2014, Day 364 - Pull

This young man is working with molten sugar.  Soon he will be pulling and folding the sugar until it become a fine silky texture.  When that it done it will be bagged and sold with roti as a sweet treat.

Fuji X-T1, Fujinon 35/f1.4R
35mm, f1.4, 1/125 sec @ 800 ISO

2014, Day 323 - Idle

I didn't really sleep last night because out flight from Colombo to Bangkok left at 1:30 in the morning.  With the time difference we landed three and a half hours later and what with insisting on serving a meal and handing out immigration forms there was almost no time at all to sleep.  So we stumbled through customs in Bangkok, collected our bags, and went in search of a taxi.

We were able to get a taxi at the queue and were quickly mired in the traffic nightmare that is Bangkok.  Our drive kept trying side streets because the main streets weren't moving.  At one point he received and made a number of calls and then explained his father had been taken to the hospital so he needed to go.  He had called another cab who would meet us and we wouldn't have to pay for the rest of our ride.  Francene had some bad luck in Bangkok over a decade ago with cab drivers and was sure we were getting scammed.  I didn't think so but you never can be sure.  However, within minutes another cab pulled up and we transferred ourselves and our luggage over and the rest of the trip to the hotel was made without incident.

Of course it wasn't quite nine o'clock yet which is too early for check in but for an extra fee they let us into our room early.  At this point we were both so exhausted that we couldn't sleep and were starving so we dumped out stuff and went back downstairs for breakfast.  Once we had eaten we decided to have a little wander and find an ATM because the cab ride took almost all the cash we had left from our time in Chiang Mai over a week ago.

The obvious choice is Khao San Road which is a backpacker area.  It wasn't terribly interesting or exciting but it gave us an opportunity to stretch our legs.  When we returned to the hotel I took a quick shower and had a bit of a nap and when I got up again I was hungry so we left to find an early dinner.  So we walked back to Khao San Road.

There were plenty of choices and we settled on a nice little vegetarian Thai place off a side street.  It was clean and nicely furnished and the food was quite good.  By the time we finished it was starting to get dark so we had a bit of a wander, stopped off for drinks and snacks for our room, and headed back to the hotel.

Our return took us on a different route and we happened upon a local street market.  Most of the vendors were still setting up but it was quite lively already and a totally different atmosphere compared to the tourist area.  We took our time and enjoyed the scenery on our way back.

Now we're ensconced in our room with the air conditioning on and relaxing.  Tomorrow we have another early start so it is probably time to start thinking about sleep again.

Fuji X-T1, Fujinon 56/f1.2R
56mm, f1.2, 1/125 sec @ 2000 ISO

2014, Day 309 - Take to the skies

True to form we were up before five o'clock this morning and, when we couldn't wait any longer, we left our hotel in search of food.  They provide a light breakfast of fresh fruit, coffee, and toast but that is not enough to fuel us for a whole morning.  So we headed out with laundry in hand to drop off which was easily sorted.

Food is always a bit more of challenge because we have to find a place that we either trust or where we can communicate with the proprietors and those places that open early carter to locals.  Fortunately we found a vegetarian place that served a cafeteria style breakfast.  So we filed in, pointed to what we wanted, dressed our food with condiments, and had a very satisfying breakfast.  And the grand total for this feast?  Less than four dollars for everyone!

Contented with our food we made our way back to the market.  I never tire of markets so I am always game.  Araceli wanted spicy nuts and I wanted some bananas.  The fruit was easily sorted but the spicy nuts were impossible to find so she had to settle for fresh roasted peanuts.  Melissa found little rice dumplings with sweetened coconut cream filling sold by sweet little old lady who I noticed sampling her own wares.  Given that she could have bought just about anything else I take it as a good sign that she likes what she sells and they were indeed delicious.

The next couple of hours we spent wandering the streets of the Old City visiting temples.  Most were totally decked out for Yi Peng and almost all were crowded.  Having seen all these temples before it was still amazing and even more so for all the work that has been done in the past four years since I last visited.

Soon we had to make our way back to the hotel as we had booked massages for the early afternoon.  At the appointed time a car came and whisked us away to be pampered for a couple of hours.  First we had a massage and then a second time over with hot herbal compresses.  I found it incredibly relaxing and the compresses were totally new and rather intense and amazing.  It was a blissful couple of hours which ended with transportation back to the hotel.

After resting for about an hour we left in search of dinner.  We took a couple wrong turns but eventually found the place we were looking for that served a variety of vegetarian Thai dishes.  All of the food was excellent and by the time we finished lanterns were dotting the night sky.  First we went to Wat Chedi Luang where we found a few monks launching their sky lanterns.  After taking a few pictures we waded through the crowds to the river where the waterfront park hosts masses of people launching their own sky lanterns.

We found a vendor and purchased a few to release and had a great time adding to the masses that were filling the sky.  After a while we were starting to feel the day catch up with us so we headed back to the hotel to get cleaned up, peruse our pictures, and call it a night.

Fuji X-T1, Fujinon 23/f1.4R
23mm, f1.4, 1/125 sec @ 1250 ISO

2014, Day 204 - Little spoon

Johan is my little spoon.  He loves to cuddle and he has to be touching me at bedtime otherwise he fusses.  Yes, it may be rather odd to have dogs in bed but it is a battle I lost a long time ago and now there are three or four vying for their favorite spots every night.  Hubert likes to be close but not always within reach.  Stubbs snuggles up on and off but is always within reach.  Frankie is the most independent, he likes to cuddle on the sofa but he is usually on the other side of Hubert but it could also be that he was the last added to the household so he gets the worst spot and doesn't care enough to try for something closer.  With all these pointy dogs it can be like spooning a garbage bag full of coat hangers but I can live with it.

Fuji X-T1, Fujinon 56/f1.2R
56mm, f1.2, 1/125 sec @ 800 ISO

2014, Day 92 - Available light

I know I've taken pictures of this pose many times before but rarely under these conditions.  After I cleaned up the kitchen this evening I walked into the living room and found Hubert laying on the floor patiently waiting for me in front of an old electric heater that was converted into a lamp.  It contains a single sixty watt bulb and I liked the quality of the light.  Fortunately there is always a camera near to hand in my house so I mounted my favorite fast lens and took a few pictures.  This is my favorite, I love the look of his eyes, it conveys well his avid watchful nutty personality.

Fuji X-T1, Fujinon 56/f1.2R
56mm, f1.2, 1/125 sec @ 2500 ISO

2014, Day 71 - Evening traffic

There are still so many gems in my photo library that haven't been processed yet.  This is the evening commute in Phnom Penh.  The streets get crowded and the hordes on motorbikes leave clouds of fumes in the wake but somehow, despite the chaos, there seem to be few accidents.  Traffic actually slows everyone down and there is a certain amount of courtesy in the mayhem that I find appealing.

Canon 1D X, Canon 50/f1.2L
50mm, f1.4, 1/80 sec @ 500 ISO

2013, Day 337 - Whipped

This evening Nicole and I went out to dinner with her friend Nicci and afterwards headed out to Vista House.  The temperature was just about freezing but with the wind chill you could easily take ten degrees off so it was frigid on the top of the bluff that overlooks the Columbia River.  Nicole and Nicci quickly gave up, the winds were too bad and there were gusts strong enough to move a loaded tripod.  Still, I am stubborn so I widened the leg spread and kept shooting.  Within ten minutes I was having a  hard time feeling my fingers and I got a couple good shots so I was happy to jump back into the warm cozy car and head back into town.  It was worth the discomfort as we had a new moon a couple days ago and the stars are spectacular!

Canon 1D X, Canon 24/f1.4L Mark II
24mm, f1.4, 15 sec @ 400 ISO

2013, Day 36 - Evening stroll

I took this picture on our second night in Battambang.  It wasn't especially late but night comes rather early and quickly in Cambodia.  Francene, Araceli, and I had finished a nice dinner and opted to walk back to our hotel from the city center.  It wasn't a long walk and even though the sun was gone it was still hot and humid.  I can vividly remember the sweat dripping down my back as we walked but it was pleasant despite the heat.  Plus we had enjoyed a large meal and the walking helped to jump start digestion.  I love seeing cities at night, the may be lively during the day but there is a whole new heartbeat at night.

Canon 1D X, Canon 24/f1.4L Mark II
24mm, f1.4, 1/80 sec @ 1600 ISO

2012, Day 360 - Winter's touch

The year is coming to an end, winter's grip is tight and the nights are frigid.  White plumes declare each exhalation and grass crackles underfoot.  It is beautiful but loveless, the peace if refreshing...

Canon 5D Mark III, Canon 50/f1.2L
50mm, f1.2, 1/6 sec @ 800 ISO

2012, Day 76 - Frankie Friday

It has been almost three weeks since Frankie came home and in that time he has proven to be a wonderful companion.  He is respectful of the other dogs, walks so well he has graduated from the harness, cleans his bowl most of the time, and sleeps soundly through the night.  My erratic comings and goings no longer upset him, I work from home but leave daily and rarely at the same time two days in a row, but he knows I will be back.  There are only two things we're still working on.  The first is coming when called. He knows his name but often waits to see what the others dogs are doing and if they make no move he hangs back with them.  It's okay, being singled out can be daunting, he will get the hang of it.  Second, he loves his naps a little too much.  There are times I have to carry him outside for a walk.  It doesn't matter if he doesn't have to answer the call of nature, but I want him to participate in the household activities.  Plus, I am sure if I left him at home he would be upset that he wasn't included...

In the photo below I Frankie was napping in his favorite chair.  When I first pressed the shutter release he opened his eyes and this is the second shot.  I really like the smooth bokeh of Sigma's 50/f1.4, it really blows the Canon 50/f1.4 out of the water but it is a much more fiddly lens.  Nevertheless the results make it worth the hassle.

Canon 1D Mark IV, Sigma 50/f1.4EX
50mm, f2, 1/100 sec @ 1000 ISO