive BS Suite: King-size cot rooms with private overhang for city see in 70m2.

We consolidate a demonstrated business procedure with more than 33 years of lodging industry mastery and seizes the opportunities and new conveyance channels that have been opened by the web by making innovation for inns to disperse their room stock and achieve buyers straightforwardly.

Bong Sen Hotel plans to be the one of the main Vietnamese-based inns giving web based lodging room bookings and administrations to Bong Sen Hotel's clients.

Visitors on business or relaxation will unquestionably be inspired with the beguiling friendliness, expert administration and thoughful solaces run of the mill of Bong Sen Hotel's witticism: A warm home far from home.

- Individual controlled cooling

- Satellite TV with global stations

- Private washroom with shower tub or shower

- Comb and shoes

- Mini-bar and visitor current lift

- Safe store confine room (aside from Standard room)

Jacket Concept Design Converts To Tent

It seems like just about everything that can be done with our outdoor gear, has been done with our outdoor gear. We now have stuff that is lighter, stronger, and more durable than ever before. Heck, it's all designed to go easy on the environment too! Thankfully, some people are still coming up with some interesting designs. Take this interesting concept for an outdoor jacket designed by Justin Gargasz.

The Vessel jacket as it is called, converts from a sling pack to a fairly standard looking shell, before transforming one more time into a tent. Yep, it's like having three gear items in one, and they are traditionally three items that backpackers would take out in the field with them anyway.

Overall, I think it's an interesting design, and better left as a concept that an actual real product. I'm not sure how you would use this on any serious excursion into the woods, although I admit that the jacket converting into a tent idea is great for an emergency situation. The design is top notch though, and I give Justin credit for that, and forward thinking and innovation like this may be in our future gear items. Definitely something cool to think about.

Thanks to The Goat who picked this up via Core 77.

Stephanie Keith | Vodou Brooklyn

Photo © Stephanie Keith-All Rights Reserved

The Guédé are the spirits of Haitian Vodou that include the powers of death and fertility. These spirits include Ghede Doubye, Ghede Linto, Ghede Loraj, Ghede Masaka, Guédé Nibo, Guédé Plumaj, Guédé Ti Malis, and Guédé Zaranye, and the festival of Fete Guédé is the Vodou religion’s version of Day of the Dead on November 2, however the Haitian spirits are more playful and lively.

Vodou believers observe Fete Guédé by laying out gifts such as homemade beeswax candles, flowers and bottles of rum stuffed with chilli peppers. It is in November that vodouists celebrate Gede, the spirit who embodies death and resurrection. Gede dances to the drums, blesses people, drinks liquor rubs talcum of his face.

Every November in Brooklyn, Guédé parties occur on weekends, and photographer Stephanie Keith entered the world of vodou by photographing these parties in the cramped basements of Canarsie, East Flatbush and Red Hook.

Stephanie Keith is an award-winning photographer/photojournalist whose work has taken her to all corners of the 5 boroughs plus the Middle East, South America and Norway. She has a degree in Anthropology from Stanford University, a certificate in photojournalism from the International Center of Photography, and received a Master’s of Photography from NYU in 2003. The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Time magazine and The Washington Post have all published her photos and photo stories. One of her photos was chosen by Time Out NY as one of the 50 most iconic photos of NYC.

The Caribbean Studies Press has just published her photos about Vodou as a book, entitled: “Vodou Brooklyn: Five Ceremonies with Mambo Marie Carmel.”

An interesting interview "The Vodou They Do in Brooklyn" describes how Ms Keith's fascination with vodou led her to these photographs and the book.

The Spring Buying Guide from National Geographic Adventure

Each spring, just like clockwork, a young man's (and woman's!) heart turns to thoughts of sunshine, blooming flowers, and of course new gear! We're all heading outside to take in the great weather, many of us for the first time in months, and nothing gets you excited about playing outside more than new outdoor equipment. Thankfully, National Geographic Adventure is here to help us spend some of that hard earned cash on the best new products for spring. (Economic crisis? What economic crisis?!?)

As usual, you'll find an interesting mix of gadgets and outdoor equipment to keep us busy in the months ahead. Adventure starts the list off with a pair of speakers from iHome Audio, that when paired with an mp3 player, will have base camp rockin'. From there, they move into the serious stuff, including four great packs, like the ACT Trail 32 from Deuter, which is a great daypack with easy access and the ability to carry a solid load. There are plenty of other great items on the list as well, including some suggestions for a new bike, road or mountain, a waterproof camera phone from Casio, and a cool new tent that includes a garage for your bike from Mountain Hardwear.

Obviously Adventure has a few suggestions for all of us, no matter what our outdoor passion is. Whether camping, hiking, paddling, cycling, or just relaxing, they have new items that you'll want to add to your gear closet. Be warned before clicking on over, "Gear Lust" is a vary real phenomenon, and I'm not responsible for increased credit card bills or angry spouses.

Himalaya Spring 2009 Update: Lhotse-Everest Traverse, Tibet To Reopen?

It was a busy weekend in Kathmandu, as the major teams are now arriving on the scene. Alan Arnette is reporting that the IMG Team has landed, while Billi Bierling reports that Himex is in Nepal as well. Billi will be climbing with Himex on the South Side of Everest this spring, and quite naturally, she was happy to see her team. Billi says that there are 28 clients on the climbing permit, along with 7 guides, 30 Sherpas, 10 base camp staff, a doctor, and two cooks. They're not staying long in the capital however, as they're leaving tomorrow for Lukla, where they'll begin the ten day trek to BC. Billi, being a native to Nepal, will follow them on the 8th of April.

In other news, Alan also reports on his Everest 2009 page that a Kazakh team has set off for Nepal with the intention of completing a Lhotse-Everest traverse. The plan will be to climb Lhotse, then proceed down the connecting ridge between it and Everest, cross over to the South Col route, summit the Big Hill, then go back down from there. It's never been done before, and who is leading the team? Well, none other than Maxut Zhumayev, and Vassily Pivtsov, two names well known in the HImalaya for their bold, and fast climbing. They'll be joined by Serguey Samoilv and Eugeny Shutov, two very strong and accomplished climbers in their own right.

Also, word has begun to leak out that China is preparing to re-open the borders of Tibet, allowing foreigners in once again. I've heard the date ranging from anywhere from the 1st of April to the 5th (Alan reports the 4th), but no matter what the date, it's good news for the teams that have been hoping to go to the North Side. It's still going to be pretty quiet up there, but it's good to see their patience possibly rewarded. It seems that March was quiet, as far as we can tell, in Tibet, which is helping to speed up the lifting of the travel bans.

More soon from the HImalaya I'm sure.

First Results: Zeiss Touit 12mm | Fuiji X-Pro 1

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved

Here are two examples of what I intend to do with my newly acquired Zeiss Touit 12mm for my Fuji X Pro-1.

The top image is un-cropped, and was made by shooting from-the-hip at a distance of about 2 feet from the couple who were having a rather intense conversation. They were so engrossed in their conversation that they barely noticed me.

The lower image is cropped, and also made by shooting from-the-hip at a similar distance. The tattoo artist was also too busy talking to a colleague to really notice me.

The only irritant in the Touit 12mm is that the aperture ring moves too easily and, especially that I'm shooting from the hip, I have to frequently make certain that the aperture is set on my chosen f-stop. I may consider using a small piece of gaffer tape fixing it at either f4 or f5.6 (which is probably the lens' sweet spots), but Zeiss engineers/designers ought to have come with a firmer aperture ring.

As I mentioned in my earlier post, I am fond of wide angle photography, and have used the 17-40mm (mostly at the 17-24mm setting) on my Canon 5D Mark II most of the time during my recent photo expeditions in India and Vietnam. While perhaps not optimally ideal for street photography, the Touit 12mm (18mm equivalent on a full frame) gives me a viable alternative to the Fujinon 18mm (27mm equivalent on a full frame) pancake lens I used in the past.

My investment in new gear is a slow and steady one....I'm waiting for the right time and mindset to acquire for the Fuji X-T1. It'll come soon...the real question is whether it'll be part of my Vietnam Photo Expedition in September or not. And whether I move away from the DSLR system completely in favor of the X Series or not.

Top Ten Adventure Twitterers

The Outside Blog, the official blog of Outside Magazine, has released their Top Ten list of Adventure Twitterers, and there are a few names that make the list that you might recognize.

The list is certainly diverse and interesting, with companies like Backcountry.com and REI earning a spot in the Top Ten, as well as individual adventurers like Roz Savage, who is busy preparing for a return to the sea, and climber Steph Davis, who is busy scaling rock faces, and then jumping off them.

The Gear Junkie earns a much deserved spot on the list as well, and our friend Alan Arnette tops the list as the number one adventure twitterer, with is amazing updates on Everest and his own on going climbs.

Look closer on the list, and you might even recognize a certain adventure blogger. Yep, Outside named me the #5 adventure twitterer, and I have to say I'm surprised and honored to be listed with everyone else. My friends will get a great chuckle out of this thanks to my reluctance to try Twitter in the first place. But, I have to admit, I'm a convert, and think it is pretty cool to make this list, despite the fact that my Twitter name makes an obvious reference to how big of a geek I am. ;)

Thanks Outside!

Vietnam Travel Tips - Tour VietNam travel

Settlement: Hostels begin at $6 USD for every night. Private rooms normal about $18 USD for a twofold room.

Sustenance: By consuming at road stalls and markets you can get a dish of pho or a rice dish for $1 USD. Take a seat restaurants are additionally economical at around $2-4 USD.

Transportation: Bus travel is exceptionally shoddy in Vietnam. As an illustration, the general population transport around Ho Chi Min City will cost a most extreme of $.15 USD. The train is likewise an alternate cheap approach to go with the 791km long prepare venture from Danang and to Hanoi costing $26 USD.

Exercises: Many of Vietnam's attractions are based around its regular excellence and in that capacity, cost practically nothing. For sorted out trips, for example, visiting the Cu Chi burrows you can hope to pay $5 USD. Halong Bay visits from Hanoi begin at $24 USD for two-day excursions and increment exponentially from that point.

Road Food – The sustenance is generally great, truly shoddy and you can watch it being cooked before you. Stick to the nearby nourishment and you'll spare cash.

Late-night travel - If voyaging long voyages, attempt to take the late night transport or prepare as this will spare you the expense of a night's convenience.

Take the Tourist Bus – It is really less expensive to take the visitor transport around the nation than taking neighborhood transportation on account of the "vacationer" value you get at the transport station.

Deal Hard - Tourists have a tendency to be charged more than local people for everything from cyclos to road sustenance. Deal harder than you would normally, and don't disparage the benefit of strolling ceaselessly.

Respect the Pagodas – Vietnam's most different construction modeling can be been in the pagodas which are discovered everywhere throughout the nation. They are prominent for their lovely and many-sided carvings. Pagodas are utilized as altars and sanctuaries and are loved by the Vietnamese individuals.

Meander Hanoi – Vietnam's capital, Hanoi consolidates French imperialism with Eastern impacts. Revel in an evening investigating the restricted avenues of the Old Quarter or visit the innumerable sanctuaries and displays specked around this clamoring city.

Unwind in Dalat – Dalat is settled in the slopes of the Central Highlands and is mainstream with voyagers who need to unwind in the mountain air. Individuals run here to appreciate its tranquil air and common magnificence. The slopes around Dalat are loaded with customary tribal towns which you can visit yet there is bounty to do inside the city itself as well.

Visit the Mekong Delta – The delta is a 60,000km long web of interconnected conduits which compasses over three Vietnamese areas. The zone is loaded with little art towns, Khmer Pagodas, mangroves, plantations and the trademark skimming markets. The most ideal approach to encounter delta life is to go on one of the numerous pontoon or bicycle visits. Use a perspective days investigating the locale.

Related post: Vietnam travel

Slither through the Cu Chi Tunnels – Crawl through the broad system of almost 500 km of passages used by the Viet Cong in the war with the USA in the 1960s. Visits include a depiction of the passages, after which visitors are permitted to slither about the maze and blaze Ak47s at shooting targets.

Covering 61,000, this spot is home to in excess of 2000 types of trees and some really uncommon untamed life including the Clouded panther, Delacour's Langur and Owston's Civet. It was my most loved stop in all of Vietnam and the main spot I could evade crowds of voyagers.

Hang Out in Hoi A – Hoi An is a standout amongst the most well known ends for voyagers setting out to the nation. The spot is pressed with authentic homes and structures and curious bistros. It's little and extraordinary for strolling, purchasing suits (they have a tremendous design and tailor business sector), consuming, and unwinding by the stream. It was effortlessly my most loved place in Vietnam.

Investigate Ho Chi Minh City – Also known as Saigon, Ho Chi Minh is Vietnam's biggest city and is doubtlessly worth investigating. Like most urban communities in Vietnam, you'll be met with the thunder of motorbikes speeding through pilgrim boulevards. Ben Thanh business sector is an unquestionable requirement see for astounding nourishment and there is an extraordinary buzz of action inside the spot.

Climb in Halong Bay – More than 3000 islands sit inside the emerald green waters of Halong Bay, one of the nation's most famous visitor ends of the line. Feline Ba island has incredible for trekking and numerous travelers end up taking one of the hollow visits. Attempt to discover a decent administrator as numerous oversell or lie about what their vessels look like.

Get Active in Mui Ne – Despite being an angling town, Mui Ne has got a huge tourism scene, because of its ubiquity as a wind- and kitesurfing goal, and due to the pretty sand ridges that lie close-by.

See My Son – My Son is a situated of Hindu destroys in Vietnam which go over to the Cham Empire. The Champas governed over Central Vietnam from the third to the nineteenth century. The sanctuaries here are of extraordinary verifiable imperativeness, however they have been generally recovered by the encompassing wilderness, and have fallen into an incredible state of decay.

Visit the Caves in Phong Nha-Ke Bang - Hang Son Doong is rumored to be the world's biggest cavern, and is spotted in Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park. It was found by a nearby in 1990, and "rediscovered" by a British giving in group in 2009. You can mastermind outings to see this staggering cavern. Be arranged to be passed up its excellence.

Ache - A Short Story

The sudden jerk of the train made Meera wake up from her dreams to realize that the coach was  completely empty.

The path she had traveled was not often tread, the route of her travel not often taken, the feelings that drained in her heart, not often felt.

For the first time, since she had begun her journey for souls, she would meet Heena, her confidante, amid the stalking overcast sky and thudding winter chill.

She stepped out, her heart beats missing aloud, the engine whistling rather suggestively, of the ashes that were left behind from the coal, burnt or alive, or rather both, the smoke that existed there within the coal, albeit in the latent form in the same black coal.

Heena was standing there, right there, Meera wanted to meet her eye to eye, through form to form, by matter to matter, Heena had no eyes and  Meera had a heart attache.

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This post has been written and shared for the series 'Five Sentence Fiction'.

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Looking forward to your comments.

Patrick de Wilde | Faces

Alessandra Meniconzi, a friend and herself a fabulous photographer, introduced me to the photography of Patrick de Wilde...whose work she liked very much, and one whose type of photography counterbalanced the recent commercialism in the realm of travel and cultural photography.

Naturally, I checked the website out...and in its gallery simply titled Faces, I found brilliant portraiture of ethnic groups ranging from Omo Valley's Mursi tribals, to Kyoto's geishas, to Brazil's Amazonians, to Malian Tuaregs, and to Vietnam's Caodaists...and of course, Sadhus from India and Nagaland tribes people.

Simple ethnic portraiture has been, in some sense, maligned recently and described by some as too simple. However, portrait photographs have been made since virtually the invention of the camera, and will continue to be one of the most sought after photographic styles. Lighting, of course, is one of the main techniques in portrait photography, and these portraits have all made in the same way.

All the 265 portraits are vertical...none are in my favored landscape format, as the photographer sought to focus on nothing but the faces of his subjects. Simple, no stagecraft, and powerful.

Patrick de Wilde is a French photojournalist, and has served as editor-in-chief of several French travel photography magazines. He has contributed to international travel and wildlife publications including BBC Wildlife and Géo for over twenty years, and has photographed thousands of men and women on five continents over the past decades. He started his professional life as a photojournalist in Asia, and focused on the Buddhist and Jain religious traditions, and shared the life ways of Buddhist monks in Thailand and Burma.

Cameron Karsten | The Vodou Trail

Photo © Cameron Karsten-All Rights Reserved

"The Engungun spirit enters the body and becomes a direct translation of God".

Readers of this blog will know of my interest in documenting vodou or voodoo for quite a while, and until I'm able to finalize my research, and allocate some time to do so, I have to content myself with the work of others...often magnificent work...about this age-old, and misunderstood,  religious practice.

Both Cameron Karsten and Constantine Savvides produced a multimedia project that documents the origins of this belief system in West Africa to the shores of the New World. Cameron's website has a ton of still images of vodou practitioners in West Africa.

Voodoo, or Orisha, as it is practiced today, originated many hundred years ago among the Yoruba people who live in the region of modern-day Togo, Benin and parts of Nigeria. Followers of voodoo believe in an unapproachable god and an array of spirits who serve as intermediaries. Slaves, forced to leave Benin's sandy shores in their millions, took such beliefs to the U.S. and the islands of the West Indies, where they spread and formed the basis of religions like Candomblé, Macumba, Santería and Umbanda.

The Vodou Trail is the dedicated website for Cameron's and Constantine's documentary work on vodou, exploring the misconceptions about the practice, and about its clandestine aspects.

Fuji's Full Frame VS "Full Size" APS-C

"It is the photographer, not the camera, that is the instrument." -Eve Arnold

The internet lit up (well, almost) the other day when eagle-eyed Fuji aficionados and others read the Fuji Press Release for Photokina 2014 to read this:

"We will be unveiling our latest lineup of X-series digital cameras along with interchangeable lenses and peripheral accessories at this year's Photokina. At the Touch and Try Corner of the Fujifilm booth, visitors will be able to experience the outstandingly high image quality with a full size sensor and high resolution images taken with the new lineup of cameras that feature FUJINON XF interchangeable lenses."

Reading the words "a full size sensor" led many to believe that Fuji would be announcing a new full frame sensor in a couple of weeks. Not reading it carefully left me, having just acquired the new X-T1 and the 18-135mm lens, with the taste of sawdust in my mouth, and using the English equivalent of "merde!", I started calculating the costs (if any) of returning the X-T1 and the lens to the retailer I bought it from...cursing the day I decided to buy it in the first place...less than week or so.

On my Facebook page, I expressed my view that I didn't think the difference between a full frame and a cropped one was of such critical importance with technological advances in the APS-C sensors. There's certainly differences, but as many other photographers attested to, these differences have to balanced against the many positives of using an excellent mirrorless system such as Fuji X-Series.

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved (XT-1/Fujinon 18mm)

I also expressed my surprise that Fuji would go full frame (or full size) as it had no lens line-up that would work with a full frame camera. It actually referred to its existing XF interchangeable lens system. 

So somewhat relieved...I concluded -after reading the paragraph in question- that it had to be a copy writer error, and that I didn't have to return my X-T1 after all. This was confirmed a day or two later when Fuji re-issued its Press Release and corrected it to say "the emphasis will be on the high resolution of the APS-C sensor, which rivals that of a full frame sensor.”

My initial knee-jerk reaction was a silly one. The X-T1 is an exceptionally good tool, and while I've discovered over the past few days that it has some quirks (and I will probably find more), it's certainly a worthy replacement for my aging (and super heavy) Canon 5DII and the 7D...along with their back-breaking glass.

I'm not a tech-head and I'm not saying (or even thinking) that APS-C is as good as a full frame. Bigger is better in this case...but the difference is smaller than what many photographer think...but sometimes, we are wedded to notions that are past their prime, and with the technological advancements in sensor manufacturing, this is no longer the case.

My view is simply this: I am delighted to be able to rely on a smaller and lighter system than what I used for the past 14 years. I'm not yet ready to get rid of my DSLRs just yet, but I'll have to decide really soon. In the meantime, Vietnam beckons and leaving my DSLRs behind will be the real test.

Fuji X-T1/Zeiss Touit 12mm/Grip

Speaking of Vietnam, the X-Pro1 served me extremely well during my Photo Expedition-Workshop of 2012. I used it for street/candid photography and although it's auto-focus capabilities weren't ideal, it allowed me to photograph discreetly in situations where my Canon 5D Mark II would've been too intimidating, and the quality of its images were up to my expectations. The new Fuji X-T1 will hopefully surpass my expectations that it will generally outperform (or perform as well as) my DSLRs.

Novotel SaiGon Centre - Hotel in VietNam

Offering quality facilities in the games, religious hobbies, nightlife region of Ho Chi Minh City, Novotel Saigon Center Hotel is a prevalent pick for both business and recreation voyagers. Just 6.0 Km away, this 4.5-star lodging can be effortlessly gotten to from the air terminal. With the city's fundamental attractions, for example, Consulate of German, Consulate of India, Consulate of Ukraine inside close achieve, guests to the lodging will simply love its area.

At Novotel Saigon Center Hotel, the superb administration and predominant offices are the explanations behind a remarkable remain. To name a couple of the inn's offices, there are club, restaurant, official carpet, visits, room administration for visitor's full accommodation.

Inn facilities have been deliberately designated to the most elevated level of solace and comfort, with little bar, portable computer safe box, non smoking rooms, work area, wraparounds in each one room. Furthermore, the inn's host of recreational offerings guarantee visitors have bounty to do amid their sit tight. Find a captivating mix of expert administration and a wide show of gimmicks at Novotel Saigon Center Hotel.

Novotel Saigon Center gimmicks 247 contemporary rooms, a worldwide smorgasbord restaurant – The Square, an anteroom relax, a health focus including swimming pool, wellness, sauna and spa.

Unrivaled room: With advanced décor, our Superior rooms give ergonomic solace and top of the line offices. Offering solace with present day civilities, snappy embellishment perfect for both recreation and business explorers. Headed TV, free WIFI, Free get to wellness focus sauna and swimming pool

Select room: Embrace opportunity and smooth. Our special room is at home and extensive. It offers top of the line solace and accommodation for a vital occasion. Headed TV, free WIFI, free get to wellness focus, sauna and swimming pool

Official room: An interesting knowledge consolidating unwinding and center, the official rooms treat you like a vip with extra in-room pleasantries. Extra courtesies coffee machine, Mp3 docking station, free WIFI, comprehensive Premier parlor profits. Up to 2 grown-ups and 2 youngsters.

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Official Suite: A remarkable experience, overall outlined, the suite incorporates a different contemporary front room, at home room, and vast restroom. Extra enhancements coffee machine, Mp3 docking station, free WIFI, comprehensive Premier parlor profits Up to 2 grown-ups and 2 youngsters.

*the SQUARE RESTAURANT: International smorgasbord restaurant, The Square serves the best of Asian and Western food which is brimming with flavors and with solid, adjusted cooking. Revel in a minute of delight and euphoria in an intelligent kitchen.

*167 FAUBOURG BAR: Enjoy a wide determination of espresso, tea, mixed drinks and light snacks at 167 Faubourg Bar for the duration of the day. Sit inside in a present day and loose climate or outside on the patio viewing the city life passing

VietNam Culinary Delights - 12 day

What better approach to encounter a society than through its nourishment. Entice your taste buds on this 12-day visit that takes you through Vietnam, discovering culinary enthusiasm in the rich history, energetic society and lovely scenes. The outing begins in Hanoi and finishes in Ho Chi Minh City or the other way around ..

Welcome to Hanoi: Vietnam's clamoring provincial capital. Your driver and aide will reach you outside the stuff case of Noi Bai Airport and take you to your lodging in the downtown area. Toward the evening appreciate a cyclo visit through the Old Quarter's tight lanes lined with French frontier structures – emulated by a conventional Water Puppet Performance – an extraordinary Vietnamese work of art hailing from Southeast Asia's wet-rice society. Appreciate a welcome supper at one of Hanoi's finest restaurants.

At the beginning of today, your visit aide will take you to the cooking class. Find a neighborhood advertise and research fixings, flavors and perceive how the nearby get ready for suppers. Next is a short chat on the craft of Hanoian gastronomy, vegetables, herbs & flavors & figure out how to get ready & use them. The Chef will impart to you her pride of Vietnamese foods and the mysteries how to make it great. Revel in the neighborhood sustenance in Hanoi style.

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Toward the evening you will investigate Vietnam's enchanting capital. With its wide tree-lined roads, French pioneer structural planning, quiet lakes and old oriental pagodas, Hanoi is a mixed blend that offers something for everybody.

Use 24 hours on a conventional Junk Cruise in the stunning narrows: a characteristic wonderland made out of bulging limestone islands and shimmering turquoise waters. 

Relish a gourmet lunch of crisp fish installed as you cruise out into the enchanted inlet. Toward the evening, journey around some of Halong's various islands. Along the way visit one of the inlet's 3 biggest hollows (Thien Cung, Dau Go or Sung Sot). Stop at an island bay with a shielded white sanded shoreline and take a dunk in the warm waters of the Gulf of Tonkin (if the climate will be suitable). Pass the night on your garbage, quieted to rest by the delicate shaking of smooth waters.

Wakeful early and take part in Tai Chi on the top deck or just unwind viewing the first light over the narrows' towering islands. Appreciate a morning mug of espresso or tea, before embarking to investigate the close-by islands by dinghy. Come back to the garbage for brunch then exploit the sundeck and appreciate the astonishing rock developments of Bai Tu Long Bay as you explore again to Halong City, where your driver will reach you at the dock and take you to Noi Bai Airport to get your short flight to Danang. Your visit aide and driver will exchange you to inn in Hoian, an objective with two confronts: the enchanting, old-world exchanging port of restricted roads and conventional houses, and the shoreline with its extravagant resorts and long extend of clean white sand.

Toward the beginning of today appreciate a cooking class at the Red Bridge Cooking School. From that point we will head to Hoian's brilliant business. Investigate the business and associate with neighborhood sellers to buy some crisp elements throughout today's cooking class. Next, board the Red Bridge vessel for a restful 25min voyage along the Hoian River to the Red Bridge Cooking School. Find the school's herb and vegetable arrangement before beginning your cooking lesson. The class runs for 60 minutes and 15min and incorporates exhibits from the school's gourmet experts and in addition time to help get ready conventional dishes. At the end of class, delight in an early on lesson in the craft of Vietnamese sustenance cutting (plate embellishment). 

Toward the evening, take a mobile visit through the limited slowing down of the antiquated town focus, going by Chua Ong Pagoda, the Chinese Assembly Hall, the 200-year old Tam Ky tribal house and the well known Japanese Bridge.

Delight in a stop at the beautiful Lang Co Beach for a beverage before proceeding to Hue – an UNESCO World Heritage Site. Use the evening on a recreation visit through Vietnam's antiquated capital city, going to the Royal Citadel, Thien Mu Pagoda and the Mausoleum of King Tu Duc – a reproduction of the lord's royal residence constructed for the following resurrection of the ruler.

Use a whole day visiting Vietnam's previous old capital. The Imperial City was made in the nineteenth century and demonstrated on the Forbidden City in Beijing. The Imperial Enclosure houses numerous castles and sanctuaries inside its dividers. Toward the evening, proceed your visit ceasing at the Imperial Museum, Tu Hieu Pagoda and the energetic Dong Ba riverside market.

Sa Pa | Report Four | The People of Tay Bac

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved

It took us far longer than expected to drive from Hanoi to Sa Pa, the famous hill station in the north of Viet Nam. The brand new highway is supposed to cut the journey time from approximately 10-12 hours to a mere 4 or so, but because a section was closed for repairs, we had to take the back roads, and reconnect into it not too far from Lao Cai....so we did it in about 8 hours.

Sa Pa is still humid (in comparison to two years ago, when it was really cool at the same time of the year), but it's tolerable. Accompanied by our Hanoi minder Huyen, and now Lan...our new Hmong guide in Sa Pa (and beyond), we explored the market area. The vendors have quieted down from what I recall, and there are less of them hassling the newcomers.

At one point, I heard unmistakable religious music emanating from a nondescript building, and asking around, I was told it was a temple. I walked in and encountered a handful of women dressed in red traditional clothes who, through sign language, told me that a ceremony would start at 9:00 am.

Religious music and ceremonies are like catnip to me...and I decided to forgo the street photography morning in its favor.

Rustling up the rest of the group wasn't an easy matter as they had dispersed around the area, but we finally found ourselves welcomed to the temple by around 15-18 women wearing these red outfits.

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved

It appeared that it was a rehearsal for a much larger ceremony which was to occur tomorrow. Naturally, we will be on our way to Bac Ha by that time, so we thanked our stars to be able to catch it.

Despite our being occasionally in the way,  the congregants were extremely gracious and didn't seem to mind us at all...quite the opposite. In short, this photo shoot (once again, serendipitous) was an enormous success for all of us.

Technical porn snippet: The Fuji X-T1 performed flawlessly. The X Pro-1 showed its age.

In contrast, our afternoon photo shoot to the village of Cat Cat, described as an age-old village of H’Mong ethnic group, was an immense flop of monumental proportions. If you fancy walking (actually quite an arduous trek) in the company of busloads of tourists, then go....but this was an epic fail. I'm not going to waste one sentence on it.

Mattia Passarini | Remote People

Photo © Mattia Passarini-All Rights Reserved

Here's photographic work that will gladden the hearts of many of photographers (and many that I know well) who relish portraiture of remote indigenous cultures. There are some that are environmental portraits, but the majority are just facial portraits...some posed and others not.

Mattia Passarini's portraits are from China's Sichuan, Yunnan, Pakistan's Northern regios, India's Chhatisgarh, Orissa, Gujarat, the Democratic Republic of Congo, from Baka and Bambuti Pygmies, Rabaris, Jats (notoriously difficult to photograph), Ahirs, the Ramnami, China's Miao, Myanmar's Dai and Muun, and Indonesia's Mentawai...they're all there.

And for those who agree with Survival International that British photographer Jimmy Nelson’s stylised pictures of African, Asian and Amazon Indian groups are “wrong”and “false and damaging”, this cornucopia of imagery doesn't have a whiff of artificiality. This is "what you see is what you get" ethnophotography.

Mattia Passarini's biography is sparse, but he started on his global photographic endeavors on moving to the United Kingdom. Over the course of 11 years of travel, he visited more than 35 countries across four continents, capturing images of the world’s tribal people, and of lives and places that exist in relative obscurity.

He currently lives in China completing a project on a local ethnic group.

Five amazing places to experience - Vietnam Travel

Researching the society and traditions of other individuals is one of the extraordinary encounters of travel. Investigate the planet's differences with one of these by regional standards claimed and legitimate tribal experiences.

Arrange eras old mountain tracks and falls of rice paddies to the towns of the H'mong individuals, an ethnic minority in Vietnam. Trek with Sapa O'chau – the name signifies 'Hi Sapa' in the H'mong dialect – and you'll be boosting the training and reading proficiency of adolescent H'mong visit guides. Sapa O'chau is going by Shu Tan, a vigorous H'mong lady having a true effect for her kin, and in case you're excited about a more extended stay in Sapa, she's continually searching for volunteer educators at Sapa O'chau's group school.

Scattered over the 400 or more islands of Panama's San Blas Archipelago is the self-ruling Kuna Yala country, where you can invest time getting to know the Kuna individuals. Fly from Panama City to the minor island of Mamirupu and stay at the natural and generally claimed Dolphin Lodge. The snorkeling and angling are radiant, and boatmen can take guests to adjacent islands to research the Kuna's pleased history of freedom and safety. The Kuna's famous nearby handiworks incorporate molas, finely created and bright appliqué materials.

Trip to the familial terrains of the indigenous Adjahdura and Ngadjuri people groups on South Australia's tough Yorke Peninsula. Customary narrating incorporates Adjahdura 'Envisioning Stories', relating the legend of creation and the time when megafauna meandered this old scene (fossil confirmation of megafauna, including goliath kangaroos, strengthens the realities behind Adjahdura's imparted myths and memories). Visit administrator Quenten Agius is broadly viewed as one of Australia's heading indigenous travel identities.

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New Zealand's indigenous Maori individuals are thoroughly incorporated into advanced society, however tribal traditions and qualities are still imperative in the 21st century. Sharpen Mihaka, of the Ngapuhi tribe of northern New Zealand, invites guests to his lineal marae (gathering spot) after an imparted paddling trip in a Maori waka (kayak). Inside a rural gathering house trimmed with raupo (hurry stems), Hone and his family direct a profoundly compelling powhiri (welcome) in the interest of their predecessors.

Il Ngwesi is Kenya's just extravagance safari hotel to be entirely claimed and worked by the nearby Maasai group; this economical and eco-mindful extend north of Mt Kenya is likewise one of the nation's best untamed life withdraws. Past the grand creature seeing open doors, stays incorporate training in Maasai society, and your cash helps help Il Ngwesi's rhinoceros asylum and additionally neighborhood schools and area preserva

La Antigua | The 'Multimedia For Photographers' Class of 2014

Photos © Cheryl Nemazie-All Rights Reserved

Well, the Foundry Photojournalism Workshop 2014 ended last Saturday, after a week long of grueling work from instructors, assistants and class participants (aka students).

I'm not getting into the daily details of what the Foundry Photojournalism Workshop was all about in La Antigua, but I will certainly say is that this class exerted their very utmost to produce individual projects that included still imagery, text and ambient audio over the course of what is in reality only 4 full working days.

The above collection of "mug shots" was the brainchild of Cheryl Nemazie. She thought our group photograph should consist of individual mug shots, wearing my eyeglasses, a Cambodian krama scarf and holding a Leica M9...creating a Tewfic "tribe" or "team".

Despite the well publicized travel warnings about La Antigua, none of my class participants experienced any difficulties or issues (at least that I'm aware of) during the Foundry week-long event. The classes were held at one of the town's most prestigious hotel, with conference rooms allocated to each class, and the venue generally worked very well.

The Multimedia for Photographers Class 2014 Hard at Work

The class projects included an intimate look at Guatemala's chocolate-making process, Pollo Loco (the 'chicken' buses of Guatemala), two stories on traditional Mayan-Indian weavers, the art of making typical Guatemalan bread, a teacher of reading/literacy for Mayan Indian women, and a light hearted canine love story. Except for one, all the stories were in color.