Colliding Continents - For The Adventurer Within

Monday, June 30, 2008

CitizenM Hotels

CitizenM, short for Citizen Mobile (def: modern individuals are explorers, culture-seekers, professionals and shoppers... independent, share a respect for the places they visit and are young at heart. read more here), has opened a new hotel at Amsterdam Airport. The CitizenM concept: around affordable luxury for all.

Each of the rooms have floor to ceiling windows, touch screen mood pads which allow for customization of the rooms lighting features, temperature and music. Once all of these settings are personalized gusts simply swipe their key cards and the settings are saved.

Check out the CitizenM website for more info on their locations around the world.

Written at 2:11 PM by Sebastien.

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Aussie PM Not Happy with Tourism Campaign...

...but why? Sure, it may be a little offensive but I think that it is a good representation of the direct and very relaxed Australian nature. Personally, I feel that the target marketing was all wrong. Airing this in more conservative countries with ties to the Commonwealth would be faux pax. In the US though, I'm sure it is...well, very Australian. What do you think - shall we go Outback tonight?

Written at 2:00 PM by Sebastien.

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Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Space for Everyone!

After realizing that most people don't have millions of dollars for a quick trip to the moon, Sir Richard Branson is now offering a cheaper alternative to viewing the Earth. For $200 you can spend five minutes in sub-orbital flight and take a couple of quick snapshots of the Earth.

According to Virgin Galactic Commercial Director, Steven Attenborough, "This is about enabling tens of thousands of people from all around the world to get that unique astronaut experience. Looking out to the blackness of space. Experiencing zero gravity,”

The Spaceship 2, developed by Virgin Galactic, will carry six people and a pilot into the great unknown. People are lining up for the experience, 85,000 so far, and I don't blame them. I would more than gladly pay $200 for a quick peek outside of this pond!

Written at 10:22 AM by Sebastien.

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Monday, June 23, 2008

Cabo Chilled Out

In a land where $7 = 2 shots of tequila and 2 Pacificos (Beer) a quiet night may not be what is in store for you. As for myself I decided to have a calm evening in one of the "Spring Break Capitols of the World." Is it possible? YES, how? well...

A sunset cruise is a must. Why not start off the evening with a tour around the Sea of Cortes and a cocktail in hand. $25 gets you a 2-3 hour ride and all the margaritas and tequila sunrises you can handle. You can also opt for the whale watching tour which happens to be more expensive (go figure) and is marketed as more adventurous.

The funny thing is that as we were cruising along nicely a boat filled with tourists in bright red life jackets sped right by us. I asked the captain what that was all about and he said "Oh, they are looking for whales. Would you like to see one?" Why not! So I sat back and sure enough our captain found us a female humpback and her calf. My sunset cruise was complete with a pair of silhouetted tails in the waning sun. The southern tip of Baja California is pretty much the halfway point for the humpback migration. So if you go out to the Sea of Cortes during the right season you won't miss the friendly giants.

A fantastic meal at Mariscos de Mazatlan is the only way to keep your calm tour of Cabo on schedule. Honestly, I haven't had such great seafood like this since I lived in Indonesia. Hidden far from the insanity of the Lazaro Cardenas, located on Narciso Mendoza at 20^th de Noviembre The atmosphere is amazing, the tourist hype is minimal, and the local presence is very comforting. I decided to test my stomach, challenging the ancient curse of Montezuma (I'm sure you can gather what that means!) which has plagued many a traveler and I ordered raw shrimp with grated jalapeños and vinegar to start off the night. To tell you the truth each bite was worth the swollen lips I sported for the remainder of the evening. The quality to peso ratio is great, the food is fresh, the ambiance is lively, plastic chairs and all - simply perfect.

During my stay in Cabo San Lucas I had the opportunity to sample almost everything that was on the menu at Mariscos. You have to understand that CSL is not a huge place and most of the local business' cater to the hordes of American tourists that flock to the Sea of Cortes regularly. So this basically means you have to look a little harder to find out where the locals go to get good eats, and Marsicos is one of those places...hence my thorough sampling of their menu. The grilled red snapper is a sure thing as well as the lobster and don't be surprised by the local mariachis that come by your table. At first it is a little uncomfortable having five men sing to you, but after the third or fourth cervesa that feeling subsides.

Total average rain fall in CSL is a whopping 1-3 inches per year, the stars are out just about every single night and the best place to stare at them while you digest is at the Fumari Cafe located right on the Lazaro Cardenas. Although it is located on the main thoroughfare sitting on the roof, enjoying a nice hookah while watching the stars above transports you somewhere completely far away from all the tourists. They have a great selection of espressos and hookahs. Sitting outside is a must and is best at night.

And that my friends is Cabo chilled out.

Written at 4:10 PM by Sebastien.

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Beware the Jelly

If you are headed over to the Mediterranean this summer make sure to watch for the jelly fish which have apparently been breeding rampantly this summer. The conditions seem to be absolutely perfect for the mass spawning.

According to the Telegraph, tourism hot spots like Cannes have been going out of their way to protect their visitors. The French have erected nets and their Spanish neighbors have hired local fishermen to fish out the pesty stinging creatures!

So bring sun screen and try not to get stung!

Written at 3:12 PM by Sebastien.

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Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Bombay Sapphire Spirit of Exploration

So, I was recently asked to participate in the Bombay Sapphire Spirit of Exploration Blog. I hope I did the traveling world justice. Please check out my posting and vote for yours truly!!

Written at 10:37 AM by Sebastien.

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Friday, June 06, 2008

U St. Marching Band

You don't have to go far to find first hand pure 100% unfiltered culture, sometimes it finds you. I live in the U St. area of Washington, DC which has a strong African American heritage. One morning I woke up to music, very loud music. Was the circus in town? Nope.

Written at 10:48 PM by Sebastien.

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A New Stage

Travel is a 360 degree experience. There is only so much my writing can convey about an experience, and there is a saying that a picture is worth a thousand words, so does that mean video is worth a thousand words for each frame? I hope so.

Although I will not abandon my writing, I do hope to convey a sense of discovery and exposure to culture through the videos that I have been and will be working on going forward. I believe that writing leaves more for the imagination but sometimes seeing brings a viewer closer to an experience. I hope to do just that, so please sit back and enjoy the experiences.

Sincerely,

Sebastien

Written at 10:26 PM by Sebastien.

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Thursday, June 05, 2008

Greece '97

illy coffee in the pouring rain. That is what I first think of when I reminisce about my trip to Greece in 1997. Then my wandering through La Placa in Athens, finding myself in a 'men's only' cafe where women were not allowed. I didn't realize this until I looked up from my coffee and noticed the significant amount of men and severe lack of women, to my dismay. At first I thought it was a gay bar, but in fact it was not.

During my wanderings in La Placa, I discovered something which every traveler hopes to find and every guide book wishes point out. Tucked away behind a wrought iron gate covered with ivy was a restaurant which served amazing Greek cuisine. From the street you can barely see that it is a restaurant, it seemed more like a garden with a private party. Although, if you look close enough you will see a sign on the gate door and a door handle at waist height.

Not a single foreign face amongst the patrons. Since I never don the traditional garb of tourist or backpacker and given my complexion and dark features (which often confuses many people) I avoided the looks that foreigners receive from locals when arriving upon something forbidden to outsiders. I am also Helvetian and when you tell someone from Greece that you are from the Confederation of Helvetica they seem to accept you more. It must be the Greek root word of Helena that turns them on. Helvetica, by the way, is the Latin name for Switzerland.

I sat outside and watched the sky turn from yellow to a solid blue through grape vines which ran across the small garden. Somehow, in the middle of La Placa I found myself in what felt like someone's backyard, looking up at the sky, enjoying a fantastic meal away from all the noises of a tourist tap.

As the night took full hold of Athens the lights of the city illuminate the ancient metropolis. small lanterns light up the stalls and, maybe it was the wine, but there was something romantic about it all. Roaming past all the stalls, I always found myself at an illy cafe (which by the way is all over Europe). It was almost like a tradition before I went to sleep, that and my walk past the temple of Zeus which at the time equated to a couple of pillars and stone slabs which were illuminated with deep green, blue and violet lights.

My time in Athens was very short and would be again four years later. On this particular trip I traveled all over Greece, the next time around I found myself in Crete. I look forward to going back to Athens but maybe I'd like to keep my experience the way it is....mine.

Written at 3:25 PM by Sebastien.

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Justin Guariglia – Ten Tips on how to photograph a foreign place from the inside

I originally posted this on my blog, dcfotoarts.blogspot.com, yesterday. I added it here since it relates to travel photography.

Justin Guariglia offers his tips on taking culturally accurate travel images.

To me, most of these tips are common sense. Some just crack me up. Par exemple, tip #1: "Have an interest in the culture you're photographing". Well duh, you made the effort to get all the way out there so I assume the traveler/photographer has some sort of interest. But I can see this being applicable to a fotog who has to come up with a story on small town-nowhere.

Buuuut, the more I read these, the more I feel that they are valid and good advice for all travelers, not just ones with cameras in hand.

The one I am most impressed by is #6, See movies or work of photographers from the region to get to know culture’s visual aesthetic. I simply hadn’t thought about this before, and I think its great research to do before traveling somewhere.

For techy people, refer to #s 4 and 5. Some people think that the more equipment they have the better the shot, and this (to a degree) is just not true. Photography is an aesthetic perception of one’s surroundings or ideas. One thing I didn’t like about the Karnow lecture was her comment that she is good at manipulating a situation to make it look real. Yuck, I hate the very idea of it. I love natural lighting and have only started using flashes November of last year. I love my SB-800, but you won’t see me trekking around Peru with 5 additional artificial light sources.

Tip #3 is vital in order to get a good local sense of the place. For example, the Lonely Planet guide was my father’s bible when we traveled to Vietnam. We hit all the restaurants it recommended and I really wasn’t impressed at all. About a week into the trip I caught a terrible cold in Hoi An and craved nothing but pho (beef noodle soup). We made our way to a local noodle stand where no tourists were seen. To the amusement and amazement of the shop owner, I devoured three bowls. That was the best damn soup I’ve ever had, and we wouldn’t have found it in Lonely Planet. Lesson of the story: you can use guidebooks to a certain point, but talk to the people there if you want a true experience.

Along with that is #8. At the Nat Geo lecture with Catherine Karnow back in February, she suggested walking around for the first few days with camera in tow but not shooting. This helps to slowly integrate you and not come off as the asshole travel-paparazzi (my interpretation of her words) to the locals.

#9 also stands true. Landscapes are beautiful, but that’s because you are experiencing it. Show people experiencing the beauty (or ugliness) of a place. It can only make your image stronger.

(P.s. I left out #10 because although I am guilty of this, I also feel that as a photographer you should be mindful and selective of the images you capture, and shooting on auto-mass mode doesn’t necessarily a good photo make).

Guariglia will be presenting a lecture at National Geographic on his experience photographing inside a Shaolin temple, whose monks rarely allow cameras into their environment. Let's see how he's incorporated his travel shooting tips. See you there!

Read more on Tara's ramblings on photography at dcfotoarts.blogspot.com

Written at 10:02 AM by tara.k foto.

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