Chronicles of an Expat

Long time again...

2010-10-15T12:19:00.000+08:00

Been working like crazy again. Have spent the last few weeks in HK doing a lot of R&D with some new processing techniques and camera systems for work and will be heading out for a few months very soon.

Was able to enjoy a walk down to the waterfront last night though! In HK I live in a village near Tai Po, a "town" of about 320,000 people. Every night there are some people who fly these massive kites up to 500m above the ground and its really cool to see the different kinds of kites they have.

This shot was taken from the top of the 1997 handover monument along the waterfront park. The body of water is Tolo Harbor and the town way off in the distance is Ma On Shan.

Fire Dragon Dance

2010-09-24T14:51:00.000+08:00

Back in HK, at least for a few weeks. Just spent a month in Singapore for work and am really happy to be back home now :-p So much more culture, so much more life, so much more of everything in HK when compared to Singapore.

Anyways, here are some pictures from last night. It is the Fire Dragon Dance in Tai Hang, Hong Kong. This year was the 131st year in a row that it has been performed. For some of the legends and history behind it, just check on Google!

Time-Lapse HK

2010-07-17T14:34:00.000+08:00

Time-lapse of the infamous HK skyline for an hour before and after sunset...

Update Time

2010-07-11T13:51:00.000+08:00

To make a long story short, the cycling trip ended in Penang, Malaysia after 1200km of riding through one of the most beautiful countries of Asia.

I got a job with MapJack, a company that specializes in panoramic imaging, similar to Google's "street view" but vastly more advanced. So, from now on I'm working for them! I'm still based in Hong Kong and most of the work will be around greater Asia area.

More to come later, hopefully sooner rather than later!

Cheers!

Malaysia!

2010-06-04T18:59:00.000+08:00

Cycling trip panorama! Its been a long time since the last update on here it seems, but, check the link in my previous post to read up and see some more pictures from the trip! There are several updates on the cycling blog now!

This was taken about 10km west of Jeli, Malaysia. It is honestly one of the most beautiful scenes I've had the privilege to view with my own eyes. Early morning just after sunrise deep in the jungle of the peninsula, birds chirping and cawing with vigor and the sweet smell of lush vegetation surrounding me. This place wasn't mentioned in any of the guidebooks or travel websites anywhere that I could find. I checked quite a lot of them to know more about this formation after reaching the next city and found nothing but a vast emptiness with junky links to resorts 200km away from this location. Haha! Anyways, it is along Route 4 that goes from one coast to the other.

Whaaaaa??????

2010-05-24T20:56:00.000+08:00

Well, to make things simple and easy, click this link to see what I've been up to for the last week!

http://www.velocityracers.com/j/cycling-blog/se-asia

I'm in Kuala Rompin, Malaysia right now. Heading up to either Pekan or Kuantan tomorrow depending on the amount of bloody hills on the route! Heh. Anyways, below is a picture of something that I found crawling on my bicycle in the hotel room earlier tonight... it made me say WHAAA???? out loud! Hehe...

Poor picture, but I wanted it out of the room as quickly as possible! Was about 3 inches long from those gnarly chompers to the back

Almost There

2010-05-18T10:26:00.000+08:00

Leaving tomorrow for a 3-month cycling trip from Singapore to Macau! Been crazy busy for the last couple of weeks with last-minute photoshoots and getting everything prepared for the trip.

Here are a couple of unedited shots from one of the shoots I did yesterday... and yes, it tasted as good as it looks =)

All of the food shots were done outside here in Hong Kong. A piece of white posterboard and a couple of knives to hold the bottom edges down are all you need!

Summer...

2010-04-26T00:13:00.000+08:00

Well, suppose its time to lay out my summer on here! I'll be flying down to Singapore in a few weeks with my bicycle. From there I'll re-assemble it (have to disassemble it for the flight down) and will be cycling 5000km from Singapore to Macau! Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and China in all!

Right now I'm still figuring out routes and whatnot, but honestly most of it will be planned on the fly by the seat of my pants!

This is the bike I'll be doing the tour on. Still some modifications to finish like removing the dual-drive and adding a Campy triple in front, replacing the chain and adding a different seat (mesh, much more tolerable in the summer heat of Southeast Asia!) and oh so much more.

Anyways, enough of this for now. More to come later!

Dusty Road

2010-04-18T15:23:00.000+08:00

Dusty road in Central Asia

Karakol Lake (Black Lake)

2010-04-16T02:23:00.001+08:00

Panorama of Karakol Lake in Xinjiang Province, western China. The lake sits at 4000+ meters above sea level!

Dirt Road

2010-04-11T23:11:00.000+08:00

Dirt road in rural Xinjiang Province in western China. This was taken somewhere near a town called Maket (bad spelling I'm sure, honestly don't know where it is on a map other than somewhere along the edge of the Taklamakan desert...)

Macau

2010-04-11T22:49:00.000+08:00

Macau, June 2009

Chinese Dentist!

2010-04-11T22:33:00.000+08:00

Chinese Dentist... So glad to be living in HK and not in mainland China!

Id Kah Mosque, China

2010-04-11T18:32:00.000+08:00

The Id Kah Mosque in Kashgar, China is the largest mosque in Central Asia and can hold up to 20,000 people at one time.

NYC

2010-04-10T14:14:00.000+08:00

Some images from my time spent in NYC last year... Of course, one of the things that every photographer should do once in their lifetime is take a picture of the Flatiron Building
in southern Manhattan Island...

Passu, Pakistan

2010-04-08T21:48:00.000+08:00

Can't wait for this road to be finished with the reconstruction and the problems in Pakistan to clear up a bit again. This is the Karakoram Highway leading towards Passu and 'Cathedral Ridge' which is one of my favorite mountains and one of the most beautiful places I've ever been.

Rawalpindi, Pakistan

2010-04-08T20:36:00.000+08:00

Going through my archives for the first time in what feels like a year and finding lots of little gems like this one. It is from last July in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Image was taken from the top of my hotel in Sadaar Bazaar near sunset

2010-04-06T23:22:00.001+08:00

Hong Kong's Central district from the Expo Center in Wan Chai

Famous lights of Wan Chai at nighttime

Another one of the double-decker trams on the Island... HK has more of these than any other place in the world!

Policeman at a protest in Victoria Park this afternoon

Some of the protesters at said protest...

Perhaps the future of 'journalism' is people like this chap blogging about what is happening... at the exact time it is happening. Its amazing what the internet has done to transform the world of media in the last few years with the addition of new social networking tools...

Bandar Seri Begawan

2010-04-06T09:57:00.000+08:00

Reworked image of a mosque in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei.

Bike!

2010-04-04T23:21:00.000+08:00

This is the clunker I took across Borneo the first time around...

Malaysian Satay

2010-04-02T14:12:00.000+08:00

Malaysian Satay Chicken skewers. They come with the most delicious Thai peanut sauce that is just to die for!

Fort Margherita, Kuching, Malaysia

2010-04-02T14:07:00.000+08:00

Been re-working a bunch of files from the last year and have found quite a few that I overlooked the first time around. This one is from Kuching, Malaysia.

Takeoff

2010-04-01T15:51:00.000+08:00

Lucky rays of sunlight after takeoff

Kowloon Pano

2010-03-31T01:03:00.000+08:00

West Kowloon... the tall building on the left side is almost directly south from me and the hill on the right is almost directly north

Retro Biking

2010-03-30T17:44:00.000+08:00

Late afternoon riding in Kuching

Bus Station

2010-03-30T15:02:00.000+08:00

Bus station in Bintulu, Malaysia. November, 2009.

Science Park

2010-03-29T14:49:00.000+08:00

Random shot of the Egg in Science Park. Its actually a conference room inside!

Colors of Pollution

2010-03-28T11:13:00.000+08:00

Its always nice to think of a positive side of things... Pollution = great colors!

Gold Coast

2010-03-27T18:05:00.001+08:00

Hong Kong's 'Gold Coast' area has the most incredible colors during sunset sometimes, especially when pollution levels are shredding the old records into pieces!

Somewhere near Elements along the West Kowloon Waterfront

Mongkok

2010-03-22T18:23:00.000+08:00

Mong Kok on a wonderful sunny afternoon without too much pollution stuffing up the air.

香港中文大学

2010-03-21T03:30:00.000+08:00

Taken at the bottom of the mountain at 香港中文大学. My classes are about a two minute walk from here

Food Outtake

2010-03-13T18:54:00.000+08:00

Outtake from a food shoot I did yesterday... see me on the right side?!

Cyberport, Hong Kong

2010-03-07T12:28:00.000+08:00

Outtake from a shoot I did near Cyberport last month. Looking south over the South China Sea with Lamma Island on the right.

Tolo Sunset

2010-03-07T12:21:00.000+08:00

Tolo Harbor before sunset

Bike Porn 2

2010-03-07T12:13:00.000+08:00

It never ceases to amaze me how many different kinds of folding/portable/super tiny bicycles there are out there, especially here in Hong Kong. This one actually has larger wheels than a sizable number of others.

Bike Porn

2010-03-07T12:07:00.000+08:00

Ferring on the Trice ICE near the top of Lion Rock in Kowloon, Hong Kong.

Mongkok Rooftop

2010-03-07T11:48:00.000+08:00

Density is a very interesting thing that warps and twists the shape of districts and cities. In Mongkok it has shaped the way that people live, especially considering that there are an estimated 140,000 people/sq km! Any building may have five or more floors of retail shops and restaurants below, at and above ground level and sometimes hundreds of people living in flats and apartments above those!

Oddly though a lot of the rooftops are fairly quiet and empty. Some of them are filled with lush gardens and swimming pools and ropes tethered to random items to hang laundry out to dry, but this sight really caught my attention because of the oddity of it... a bicycle and jump rope fifteen floors above the streets

Hong Kong Panorama

2010-03-06T21:06:00.000+08:00

Quick photo taken last night from an array of antennae above Lion Rock in Kowloon. The view is looking south over the old Kai Tak Airport and Kowloon Peninsula with Hong Kong Island and Victoria Harbor in the distance. Photo was stitched together from three images

Long Update

2010-02-17T15:32:00.000+08:00

Sorry that it has been so long since the last update on this blog. I suppose that life has just been crazy and busy lately, for better or worse.

My last entry on this blog was from the beginning of December there is a lot to catch up on. First of all, just a "few" pictures from recent shoots and whatnot...

Srawak, Brunei & Sabah

2009-12-08T21:45:00.000+08:00

Back in Hong Kong now and back to the dreary weather, polluted skies and masses of people. It is really interesting to consider that in all of Sabah and Sarawak (Malaysian Borneo) there are only 5 million people, whichc is a few million less than here!

The city of Kuching is split in half by a river, and at the city center the only way to cross the river is by boat. Most of the locals pay 1RM to cross the river, but a lot of the boat drivers try to ring more money out of you if you are not Malaysian.

Satay is one of the specialties of Sarawak cuisine. Delicious in every way, can get chicken, beef, mutton and even fish. The best part of the satay though is the sauce, which is usually a peanut sauce similar to that in Thailand.

Of course, in Kuching, cats are everywhere. They are everywhere all around Sarawak and Sabah for that matter though. Most of them have short or non-existant tails and I still do not know why.

Typical scene from "the other side" of the river in Kuching. Lots of small motorcycles and scooters carrying entire families!

No trip through Brunei is complete without a visit to this structure. The Sultan of Brunei has an enourmous amount of money and this is just one example of what may be found in Bandar Seri Begawan.

Waiting around at a bus station in Suria, Brunei. The country is much bigger than it first seems. From Miri, Sarawak, Malaysia to Suria is a 2-hour bus ride, and from Suria to Bandar is another couple of hours.

During Fridays and weekends in Kota Kinabaly there are some fantastic street food vendors set up near Jolon Gaya. This was dinner one night. Cooked to perfection with all sorts of chilis and vegetables added to the fried tofu, it tastes absolutely divine.

Food seems to be a running theme throughout all of my Borneo pictures. This is Black Pepper Chicken along with the standard Iced Coffee that I've become addicted to. The sauce has a perfect blend of flavor and spice and even brought beads of sweat to the forehead!

Kuching "Cat City" Malaysia

2009-11-29T18:45:00.000+08:00

Right now I am in Kuching, which translates to "Cat City." It is the far western city in Sarawak, which is the western province of Malaysian Borneo and the biggest state in the country. Tomorrow night I'll start the slow process of getting back to Kota Kinabalu in time for some hiking around the mountain areas of Sabah and then, sadly, heading back to Hong Kong (not so sad actually, I love it there and am somewhat excited to get back to the city and bike on a proper recumbent instead of the things they have here)

Here are a couple of pictures I took today in Kuching. There are tons more, but they will have to wait for another day to get posted :)

Borneo

2009-11-26T18:09:00.001+08:00

Been in Malaysia for a while now and finally got the computer convert a few RAW files to JPGs so I could post on here!

So, what to say? Kota Kinabalu is a cool place with some of the most incredible sunsets I have ever seen.

The formatting of this will be fixed when I get back to HK in a week and a half or so. Internet here is a little bit on the slow side, so have not been able to add any of the images to my regular website. Also, expect some really fantastic news before the new year!!! (Its enough to say that I have not been this stoked in a very long time...)

Mong Kok Wet Market

2009-11-17T00:26:00.000+08:00

Strings of dried fish hanging in stairways in the corner of the main wet market in Mong Kok, Hong Kong. No space is every wasted in places like this, and the stairwars are an ideal place to hand strings of freshly caught fish.

Bike Shop and Borneo

2009-11-16T21:21:00.000+08:00

Cyclist pumping air into his bike's tires in Science Park, Hong Kong.

In about 22 hours I should be 7 kilometers above the surface of the earth, racing south towards Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia at 800km/hr. Taking a few weeks to explore Malaysian Borneo and hopefully create some really beautiful and unique images too. Won't be getting back to HK until December, so updates on this photo blog may not be very numerous.

Through the Viewfinder (TtV)

2009-11-10T00:18:00.000+08:00

A little more creative dabbling on a project I started a couple of years ago while attending school in the state of Wyoming, USA. Its commonly referred to as TtV, or "Through the Viewfinder" photography and is rather enjoyable. Basically, take any tlr (twin lens reflex) camera and use your digital camera to take a picture of the viewfinder. Most people use something cheap like a Yashika or Kodak made of almost all plastic and with horrible optics and picture quality, but I prefer to use my trusty old Mamiya C330 tlr (I still use it with film occasionally and the negatives, scans and prints are beyond beautiful) The ground glass viewfinder on the Mamiya is gigantic and incredibly bright, which is always a pleasure to see.

The image in the viewfinder is actually in color, but since I always load b&w film into it I found this to be a little more appropriate.

Hong Kong Cycling and Fishing

2009-11-08T00:11:00.000+08:00

Along the waterfront of Tolo Harbor there is a nice cycling path. It runs all around the harbor and eventually across the reservoir with branches in every direction inland. Basically, from Ma On Shan to Tai Po its possible to stay right next to the water on this path.

A view of Tolo Harbor in Hong Kong's New Territories. The white cluster of buildings on the left side is aptly nicknamed the Beehive because of a striking resemblance from some angles. Its a very refreshing break from the typical architecture of HK. All along the waterfront from Ma On Shan to Tai Po there are people fishing like this guy.

Tai O Fishing Village

2009-11-04T01:39:00.002+08:00

Buying fruit and vegetables at one of the many stands along the walkways through the village.

Typical scene in the early evening at Tai O.

In case anyone was wondering, this is indeed a dried headless shark skin! One of the wonderful things about Chinese food is that absolutely nothing is wasted, and, with an open mind to try new things, a lot of the food is actually really tasty. On the contrary though there are some things that are extremely far from being tasty too.

Along the waterfront at Tai O fishing village.

Along the waterfront at Tai O fishing village.

Tai O (traditional Chinese: 大澳) is a fishing town, partly located on an island of the same name, on the western side of Lantau Island in Hong Kong.

On the main part of Lantau, a river splits to the north and west and at this fork lies the island referred to as Tai O. Two pedestrian bridges cross the river on its northern and western forks. The village is located mostly on the banks of the river. The western and northern parts of the island facing the South China Sea are uninhabited.

Nearby archaeological sites date back to the Stone Age, but permanent, and verifiable, human settlement here is only three centuries old. Stories that would be impossible to substantiate have Tai O as the base of many smuggling and piracy operations, the inlets of the river providing excellent protection from the weather and a hiding place. In early 16th century, Tai O was once occupied shortly by Portuguese during Battle of Tãmão. At nearby Fan Lau, a fort was built in 1729 to protect shipping on the Pearl River. Smuggling of guns, tobacco, drugs and people remains a documented illegal activity both into and out of mainland China.

When the British came to Hong Kong, Tai O was known as a Tanka village. During and after the Chinese Civil War, Tai O became a primary entrypoint for illegal immigration for those escaping from the People's Republic of China. Some of these immigrants, mostly Han Chinese, stayed in Tai O, and Tai O attracted people from other Hong Kong ethnic groups, including Hoklo (Hokkien) and Hakka.

Tai O has a history of salt production. In 1940, it was recorded that the Tai Po salt marshes were covering 70 acres and that the production has amounted to 25,000 piculs (1,512 metric tons) in 1938.

Currently the fishing lifestyle is dying out. While many residents continue to fish, it barely provides a subsistence income. There is a public school on the island and most young people move away when they come of age. In 2000 a large fire broke out destroying many residences. The village is now mostly squatters huts and dilapidated stilt houses.

Source: Wikipedia

Goldfish Market

2009-11-03T23:38:00.000+08:00

Another of the many cool markets to be found in Mong Kok is the so-called Goldfish Market. There is a two block section along Tung Choi Street to the east of Prince Edward Station (MTR - Tsuen Wan Line) and features dozens, if not hundreds, of shops dedicated solely to aquarium fish and fish products. There are hundreds of types of fish for sale. More sizes and shapes than any normal person has ever seen can be found in the shops along the street and some of them make Charles Darwin look like a fool because they are alive and well! Its worth checking out and a bunch of the shops have some really incredible aquariums set up for both freshwater and saltwater fish with live plants and coral and everything!

Ladies' Market

2009-11-03T23:31:00.000+08:00

Hong Kong's infamous Ladies Market is located in the heart Mong Kok in the section of Tung Choi Street between Argyle Street and Dundas Street. It is also referred to as Women's Street (Temple Street is the so-called "Man's Street").

To be honest, most of the stuff for sale at the Ladies Market is overpriced and of poor quality. It is where the hoards of tourists go to shop and experience the logic-defying crowds of Mong Kok, especially during the hours after sunset. Shirts, Skirts, Pants, Blouses and all kinds of other clothing can be found here as well as more watches than most people have seen in their lifetime. Be prepared to haggle quite a bit to get a price thats actually representative of whatever is being bought. For guilos like myself the starting price can be expected to be 2-3 times more than the actual price.

Sai Yeung Choi Street

2009-11-03T23:24:00.000+08:00

Sai Yeung Choi Street in Mong Kok, Hong Kong is one of the coolest places in the world if you feel like being an electronics or photo nerd for even a moment. On this street it is possible to find the newest and greatest camera equipment, laptop computers, cell phones and almost anything else imaginable in that product type. If the camera shops and supercenters in New York City are sold out of a camera that just got released (or hasn't been officially released yet) there is guaranteed to be at least one somewhere on this street. Its located in Mong Kok, Hong Kong and is fairly peaceful during the daytime, but once people start getting off work for the day the street becomes extremely crowded and every spot is buzzing with activity and noise.

Cheung Chau

2009-11-02T21:11:00.000+08:00

Cheung Chau is one of the cooler islands in Hong Kong. It is really tiny though, enough so that two hours is ample time to walk the circumference of it without breaking a sweat! (Unless it is summertime, in which case being outside will make you sweat like a pig no matter what) There are no personal motor vehicles on the island, which is cool. Everyone gets around via walking or bicycle and the only to get to and from the island is on a ferry. Its a very green community in all sorts of senses and a pleasure to visit.

Hong Kong Mid-Levels

2009-10-29T00:43:00.000+08:00

Quick picture of the Mid-Levels below Victoria Peak on Hong Kong Island. Was walking from Wan Chai a little ways up the hill and came across this scene as the sun was setting. It still amazes me how beautiful the city here is, with structures leaping from the ground on the sides of mountains surrounded by dense jungle and housing hundreds, sometimes thousands of people in a single building.

Victoria Harbor Hong Kong

2009-10-27T21:19:00.003+08:00

Victoria Harbor and the infamous Hong Kong Skyline are a couple of the most photographed spots in Asia. Although there are quicker options to cross the harbor by taxi or car in one of the tunnels or on the MTR lines that access Hong Kong Island, many people still use ferries like this one regularly. A trip from Tsim Sha Tsui to Wan Chai or Central takes about nine minutes and offers some really nice views of the city. This particular image was taken from the waterfront in Tsim Sha Tsui.

Father down the waterfront in Tsim Sha Tsui are quieter and less touristy places which offer equally nice views of the skyline on Hong Kong Island. This was taken near the Hung Hom MTR station along the waterfront.

Hong Kong is known worldwide for its food. In addition to having its own specialties of Dim Sum and "stinky tofu" along with many other things, Hong Kong offers some of the best ethnic food from all around Asia. Sushi restaurants can be found on almost every street and block in the densely populated Kowloon Peninsula and are very easy to stumble across in the New Territories. This sushi was at a place in Festival Walk not too far from the Sha Tin MTR station.

Canon 7D

2009-10-23T23:17:00.000+08:00

Test shot with the new Canon 7D! Picked up the camera yesterday at one of the shops on Mong Kok's famous Sai Yueng Choi South Street. Buying cameras and electronics in HK is a simply wonderful experience, as the prices are unbeatable. And, providing you go to the right shops, the camera or whatever else you may be buying is not from the 'grey market' but rather a completely legitimate piece of equipment!

Anyways, took this earlier. It is Hong Kong's famous skyline yet again (get used to it, there will be lots of skyline pictures from now on). Settings: ISO 100, F/22, 30s, 17mm, Canon 7D

The colour may be a bit off on the picture above, but that is 100% human error. Forgot to change the K-Temp from earlier in the day and this image is 100% unedited except for a very very slight realignment/crop.

The video capabilities of the camera are pure quality as well. Once I learn how to shoot them properly I'll add a clip to Vimeo and embed something here on the blog.

Fa Yuen Mong Kok

2009-10-19T22:43:00.004+08:00

Been a busy first week in Hong Kong. Heck, it hasn't even been a week yet! Well, some news first: one of the pictures I took in Kashgar over the summer placed well in a photo contest and will be published in an Asian magazine! Can't say which mag right now because of a confidentiality thing, but I'll make sure to upload some pictures of the spread and full details when it comes out in December! (Picture is of a Uyghur man in Kashgar)

Second bit of news is that one of my photo stories was featured by JPG Magazine! Check it out, and, if you like the images enough, please vote for the story to get published! (although featured online is cool enough as it is!) Karakoram Highway

This is another new pic I took today. It is the Fa Yuen Street Market in Mong Kok, an awesome place to buy cheap clothing (really good quality too) and amazing fresh fruit.

Mong Kok

2009-10-18T20:52:00.000+08:00

This was taken earlier tonight looking west over Mong Kok, Hong Kong. Mong Kok is the most densely populated area in the world, and for now, the place I call home. Its estimated that there is an average of 130,000 people per sq. km. Home to many famous markets specializing in anything from flowers to high-tech computers and cell phones, Mong Kok is an absolutely incredible place where there is never a dull moment. Whoever gave New York City the title of 'the city that never sleeps' obviously didn't know about Mong Kok!

I have been in the country for a few days now and am ready to get everything started with my new life. The hardest part is getting out of the apartment. Not because of culture shock (thats what I got in the United States, not here) but rather a matter of forcing my legs to operate as they should. A couple of nights ago my cousin and I both had our idiot hats on and participated in a 40km nighttime hiking race on Lantau Island. The first 35km were not bad at all, but the last 5km included a rather brutal climb up Lantau Peak, starting near sea level and rising up to the peak (934m) within a distance of around 1.3km before an even more painful descent down the opposite side.

Back to Hong Kong

2009-10-15T09:51:00.005+08:00

Over the last week I had the privilege to attend the Eddie Adams Workshop in upstate New York. To say it was incredible would be a drastic understatement, as there is nothing out there that can compare to it.

The people I met, both students and pro's at the top of their field, were such an inspiration. What I learned from them is beyond comprehension and will most likely take weeks, if not months to fully process.

I would like to sincerely thank all of the sponsors of the workshop, the editors and photographers who took time out of their busy schedules, my fellow students and everyone else who made this once-in-a-lifetime experience possible.

The workshop was the single reason why I went back to the States after this summer and it was worth every single bit. Above is an iPhone picture from the window of the plane I took to my new life as an expat shortly after the end of EAW XXII. From the workshop and New York I got on a plane to Hong Kong and slept for 14 of the 16 hour flight. This was somewhere over Siberia.

To everyone else who had the opportunity to go to EAW, I hope that you had as good a time as I did. You are all truly inspirational and I hope to keep in touch with all of you. Thanks for making it such a great experience.

Hong Kong, Eddie Adams Workshop and Life

2009-10-05T04:50:00.002+08:00

To say that the next two weeks will be busy and full of change would be the understatement of my life so far. I have been back in the United States for roughly six weeks and my time here is rapidly approaching an end. For the past month I have been on the East Coast building my new website and blog and preparing for a new life.

Today is Sunday. On Friday the Eddie Adams Workshop begins. It is said to be one of the most prestigious workshops in the country, if not the world. 100 "students" (a combination of university students and pro's, some young and some not so young) gather in Jeffersonville, New York for four of the most intensive days imaginable. To teach and assist at the workshop are 100+ professionals including Pulitzer winners, editors from major national and international publications and agencies and simply some of the best shooters out there. I applied for the workshop earlier this year, before I initially left for Asia and was not expecting to get in at all. They must have made some sort of mistake when they sent out acceptance emails because one popped into my inbox while I was in Kashgar, China!

The four days of the workshop will be filled with portfolio reviews, having the opportunity to talk to the best people in the industry and, of course, taking some photos too. It is not uncommon to get three hours or less of sleep each night. To be honest, I'm nervous as hell! I've seen the work of the other participants who were also accepted into the workshop and it is nothing short of amazing and beautiful in every regard.

Monday night marks the end of the workshop and Tuesday morning marks the beginning of my life as an ex-pat. For those who are new here, a couple of months ago I decided to finally give photojournalism school in the States a swift kick out the door because it was not adapting to the rapidly changing industry or challenging in any way. The work being produced by fellow students had no individuality or personal style and was geared towards a clientele that I have no interest in. Courses being taught were preparing students for an industry that is on its last legs and is whose workforce is now supersaturated with photographers with 20+ years of experience and no job.

University was far from being the only factor in the decision. Another big factor was that I felt at home in Asia. To me, home is not a specific house or a town or even a city, but rather a state of mind. That state of mind has always made me feel uncomfortable and awkward in the United States, and to remove those negative aspects was one of the most incredible experiences I've been privileged to have. Perhaps the most important thing that aided my choice to become an ex-pat is my photography. From an imagery point of view, I discovered myself while in Asia. Photographing the people and cultures of the few parts I traveled to opened my eye through the viewfinder to an entirely different level from where it was during university.

I will be unable to post anything new on this blog until I am in Hong Kong, but will try my hardest to make sure it doesn't take too terribly wrong.

To wrap up this post is a picture I took from Denver International Airport earlier this year... I find it very appropriate for this post. Thank you for reading thus far.

Kashgar: Fabled City of the Ancient Silk Route

2009-10-01T12:21:00.003+08:00

Kashgar, located in China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, lies at the heart of Central Asia along the ancient Silk Route. Many of the city's 350,000 residents lead a simple life reminiscent of the past. A bustling old town district with mud and clay houses, dusty alleyways and thriving markets selling everything from dried lizards for medicinal purposes to rare spices from Tajikistan and India. Traditional trades are commonplace, with copper pots being pounded into shape with rustic hammers alongside kebab stands and mosques.

In recent decades, aggressive immigration policies set in place by the Chinese government in Beijing has drawn thousands of Han Chinese to Kashgar with promises of wealth and fame. Kashgar as it was known as recently as 1980 is fading away. The old walls that once protected the city from Mongols are being torn down and replaced with cheap Chinese high-rise buildings. Much of the old town area is already gone and what little is left is being destroyed in the name of Chinese prosperity.

At the current rate, there will only be a handful of traditional structures left standing in twenty years and the city will become fully Chinese.

Uyghur Child in the Old Town district of Kashgar.

Muslim Uyghur woman in Kashgar.

Uyghur man holding the reigns to a donkey he bought at the Livestock Market in Kashgar.

Uyghur men selling spices from India to Tajikistan at the Sunday Market in Kashgar.

Uyghur man scraping hair off lamb heads with a wire brush in Old Town Kashgar.

Uyghur men making naan bread in Old Town Kashgar.

Uyghur blacksmiths in Old Town Kashgar.

Cityscape of Kashgar with Old Town in the center surrounded by new Han Chinese buildings.

Links to images included in this blog post:
Poverty Child, Muslim Woman, Kashgar Livestock Market Donkey, Kashgar Sunday Market Spices, Lamb Heads, Naan Bread, Uyghur Blacksmith, Disappearing Kashgar

To view more of my photos of Kashgar and Uyghur people in China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, please click on the colored links.

I traveled to Kashgar in June/July 2009. It is an absolutely beautiful city that I fell in love with and will be returning to again, hopefully before the Old Town is bulldozed by the Chinese government. While I was there (also in Urumqi) it was easy to see the tensions between the Uyghur and Han Chinese populations. Rampant racism, both visible and audible, was a very depressing thing to experience. I remember talking to some Han Chinese at a restaurant in Urumqi and when I asked them about their thoughts on Uyghurs and the destruction of their main city, the Hans replied saying they hated the Uyghurs because they were not Chinese. They were a part of China, but they would be better off without them.

When I asked Uyghurs about the Chinese and what was happening to their city, they did not want to speak about it. They knew and understood what was happening and one elderly Uyghur man told me that they were all aware of what was happening and there was nothing anyone could do about it. He said that while Tibet got all of the world's attention, China was free to do whatever they desired in Xinjiang and Kashgar and get away with horrible things with no punishment from the outside world.

Karakoram Highway

2009-09-30T12:59:00.004+08:00

More than two months after finishing my journey along the Karakoram Highway from Kashgar, China to Rawalpindi, Pakistan I finished a photo essay about the highway. The KKH is the world's highest paved international road. Not to make "paved" sound like luxury, but, well, I will let the pictures to the speaking in that regard! The Karakoram Highway was completed in 1986 and provided the quickest overland route between Pakistan and China. After 20 years of being open and used, the road was in a state of complete decay and unsafe to travel on. The journey which should have taken 14 hours was taking up to three days.

That was in 2006. Now the road is going through reconstruction by Chinese companies and Chinese workers (on both the Pakistani and Chinese sides of the road).

I made the journey in early July and took my time along the way. Started in Kashgar, China and went from there on a NATCO Pakistani bus to Lake Kara Kul, which is an absolutely beautiful (and cold enough to actually freeze my water bottle in less than 20 minutes!). From Kara Kul to Tashkurgan I hitched a ride on another bus for about 30 RMB. This was a private bus company, but in all honesty, all of the buses in this part of the world are basically the same.

Bus at a Passport checkpost between Tashkurgan and Khunjerab Pass.

Tashkurgan is the last town in China before the long climb up to Khunjerab Pass and the border between China and Pakistan. After the Pass it is a frighteningly steep and windy thin dirt road that possesses more switchbacks than the Yankees have World Series titles.
Inside the NATCO (run by the Pakistani Government) bus

Khunjerab Pass, at 4693m above sea level, is the physical land border of Pakistan and China along the Karakoram Highway.

Farther along the road is Sust, the first town in Pakistan (coming from the Chinese side). After Sust it is a journey to try to get anywhere. Bus schedules go out the window and most people try to negotiate rides with the locals who prey on tourists, but it is still a bargain. Buses do go through Sust, but not very often. I ended up sharing a taxi with some Chinese people and ended up in a town in the middle of nowhere in the northern edge of the Hunza Valley. Taxi got a flat tire and was out of gas, but the village was really cool. Small place and incredibly friendly people. One of the families there was having a wedding the next day, so tons of relatives were in town from all over Pakistan. Talked to the family of the groom-to-be while the Chinese people frantically tried to find another ride down to Karamibad.
One of the many switchbacks along the route down from Khunjerab Pass to the valley floor in Hunza.

Inside of the taxi that got the flat. Rockslides and rockfall along the KKH are nothing to be jokes about. It was difficult to find any vehicle in running order that did not have dents in them or cracked windshields and mirrors.

Its nice to not have a set schedule while traveling like this. Minor setbacks like a flat tire in the middle of nowhere are not a bad thing. They allow you to step out and really see places that haven't been destroyed yet, by tourism, capitalism, communism or whatever else it may be.

Anyways, from the place of the flat tire, ended up in the back of a Jeep, hanging half-way out a back window and savoring every single bump, dip and gigantic rock or detour from the unpaved torn-up road at night. Its all good though. Where is the fun if you go somewhere or do something and have no stories to tell from them?
Most of the road in the Hunza Valley looked like this. Hard packed dirt and tractors or giant trucks with all kinds of colorful shiny and clanky metal things dangling everywhere. The peaks are beyond beautiful and the sense of scale just defies everything I thought possible. The peaks in the background in the picture above are not tiny. From the base of the valley floor to the top of the peaks is about 2000m.

Just another view of the road from inside a Jeep. On the right it drops off a good 20m and on the left is a 50m pure vertical jump to the next layer of the road.

These people were heading up to the wedding a farther north. Our Jeep and driver were from the town the wedding was in and these people were asking about the road conditions.

Links to images included in this blog post:
Karakoram Highway Passport Checkpoint, NATCO Bus, Khunjerab Pass, Karakoram Highway Switchbacks, Cracked Taxi Windshield, Upper Hunza Valley, Karakoram Highway, Karakoram Highway Van

First Post, NYC Taxi

2009-09-23T11:27:00.000+08:00

First post on the new blog in conjunction with my new website Hong Kong Editorial and Travel Photographer Tim Martin! This photo was taken earlier this evening in Times Square, New York City. NYC has more than 10,000 taxis and these are just two of them, at Times Square in Manhattan.

Also, earlier tonight I met with a small group of other photographers who were accepted into the Eddie Adams Workshop in upstate New York! It was great to meet some of the shooters who will be attending and they were all really down-to-earth people. At the workshop John Moore will be my team (Forrest Green) leader and it is a bit intimidating! Pulitzer Prize winner, phenomenal photographer and someone who I admire for his incredible ability to capture emotion and a sense of actually being there. I remember seeing his pictures on the front page of every newspaper and news website after the assassination of Benazir Bhutto and actually feeling like the pictures took me right into the moment. Very powerful images that everyone should take a look at if they are not familiar with them already.