Chris McGrath | The Vanishing Dokar

Photo © Chris McGrath-All Rights Reserved

What's a "dokar" you ask?

Well, it's a two-wheeled horse-drawn cart found throughout Indonesia, usually decorated with colorful motifs and bells. Its small horses or ponies often have long tassels attached to their bridle. Typical dokars have bench seating on either side, which can comfortably fit three or four persons...and luggage (and huge bags of rice).

Regretfully, the dokars are on their way to extinction due to other more efficient and modern ways of transport. More than 200 dokars were working in Indonesia's Denpasar region, but only a handful remain these days. Denpasar -as in other large cities- experiences an uncontrolled population causing chronic traffic jams that make it difficult for the dokar to work effectively. Cheaper motorcycles have also made the dokar obsolete.

Chris McGrath has documented these last remaining vehicles in his The Vanishing Dokar in lovely monochrome tones, along with copious information about the photographs as captions.

Chris McGrath is an Australian photographer with Getty Images, specializing in editorial and commercial assignments. He has photographed, four Olympic games, the Paralympics, Commonwealth games, the FIFA World Cup, the Rugby World Cup, the MLB World Series, the Super Bowl, the Daytona 500, US Open Golf, numerous US Open and Australian Open Grand Slams, the 2004 Asian Tsunami, the election of Barack Obama and the earthquake and Tsunami in Japan and the London 2012 Olympics.

He has worked for clients such as Nike, NFL, Coca-Cola, the LPGA, NASCAR and the New York Times, and his images appeared in Stern, Newsweek, Time, Sports Illustrated, The Independent, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, USA Today, ESPN the magazine, The Guardian, L'Equipe and on daily news and sport websites worldwide.

He currently works in Tokyo, Japan.

Khari Baoli | Exposure | Leica M9

I've just published Khari Baoli on the Exposure platform, using a post processing workflow on the photographs by combining Alien Skin Exposure 6 and Color Efex Pro 4. The photographs were made with a Leica M9 with an Elmarit 28mm 2.8.

Old Delhi's Khari Baoli is the largest wholesale spice market of Asia, but it's the small and medieval-looking Gadodia Market that is the subject of this gallery. This small circular courtyard is perpetually crowded with traders, and wholesalers looking for the best and cheapest spices, such as turmeric, ginger, saffron, and pepper. Few people can enter the area without sneezing, coughing and tearing up. The laborers who load the heavy sacks of turmeric and ginger seem immune to the pungent smells that assail the senses.

The market is also up on the first floor, but the dark stairs are sometimes slippery with phlegm spat by the laborers and porters who continually walk up and down carrying the heavy sacks of spices.

The larger Khari Baoli market was established at the time when Fatehpuri Masjid was built in 1650 with the patronage of Fatehpuri Begum, who was one of the wives of the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan.

As a footnote; my Leica M9 is not artificially weathered. It's weathered for real. See my previous post  regarding the newly announced Leica.

Jean Christian Cottu | Nagaland's Konyak

Photo © Jean-Christian Cottu-All Rights Reserved

The Konyak are a Naga people, living in India's Northeast and in Myanmar. The Konyak tribes had a strong warrior tradition, and were still headhunting until the end of 1960. Recognizable by their intricate facial and body tattoo, the Nagas believed that only with the skulls of their enemies could they could guarantee the fertility of their fields.

While Christian missionaries (and British colonialists) convinced or forced the Nagas to give up the practice, it's said that they still observe these ancient rituals, using wooden heads instead. Most of the Konyaks in Cottu's portraits are in the 80's or over, and in a few years, most if not all of these former headhunters and their wives will be dead. With their death, the living memories of their unique cultural existence will disappear forever.

In his interview with the UK's Daily Mail, Jean-Christian Cottu tells us that he traveled to the Mon district of Nagaland with a portable photo studio and a medium format digital camera to make these portraits. Refreshingly, he also discloses that his photographs were the result of a material exchange between him and his subjects; either in the form of a printed copy of their photographs or a monetary one, in the form of a few hundred rupees, and on some occasions both.

VietNam to Cambodia in tour VietNam travel

Another stream journey from Asia masters Travel Indochina guarantees to be the most extravagant approach to cruise from Vietnam to Cambodia, going in a boutique-style watercraft.

Leaving from Ho Chi Minh City (once Saigon), the watercraft cruises along the Mekong River to Siem Reap, a city generally perceived as the door to the Temples of Angkor, where visitors can investigate one of Asia's most compositionally essential destinations.

Named after Emperor Shah Jahan of the Mughal Empire in India, The Jahan has been demonstrated on the Indian pioneer time with included lavish peculiarities. Each of the 26 lodges has an extra large informal lodging to-roof windows that slide open on to private overhangs. Furthermore a pool, rec center, spa and steam room are likewise ready for.

Visitors on her first venture profit from having Travel Indochina's fellow benefactor and Managing Director, Paul Hole ready for impart his insight and knowledge of South East Asia. Furthermore halting at Cai Be's rowdy gliding markets, Cambodia's capital Phnom Penh, the silk weaving town of Chong Koh, and the preangkorian sanctuary of Wat Hanchey, voyagers meet nearby individuals and research life direct.

Related post: Vietnam travel packages

Voyagers have the chance to meet Paul before setting cruise on the 10-day excursion at an elite mixed drink party held the prior night at the five-star Caravelle lodging in Ho Chi Minh City; the trip closes at Raffles Siem Reap.

Sa Pa & Ta Phin | Report Six | The People of Tay Bac

H'mong in Sa Pa. Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved

Yesterday included a morning of street photography in the small town of Sa Pa. Being such a small place, it was not too difficult to grab an interesting street scene, provided the Black Hmong vendors left us in peace.

Since much of the pedestrian action really occurs on a couple of small streets, as well as on the steps leading to and from the central market, it was easier to station myself at a specific point on these steps, and wait for something or someone interesting and exotic to happen by. Using the Leica M9, I pre-focused and chose the most appropriate settings...and just waited.

A word about the Hmong vendors. They have (for the most part) a sense of humor, and very willing to exchange banter with tourists. They are rather persistent in trying to buy some of their handicraft, but once they realize there's no way, they either walk away to look for another prey...or exchange pleasantries with anyone who'll give them the time of day.

Ms Thuy Linh, Sa Pa store owner. Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy- All Rights Reserved

Whilst waiting for interesting scenes to develop, I noticed an attractive store vendor watching me, and who seemed to understand the purpose of my being there. Expecting nothing much of importance to develop over the next few minutes, I asked if I could photograph her. Thuy Linh (her name) readily accepted, and naturally asked me to send her images when I was done.

The reason I mention this is that this exchange between two people who don't speak each others' language couldn't have occurred a few years ago.

Using Google Translate app on my iPhone, I asked her if I could photograph her, and if she had an email. She asked me to send the images to her Facebook account, and became my Facebook friend on the spot (using an iPhone no less)...enabling me to accept her invitation and eventually send her the images.

Red D'Zao. Ta Phin. Photo © Tewfic EL-Sawy-All Rights Reserved

In the afternoon, we drove to the village of Ta Phin, a picturesque thirty minute drive north of Sapa. It's about 17 kilometers to the west of Sapa, and is principally a Red Dao village, where these can be seen embroidering their wares for sale to tourist groups.

On the way to Ta Phin, we stopped at the abandoned French nunnery/monastery. It was built in 1942, but was promptly evacuated and deserted by 1947. Its walls are in ruins but are covered by mustard-color moss (or lichen), giving it a wonderful textured look.

Photographing a bunch of Red Dao women in the village itself was not too difficult...despite their relentless efforts to make us buy anything from their inventory. It would not have been possible to persuade a couple of them to accompany us back to the French monastery where they could've been photographed against the interesting walls.