koknia

Re: beets on burgers.

Hilarious. I used to run a burger shop, so I have some experience with this. The great thing about a burger is that there is no right/wrong way, there is your way, and all the other ways. So for some Aussies, they like beetroot on their burg. That's fine.

But for the other 99.99% of humanity that thinks it's completely bizarre, they don't have to have it. To each their own....

That sounds like a wonderful adventure. I have a good friend who is a serious ocean Kayaker and he has done many similar trips, but on Vancouver Island where we live. My butt and back get sore if I paddle too long, but I've done many one or two night trips around Vancouver Island. It is a nice balance of inshore and off shore paddling along the west coast.

My mother is from the island. I've always wanted to do some paddling out there, just haven't had the chance yet. A friend of mine does solo Juneau - Vancouver trips, so those put mine in perspective!

Wow! Epic stuff.

Was there a lot of planning involved or was the trip decided over a few beers?

Would love to hear more about your trip Koknia, like any interesting stuff that happened or anything that went wrong. Do you have any more trips planned?

Cheers.

We had tried it a couple of years ago after months of planning, but I only made 300 kms or so to Krabi before I got sick and had to pull over.

This time we decided at the last minute. Nothing really went wrong, but we got very lucky with the weather. My paddling partner has been on the ocean his whole life, so that makes it 10X easier. The only really dangerous thing are big surf landings on steep beaches on the Ranong coast. They can be really nasty.

The main thing is having good gear, which includes a folding kayak, camping stuff, GPS & charts. It ain't cheap to get set up, but once you are, you can go anywhere. (We use Feathercraft kayaks and Lendal paddles.)

Off to the Surin Islands next week to go paddling and fishing for awhile.

Here are a couple of vids I shot,

Outside Phnom Penh

Respect

Thanks. 19 days of paddling. (Around 30 kms per day.)

Where did you sleep along the way?

Thanks. We slept in Hennessy hammocks, which are mosquito proof and have a rain fly. Incredibly handy for this type of trip, all you need is a couple of trees, or whatever. We just pulled over late in the afternoon when we found a section of shoreline where we could make camp. Tents would be very hard, there isn't much space for them. The high tide claims everything. We slept at a few National Parks where we would take over the large salas and hang in there.

Trying to reason with a security guard is bizarre.

Thanks. 19 days of paddling. (Around 30 kms per day.)

I booked on Lao Airlines recently and it took about a minute! They don't want all that info, just name, flight, VISA, done.

Canon Thailand has excellent service with very prompt turnaround times. I am a member of Canon Professional Services in Canada, but the normal consumer service in Thailand is better IMO.

Follow the Saigon rules:

- wear your bag in on the shoulder away from the street.

- if you hear a 2-stroke engine gunning it behind you, dive away from the street.

Fotofile now carries ThinkTank which are arguably the most popular bags among working photographers.

The trick with Indian spices is to dry roast them in a heavy pan beforehand, then grind in a mortar and pestle, or coffee grinder dedicated to that task. Infinitely better than any store-bought powders.

Just came off a nice job, shooting "Mekong Citizens" along the river from Luang Prabang all the way to the ocean. (Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam)

You can check out a few of the images here.

Went down to my favorite island in Ranong for a week or so. Just used my little Lumix GF1 and a couple of lenses.

Some shots here.

Bloom Lab is the best printer in BKK. I haven't used them but they come highly recommended by pros here.

http://www.bloomprolab.com/

The Fuji's look cool but the reviews are less than positive. A couple of years ago I went with the Lumix GF1 after looking at some other options. I love the 20/1.7 pancake lens - the combo cost US$750. That body is out of print I believe, but other options here.

I have some image samples on my FB page here.

FWIW - I have another recent photo essay here on the fight against HIV/AIDS in Cambodia.

greasy spoon breakfast

Very few days with clear skies in HK with the pollution. Best to go to The Peak as early as possible as you will get the clearest view and escape the hordes of mainland tourists who overrun the place. The best thing to do is tram up, and walk down.

If you happen to be there on a Wednesday go the track at Happy Valley. For HK$10, best deal in town. (Aside from the Star Ferry.)

I like wandering around Kowloon myself. For a taste of old HK, hit the Mido Cafe for a milk tea ("yeet lai cha") and a pineapple bun ("bo lo bow").

Just back from this eastern Cambodian province. Still quite easy to get to from Bangkok if you are looking for a decent place to shoot some rural activity. Hard to find this kind of unspoiled place in Thailand these days.

Some images here.