North Pole 2009: Teams Halfway Home

Yesterday I worked on getting caught up with what was happening in the Himalaya, today it'll be the North Pole, where the teams are making steady progress towards their goal, and several have now passed the halfway point.

One of those teams is the Victoronix North Pole team who achieved that milestone at the end of last week. In their weekly recap, John Huston and Tyler Fish report that the full moon, which typically brings high tide and more open water/broken ice, seemed to have little impact on their conditions or progress. They also note that they have some concerns about the amount of fuel they are carrying and if it is enough to get them to the Pole, since they are going in an unassisted fashion. Because of those concerns, they've taken some measures to conserve that fuel, using less to warm up their water, wearing their fleece layers inside their tent so they don't need to warm it as much, and so on. As a result, they now feel like they have things under control, and are feeling good about the expedition so far.

The Peary Centennial Expedition has also passed the halfway point, and are now in fact passed the 88thº and expect to pass 89º today. Lonnie Dupre reports that the terrain has begun to level out, and obviously they will be at the North Pole within a matter of days now. He also goes into detail about the 8000+ calories they are eating on a given day to fuel their progress. Some of the things they eat include hot chocolate, oatmeal, energy bars and energy drinks, sticks of butter, nuts, and various dehydrated foods. Despite all of that, Lonnie says the team is looking thinner all time, even in their polar gear.

The Catlin Arctic Survey team has not reached the halfway point just yet, mostly because they are carrying heavy scientific gear on their sleds, and are stopping regularly to measure the ice. The team has another resupply last week which brought them fresh, and dry, sleeping bags, which has made the trip north a bit more comfortable for everyone. Over the weekend they ran across a set of polar bear tracks, which reminded them that they are not alone out on the ice. The big white beasts are the largest land carnivore on the Earth and the only one known to stalk humans, so of course they are keen to avoid this one. The team is also reporting that they've been finding strange yellow deposits in the ice that resemble a yellow gem of some kind. At first they thought it bight be the result of animal urine, but soon dismissed the idea as they came across more. They've taken some photos, which we haven't seen yet, but at this point, they're stumped as to what they could be. Interesting.

Meanwhile, Christina Franco is back out on the ice after flying to Barneo last week. She's now making a last degree journey to the Pole that she sees as training following her aborted attempt at a solo journey from the Canadian side last month. She reports that she woke up today to find that she had gained 4 nautical miles while sleeping thanks to positive drift. Even more amazing, in that time she also traveled 14 nautical miles east! All in a days work for the North Pole teams!

More updates soon!

POV: No, I Can't....

"If you take a picture of a human that does not make him noble, there is no reason to take this picture. That is my way of seeing things." - Sebastiao Salgado.

And that is my way too.

I've waited until the murderers of Charlie Hebdo's cartoonists were done with to express my personal view on this blog.

Readers of this blog, people who know me either personally or through social media, know of my interest in documenting world religions, unusual religious ceremonies and cults....the more esoteric the better.

 I am completely irreligious, and yet I'm profoundly interested -from a visual, intellectual and cultural standpoint- in these manifestations of faith. And it's for these exact reasons that I am not going to join the "I Am Charlie" flood.

I respect all manifestations of faith...whether I agree with them or not. How can I not, if I photograph them every chance I get?

During the horrible events in Paris, the concept of freedom of expression and of the press have been bandied about in the media, and many individuals have understandably been quick to express their support by commenting and displaying various avatars in support.

I'm one of the many who believe that freedom of expression ought to apply to all faiths, religions, beliefs...spiritual or secular. To select one and not the others is -to me- a form of discrimination and racism. 

But I also believe that scatologically smearing a group’s race, identity and beliefs (whether Muslim, Catholic, Jew or Hindu, etc) is an unreasonable thing to do, and is not the mark of a civil society.  I don't care if Charlie Hebdo's satire is a French "tradition" that even precedes Voltaire, the satirical polemicist who, by the way, was a strident anti Semite. If wielded with a heavy hand, it leads to hate.

And while I'm on Voltaire, he is incorrectly credited in having said "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." These were the words of his biographer. Check this to make sure.

Criticism of any religion can (and ought to) be done using intellectual and thoughtful discourse...rather than using pornographic/crass lampooning as was done by Charlie Hebdo. 

That is -in simple terms- why I am not, and will never be Charlie.

HoiAn cooking tour - VietNam travel

Arranged on the banks of the Hoian River, the Red Bridge Restaurant & Cooking School is intended to take care of the developing demand for a quality Vietnamese feasting background, complete with individual administration and individual style...

Spotted on 2 sections of land of tropical farmland and just 2km from Hoian's downtown area, the Red Bridge is effectively arrived at via auto, bicycle, cyclo or vessel. The cooking school offers an every day, half-day cooking visit that acquaints voyagers with Vietnamese food. Suitable for all explorers, the project is a fun and intriguing approach to research the neighborhood nourishment and runs with

at least 2 travelers...

Detailed Cooking Tours

We begin the day (8:45am) with a beverage at Hai Scout Cafe - our gathering point. From here we head to Hoian's bright market. Investigate the business and collaborate with neighborhood sellers to buy some new elements throughout today's cooking class. Next, board the Red Bridge vessel for a comfortable 25min journey along the Hoian River to the Red Bridge Cooking School. Find the school's herb and vegetable enclosure before beginning your cooking lesson. The class runs for 60 minutes and 15min and incorporates showings from the school's gourmet specialists and time to help get ready conventional dishes. At the end of class, appreciate a starting lesson in the craft of Vietnamese nourishment cutting (plate improvement).

Related post: Vietnam travel packages

Formulas (our sustenance contains no MSG): 

1. Crisp Rice Paper Rolls of Shrimp - including the making of rice paper

2. Clam Ginger Sauce

3. Warm Squid Salad served into equal parts a Pineapple

4. Barbecued Eggplant loaded down with Market Vegetables

6. Hoi A hotcakes (Banh Xeo)

Lunch incorporates the above suppers and in addition: Steamed Ocean Fish on a couch of crisply cleaved vegetables (excluded in the exhibition). A veggie lover lunch can be given on appeal. Complete at pretty nearly 1:00pm - exchange over to focal Hoian.

Cycling: Disgusting Conduct in the Tour of Turkey

We all know that cycling is sport that has battled many black eyes over the past few years. Top racers have been banned from the sport, and stripped of major wins, due to the use of performance enhancing drugs. But I think that what occurred in yesterday's Presidential Tour of Turkey may be the most disgusting thing I've seen in cycling ever, and possibly all of sports. Check out the YouTube clip below to see what I'm talking about.

The clip is rather long, but sets up the intensity of the race. If you want to see the specific incident to which I'm referring, then jump to the 3:40 point to see a rider for Team Rabobank reach out and grab race leader Daryl Impey of South Africa, and literally hurl him off his bike and into the barricades that line the course.

International sports site SuperSport.com is reporting that Impey suffered "a fracture of the third disk of his lumbar vertebra, a micro-fracture of his neck, a facial trauma, a few broken teeth and a deep cut in his lips." He is reportedly being held for observation. Because the crash occurred so close to the finish line, by rule, Impey was awarded the same time as the stage winner, Sebastian Siedler, so he ended up still winning the race. A bittersweet victory if I've ever seen one.

I haven't heard yet who the rider was that grabbed Impey, but a lifetime ban should be in order, in my opinion. Big thanks to Lisa over at AR.co.za for the video and follow-up report on this story. Crazy!

Leila Alaoui | Les Marocains

Photo © Leila Alaoui-All Rights Reserved

I recall featuring the portraits of Moroccans by Leila Alaoui in a 2011 post, and was very glad to see them again featured in Slate's Behold (its photo blog) with the title of Capturing The Stunning Faces of Morocco.

Morocco is, in my estimation, one of the most difficult countries in which to photograph people. Ms. Allaoui agrees with that, saying that Moroccans are especially apprehensive about being photographed due to their belief in witchcraft, the evil eye and as an Islamic country, espouse a belief that image-making is a direct contravention of Islamic tradition.

However, she persevered and went on about 20 road trips across the country in the last few years, traveling through the Atlas Mountains, the Rif Mountains, the Sahara, and a variety of coastal and inland regions of Morocco including Essaouira, Tangier, and Marrakech. She would set up a portable studio in public places, markets, and other private gatherings after spending a few days getting to know the locals. Eventually, some people would agree to pose and be photographed by her.

Leila Alaoui is a French-Moroccan multimedia artist working on cultural diversity, identity and migration using video installations, studio and documentary photography. After studying film and photography in New York, she moved back to Morocco in 2008. Her work has been exhibited internationally since 2009 and has been published in newspapers and magazines, including in The New York Times. She now lives and works between Marrakech and Beirut.

Lalla Essaydi | Les Femmes Du Maroc

Image © Lalla Essaydi-All Rights Reserved

"There is some evidence that the Orientalist perspective has had an impact on the actual lives of Arab men and women, and especially that the rules for Arab women became much stricter as a result of Western influence." Lalla Essaydi

It's rare that I feature work that is more art and mixed-media than pure documentary photography, but the interesting fusion of women portraiture, Arabic calligraphy, and henna in Lalla Essaydi's images encouraged me to show her work on my blog.

Moroccan born, Ms. Essaydi sets up her models inspired by 19th century Orientalist paintings, and adds layers of hand-written Arabic calligraphy with henna to the walls and fabrics that her models wear, as well as to their exposed skin. Her decision to merge the calligraphy (traditionally a male-dominated art form) and henna (a feminine occupation, particularly to celebrate weddings and other joyous occasions) is to try to dissolve the restrictions and fluidity of Islamic traditions.

Lalla A. Essaydi currently lives in the United States, where she received her MFA from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts/TUFTS University. Her work has been exhibited in many major international locales, including Boston, Chicago, Minneapolis, Texas, Buffalo, Colorado, New York, Syria, Ireland, England, France, the Netherlands, Sharjah, U.A.E., and Japan and is represented in a number of collections, including the Williams College Museum of Art, The Art Institute of Chicago, the Fries Museum, the Netherlands, and The Kodak Museum of Art. 

According to her biography,  her paintings often appropriate Orientalist imagery from the Western painting tradition, thereby inviting viewers to reconsider the Orientalist mythology. She has worked in numerous media, including painting, video, film, installation, and analog photography.

Popular Restaurants - Vietnam travel

A spinoff of the first Mango Rooms in Old Town, this Vietnamese-combination restaurant is placed along the stream specifically crosswise over from the Japanese Covered Bridge. Holder gourmet specialist "Duc" has made an imaginative menu of advanced Asian-meets-the-world, motivated from his 20 or more years of ventures abroad. The burned fish served on a bunk of mango, tomatoes, and cilantro is surprisingly tasty, and the snapper covered in cashews is about at least somewhat new. Duc goes to the neighborhood business sector to discover fixings like monster prawns, which he showers in a sauce of white wine, enthusiasm foods grown from the ground, and sharp chocolate. A large portion of the dishes stay valid to excellent Vietnamese food, for example, the spring moves, crusted duck, and browned rice wrapped in banana takes off.

Connecting Teahouse 

It's peaceful in light of the fact that the staff have listening to and discourse hindrances. The significant hush is practically mending, as the smooth group conveys by utilizing wooden pieces recorded with words (in English). Low wooden tables in the primary teahouse offer road perspectives, while those in the back arrangement are more detached. For a little pick-me-up, attempt the new espresso and cakes. This reasonable exchange business additionally has a neighboring specialty shop that offers eco-accommodating Vietnamese gifts.

Lanes Restaurant 

Help adolescent local people while you eat at this Old Town restaurant substantial on veggie lover choices. Road youth are given the chance to refine their accommodation abilities amid a 18-month preparing program here through the philanthropic association Streets International, which utilizes stranded and burdened Vietnamese adolescents, large portions of whom happen to work at five-star restaurants and inns. The nourishment is great, so you're not surrendering taste for philanthropy. Those with a sweet tooth ought to spare space for the coconut parfait with flame broiled pineapple and dessert. Shut Sun.

On a side road close to the waterway, this restaurant and parlor bar has house sangrias and mojitos that truly pack a punch, however its the French food (with an indication of Spanish and Italian) that truly awes. Snatch a table on the enclosure patio or head inside to the bar adorned with Buddha-themed fine art and bamboo couches with silk pads. Begin with the skillet burned foie gras or tomato tartar on acrid cream toast, took after by the cooked duck with energy products of the soil sauce or broiled chicken with shoestring fries. For a somewhat more formal feasting background, ask for a table on the third floor.

Related post: travel vietnam

Alongside the stream is this exemplary Vietnamese restaurant taking after an upscale home with its resplendent armoires, wooden seats, and a lamp lit patio where you can listen to delicate jazz. Observe the relic bar, once a "rice safe" utilized by families to ensure their harvest. The outdoors kitchen serves noodles with caramelized pork, green papaya mixed greens with barbecued prawns, and moderate cooked duck curry with taro. The full altered menu is topped with banana squander and frozen yogurt. Beverages are half off amid party time.

Aged Faifo 

Intertwining craftsmanship, music, history, and cooking, this nineteenth century house in Hoi An's Old Quarter has been flawlessly restored and offers silver administration at wonderful costs. The four-course Set Menu is likely the best arrangement you'll discover in Hoi An. Appreciate a mixed drink on the arrangement yard and afterward ask for a table on the little gallery ignoring the light strewn road.

Climbing The Seven Summits: What's it Cost?

There is a very good post over at Stewart's Climbing Blog that lays out the costs of climbing the Seven Summits. The article is a bit of an eye opener for those who would love to pursue this goal, but aren't sure what it all entails nor how much it would hit them in the pocket book.

Stewart breaks down the costs in a very logical manner and into several categories. He takes a look at the guide fees, gear costs, training fees, airfare, and more. And when he tabulates the final bill what does it come to? A whopping $170,250.

As you might imagine, Everest makes up the bulk of that cost, although both Vinson, in Antarctica, and Carstensz Pyramid, in Indonesia, are not cheap either. Stewart estimates roughly $65,000 for Everest alone, and while that is a safe estimate, it is also a bit on the high end of the scale. You can find expeditions to the highest mountain on Earth at cheaper rates with some very good companies. The same can be said for Vinson and Carstensz, although the options are not as plentiful.

And the cheapest of the mountains to climb? Kilimanjaro clocks in at $3150 (My climb was considerably cheaper than that) and Aconcagua is second at $3700.

All in all though, it's a decent estimate and does put some things in perspective. Certainly an interesting read for armchair mountaineers and climbing enthusiasts alike.

Thanks to Jason over at The Adventurist, who is back off his hiatus and updating regularly again as well.

POV | 2014's Highlights | The Travel Photographer

Your Year In Review (or something like that) is a new trend on Facebook that allows it to pull any user's 2014 activities, and create a personalised timeline of the highlights of the year complete with photos and statuses.  Users can customise their  timelines as well, with Facebook allowing users to add up to four photos for each month in the year.

Since I have no intention of letting Facebook getting involved any more than necessary in my timeline, I thought it to be an idea to do my own...briefly listing some the highlights of my photographic timeline of 2014.

From a technical standpoint, I think my decision to reduce my reliance on the heavy Canon DSLR system I have been using for over 15 years to the lightweight mirrorless system in the form of the Fuji X Series (X-Pro1 and X-T1) and the Leica M9 is one that's at the top of the list.  I was particularly impressed by the X-T1's performance during my September photo expedition to Vietnam.

The two photography expedition-workshop that I led to India (to cover Holi festival) and to Vietnam were by and large very interesting but very different. The former was very technically challenging, while the latter was not.

On a personal level, teaching at the Foundry Photojournalism Workshop is always a phenomenal experience. This year in Antigua, I had the pleasure of working with 8 talented photographers of diverse backgrounds and experience.

The memory of getting literally hosed with cold and colored water during Holi was one that will remain in my subconscious for quite a while, but the pleasure in meeting lovely people in Ha Noi's Hoan Kiem lake will remain for far longer.

Finally, discovering, and then researching and documenting, obscure religious rituals performed in Northern Vietnam's Red Delta region which will hopefully be included in my 2015 photo expeditions.

So I hope I was prophetic in my earlier message...may the next year be filled with superb light, exotic travel, colorful festivals and new (and even better) photo-taking devices!

K2 Goes Commercial, Anyone Else Think This is a Bad Idea?

It is being widely reported today that Field Touring Alpine and Fabrizio Zangrilli are joining forces to lead the first commercial expedition on K2 this summer, the first of its kind on what many consider to be the most dangerous mountain on Earth.

The expedition will consist of seven paid, invite-only, clients, all of whom are required to have 8000m experience. The team will set out for the mountain in June, when the traditional Karakorum season begins, and will climb the typical route along K2's south east ridge.

Zangrilli was selected for us experience on the big peaks, having climbed on K2 three times in the past, but also having Everest, Shisha Pangma, Makalu, Cho Oyu, Gasherbrum II, Nuptse, Ama Dablam, and a number of other major Himalayan peaks on his resume. He is also an accomplished guide, having led commercial teams on many of those mountains in his 22 year career as well.

You can find out more about the plans for this expedition in this article over at the Rock and Ice Magazine site.

So, what are your thoughts on this one? Commercialized climbing coming to K2? Does that seem like a good idea? Was it inevitable? I'm inclined to believe that it was bound to happen at some point, and it appears that time is now. If Field Touring is successful with this venture, you know that other companies will follow, and in 2010 I wouldn't be surprised to see two or three other commercial teams on the mountain. The scary thing is that K2 is orders of magnitude more dangerous than Everest, and a crowded route or unprepared climbers, would be extremely dangerous. On top top of that, there probably aren't a lot of guides qualified to lead a team on the mountain, at least at this time.

Perhaps I'm overreacting, and it's just some romantic part of me that wants to see K2 remain the "Mountaineers' Mountain". I also recognize that this is just one expedition so far. But, it has to start somewhere, and usually it leads down a slippery slope rather quickly. The thoughts of the disaster from last year still linger in my mind as well, and that definitely has me wondering if this really is a good idea.

Want Another Chance To Be A Gear Tester?

A few weeks back I posted about Outside Online looking for gear testers, and how you could get in on the action and score yourself some new stuff in the process. Well, it seems that Outside wan't the only major outdoor magazine looking for gear hounds. It seems that Backpacker is looking for a few good men and women to join their new reader gear test panel.

This time out, the process is going to be a bit tougher. You'll start off by sending a short, as in 200 words or so, gear review of one of your favorite pieces of equipment to khostetter1@gmail.com. That e-mail should also include your name and a link to your YouTube video as well.

Yep! You read that right. You'll also need to make a YouTube video too. The video should not exceed five minutes in length, and should show you reviewing a piece of gear. Get creative with it, have some fun, and use the visual medium to the best of your ability. Edit the video if you can, then upload it and send the link along in your e-mail, then wait for the adulation and money to come rolling in. Okay, I made up that last part.

The deadline for submissions is March 30th, so you'll really have to get cracking. Those who are asked to join the team will become part of the Backpacker staff for a 12 month period, including having your name added to the masthead of the print magazine, with your image included, and you'll get all kinds of gear to test over the coming year. Impress them enough, and you'll be allowed to write some reviews for the magazine and website as well.

So, all you aspiring gear reviewers, get your video cameras fired up and your submissions written. Just remember to share the gear wealth when you get something really good! ;)

Tour VietNam - history in saigontourist

With numerous names and a populace of 9 million, Ho Chi Minh city climbs as the adolescent pioneer of all Vietnamese urban communities.

Dissimilar to the old lady Hanoi moderate, obsolescent, held way of life, Ho Chi Minh city goes hard and fast in the advanced way of life. The city is constantly in a rush: clamoring, boisterous, singing, engrossing, the individuals: noisy and inviting.

History 

The zone now called Saigon once were vacant marshlands fitting in with Cambodia. Flux of Vietnamese vagrants overflowed the zone (fleeing from the Trinh - Nguyen common war of the seventeenth century. The region later got to be enormously Vietnaminized, until later totally absorbed into the nation Vietnam by the Nguyen line.

Amid French colonization, the city was a French top pick. The colonizers created the officially clamoring exchange zone into a high class, cutting edge, European affected city suitable for exchange, diversion and business. After colonization, Saigon got to be capital of the Southern side (underpinned by the US) amid the American/Vietnam War.

Topography 

See more: Vietnam travel deals

Saigon is found at 10°45'n, 106°40'e in the southeastern locale of Vietnam. It fringes Tay Ninh and Binh Duong territories in the north, Dong Nai and Ba Ria Vung Tau areas to the east, Long A Province to the west and the South China Sea to the south with a bank of 15 km long.

Demographics 

Saigon's  populace has now surpassed 9 million. Other than the Viet ethnicity, Saigon has a substantial extent of Chinese relatives. The Chinese movement populace focused around the "Cho Lon" (Big market) regions of region 5,6,7 and 11, framing Vietnam's "Chinatown" (however I figure it mixes with the view here more than say, Toront

Adventure Sports Week Offers Economic Assistance!

Adventure Sports Week is still on track to be one of the top events of the year in terms of endurance events, adventure racing, and just plain fun! Running from June 5-14, in Farragut State Park, near Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho, ASW will offer 24 unique races and other competitive events over the course if one very busy week.

In the latest press release from even organizers, it was announced that have reduced the entry fees for the adventure races and orienteering course in an effort to make them more affordable for the competitors. Race Director David Adlard says “We wanted to do something so that folks can come and race even in this tough economy, so we lowered the price of the Adventure Races and the Orienteering meet to make them more affordable.”

This is good news for the AR community, which is having a tough year, with a number of events being put on hold until 2010, and some dropping off the schedule altogether. The economic climate has been challenging for all of us, and it's a nice gesture by the ASW crew to make their event more accessible to those who want to compete.

In addition, they've also announced that adventure racing legend Robyn Benincasa will be on hand to promote Project Athena, a non-profit organization she helped start that offers women with breast cancer, or other medical conditions, the opportunity to pursue their athletic and adventure dreams. Robyn, along with one of the recipients of an "Athenaship" will be racing, alongside two members of the media, in the event. If you're a member of the media, and would like to join the team, drop David an e-mail at dave@adventuresportsweek.com to submit your application. Hmm... am I considered a member of the media?

In addition to Robyn, Adventure Sports Week has an outstanding list of endurance athletes who will be on hand. Dean Karnazes is in, as is Team Nike captain Mike Kloser and former teammate Ian Adamson. The "Queen of Pain" Rebecca Rusch will put in an appearance as well, rounding out the all-star cast.

To check out all the events, and register for a race or three, click here. There really is something for everyone, and it promises to be a great time.

Ten Unknown Treks

Backpacker.com has put together an excellent list of ten undiscovered treks, scouring the globe to find the best long distance hiking trails that have yet to come up on the radar for most backpackers.

The list has a little something for everyone, and offers great suggestions on five continents, including several in Europe, Australia, South America, Asia and Africa. Some of the great trails making the list include the Pyrenees Traverse in France, which offers great backcountry hiking all day with comfortable and quaint inns to stay in each night. Heading to Nepal you'll find the Rolwaling to Khumbu circuit, a 20-day hike that offers a fraction of the hikers in the Khumbu Valley, while still staying the shadow of Everest itself, and travel to Ethiopia to trek the Simien Mountains, which offer an 8 day, 86-mile route that blends culture, wildlife and amazing scenery in one.

The article says that you should get to these treks before everyone else does. They're still off the beaten path (pun fully intended!) for the vast majority and as such, you'll likely have the trail to yourself, at least for now. That'll probably change now that Backpacker has tipped us all off, but regardless, these each look like amazing treks.

My friend Colm, who I did Kilimanjaro with a few years back, did the Simien trek i Ethiopia last year, and had nothing but great things to say about the experience. From the sounds of things, it lives up to Backpacker's description and then some. While Kili has become all the rage, and the Atlas Mountains in Morocco continue to draw hikers, the Simians remain a bit of a mystery, still untamed and wild. Go quickly!

The Rest of Everest Episode 107: Going Up, And Blowing Up

It may be old news to fans of The Rest of Everest, but since I was trying to catch up on episodes last week, I completely missed a new one that snuck out under my nose. In my defense, I thought the show might be taking a brief hiatus while climbers Ben Clark and Josh Butson snuck off to Ski The Himalayas and podcast creator Jon Miller prepared to trek to Everest BC.

Turns out Episode 107: Going Up, And Blowing Up, was recorded before the boys flew off to Kathmandu. Ah... the wonders of modern technology. Who knew?

Anyway, in this episode, Ben and Josh, set off to make another attempt on the summit of Annapurna IV. The plan is to go up in alpine style, and as this episode opens, they are back in Camp 1, and reflecting on their climb to that point and how much they are looking forward to continuing up the mountain. As usual, Ben and Josh offer some great insights into what it takes to climb in the Himalaya.

Soon, they're back on the trail and making their way to where they'll eventually establish an intermediary camp before reaching C2. Along the way, we get some great footage of the climbers working the route, skis strapped to their back. Soon they are at their next campsite, and we get to watch the process of creating the camp, this time greatly accelerated. We also see Josh wrestling with his "self inflating" Thermarest sleeping matt. I'm not positive, but I think the matt won. Back in the tent, they reflect again on their ongoing climb. Approaching the summit in alpine style is different than on most Himalayan peaks, and it is fun to watch that process unfold.

At the end of this episode, it is announced that the show will be gong on hiatus for a bit now, while everyone involved with the show will be off on their spring adventures. Stay tuned for new episodes soon.

Golden Gate to Faith - Taleju Temple of Bhaktapur, Nepal

The reflection of the golden gate of the Taleju Temple situated in the Bhaktapur Square, on the 'Durbar' was as inviting as its marvelous frontal architecture.  The golden hue matched the scintillating rays of the winter skies. The Taleju Temple is devoted to worship of goddess and many construe the word to be a connotation of the goddess 'Tulja Bhavani', revered deeply in the Indian subcontinent. The Sanctum Sanctorum of the temple is prohibited for the visitors and is believed to be mystically open to select religious faiths and only on the select days of a year. 

The Golden Gate of Taleju Temple, Bhaktapur

The inner architecture of the temple, comprising intricately designed wooden windows and army of golden hued bricks appear to add to the harmony. There were visible impacts of the destruction caused by the earthquake with scores of idols lying for want of resurrection, however they were definitely not as grave as those of the square outside.

Idols wanting for restoration beneath the intricate architectural design

The architecture appeared to be a conflux of several forms of with balconies having reflection of jharokhas and major usage of bricks, also a common feature across other temple of the Kathmandu valley.

Wooden Architecture - At its Best !

Priceless Idols demarcated temporarily

Amazing Architecture - Continues

Splendid Architecture

The internal sanctum leads to a stepped pond that stands opposite to the main temple and the water is considered to be quite pious by the worshipers. There are multiple statues of snake gods, the most prominent being that of the bronze statue, that stands guard outside the pond, facing the premises of the main temple. There is a shiva linga present as well on an elevated platform.

Stepped Pond - Inside the Taleju Temple

Bronze Statue that adores the Pond

Bronze Snake Statue, Taleju Temple, Bhaktapur

Bronze Snake Statue, Taleju Temple, Bhaktapur

The photography is prohibited inside the main temple and its entry is restricted to only practitioners of Hindu and Buddhist religion. The temple inside is adorned with exquisite carvings and a square for offering 'pashu bali' to divine goddess. Inside the security guarded gates of the main temple, there are several other small temples adorned with excellent architecture. The setting is sure to erupt the images of the rituals that would be offered to the divine that is pivoted across a massive bell that is firmly placed in the courtyard of the temple. 

Architectural Delights - Taleju Temple, Bhaktapur

Overwhelming Curiosity and Innate Content

Leaving the temple for next destination of Nagarkot, there was as much overwhelming curiosity for what we didn't see, as much the innate content for what we did !

POV: The Pehlwani | The Kushti Wrestlers

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved

One of the scheduled photo shoots during my recent The Sacred Cities: Varanasi & Vrindavan Photo Expedition-Workshop was at an akhara, which is a Sanskrit word meaning training area for traditional Indian wrestlers, known as pehlwanis. This traditional Indian wrestling is known as kushti, and was developed in the Mughal era by combining native wrestling and Persian techniques.

These two pehlwanis were the most photogenic of the group that was training when we visited early in the morning. The wrestler in the top photographer is yielding a nada,  a heavy round stone attached to the end of a meter-long bamboo stick. This training implement is associated with Hanuman.

The bottom wrestler is using heavy Indian clubs, exercise clubs introduced by the Mughals and originally used in the Near East, especially in Persia and Egypt.

I wasn't thrilled about the quality of light in the akhara, as the area combined extreme harsh sunlight and deep shadows....and most of the background was of unfinished concrete walls. A difficult photo shoot. However, the wrestlers largely compensated for this, especially when they had daubed themselves with soft clay

For some of the wrestlers, the day starts as early as 4 am and their practice lasts into the day. Technically there's no age limit, but some wrestlers can begin their training when they're as young as four years old. To protect themselves from wound infections,  the wrestlers add lime, oil, milk, ghee, camphor, neem leaves, butter milk, and turmeric to the clay on which they practice daily.

Paul Ridley Completes Solo Atlantic Row

According to CNN.com, 25-year old Paul Ridley has completed his solo row across the Atlantic, taking 88 days to make the journey.

According to the story Ridely would row as much as 12 hours per day, as he made his 2950 mile journey across the Atlantic Ocean. Even more amazing, the young man crossed the pond without a support vessel following in his wake, and in the process he became the youngest American to make that journey, and just the third person from the U.S. to do so at all.

Paul rowed in a custom made boat that he and his sister spent $60,000 having built. Back in 2001 their mother passed away from skin cancer, and Ridley dedicated this row to her and to raising funds for cancer research. His website, RowForHope.com, has more information about Paul, his cause, and ways that we can all help out.

Ridley says that he is happy to be home and off the water, and will now take some time to rest up and regain his strength. But he also says that there is a lot to be accomplished yet, and that he'll soon be back to work trying to raise funds and awareness for cancer research.

Congrats Paul! Awesome work. Glad you're home safe and sound.

Going Minimalist | Guatemala Foundry Photojournalism Workshop

In just over a week, I'll be traveling to La Antigua in Guatemala to join the rest of the faculty of the Foundry Photojournalism Workshop.

Since I'll be spending most of the week-long workshop teaching the fundamentals of multimedia, I won't have much time to work on any personal projects, so will probably only do some street photography.

It'll be an opportunity (and a joy) to leave behind the heavy DSLRs, and travel with a minimalist gear which, as shown in the above photograph, may consist of a Fuji X Pro-1 with a Fujinon 18mm and a Zeiss Touit 12mm, a Leica M9 with an Elmarit 28mm and a Voigtlander Nokton 40mm f1.4 as well. And just in case I need to record some audio, I'll pack a Marantz PMD 620, much smaller than my Tascam DR-40 that I use on my photo expeditions.

In the last Foundry Photojournalism I attended (Chiang Mai), I relied on these two "rangefinders", and it was a relief to be carrying one or even two of these comparative light tools instead of my two Canon DSLRs.

It's not my first time to Guatemala or La Antigua. I was there some years ago during its famous Semana Santa. Some of my photographs are on Las Tierras de Popol Vuh.

For those who don't know, The Foundry's goal is to help emerging photojournalists and documentary photographers to hone their skills, to have a chance to work with some of the world’s best shooters in the field, on real reportage projects, to create multimedia, to see some of the best work being done today, to collaborate, to make contact, plan future projects, develop your own vision and leave the workshop energized, and more committed then ever to concerned photography, storytelling and to documenting the world through the lens.

Travel for Soul

My friends and family were kind of excited (and sometimes aghast too) by my umpteen travel narratives. So I finally decided to address a 'larger' audience.  And here I go.

The Blog.

My encounters and my perceptions with different cities and their culture that makes them special in a way they are! I LIKE travelling and more so travelling in a way I like. Whether it has been with friends, family or sometime alone. Most of the times it has been on a shoe string, some times for that 'value of money' . To save enough for the next journey.

Yes, for sure, the memories have been special, but more so, have been the journeys that made them so.

Travel For Soul. Simply Travel.