Vietnam Adventure and Eco Tour - VietNam Travel

Welcome to Hanoi, we will meet and take you to your inn, check-in and today is free at your recreation to rest or investigate, have your early introductions of Vietnam.

Withdraw at 8:00 am from your inn by van. We will start our day by going by Uncle Ho, looking into his extraordinary life at the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Presidential Palace, and his private spot. Next stop is the close-by Temple of Literature. The site of Vietnam's first University, implicit twelfth century, to educate Confucius' hypothesis to royals. Here we will likewise have an opportunity to see a conventional music execution. Toward the evening, pick one from the various historical centers or sanctuaries around Hanoi (Museum of Ethnology, Women's Museum, History Museum or Quan Thanh Temple). In the late evening we take a cyclo through Hoan Kiem lake and Hanoi's captivating Old Quarter for some extraordinary fun, shopping, and road side conventional sustenance. This is your opportunity to be a piece of run of the mill Hanoian style and its customary Vietnamese society. We complete our unwinding yet instructive day by going to a Water Puppet Show, a most loved experience for all guests to Vietnam. We can help you to return to your inn on the off chance that you wish, however regularly our visitors would rather simply use the nighttime appreciating a beverage with a perspective of the city. Supper all alone.

You will be in imparted AC delicate sleeper lodges to venture out North to Lao Cai town. (Our visit aide will reveal to you a smaller than normal inn which you will have a shower and fundamental breakfast before going on Halong narrows).

Today's morning: The train touches base at around 6:30 am; you are gotten when you retreat the train station. Lunch break before we continue hitting the street to Ta Phin town. Our Dao have family will welcome you to their customary home where we will experience an ethnic style supper and keep with it.

At the first glimmer of light, you will see and hear the resonances of morning town life. You can join your host family in some of their exercises like sustaining the creatures, cleaning the houses, planting or planning breakfast. After breakfast, we could take a short morning meander around the town or bringing about more of an opportunity went through with the host gang. You will be then upheld by our auto/ van over to Sapa (30 minutes). When we land back in Sapa, register with the inn, shower, and stop for lunch all alone. At 2:30 pm we will take a simple walk (~ 5km) to Cat town, country of Black H'mong slope tribe and to join in a customary ethnic music execution put on by the ethnic minority individuals. Your supper and nighttime, rest in the inn in Sapa.

Sunday is the basic exchanging day of numerous tribes in the Northwest of Vietnam, Bac Ha is one of them. The business sector is loaded with colors of distinctive ethnic minorities originating from diverse towns and their exchanging exercises are so lively, enduring from right on time morning till midday, from the hand-made fabrics to the pooches and wild oxen.

We will leave Sapa right on time by 7:00 am with the goal that we can be there on time, please pay admiration to local people here and solicit authorization before you taking photograph from anybody. Lunch in Bac Ha all alone record then we will do a pontoon excursion along the Chay stream, this vessel ride is around 1,5 hour. Supper all alone well before the train leaves for Hanoi.

Related post: Vietnam travel

Entry in Hanoi in the early morning at cycle 5:00 am. If its not too much trouble find your route by foot over to a smaller than usual inn close to the Tran Quy Cap station door to have shower and fundamental set menu breakfast.

Following 3.5 hours driving and review straightforward, field, rice paddy life, we touch base at the at port. At 12.00, the garbage teams welcome visitors ready for Hon Gai wharf. Check- in, revel in welcome beverage & journey instructions. Lunch with crisp nearby fish while cruising to Bai Tu Long cove through Indochina film studio, Teapot islet, Blockhouse islet, Goat Head islet. Stop for swimming, visit secretive Thien Canh hole. Unwind at a wild shoreline, swim & kayak (~ 45 mins) to investigate the cove. Over to garbage to revel in unwinding or the nightfall. Supper and overnight ready for Vong Vieng town or Trinh Nu hollow.

The People of Tây Bắc Published on Medium

I've just published The People of Tây Bắc; a monochrome photo essay on the weekly markets of the ethnic minorities in Northwestern Viet Nam.

I've come to appreciate Medium, the rather new blog-publishing platform. Founded by Twitter co-founders Evan Williams and Biz Stone in August 2012, it has evolved into "a hybrid of non-professional contributions and professional, paid contributions, an example of social journalism" as described by Wikipedia.

Although it's a gorgeous platform for photographers as well, it was originally designed for writers. I use it to upload large photographs...using the edge to edge option, which provides an attractive viewing display.

Tu Tran Thanh | Hầu đồng

Photo © 2014 Tu Tran Thanh-All Rights Reserved

While in Vietnam just two months ago, I literally stumbled on previously unknown (to me) religious ceremonies pertaining to Đạo Mẫu; the worship of Mother Goddesses in Vietnam. This unusual, but ancient, worship is commonly associated with spirit mediumship rituals—known in Vietnam as lên đồng.

Lên đồng (aka Hầu đồng) is a ritual of spirit mediumship practiced in Đạo Mẫu, during which followers become mediums for the various deities. The rituals involve music, singing (invocation songs to induce a trance in mediums), dance and the use of differently-colored costumes.

Photo © 2014 Tu Tran Thanh-All Rights Reserved

Whilst in Ha Noi, I was fortunate to have met Tu Tran Thanh; a photographer who discovered and shared my interest in Lên đồng and Hầu đồng rituals, and who also agreed to assist in developing my self-assignment of documenting these rituals during my forthcoming trip to Vietnam in March or April 2015.

As coincidence would have it, some of the streets in Ha Noi's Old Quarter were very recently the venue for a number of live performances such as ca trù, xẩm singing and lên đồng, and sure enough, Tu Tran Thanh was there to photograph some of the performances.

Photo © 2014 Tu Tran Thanh-All Rights Reserved

For decades, Lên đồng was restricted by French colonial and Vietnamese leaders, but the tradition is currently enjoying a flurry of popularity since restrictions were relaxed a decade or so ago. Whilst these were largely performances to introduce (or re-acquaint) the Vietnamese public to its cultural and religious traditions, authentic Lên đồng ceremonies are held and observed in Vietnam, and are the focus of my forthcoming self-assignment.

POV: The Task I Like Best (Well, Almost)

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved

Collecting information, and then scouting, for a future photo expedition-workshop, is a challenging task that is time-consuming, and requires reliable contacts...and one that takes patience, cerebral stamina and luck.

During the past 2 to 3 weeks, I've been researching and gathering information for a particular self-assignment project in Viet Nam; one that seems to be quite tough to nail down from New York, but would have been reasonably easy if I were in Ha Noi instead.

This particular project is like unraveling seemingly endless rubber bands of a golf ball, one strand by one strand, with the added frustration of sometimes coming to a dead end, or unearthing a promising lead but receiving no response to emails and/or Facebook messages. Sure, there's a sense of accomplishment when I get a lead; especially one that leads to another lead,...but there's a lot of disappointment when it turns all to nothing, or even worse, when there's no response.

I often wonder what did we do before the advent of the internet, email, and the various social media? Photographers and photojournalists had to rely on local information supplied by friends, fixers, and various other contacts and sources...and that took time to arrive and be verified. We now have it much easier...but it's still an uphill struggle to get what we need. I enjoy the challenge, there's no question about that. It's a sort of information sleuthing; one that needs to be checked and double checked.

For this current research, I trawl Vietnamese websites and, while I appreciate Google Translate and/or the browser's translate option, the results are often hilarious and unreliable. Trying to accurately pin down festival dates based on the Lunar calendar is tantamount to nailing Jell-O to the wall. I'm already imposing on Vietnamese friends and contacts for translation and advice, but there's a limit on how many times I can ask for help.

Probably the most disappointing so far is the no-reply to my emailed request for assistance (contact sharing) from a USC professor who specializes in the type of religious festivals I'm seeking. One would think professors would gladly share information on subject matters that are important to them. Not that one.

Aside from the Vietnamese websites, I check every promising location on Google Maps, calculating the distances and directions from Ha Noi, or wherever my hub will be at that time.

I'd compare this research to erecting a spider's web. All strands will eventually (hopefully?) lead to the center. Writing the results in long hand in a Moleskin notebook seems to help me focus much more than using a computer or an iPad.

Once the information is sifted and verified, the actual physical scouting will occur along with making travel plans, setting up a budget, etc.

I really can't wait for that phase.

Ah, well...enough of this. I must go back to the hunt.

The Travel Photographer Blog is 8 Years Old!

I suddenly realized The Travel Photographer blog is 8 years old today...approximately 2929 days have gone by since I decided to start a blog. It was the 24th of January 2007 in London and on a whim, I thought it'd be a great idea to have one.

3213 posts later, The Travel Photographer blog is still going strong...has attracted millions of views, and has 2262 Google followers. My Google+ page has been viewed 543,584,919 times ( I don't believe it, but it's sounds cool), and I've been recognized in the streets of New York City by strangers who ask me "You're The Travel Photographer, aren't you?".

Through my posts on this blog, I've come to know the work of fantastic photographers and photojournalists; through it, I made new friends in that industry; I've used it as a marketing platform to launch my photo expeditions-workshops; it expanded my visual, intellectual and cultural horizons; and influenced my own photographic direction.

So with a well-deserved pat on my back, I thank my readers and all those who contributed directly and indirectly to make The Travel Photographer blog what it is.

Custom Itineraries for Vietnam - One day in Ho Chi Minh city

On the off chance that you had boundless time in Vietnam, you would clearly have the capacity to investigate each aspect of what makes this nation interesting. Tragically, numerous individuals who go here have constrained time and need to take advantage of it. As a major aspect of our new "Custom Itineraries for Vietnam" arrangement, we will control you through the different urban communities in Vietnam and help you encounter the nation to its fullest. We will likewise demonstrate to you proper methodologies to get out of the way and see the nation in an exceptional manner. The principal of our "Custom Itineraries in Vietnam" arrangement – Ho Chi Minh City!

Voyagers frequently travel through Ho Chi Minh City before proceeding onward to a stuffed agenda in Vietnam. Despite the fact that Ho Chi Minh City has a great deal to offer as far as attractions and social encounters, it is hard to partake in everything when you have restricted time here. We have accumulated an exhaustive schedule that helps you augment your time here.

See more: Vietnam travel

Consume Soup for Breakfast 

Vietnamese individuals cherish their noodle soup dishes. You might as of now be acquainted with pho, yet there are incalculable more noodle soups that are indeed not pho! In addition, with a liberal aiding of different meats, veggies, and noodles, these soups are a breakfast of champions. So begin your free day Vietnamese style and eat up a dish of Pho, Banh Canh Cua, Bun Bo Hue, or whatever the gentleman alongside you is having.

Suggestion:  Ben Thanh market has a colossal area in the center with sustenance stalls. The turnover is high here so it is typically a safe spot to consume.

Ben Thanh business is the notable focal market in Ho Chi Minh City. They offer everything from keepsakes to kitchen supplies to staple goods and meat. Alternately, simply an incredible spot to individuals watch. This business is not cooled so it gets hot and damp here amid the day. What's more the venders can be very forceful with both voyagers and local people – that is simply the way of this business sector. It is more than simply a vacationer snatch. Actually for individuals who live here, the business offers things that are normally elusive generally. The business sector is a ton greater than it appears to be so verify you abandon sooner or later to explore through and truly investigate all that it brings to the table. Be mindful that the costs here are extremely checked up so make sure to arrange. In the event that a sign says 'settled cost' and the dealer is reluctant to move, you will probably find the same things at an alternate stall.

Wonder about the Architecture 

The structural planning in the city is a hodgepodge of new high rises, old tube houses, and French provincial structures. The old provincial structures in the inside of the city have a great deal of character and hold a ton of history. Luckily, they are all near one another so a short walk offers you the chance to delight in a large portion of them. On the off chance that you stroll between the Notre Dame basilica and the Saigon River along Dong Khoi road, and meander around Nguyen Hue and Le Loi boulevards, you will have the capacity to acknowledge a considerable lot of the wonderful old structures of downtown Ho Chi Minh City. On the off chance that you have time, stroll into the fundamental authentic mail station for a more intensive take a gander at frontier style construction modeling getting it done.

Taste Some Coffee 

Vietnamese individuals truly pride themselves on their espresso and there is no deficiency of cafés in Ho Chi Minh City. Espresso society was tremendous here well before Starbucks and other huge name espresso brands arrived. In the event that you've been strolling around the city for some time,  tasting on espresso and people viewing is the ideal break from the buzzing about. Luckily, most cafés have great provincial toll.

Suggestion: One of the coolest cafés in the city is L'usine at 151/1 Dong Khoi. The passage is through a back road and up two flights of stairs.

Ho Chi Minh City may be disorderly yet Vietnamese individuals beyond any doubt do know how to give a quiet escape to the mayham. Modest foot back rubs can be discovered all around and for $5-10, you can accomplish complete unwinding for 60 minutes to 90 minutes. In the event that you are in the temperament for a more genuine spa administration, get a hair wash (Goi Dau). This isn't a general regular hair wash – a fitting Vietnamese hair wash incorporates a head back rub, face wash and veil, and a shoulder knead! Read our online journal on back rubs in Vietnam to comprehend the ins and outs of getting a back rub here.

Suggestion:  Get a 70 moment foot knead at 118 (sufficiently named subsequent to its address is 118 Pasteur) for $7 including tip and afterward go around to Jasmine Spa (45 Ton That Thiep, at the corner of Pasteur and Ton That Thiep) for an unwinding hair wash.

Not long after in the wake of touching base in Ho Chi Minh City, you will recognize that motorbikes are the vehicle of decision. What better approach to see the city than to encounter it on the once more of the bicycle? XO Tours is a main motorbike visit organization in the city. We have a scope of motorbike visits to suit your taste, however by a long shot our most prominent is The Foodie. Not just does it take you to a few diverse locale of the city that are not by and large gone to by voyagers, you will likewise have the chance to attempt the best road sustenance Ho Chi Minh City brings to t

La Antigua | First Class Day | Foundry Photojournalism Workshop

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved

The first day of class for the Multimedia For Photographers course was completed, and the class participants (pictured above) are already on their way to gather photographs and audio for their multimedia projects.

There are a number of project ideas popping on individuals' radar screens, and we'll have to wait to see if these materialize or not. The advice given is to always have a couple of optional projects just in case the one chosen doesn't pan out.

Parque Central in the center of La Antigua is rife with interesting characters, and hopefully participants will be able to craft visual and aural stories as quickly as possible, as one week is really too short to create an in depth story with a multimedia component.

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved

The eco-system that exists and gathers around the Parque Central, whilst touristy, is fascinating. The woman trying to sell some dubious looking liquor must have had luck selling it in the open in such a fashion. There was nothing furtive about her, and she brandished the bottle, offering it to me with no compunction.

Grief - A Short Story

The hour hand of the grey clock on the white wall was rushing every second.

On one side, the forlorn newspaper was waiting for its daily ordeal, on the other, the medicine strip shouted effrontarily for discipline.

Meera was cursing her decision to send her only daughter, Bhakti away on a 'revelation' tour around the world.

Then, Bhakti was in grief, having contested her mother's autocratic diktat, she had to accept it reluctantly later.

Meera changed her side on the bed, and so had the grief.

Grief - No borders, No Sides

This post is author's entry to Five Sentence Fiction.

Please leave your feedback below. I'd love to hear from you.

VietNam Foot - Travel to VietNam

On the off chance that you have any chance to visit Vietnam, particularly Hanoi, don't miss one of the accompanying renowned dishes: Cold solace (Banh troi, banh chay)the Vietnamese frequently make two sorts of cakes: banh troi (skimming cake) and banh chay (lean cake) on the third day of the third month of the Lunar year.

Related post: Vietnam travel deals

In Vietnam, most individuals may have overlooked its sources yet's in any case it considered a paramount event for genealogical offerings. The cakes are prominent pastries in both country and urban areas.banh troi are little white balls made of tan sugar, wrapped in glutinous rice flour. The name coasting cakes occurred from the way it is really cooked. Banh chay are likewise made of glutinous flour, notwithstanding, they look like bubbled dumplings and are loaded with mung bean glue, sprinkled with sesame seeds and served in dishes with syrups floured with grapefrui blossom.

rice vermicelli soupit is just about difficult to oppose the allurement of tasting "Bun thang" soup when you see it dished up in a vessel put on a low bamboo table in the old Dong Xuan Market, regardless of the fact that you are not hungry.seeing a client advancing, the young lady selling"bun thang" grinned, delicately took a dish to flush it in a pot of bubbling water, wiped it dry She put at the bottom of the vessel some polygonum. what's more coriandrum, topped the dish off to the overflow with vermicelli and after that dished up the various fixings on the white surface of the vermicelli: you must have no short of what 20 add-ins to make a decent soup of "bun thang"in the end, she spilled a scoop of bubbling stock over the vessel,

them purged it once again to the pot, in order to make the vermicelli hotter, lastly, spilled a sufficient amount of juices into the vessel for the soup to be served hot.according to the taste of every client, some shrimp glue must be added to give the soup a specific smell.gio Chagio cha (pork pie bubbled or terminated or flame broiled). In the event that flame broiled, it is called cha. These two arrangements may be seen as frosty sustenance, to be consumed with glutinous or standard rice, bread, or banh day (beat cooked glutinous rice).they are helpful for an outing and can be kept for three or four days in a cool and generally publicized

Lou Bopp | The Blues Musicians

Photo © Lou Bopp-All Rights Reserved

One of my earliest music loves was the Delta Blues (aka Mississippi Blues), and consequently a major must-do on my bucket list is photographing authentic non-famous blues musicians in Clarksdale, Mississippi, and spend time with them to document their music making.

It's more than a major must-do...it's an itch that keeps recurring every now and then....especially when I chance on the work of talented photographer such as Lou Bopp who traveled in the Mississippi Delta to do just that.

Originating in the Mississippi Delta, the Delta blues is one of the earliest styles of blues music. The area is famous both for its fertile soil and its poverty, and as consequence gave birth to a soulful and passionate vocals.  Guitar, harmonica and cigar box guitar are the dominant instruments used, with slide guitar (usually on the steel guitar) being a hallmark of the style.

The Blues Musicians is one of the many galleries on Lou Bopp's website that features his work on the blues. He had long been a fan of the music, so he knew he had to go to Clarksdale and surrounding areas in order to photograph some of its remaining legends. He drove on Route 61— the “Blues Highway”—and ventured down dirt roads and stopped into juke joints that featured these legendary musicians.

Much more on this project can be found on Behold, Slate magazine's photo blog. He also participated in the production of Moonshine & Mojo Hands, a web series about the Delta Blues. It'll give you a little taste of what this type of blues is all about.

Truyen Than: The Art of Conveying The Soul

TRUYEN THAN

(click on image)

With my photo expedition-workshop to Vietnam looming, I revisited some of imagery made during my earlier visit to Hanoi in 2012, and decided to rejig some of the photographs which had appeared on a gallery I had titled The Portraitist Of Pho Hang Ngang onto Medium, a blogging platform.

The portraitist is Nguyen Bao Nguyen, and he works as a “Truyền Thần” artist. The art aims at conveying the soul of a person from a photograph to a drawing-painting.

Speaking of Medium, I'm a fan of these new platforms; noting that some are free while others are not, since they provide an easy way to feature one's work, whether prose, photographs or both...and these promise to widen the reach of such "publications".

Apart from Vietnam being on my mind, the other prompt for uploading Truyen Than is the recent photo essay appearing in The New York Times titled To Be A Russian, which follows the same design characteristics as Medium...large photographs filling the whole viewing real estate on one's monitor (if one chose the photographs to do that), sparse prose (but to the point) interspersing these images.

I recall some years ago various POV posts encouraging fellow photographers to go big...that the era of small dinky photographs on websites didn't cut it any more. One of these POV posts is dated April 2009, some 5 years ago...and since then, we've seen a proliferation of large photographs on websites.

But back to Nguyen Bao Nguyen...I read somewhere that he had passed away, but I believe that the information is wrong since it pre-dates the dates (September 2012) when I met with him in Hanoi. I hope I find him well and healthy when I'm back in Hanoi in a couple of months.

I'd like him to see this photo essay.

Les Stone | Pelerinaj Voudou

Photo Les Stone-All Rights Reserved

I'm of the view that when properly used, Facebook is an extremely useful tool for photographers and others...and my introduction to Les Stone is proof of that.

And yes, this is my second post on the religious tradition of Haitian voudou in a row. I'm interested in syncretic religious traditions, and voudou is certainly that. The practices of contemporary vodou are descended from, and closely related to, West African Vodun, and incorporates elements and symbolism from other African peoples including the Yorùbá and Bakongo; as well as Taíno religious beliefs, and European spirituality including Roman Catholic Christianity, European mysticism, Freemasonry, and other influences. So uber syncretism if you like.

But back to Les Stone. He directed me to his phenomenal work titled Pelerinaj Voudou (pelerinaj is the Haitian word derived from the French pèlerinage, or pilgrimage. It's a multimedia photo-book of his many photographs of Haitian practitioners of voudou accompanied by a chilling pulsating sound track, presumably recorded on site. Turn on your computer's loudspeakers, find a comfortable chair, and brace yourself for an incredible audio-visual experience. You won't regret it.

This wonderful work further reinforced my objective of photographing voudou during 2015. As I said in my previous post, it'll most certainly happen.

Les Stone is a New York City born photographer who worked in corporate and fashion photography. He has been photographing in Haiti since 1987, and traveled over 150 times to Haiti to cover Voudou ceremonies. He also photographed the assault on the Vice President-elect of Panama Guillermo Ford by members of the Batallón Dignidad, a paramilitary group employed by Generalissimo Manuel Noriega. He was one of only two American photographers to capture the attack on camera. Asked by Sygma to work with them for the next 11 years. He subsequently traveled extensively throughout the world, covering conflict in the Middle East, Ethiopia, Afghanistan and Kurdistan.

Les' photographs have appeared in the National Geographic, the cover of Time, Life, Paris Match, Stern, Fortune, The New York Times, The New York Times Magazine, The Smithsonian Magazine,Newsweek, Mother Jones, Panorama, GEO, TV Guide, and US News and World Report. He chronicled conflict in Iraq, Afghanistan, Israel, Kosovo, Liberia, Cambodia and Haiti.

Yes, that kind of a heavyweight.

Hue's Imperial Citadel in tour Vietnam Travel

Announcing himself Emperor Gia Long, he started development on an excellent fort castle in Hue in 1804. Today the sovereign's development is referred to in Hue simply as "the Citadel", and its inward sanctum, once the home of the ruler and his family, is called "the Purple Forbidden City". Despite the fact that the Citadel and its Imperial City were seriously harmed amid the Vietnam War in 1968, they stay one of Vietnam's top vacationer ends.

In the same way as other of Asia's pioneers of the past, the sovereign depended upon conventional systems for divination, called geomancy, to pick the area for the Citadel. With a wish to make a kind of small Forbidden City like the one in Beijing, a huge number of workers were recruited to build his fortification and royal residence. They dug a ten kilometer canal, alongside thick earthen dividers, to make the Citadel's edge. Replicating the French military modeler Vauban, these earthen dividers were later supplanted by two-meter-thick stone dividers. Inside the external border, a more modest channel and littler block dividers limited the sovereign's Purple Forbidden City. The Purple Forbidden City, other than fancy habitations, likewise incorporated a system of entryways, yards, and regulatory structures. The sovereign didn't live to see the fruition of his design gem; passing on in 1820, the Citadel was at last finished in 1832 by Gia Long's child, the Emperor Minh Mang.

See more: Vietnam travel deals

The Nguyen Dynasty finished in 1945, when Bao Dai surrendered the throne to the comrade pioneer and originator of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh.

For quite a long time, Vietnam had been affected by the French, however the Japanese changed that in 1940 when they attacked French Indochina at the begin of the Second World War. The Emperor Bao Dai was a pawn of these bigger worldwide powers, first acting under the course of the French, and later pressured by the Japanese to proclaim Vietnam a part of Japan's Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere. The disagreeability of the Japanese made it decently simple for Ho Chi Minh to persuade Bao Dai to resign.

Throughout the following ten years, the ruler left the Purple Forbidden City, and Vietnam slowly plummeted into confusion, as French, comrade, and magnificent powers vied for force. Amid this time, the Citadel experienced both tropical storm and termite harm, and was by and large disregarded. In 1968, amid the tallness of the Vietnam War, socialist powers surpassed Hue and involved the Citadel. As a major aspect of the Tet Offensive, the Vietcong sneaked into the Citadel, slaughtering the South Vietnamese monitors, and opened the path for some Vietcong to enter. In an odd touch of destiny, the hundreds of years old, royal Citadel substantiated itself a commendable military post in the hands of the opposition to radical communists. Americans had a troublesome time dislodging the North Vietnamese from the Citadel, prompting one of the bloodiest clashes of the Vietnam War, the Battle of Hue.

American shelling amid the fight obliterated a great part of the Citadel, particularly smoothing the inward Imperial City, of which few of the first structures remain today.

The remaining structures in the Citadel have been painstakingly restored, and in 1993 the Citadel and its Imperial City was pronounced a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. A great part of the land that used to be the Purple Forbidden City, nonetheless, is today simply rice fields.

What stays of Hue's amazing Citadel is still an advantageous fascination for guests. In spite of the fact that it will never have the capacity to recover its previous superbness under the Nguyen heads, the Citadel regardless is an excellent and captivating chronicled site. For anybody going to Hue, going by the Citadel ought to be at the highest point of the schedule.

Stan Raucher | The New Israelites

Photo © Stan Raucher-All Rights Reserved

Over five decades ago, Ezequiel Gamonal, a humble Peruvian cobbler founded an evangelical sect called Asociación Evangélica de la Misión Israelita del Nuevo Pacto Universal, and declared he had been chosen by God to build a new Israel in the Amazon wilderness, and many people answered his call and formed this sect.

The members of Ezequiel's followers strictly observe the Ten Commandments, the Sabbath and, imitating the ancient Israelite "look", the men grow out their hair and beards while women keep their hair covered with kerchiefs...a sort of Israelite hijab. The cult founder is said to have been an admirer of  Cecil B. DeMille’s work, and based his belief system on these biblical movie epics.

During weekdays, the men wear regular clothes and baseball caps as they go about farming and farming. The women teach in the local school and care for children. However when Saturday arrives, the cult members meet for elaborate, day-long festivities with bible readings, singing of hymns to the tune of a brass band and a feast.

Stan Raucher's Los Israelitas features 15 gorgeous monochromatic photographs of members of this sect, made as he traveled down the Amazon River by boat with several members of this Peruvian evangelical sect.

The UK's Daily Mail newspaper also featured a whole spread of Mr Raucher's photographs, along with interesting captions.

Stan Raucher, now based in Seattle, was born and raised in Minnesota during the age of black and white television, and LIFE magazine photo documentaries. Although he did not begin to do photography seriously until 2003, these early influences are reflected in his work. His work was widely exhibited, with three recent shows: the 2013 Newspace Juried Exhibition, in Portland, The Decisive Moment, Black Box Gallery, Portland, and 2013 B+W Exhibition, Center for Fine Art Photography, Fort Collins. After 36 years as a Professor of Chemistry at the University of Washington, he retired in 2011 and now devotes his time to photography, travel and outdoor activities.

Private Tours - Are you a foodie?

Dislike any of our different visits or  know all the spots you'd like to visit? At that point you can construct your uncommon visit!

Maybe you'd like to visit the mystery noodle shop you read about in Time Magazine, where the patriarch of the now well known "Peace Noodles" shop or Pho Binh as its known to local people permitted the Viet Cong to hold military gatherings on the top floor of his restaurant while serving nourishment to their foes underneath.

On the other hand possibly you ran over the definite Wall Street Journal article on Cholon and you need to look at the congregation where Catholic President Ngo Dinh Diem and his more youthful sibling hung out in 1963, preceding they were caught and killed.

Related post: Vietnam travel packages

Is it true that you are a foodie? What about a custom gastronomic visit where we'll take you to attempt the most delightful Vietnamese dishes in Saigon! Is it true that you are a maturing photographic artist searching for some extraordinary shots? Don't confine yourself to the touristy areas...let us reveal to you the "genuine" Vietnam.

"Private Tours" offer a more customized experience than our different visits. The rate for a private visit is $60 for every individual for the initial 2 hours and $30 for every individual for every extra hour. We require no less than 3 days perceive so as to plan a custom visit for you.

Need a chill keepsake to show to your loved ones? We have cap mounted cams which we can use to film your ride (for an additional $35)  and make an exceptional feature of your Vietnam Adventure! We can likewise blend in a custom music track in your feature upon appeal.

Video of the South Pole Quest Team

Remember the South Pole Quest Team, which consisted of Ray Zahib, Kevin Vallely, and Richard Weber I followed them fairly extensively during the Antarctic season that has just passed as they made their record breaking run from Patriot Hills to the Pole in just 34 days time. Well, a new video has been released highlighting their efforts, and it's extremely well done. It does a great job of showing the challenges and hardships of life in the Antarctic for these expeditions, so I thought I'd share. Check it out below.


South Pole Quest Trailer from Nick Gravel on Vimeo.

Sebastian Schnuelle Wins 2009 Yukon Quest

I'm a couple days late on this one, but on Tuesday, Sebastian Schnuelle crossed the finish line in Fairbanks, Alaska, to claim the 2009 Yukon Quest championship. He was followed closely by Hugh Neff, who finished just four minutes back, which is quite remarkable in a race that is over 1000 miles in length. Musher Jon Little arrived in third place, another 1 hour and 4 minutes behind.

The Yukon Quest is one of the top sled dog racing events in the world, and is held annually between Whitehorse, in the Yukon Territory of Canada, and Fairbanks, Alaska. In winning this year's race, Schnuelle completed the epic course in 9 days, 23 hours, and 20 minutes. That's a new record time, besting the old record set in 2007 by Lance Mackey by 3 hours and 17 minutes. In fact, the top three racers would all have beaten Mackey's record, giving you an indication of how fast this year's race was. Four-time defending champ Mackey was at the finish line to greet the teams.

Sled dog legend Martin Buser finished in 4th place overall, and was followed very closely by Michelle Phillips who claimed fifth. Some of the mushers and their dogs are still coming in, but the majority have now crossed the finish line. Many will now begin preparing for "The Last Great Race", the Iditarod, which will begin in just 8 days, with the ceremonial start set for Saturday, March 7th.

For Schnuelle, history is not on his side for winning the Iditarod as well. Mackey is the only man to win both in one year. Still, coming of a huge win like this one has to give plenty of confidence as he heads for Anchorage, and his date with destiny.

The Oracles of Kerala | Medium

The Oracles of Kerala

I've played around with Medium, which describes itself as "a place where people share ideas and stories, designed for little stories that make your day better and manifestos that change the world, and is used by everyone from professional journalists to amateur cooks". It also claims that it's simple, beautiful, collaborative, and helps you find the right audience for whatever you have to say.

I suspect that the photo story I chose isn't going to make anyone's day any better, nor will it change the world....but I can attest that it's an easy and beautiful platform to use. I have the feeling it's more adapted to text...articles, essays and such, although the uploading of edge-to-edge images is simple, and quick. Medium recently introduced an app for the iPad.

As to whether it helps me to find the right audience will be tested over the course of the comings days and weeks.

Take a look at my first effort; The Oracles of Kerala.

Museums in Saigon in VietNam tour

ietnam has a fascinating 2,000 year history and there is abundance to research the country's past and how it impacts life today. Shockingly, on the other hand, while there are some fantastic verifiable focuses in Vietnam not all fulfill the same standard - quite a few people are extended photo shows with few English understandings of the settings or history behind the photos, leaving the visitor overwhelmed paying little respect to the way that they have some previous learning of the subject.

That being said, in case you pick the right authentic focuses on your outing you can take in a fantastic plan and begin to recognize more the rich history of this country.

Possibly one of the best verifiable focuses we've seen in Vietnam, the trademark history exhibition of Ho Chi Minh City evaluates how to chart the country's history from antiquated times and 10,000 year old relics to the wars with China and the different customs that have formed the change of the Vietnamese nation about whether. There are some wonderful delineations of model and workmanship from the Cham and Oc Eo city foundations, statues of Buddhas from over the range, collections of porcelain and craftsmanship from distinctive true periods and an even a mummy found spared in Saigon. The records on the dividers all through the authentic focus similarly go some way or another to helping the visitor grasp the various times of Vietnamese history, with simply several openings. Exceedingly recommended.

Basically obliged audit for any visitor to Ho Chi Minh City, the War exhibition is a broad collection of photographs, peculiarity and other affirmation determining the loathings of war and the repercussions of unexploded statute, napalm and diverse legacies of the fight. Strikingly the display evaluates how to refrain from being unreasonably political, rather demonstrating the finger at the senseless nature of war itself instead of focusing exorbitantly about on selecting flaw. It is a bleak and moving foundation, yet it is significantly proposed both to help fathom what Vietnam accomplished and as an evidence of the essentialness of battling for peaceful responses for differences between nations.

Housed in a stunning old building from the explorer period, the Fine Arts Museum has a captivating amassing of works from both contemporary and standard specialists, furthermore an enamoring get-together of statues and aged rarities going again the degree that the first century AD on the third cover.

Related post: Vietnam travel deals

Just over an expansion from the downtown scopes of Nguyen Hue and Dong Khoi (the development is ghastly so we'd provoke jumping in a taxi as opposed to walking around the platform!) on the banks of the conduit is an exhibition provided for Ho Chi Minh. It is arranged in an engaging building and plan with extraordinary viewpoints of the stream, and contains a possibly fascinating social occasion of photographs pointing out the life of Ho Chi Minh. Tragically this potential is lost as so immense quantities of the photos subtitles, really when made a translation of, disregard to illuminate the giganticness of events or social occasions depicted in photographs, making the experience to a degree disorienting for those that have not focused on the life of Ho Chi Minh (which, clearly, most Vietnamese people have)

While the photos themselves are interesting, the show corridor is not by any stretch of the creative ability recommended unless you have a lot of time gazing you in the face or a robust speculation (and prior knowlege) in the man that lead Vietnam's battle for independence.

Change in Schedule for Primal Quest

We've had a slight change in schedule for Primal Quest Badlands presented by SPOT this year. I posted an announcement to the PQ website this morning that the start of the race has actually been moved up one day to Friday, August 14th to help better facilitate the event. That also means that the race will now end on Sunday, August 23rd, as opposed to the following Monday. Should work out better for everyone involved.

We've posted a schedule with a few more details on the site, and looking it over, you can get a few insights into what is going to happen. For instance, we're going to load up the busses starting at 3 AM on Aug. 14 and teams will be shipped out to the starting line to promptly get underway at 5:30 AM. This is a completely different kind of start from Primal Quest Montana, in which the teams started off at mid-morning instead. And on the schedule for the 13th is a "Surprise Event". What could that possibly be? I'm not saying! But you'll notice that we're holding the maps and passports until after that event! ;)

On a personal note, I'm excited about the change in schedule. August 14th also happens to be my birthday, and this year is one of those monumental ones. I'm going to be turning 40 on the day the race gets started, and I can't think of a better way to celebrate than to kick off Primal Quest Badlands. Should be a blast and I can't wait.