Todd Carmichael Releases Videos of Antarctic Expedition

Antarctic explorer Todd Carmichael, who became the first American to go solo and unsupported to the South Pole a few months back, setting a speed record in the process, has released some excellent videos of his journey. Check out the initial video below, then head over to his YouTube Channel for even more. They'll give you an idea of how much he suffered on his way to the Pole.

In an update posted to his site today, Todd had this to say to all of his supporters:

The lungs, feet, face and eye have healed I’ve taken on weight and I’m back in training. Lots of thoughts about the next adventure, which presently entails loads of discussions with famous Cable Channels (you know the names) and an insane idea that I can lug 350 pounds of water/food/gear in a rickshaw named the Desert Pig up and over the largest sand dunes on the planet - for 500+ miles.

The man has been home for two months and he's already forgotten that suffering! Can't wait to follow his next adventure.

Traveling with Children in Vietnam

The tourism business in Vietnam has become hugely since the mid 90s. At one time considered a war torn and distant nation, it is presently a flourishing visitor end in Southeast Asia. At the point when going in an expansive gathering of individuals with fluctuating ages, investments, and tastes, it can be hard to arrange a strong excursion that suits everybody. In Vietnam, you have the chance to make a family trek that suits everybody's necessities on the grounds that it is still generally modest to go here and simple to discover exercises that the entire family will delight in. Here are our main 5 particular Vietnam travel tips for those of you going with youngsters.

A simple approach to keep you and the children cheerful amid an outing to Vietnam is to arrange exercises that are 'involved', yet speak to both the more youthful and more established swarm. Vietnam has numerous chances to do simply that. Here are particular places that the entire family can delight in doing exercises while as of now unwinding and appreciating the surroundings:

Northern Vietnam – Halong Bay is an extraordinary spot for family amicable endeavor in Vietnam. Amid most travels in Halong Bay, there are a lot of chances to kayak in the narrows, swim in the sea, lay on the shoreline, go squid angling or take cooking classes. Some journey lines are more family agreeable than others. Bhaya, Au Co, and Indochina Sails have a portion of the greatest decks, giving your children a lot of space to circled. Paloma travels offers the Paloma Family Cruise, which is a private journey with a 6-man limit. The visit can be more pandered to your family's individual needs if the standard exercises don't engage you. A few travels likewise have abutting lodges with an uniting entryway so you can stay open to your children – Jasmine travels, Paloma travels, and Starlight travels are a portion of the organizations that offer bordering lodges.

Hanoi, being the capital of Vietnam, has numerous galleries and points of interest that you can visit. On the off chance that that gets a bit dry for a few parts of your family, you can take an excursion to the Bat Trang stoneware town where everybody in the family can paint a piece to take home. Your children may additionally like "toy road" in Hanoi, found on Luong Van Can road. In the event that you need to appreciate some open space, the parks close Hoan Kiem lake are generally not very packed and there is a lot of space for children to circled.

Focal Vietnam – The society and environment in focal Vietnam can be truly various from city to city. Along the coast, you will have numerous chances to revel in water sports. Nha Trang is celebrated for scuba swooping and Mui Ne is known for windsurfing and parasailing. In the event that your family delights in water sports, we propose going by these goals. Nha Trang likewise has the Vinpearl entertainment mecca which can be a fun movement to delight in as a crew. To get to the recreation center, you take a great gondola ride, which is one of the longest gondola rides over water on the planet. As opposed to Nha Trang and Mui Ne, Hoi An is an a great deal more loose town and is a spot to encounter an alternate city vibe in Vietnam. That being said, it is an extremely touristy town (and thusly, exceptionally vacationer well disposed) so on the off chance that you and your family require a break from the rushing about of life in Vietnam, Hoi An is an extraordinary spot to visit. Going to the wide open close Hoi An is additionally an extraordinary choice and numerous visits offer the chance to buoy down trenches in little bamboo angling vessels. You can likewise participate in some social exercises like taking light making classes or taking a bicycle visit to the encompassing towns.

See more: Vietnam travel packages

Southern Vietnam – One of the greatest offers of Ho Chi Minh City is the clamoring and confused nature of the city. In the event that you need to detract sooner or later from the disarray, we suggest going to Dam Sen Water Park or Suoi Tien Amusement Park. Both spots have a lot of rides, attractions, and exercises outfitted towards youngsters and is an extraordinary approach to keep them dynamic amid your excursion. Dam Sen Water Park is, as the name expresses, an oceanic themed park with heaps of themed water slides and pools for children to play. It is not very far from the inside of town and the admission to the recreation center is focused around tallness. Suoi Tien Amusement Park is a Buddha themed carnival which may appear interesting however is a great deal of good times for children. Other than the rides and exercises, they have shows, go kart rides and pontoon rides. This entertainment mecca is around 30 minutes outside of town.

The Mekong Delta is likewise a pleasant family well disposed goal. Most visits in the delta are involved and captivating for adolescent children on the grounds that they involve kayak treks down the backwaters, visits to rice paper production lines, and visits to apples and oranges confection assembling shops. Vast visit organizations with various gatherings of individuals on the same visit can get extremely ho-murmur for children. The agenda is more unbending and not all exercises may engage your kids. Rather, we prescribe private visits through Water Buffal

New Trail Run Pits Man vs. Nature, Perhaps Literally!

A new endurance trail race is gearing up to take place later this year in the Baviaanskloof Nature Reserve, located in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. The 50km (31 mile) race will cover some very remote, demanding terrain, as top adventure athletes challenge each other across the course. But that may be the least of their worries, as they'll be running through territory that is inhabited by dangerous game animals, including Black Rhino, Cape Buffalo, and Cape Cobra!

The inaugural Baviaanskloof Trail Run is scheduled to get underway on Saturday, Sept. 12 of this year. Each of the runners expected to be self sufficient while out on the course, and very little support will be provided. The race promises to be an event like any other, with beautiful landscapes, demanding trails, and the potential to pass a wide variety of wildlife on the course.

The Baviaanskloof National Reserve is a World Heritage Site that is well known for the diverse wildlife that exists inside its boundaries, which are accented by colorful cliffs and rock formations. In addition to the animals mentioned above, racers can expect to encounter Baboon, Bushbuck, Tortoise, Kudu, Bush Pig, Caracal, Mountain Zebra, and even possibly Leopards.

The event is now taking entries, with the majority of them being on a "first-come, first-served" basis, although there will be some sponsor exemptions to allow for event organizers to invite special guests. The entry form can be found here, just in case you would like to participate yourself. They'll continue to take entries up until the end of June.

Looks like a great event, and it really plays well to the old joke "I don't have to out run the rhino, I just need to outrun one of the other racers"! :)

Thanks to Darrell Raubenheimer for sending this my way! Much appreciated Darrell.

Northwest India | Tewfic El-Sawy

I've recently published Northwest India on the Exposure platform, with some of the photographs I made during one of my photo expeditions-workshops in a corner of northwest India; a region that is rife with tribal communities.

The Dungarpur-Poshina- Baneshwar-Bhuj region of Southern Rajasthan and of Gujarat‘s Rann of Kutch is sufficiently distant from the mainstream tourist circuit that compelling photographs and great photo-opportunities can be made in the small rural villages scattered in that geographical quadrangle.

I've chosen to feature portraits more than anything else in this gallery; portraits of members of tribal communities such as the Bhils, Banjara,  Gowdia and Garacia, and Rabaris.

I've also chosen to process the digital images using Nik Collection's Analog Efex Pro 2 filters, which gave them an analog look.

The photographs I made in the tiny village of Madhwa (midway between Bhuj and Bhachau) are those that stayed with me the most. The village is home to charcoal makers, living in abject poverty and were rather reclusive... however, when seeing cameras the women of the village quickly changed into their finest and cleanest, and stood with the poise of experienced models the minute when lenses were pointed their way.  Handsome people, with beautiful dark eyes...and yet dealt the harshest of cards in the desolate shrubs of the Kutch.

Anthony Pond | Ganga Aarti

Anthony Pond was a member of my The Sacred Cities Photo Expedition-Workshop a couple of weeks ago during which we photographed the eternal city of Varanasi and the sacred city of Vrindavan during the festival of Holi, and is a second time participant in my expeditions-workshops.

He just completed his first multimedia project of the photo expedition-workshop, and titled it Ganga Aarti. The lovely photographs are of the nightly religious ceremony held on the banks of the Ganges. The aarti is a devotional ritual that uses fire as an offering. It's usually made in the form of a lit lamp, and in the case of the Ganges River, a small "boat" with a candle and flowers is floated down the river. The offering is made to the Goddess Ganga, goddess of the most holy river in India.

Rather than using Soundslides and Audacity. Tony chose to process his photographs in Lightroom and Silver Efex Pro, and built the slideshow movie using Final Cut Pro X. Setting aside the fact that Tony is an aficionado of black and white photography, converting his photographs to monochrome eliminated the difficult lighting conditions that afflicted photography during the ceremony.

Anthony Pond worked for more than two decades in the criminal courts in California as an attorney for the Public Defender’s Office. Now pursuing his passion for travel and photography, he travels repeatedly to South East Asia and India, amongst other places, to capture life, the people and the culture. He has been a frequent contributor to The Travel Photographer blog,

North Pole 2009: Baffin Babes Are Off!

The Baffin Babes got underway on Wednesday, finally starting their 80 day expedition to scout the impact of global climate change on the Baffin Islands and the Inuit people that live there. Unfortunately, the girls are having an issue with their GPS tracker at the moment, and it's not updating their position on the ice. They hope to have that straightened out soon, but for now we'll just have to wait for them to send a dispatch or two, and update us all on how it's going out there.

Meanwhile, the Catlin Arctic Survey Team has experienced some nasty weather in the past couple of days, and as a result, they elected to stay in camp on Tuesday, but got back on the trail yesterday. The team has been garnering a lot of attention, including a spotlight on CNN.com and an ongoing blog over at the BBC. The home team is also using Twitter (who isn't these days?) to send out updates as well.

The Victorinox North Pole Team is reporting that they have achieved a milestone in their journey to reach the North Pole. After very slow and rough going early on, thanks to a rubble field, they have now moved into an area with thicker, smoother, and harder ice, making it much easier going. As a result, their speed has increased and they're now covering much better distances. They went from not even achieving a single nautical mile a few days back to nearly reaching 4 nautical miles yesterday. You can bet that the guys are very happy to have put the ice blocks behind them.

Finally, the Peary Centennial Expedition is reporting that conditions have improved for them as well. A few days back they were experiencing -50º F temperatures, and today they've reached a balmy -19º. When last they reported in, they were hunkered inside their tents thanks to an intense storm, but they had covered 5.4 nautical miles for the day and were quite happy with their progress. They also report high spirits, no equipment failures thus far, and a generally good outlook on the expedition thus far.

That's all for now. More updates soon.

Wanderings In NYC | Storehouse

I chose a number of my iPhone photographs and uploaded them unto Storehouse, and added a few choice quotes by well known personalities about New York City...just to add some spice to the mix.

I've been extolling the virtues of photographing the streets of New York City with an iPhone for some time. It's truly liberating to be using an iPhone to make photographs...the simplicity, the portability and the ease of making photographs on the go with such a small device are just wonderfully conducive to the kind of street photography I am interested in.

At this point of time, as far as the iPhone is concerned, I'm addicted to the Hipstamatic app, and use its Watts lens and the monochrome BlacKeys B+W film. I might do a tiny amount of post processing on the resultant images, but the combination is quite adequate for my taste.

Storehouse is a wonderful iPad app that lets photographers and videographers  to build stories on the fly from text, video and images. It has a great visual editing interface, and is quite easy to use with an iPad.

Storehouse was co-founded by ex-Apple iPhoto veteran Mark Kawano, who also worked at Adobe and Frog design studio and The Daily alum Timothy Donnelly. The app has hundreds of thousands of users, and tens of thousands of stories. An important facet of Storehouse is that its stories can be embedded on other websites, blogs etc.

The company has raised some serious funding recently, which will allow it to be free ‘for now’ to spur growth.

Dixie Dansercoer Interviewed at CheapTents.com

When it comes to polar explorers, few measure up to Dixie Dansercoer. The 47-year old Belgian has crossed both Poles, and spent more time in arctic conditions than just about anyone else, and he is also an avid mountaineer and endurance sport athlete. He is also well known for his photography, and has been commissioned by scientific research teams to measure the health and thickness of the polar ice. In short, the guy really gets around.

CheapTents.com, an online resource for inexpensive gear, has a nice blog, which features an interview with Dixie, in which he discusses his inspiration for polar exploration, his greatest achievements out on the ice, and what he finds most rewarding while traveling to the Poles.

The exclusive interview is quite extensive, and very well done, covering a lot of ground. Dixie is a true legend when it comes to modern day explorers, and if you're not familiar with him, this is a great place to start. The article lists his impressive adventure resume following the interview. Some of the highlights include: two round the world trips (one east to west, the other west to east), ascents on such peaks as Vinson, Mt. Blanc, and Mt. Fuji, the last two in winter, as well as a number of endurance events such as Ironman Triathlons, as well as mountain biking and wind surfing events, and of course, crossing Antarctica on foot using skis and kites.

Good interview, definitely worth a read.

Foundry Photojournalism Workshop 2015 | Bali, Indonesia

Eric Beecroft just announced the Foundry 2015 Indonesia early bird enrollment!

The workshop will be held July 2015 (exact dates to be confirmed soon) in Bali. The tuition is $475  for local photographers and $975 for non-local photographers.

From now until December 26, 2014, photographers can sign up simply by paying a nonrefundable $100 deposit. This amount will be taken off the remainder of the tuition, and it also guarantees first come first serve when the specific instructor choice and class registration are open.

I've often suggested that attending a Foundry workshop is not only about enhancing their craft with advice of some of the best (and certainly selfless) photographers and photojournalists in the business, or about the class they've chosen or even about their own stories and image-making, but it's also about rubbing shoulders with other participants, whether these are peers, or just starting their photography careers, or veterans, and with all sorts of other styles of image-making....it's about augmenting their exposure to different worlds, about exposing themselves to divergent thought processes, to varying points of view, and in doing so...grow as human beings (and yes, as photographers too).

Bali, needless to say, is an inspired choice of place for the Foundry Photojournalism Workshop. It's a superlative source of visual and sensory experiences, of unlimited photographic opportunities...from travel to hard core social issues, and overflows with unique cultural events ranging from deity purification ceremonies to cremations.

Here's one of the multimedia projects I've produced during my many travel photography workshops in Bali.

Trip to Vatican. Things to do in the City State.

The Channel created by the tall walls around Vatican amplified the chill in the wind. It's a great feeling to visit a city country with a geographical area of just 44 hectares and a permanent population of just 840! That's less than the number of people that travel in a morning Mumbai local. Phew. The chill disappeared rather quickly as the sun made its way strongly through the clouds. Life was back!

Vatican City - Clouds overhead

Vatican City is quite within Rome itself. So it's better to stay in Rome, and then come around to visit the place. The magnificent St. Peter's Square will make its way to the pious Basilica. St. Peter's square is a fairly large square that is not only a home to several seminaries, but also as a tourist place worth spending few hours. Be it the famed Christmas tree or Obelisk(originally brought from Egypt), its grandeur may leave you speechless. There are a few fountains where the birds chirp effortlessly as people soak in the beauty of the place. The colourful Swiss guards, for sure, will catch your attention.

Basilica, few steps ahead, has a breath taking architecture. Its frescoes, lighting perhaps everything that is in it makes it extraordinary. Heavily guarded, there are a lot of volunteers to help and guide around the place. There are functional amenities in the complex. 

St. Peter's Square

The Vatican museums, quite near to the place are spectacular with Michael Angelo's frescoes and their unique design.

Excellent Architecture - Inside the Basilica

After spending close to 6 hours in the Vatican, we went back to the country we came from, Italy. Albeit it was only quite close. We again took the Hop-on Hop-Off bus.

Shop What:

• Buy Vatican City's stamps at the Local Post office
• Basic Souvenirs

Bottom Line:

• It's a beautiful place and feeling of being in the tiniest country should not be missed.
• Do visit it at night time also. It's brilliant.

Travel Facts:

• Stayed : Few Hours.
• Travelled with my better half. 
• Travelled from Rome in Bus(Hop-on Hop-Off).
• Stayed at Hotel Milan, Rome

Hội An | Report 10 | The People of Tay Bac

Ms Hiền Trang. Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved

Undoubtedly, Hội An is now a tourist haven but it still is a wonderful little town, with a myriad of photo opportunities whether candid, serendipitous, posed or set up. Its ancient town is an exceptionally well-preserved example of a South-East Asian trading port dating from the 15th to the 19th century. Its yellow textured mustard walls are an ideal backdrop for photographs, and some of us took advantage of that feature. Even its plentiful restaurants seem to have an interesting ancient history to them.

The group's assignment in the streets of Hội An was to try to emulate the chiaroscuro style of Alex Webb...but unfortunately, while it was sunny (and humid), the sun's angle didn't cooperate. There was however, alternatives that occupied us the too few days here.

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved

Our day started at 4:00 am, when we boated to the mouth of the Thu Bon River to photograph the large fishing nets (reminiscent of the Chinese nets in Cochin). These large contraptions are lowered into the water to catch fish during the night. They are slowly raised and lowered by the fishermen using foot-powered winches.

I had booked a morning boat through Dang Ke Cuong, a talented local photographer who I had met on my previous stay in Hội An two years ago, and whose images of similar fishermen are wonderful.  The setting was just splendid, and the sunrise happened on cue and cooperated fully. Most of us either ran out of batteries or storage space in their cameras during this outing, which included time at the fishing wharf a few miles from Hội An itself. There the activity was frenetic, and the buyers of fish (that ended on the restaurants tables) were relentless arguers and hagglers.

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved

As I wrote above, the streets of Hội An are rife with photo opportunities; some contrived and others not. Elderly ladies are largely ambivalent about being photographed, and some require some coaxing to allow it. This elderly lady was quite happy to be photographed in front of what I thought was her restaurant. She must've been quite a beauty in her days, and I could easily imagine her in an ao dai, being courted by eager young men.

Speaking of which, I am extremely fortunate to have finally met with the adorable Ms Hiền Trang (top photograph), who was willing to pose for our group in various interesting places in Hội An. Accompanied by her friend, photographer Minh Nhat Nguyen, who acted as photo shoot director, we spent two hours emulating fashion photographers in the field. Not perhaps the purview of travel photographers per se, but a worthwhile exercise fusing exotic location photography, fashion photography with travel photography.

The day ended with dinner at a local restaurant (not a tourist trap by any means) where cau lay and squid dishes...and La Rue beer, of course.

Photo © Minh Nhat Nguyen-All Rights Reserved

Matjaz Krivic | Urbanistan

Photo © Matjaz Krivic - All Rights Reserved

"As soon as you hear the word Urbanistan your imagination is whisked off into the traffic mayhem of Calcutta, the tawdriness of the neon sex nightlife in Bangkok, the unbelievable structuralised yet frenzied Tokyo, the suffocating and dusty streets of the (hardly) living body of the decaying Cairo, the roundabout of the hedonistic and aggressive Rio, the unstoppable narcissistic Manhattan, the global supermarket of turbo consumerism."

I suggest you start off by reading the preamble for Matjaz Krivic's Urbanistan, which introduces and describes his photo gallery of 74 photographs with intriguing prose, such as "it (Urbanistan) is a story of survival through play, prayer, tradition, rituals, traditions, travel, socializing and especially a special light..."

The 74 exceedingly well composed photographs were made over Matjaz's 15 years of traveling, and include images from remote places such as Lalibela in Ethiopia, Hatgal in Mongolia, Shugruf in Yemen, Oraman Takht in Iran, and of course Varanasi...among many others. His photo essay will take you to these places that some of us have never been...or to those we already know well.

Matjaz Krivic is a globe-trotting photographer from Slovenia specializing in capturing the personality of indigenous people and places. He has covered the face of the earth in his intense, personal and aesthetically moving style that has won him several awards. He has made the road his home and most of the time you can find him traveling with his camera somewhere between the Sahara and the Himalayan region.

Trip to Bhaktapur, Nepal - Resonating Resilence

As the Ganesh Himal vignetted past my window on the Araniko Highway,the lifeline of Nepal , my thoughts pervaded through the stories of the devastation and subsequent resurrection after earthquake in 2015. These thoughts were based on the conversations and the media reports. All of them had an underlying spirit. That of Hope.

Display of Artifacts

The Several brass handicrafts amplified the message of the sources of livelihood as we entered the city, that is a UNESCO heritage in itself, echoed the misery and the foundations laid by the human spirit.

Lane across the Temporary Settlements of Relief Camps of Nepal Earthquake

After entering the kilned street, we passed by the sides of the temporary earthquake shelters and deserted motion and verve.

Temporary Settlements of Nepal Earthquake

Temporary Settlements of Nepal Earthquake

The blue synthetic tarpaulin sheets meticulously covered the intrinsic architecture of what once stood of marvels of Newari architecture. But, the craft and the crafted wood had to bear the brunt of nature's fury.

Buildings Damaged in the Nepal Earthquake

The epitomes of the curly haired twin Sinhas (Lions), stood guards to the nothingness of the vacuum created by the shambles of perimeter walls.

Curly Lion Statues in Nepal

The Shikhar of the temple built in its namesake architecture, the Shikhar style, was covered by the tarpaulin sheets, what otherwise would had been a sky of hope was a hope of sky.

Temples Damaged in Nepal Earthquake. Resurrection

The story of Bhaktapur is the story of resilience, resonating in hope against all odds, with an unmatched firmness.

Read Next : Bhaktapur Durbar Square - Melting pot of energy

Canang Sari | Tewfic El-Sawy

This might be the my last post for 2014, and I chose to feature a few of the photographs I made during a handful of photo expeditions-workshops I led on the island of Bali.

These photographs represent a sampling over the course of the past few years, and some are purely stock travel images in style, whilst others have a somewhat more documentary flavor to them. This is in a way intentional, to show the evolution in my style of shooting during these past years.

Once again, I chose the Exposure platform to feature Canang Sari; a collection of 15 full sized color photographs.  Canang Sari is one of the many daily offerings made by Balinese Hindus to thank and praise the supreme deity. We have all seen these offerings in the Balinese temples, on small shrines in houses, and on the ground or as a part of larger offerings.

I look forward to 2015. A new year marks a new beginnings, new people to meet, new adventures to enjoy and new memories to create.

The Travel Photographer wishes you all a Happy New Year!

The trip offers great opportunity to discover Halong Bay

The excursion offers incredible chance to find Halong Bay, the wonderland of karst geology with 3,000 limestone and dolomite islets sprinkled over a territory of 1,500 square km. Amid the visit you could get Halong Bay closer to feel and touch. Kayaking is the most ideal approach to investigate the magnificence of the inlet .You paddle through islets, visit shrouded holes, tidal ponds or some unspoiled shorelines or angling town, meet and converse with neighborhood fish-man or having mixed drinks in the Sunset o­n the deck of Vietnamese Junk…  all incorporate in the 3 days outing with Travel Vietnam ..

There are some short breaks along the route for refreshment and photograph opportunity. Upon entry in Halong City we board an extravagance garbage for a fine fish lunch and a short voyage to Thien Cung Cave. After a short investigation of the hollow we begin our investigation of the straight paddling through an astonishing territory of limestone islets. We will pass a coasting town to achieve Luon Cave, which is a passage pushing through a mountain. Paddling through the passage to investigate a delightful confined tidal pond. We will meet the before the cavern. On board the garbage for supper and overnight in AC, private lodge o­nboard.

See more: Vietnam travel packages

After breakfast we begin paddling to "Van Gia" Floating town and afterward keep paddling to Dark Cave. Tide allowing, we investigate this stunning surrender by kayak. The hole is a 200m long, dim shaft pushing through a limestone mountain. The passage is the o­nly section to a disconnected and wonderful tidal pond. We can likewise investigate some different gives in close-by. Lunch served o­n help vessel in the most wonderful piece of the Bay. Evening we oar to Ba Trai Dao Lagoon, along a shocking and reasonably harsh ocean channel, to investigate its excellent shorelines. Keep paddling to Lan Ha Bay, which is more modest than Halong Bay yet a great deal additionally intriguing with loads of isolates shorelines. Voyage again to Halong Bay for supper and overnight o­n mother pontoon.

Delight in the taichi lesson on the sundeck of the garbage while she explores stunning rock creations of Bai Tu Long Bay to return to Halong City. Brunch  of crisp fish served o­n the garbage before leaving Halong Bay for Hanoi.

Travelling in Vietnam - Useful information

A long and limited nation, Vietnam shares its outskirts with China, Laos and Cambodia and has tall mountains, rice paddy patios on moving slopes, white sandy shorelines and wonderful conduits. Most explorers choose to begin off their Vietnam trek in the capital city of Hanoi and after that end their excursion with a couple of days at the shoreline. It's likewise conceivable to fly into the nation's previous capital, Saigon. Nowadays the city is known as Ho Chi Minh City, after the individuals' saint 'Uncle Ho'.

See more: Vietnam travel

More than 86 million individuals live in Vietnam and most live in the bigger urban communities, however there are still truly a couple of mountain tribes, particularly in the far north. We suggest investing eventually in the hilly range of Sapa to meet local people on a Sapa trek. On the off chance that you'd like to experience Vietnamese society you could visit the town of Hué. Then again, in case you're searching for a fun time in Vietnam, you can visit Hoi An- a town overflowing with character. Amid our Hoi A trek you'll get an opportunity to investigate this beguiling tailortown at your own particular pace. You can bicycle through the encompassing rice paddies, visit a close-by shoreline or take a cooking class to figure out how to make customary Vietnamese dishes.

Time contrast: It after 6 hours in Vietnam than here in the UK. An extra hour is added to that amid our winter time.

Best time to travel: Generally the best time to go to Vietnam on a Vietnam occasion is from December through May, however you can go whenever truly. Click here for more data about when to head out to Vietnam.

Dialect: Vietnamese is the authority dialect, however numerous individuals comprehend English also. At the point when an aide and driver are going with you they will likewise talk English. Menus and books are likewise accessible in English. In a few zones you may even hear individuals talking French, since Vietnam was previously a French state.

Money: The nearby coin is the Vietnamese Dong, however numerous spots acknowledge and quote costs in Us$. The conversion scale vacillates every day, except to provide for you some sign £1 is around 25,450 VND (Vietnamese Dong).

Phone calls: You shouldn't have any issue utilizing your portable to get back to home amid your Vietnam trek, yet relying upon your supplier this could be truly lavish. It's conceivable to purchase a worldwide telephone card that you can use from a phone box. In the event that you might want to call our nearby executor utilizing your portable amid your excursion, you'll have to dial the Vietnamese nation code +84 first.

Web: You can discover Internet get to just about anyplace in Vietnam. Now and again you'll have Internet access from your inn room, in different lodgings you'll have entry to an Internet lounge, else you ought to have the capacity to discover an Internet bistro in bigger urban communities. Remember that the association may be a little slower than you're usual to back home.

Photography: Most Vietnamese are regarded to have their portraits taken (particularly in less touristy territories) - however keep to ask their consent and remember as a top priority that you may not have the capacity to take pictures all over Vietnam.

In case you're going in Vietnam with a gadget that does not acknowledge 220 Volts at 50 Hertz, you will require a voltage converter. The electrical attachments are not the same as what you're acclimated to, so its best that you bring along an all inclusive fitting connecto

Everest 2009: First Ascent Team Prepares For the Icefall

Yesterday I mentioned that the Icefall was opening up for the climbers, and I even wrote a small piece on the Icefall Doctors over at Gadling this morning. Now we have some video of the First Ascent Team preparing to tackle the Khumbu Icefall as they train on climbing the ladders and working with the rigging.

According to the team's blog entry this morning, climbing legends Dave Hahn and Ed Viesturs were the first to cross through the dangerous icefall this morning, reaching Camp 1 in just three hours time. Something tells me we might hear more about these guys in the weeks ahead.

Amer Kapetanovic | Whirling Dervishes

Photo © Amer Kapetanovic -All Rights Reserved

The Whirling Dervishes is one of the many branches of the Islamic Sufi tradition, and is generally associated with the Mevlevi order in Turkey. The most well known Mehlevi Sufi ceremony is the Sema, which is one of many different Sufi ceremonies performed in order to achieve religious ecstasy.

Sema means listening in Arabic, and is performed as "zikr", which means the devotional remembrance of glorifying God and the Prophet Muhammad. The use of music and song can range from somewhat raucous and repetitive (as the Egyptian zikr) to the more subtle (musically-speaking) of the Sema in Turkey. In the same vein, the Gnaoua (or Gnawa) of Morocco perform their characteristic African Islamic spiritual religious songs and rhythms.

It is said that performing the Sema is a way to spiritually meditate through melodies and dancing. It brings out a person's love of God, purifies the soul, and is a way of finding God. It represents the mystical journey of individuals on their ascent through mind and love to union with God.

Although I photographed the Gnawa Sufis in Morocco, the Badawi Sufis in Egypt and various Sufi manifestations and ceremonies in India, I was only able to photograph the Whirling Dervishes in Istanbul along with hundreds of tourists; a delightful experience but not one that I found particularly intense at all . Due to time constraints, I wasn't able to visit Konya; the city where the Sufi saint Jalaluddin Rumi is buried. 

Until I do visit Konya, the wonderful (and large) monochromatic photographs of a Whirling Dervishes sema by Amer Kapetanovic will suffice. 

Amer Kapetanovic is based in Sarajevo (Bosnia & Herzegovina), who's been photographing for over twelve years. Apart from commercial work, his personal photography gallery featured work from India, Turkey, France and Sweden.

POV: Is That For Real, Leica?

I've mentioned this on my Facebook page, but I thought I just had to mention it (for posterity, you know) on my blog.

Here's what it's all about: "Leica has officially announced a new limited edition “Correspondent” version of the Leica M-P digital rangefinder, designed by Lenny Kravitz. The musician, actor, and designer came up with a styling for the camera that offers a luxury product in an artificially aged package."

But easy things first. I have no idea who Mr Kravitz is; I never heard of him nor have I seen his photographs...so his input insofar as a camera is concerned is totally lost on me.

Reading the press release, I stopped at this gem of prose: "The Leica M-P ‘Correspondent’, a desirable collector’s piece in the style of legendary reportage cameras, was created in collaboration with the artist. Thanks to deliberate, carefully executed wearing by hand, it appears as if it had been in constant use for decades and would have countless stories to tell."

I am pretty much convinced that no self-respecting photographer (even those able to fork out the $24,000 price tag on this baby) would want to be seen with this "artificially aged camera." They'd be the brunt of endless jokes and jibes.

I wonder what type of person would buy the LEICA M-P ‘CORRESPONDENT’? The legend is that orthodontists are the main buyers of high-priced Leicas, but I think in this case it'd be collectors with money to burn. Possibly Russian oligarchs, Chinese real estate tycoons, oil sheikhs...and the like.

That said, if these characters are interested in buying a well-used naturally aged M9, I have mine to sell at a price a little less than the $24,000 price tag of the Kravitz' model.

Visit to Bhaktapur Durbar Square - A Melting Pot of Energy

Standing atop the bricked pavement in Bhaktapur, a locality that was UNESCO heritage in entirety, I realized that the eclecticism and verve flowing from the travelers and locals alike would funnel to converge at its Durbar, (a term used analogous to Square, predominantly in Nepal). Intricate architecture adores the landscape of clear blue skies and the Himalayan ranges in the backdrop. While recent earthquake has had devastating impact on the buildings, the resilience to overcome has been impeccable. (Read more on this at : Resonating Resilience of Bhaktapur)

Durbar Square - Melting Pot of Energy

The wooden architecture seamlessly merges with stone carving of Newari architecture. Carvings in woods speaks loads about The design and science appears as excellent to an extent it gets as clinical as it may get, with a distinct influence of the Pagoda and the Shikhar forms of architecture. This facet of the coexistence appears to be distinctly unique to Bhaktapur.

Intricate Architecture in Wood - Pagoda Style of Temples

Meticulous Wooden carving in the architecture

The geometry in the shape and design is unbelievable and so is the meticulous symbiosis of the different forms of architecture.

Outstanding Geometry of the temple architecture 

But amid all the human spirit and effort that had gone behind this marvel, there were also the remnants of the merciless earthquake. While the bricks and the walls surrounding some of the temples had been broken, the eternity of the faith in the hearts of the worshipers remained as firm as ever.

Eternity of Faith

The hallmark resilience, post earthquake, and human faith was validated in efforts to recover post the massive destruction that had impacted the country all across. Among the mountains lay the mountainous task of rebuilding and regaining through an undeterred human spirit.

Resurrection of the lost glory

It was disturbing to realize the scale and impact of the earthquake had cast on this heritage as also the amount of collective global spirit that would be warranted to regain the past glory of Bhaktapur. The Shikhar of the namesake Shikhar architecture lay amiss within the leaps of stones and the (contrasting ) human faith.

Broken Temple - An opportunity and not a lost battle

The place also derives its uniqueness from the fact that the best of different worlds merge and flow at the Durbar. Different architecture, locals and non-locals, the excellence of nature and human efforts and nature's fury and even stronger resilience.

Diversity in Unity of different forms of architecture

The foundations of several buildings were supported by logs of woods. However there was not an iota of human desperation or a lost battle. It reflected the dutifulness in the minds and the opportunities that had sprouted to revive the hard works of their Newari architecture.

An inspiring walk along the Glory to be reclaimed back

Envious space of Symmetry

Temple with Golden Gate - Taloja Temple

On the Durbar lay the golden gates of the Taleju Temple, the next stop destination.

Note:(All the images and the content above are proprietary material to the author and the author alone.)