Colliding Continents

Dubai Vids Online - The Center of Now

noreply@blogger.com (Sebastien) — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 13:45:00 +0000

I am starting to find a series of these videos promoting downtown Dubai. What caught my eye is not only that it is filmed in a very romantic and luxurious travel-music-video-esque style but it is marketed that way. I found this particular video on one of Vimeo's travel groups.

Overall it is shot very well and certainly sends out the right feelings of intrigue.

Here is another:

Here are some stills from the videos:

Shag Score

noreply@blogger.com (Sebastien) — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 15:48:00 +0000

There is a new site in town that uses a "romantic algorithm" to calculate your "shag-ability" based on what you have planned for your date. It is pretty neat because it is purely based on search technology used on travel sites. The site is called shagscore.com....check it out:

Discover Your Shagscore from Uptake Vlogger on Vimeo.

Chase the Dream

noreply@blogger.com (Sebastien) — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 19:14:00 +0000

This is an amazing piece by Astray Films that really drives home the value of pursuing your passion. Be it travel, photography, film, writing...whatever. Get out there and chase the dream. At the very least you will be happy.

Here are some screen shots. You can see the original video here.

Timescapes: Rapture by Tom Lowe

noreply@blogger.com (Sebastien) — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 16:12:00 +0000

Oh my, it has been wayyy to long since I've posted anything and I do apologize for that. The truth is that I've been working on set for a feature film and it has been consuming my life for a while. The great news is that I'm back and it's time to get more travel vids up!

This particular piece is called Timescapes: Rapture by Tom Lowe. It is a great piece on the American southwest.

Filmmaker's notes:

This is production footage I shot over the summer for my debut film, "TimeScapes," a modern portrait of the American Southwest. I used Canon and Red MX cameras.

Follow the production of the film at: twitter.com/timescapes

Also here: timescapes.org and here timescapes.org/blog

A huge thank you to my assistants/Associate Producers who helped me film this, Dustin Kukuk (twitter.com/drkanab), Nilo Recalde (twitter.com/nilomr) and Chris M (twitter.com/visceralway). And, as always, my most sincere and humble respect goes to Ron Fricke, Mark Magidson, Terrence Malick and Godfrey Reggio.

Thank you to my sponsors: Canon USA, Kessler Crane, camBLOCK, Vinten & KATA. Also to Cinevate.

Music is by the film's composer Nigel "John" Stanford: johnstanfordmusic.com Make sure to turn the volume and bass way up!

View the original video here.

Human Castles in Spain

noreply@blogger.com (Sebastien) — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 21:53:00 +0000

I found this great video by Vimeo user Mike Randolph. It is a brief view of a gathering of castellers to see who can create the tallest human castle. This event happens every two years in Tarragona, Spain.

Description of the video: In the city of Tarragona, Spain, castellers gather every two years to see who can build the highest, most intricate human castles. This uniquely Catalan tradition requires astonishing strength, finesse, and balance. Not to mention courage.

view the original video here.

Taal Volcano, Luzon, Philippines

noreply@blogger.com (Sebastien) — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 15:30:00 +0000

In January 2010 I was fortunate enough to boat across Taal Lake over to Taal Volcano. From there we hiked to the crater and took a moment to enjoy the view...and have a little coconut drink as well.

Produced by: Sebastien Tobler
Special Thanks to: Rosano Pasahol and Bart Padilla
Camera Assistant: Ace Baquiran
Music By: The Soft Pack

Plastics in the Ocean

noreply@blogger.com (Sebastien) — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 01:25:00 +0000

I had originally posted this on UpTake.com's beach blog but I feel that the content and message is important and needs to be shared with everyone.

Read the original post here.

The video is by Rafa Herrero and is called Octubre.

The Overflow at Jefferson Pools

noreply@blogger.com (Sebastien) — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 23:05:00 +0000

The Jefferson Pools in Hot Springs, VA is around 200 years old and yes, it is named after Thomas Jefferson who frequented the hot springs. Unlike most natural hot springs, the Jefferson Pools does not smell like rotten eggs (like many other hot springs do) because of the minerals and occasional sulphur.

The highlight for me was the Overflow which is basically a small one person natural hot tub with a huge jet. The water is funneled through a small opening which is controlled by an attendant above. You just sit back and relax. The high pressure of the overflow is like a natural back massage.

UpTake's Travel Gems!

noreply@blogger.com (Sebastien) — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 18:05:00 +0000

Introducing UpTake's Travel Gem program!! If you are a travel blogger and you want more exposure for your travel blog, here is one way get it. UpTake gets a ton of traffic to their sites and by having them feature YOUR POST, you get a piece of the action. Check it out:

UpTake Travel Gems - An easy way to improve SEO and awareness for your blog

It is easy to get your blog posts included in Travel Gems, UpTake’s blog content program. Watch this one minute video to learn how to get your blog posts showcased on UpTake. We’ll feature a bit of your content and link to your blog as the source. This helps you gain exposure to a wider audience (think, traffic) and increase awareness of your blog. Oh yes, it also helps you show up higher in blog search results (think, SEO)! Just a link in your post to UpTake and you’re done. It is that simple.

SCOUT

noreply@blogger.com (Sebastien) — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 13:03:00 +0000

Scout
A new mural by street artist Kelly Towles in his hometown of Washington DC. The mural and short film explore a DC neighborhood with a child like sense of exploration. A quick take on what most people should do in their own area of the city. Enjoy!

kellytowles.com

Artist Kelly Towles
Film by Sebastien Tobler
Music "Elephant Gun" - Beirut
Starring Isabella O'Brien & Kelly Towles
Crew Tara Kocourek, Virginia Arisueno and Gladys O'Brien

Special thank you to
The DC Commission of the Arts & Humanities
Adrian Cabrera
Leslie McGraw
Gary Lindensmith and John Nash

Filmmaker's notes
Filming this piece with Kelly and Isabella was nothing short of an amazing experience. Isabella's innate sense of exploration came through so well on the camera and Kelly's message of exploration seemed to manifest itself in her every expression.

This piece was shot on a Canon 7D with f/1.4 50mm prime and f/3.5-5.6 18-135mm lenses.

loquastofilms.com

I Want to Travel, But How? Where?

noreply@blogger.com (Sebastien) — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 13:19:00 +0000

I get this question all the time: "I really want to Travel like you do, but I just don't know how or even where to start." There was a time where I would kind of snicker and think to myself "That is just a ridiculous problem! This guy can't be serious." So, inevitably, I would say: "Just GO!"

Admittedly, that was a younger, less rational and brash version of me. I've simmered down a little and have concluded that this truly is an issue. In fact, it may even be an epidemic of sorts. I started this blog hoping to inspire people to travel and not as a tourist but as a traveler: def - a person looking to completely immerse themselves in another culture other than their own (this is my definition by the way). Naturally, everyone is different and gets inspired by a variety of things. I like staying off the tourist roads and digging a little bit deeper, be it from just the side of the main sites or maybe way off that path entirely. I am inspired by people, different people who have so much to share and inevitably open my mind to more about this world which of course leads to a paradigm shift and my life is changed ever so much. Phew. Long sentence.

If you find yourself uninspired to travel, there may be a solution for you, it is called "Meet, Plan, Go." Check it out:

“Meet, Plan, Go!”
A Nationwide Event to Help People Realize Their Travel Dreams

On September 14, 2010, Briefcase to Backpack and Three Month Visa will be hosting Meet, Plan, Go! a free, nationwide event to inspire people to fulfill their career break and long-term travel dreams. The event will offer participants the opportunity to MEET inspirational speakers and like-minded travelers; get motivation, contacts and resources necessary to PLAN the trip of a lifetime; and start taking concrete steps forward to GO on that global adventure.

“In countries like Australia and the UK, career breaks, life sabbaticals, ‘gap years’ and other forms of extended travel are commonplace, but Americans have shied away from claiming a similar birthright. We are on a mission to change that,” says Michaela Potter, co-founder of Briefcase to Backpack, a site that offers travel inspiration and advice for Americans planning a career break or sabbatical.
For years, books like Vagabonding by Rolf Potts and Tales of a Female Nomad by Rita Golden Gelman have inspired countless readers across the country to break out of their daily routine and travel the world. Then, in 2006, Elizabeth Gilbert’s memoir Eat, Pray, Love exploded onto the literary scene, becoming a runaway hit and opening up a wider conversation about Americans and long-term travel experiences.

“Many people found themselves asking, ‘Wait a minute…why haven’t I ever taken time off? Where is MY gap year?!’” says Tara Russell, a Life Sabbatical & Long-term Travel Coach through Three Month Visa. “Now, with the Eat, Pray, Love movie starring Julia Roberts coming out in August, the dialogue is sure to reignite. We want to connect people with useful resources and contacts that will make planning the trip of a lifetime that much easier.”

Every event will feature individuals who have either fulfilled their own world travel dreams or are currently in the planning stages. Such real-life stories have a built-in understanding of the unique challenges that all long-term travelers must overcome in order to make things happen, including the re-entry process and returning to work.

Sherry Ott, a Meet, Plan, Go! collaborator, left her corporate job in 2006 and hasn’t looked back. “During my original 16-month career break, I traveled to 23 countries, primarily solo, armed with my camera.” The travel experience of her life led her to co-found Briefcase to Backpack with Potter. “When I returned to the States, I realized that the corporate world wasn’t for me. So, I spent the last year living and working in Vietnam, experiencing the ups and downs of being a solo expat in a very foreign culture.” Ott has been blogging about her travels on OttsWorld: Travel and Life Experiences of a Corporate America Runaway.

Ott is just one of the many life-changing stories that Meet, Plan, Go! will showcase. For a complete listing of Meet, Plan, Go! bios and participants, visit www.meetplango.com. Current event locations include Atlanta | Austin | Boston | Chicago | Dallas | Minneapolis | New York City | Orlando | Philadelphia | San Francisco | Seattle | Washington DC | Toronto, Canada. Attendees will also have the opportunity to win a trip to Peru from GAP Adventures as well as a volunteer trip to France & Cambodia from GeoVisions.

If you have ever dreamed of escaping your cubicle to strike out and discover the world on your own terms, then don’t miss out on this event. And if you have, join Meet, Plan, Go! to help inspire others.

Sean Stiegemeier's Time-lapse: Iceland's Eyjafjallajökull

noreply@blogger.com (Sebastien) — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 14:50:00 +0000

When Iceland's Eyjafjallajökull volcano erupted it caused mass havoc in global transportation, especially in Europe. The images we saw on TV/print/online were primarily aerial and did not allow for a real, "on-the-ground" perspective of the natural phenomenon. Sean Stiegemeier manages to give us just that with this amazing time-lapse video. Here are some stills:

Berlin: Reclaiming the Streets

noreply@blogger.com (Sebastien) — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 13:47:00 +0000

As thousands of tourists battle lines and each other to get to traditional tourist sites in Berlin, I decided to hit up what was of true interest to me: The impressive and world renown collection of ever changing street art that Berlin displays on her streets.

There are a lot of works featured in this video by artists such as Blu, Ash, Emess and Banksy. It was a great experience finding these pieces and in some cases, breathtaking given the size of some of the murals.

I am not a street artist by any means, but I am a big fan and in this video I am taking that exact approach.

I hope you enjoy.

Filmed & Edited by Sebastien Tobler

Music by Sebastien Tobler

Production assistant: Simon Tobler

German Fixer: Felix Manig

Ash

Blu

Flavela on Blast

noreply@blogger.com (Sebastien) — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 21:07:00 +0000

Starting today until July 16th ONLY, world famous DJ, Diplo and filmmaker Leandro HBL’s documentary Favela on Blast is available to view for free online. This amazing documentary highlights Funk Carioca. Brazil is a country that moves to a very recognizable beat, and this new hybrid of sounds sets the mood of the aggressive environment from which it is born; Rio's Favelas.

Istanbul - History in Light Paint

noreply@blogger.com (Sebastien) — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 13:45:00 +0000

This is a great video posted by Vimeo user nerdworking. Images are projected onto historic sites and tell the history of Istanbul right on the sites themselves. Beautiful, stunning and captivating. I am starting to see more and more of these light projections come up in cities around the world.

Here is one from Sydney called Vivid Sydney, screen shots below.

Here is the description of Yekpare:

"Yekpare" is a storyteller which narrates the 8500 year story of Istanbul. The story embraces symbols from Pagans to Roman Empire, from Byzantine Empire to Latin Empire, and finally from Ottoman Empire to Istanbul at the present day.

Haydarpaşa Train Station, with its brilliant architectural forms, is the building on which the story is projected. The connection between middle east to west has been provided by Istanbul and Haydarpaşa since 1906. In the 50’s it served as a door for millions of internal emigrants who have triggered the chaos in Istanbul's dialectical daily life scenes.The project's conceptual, political and geographical positioning, the location’s depth of field and the fact that the entire show can be watched from Kadıköy coast; make "Yekpare" a dramatic presentation.

The first day of the performance also marks the 47th deathday of Nazım Hikmet Ran, the famous Turkish poet. We started out with a quote from his epic novel, "Human Landscapes from My Country": “At Haydarpaşa Train Station, in the spring of 1941, it is three o’clock. Sun, exhaustion and rush lay on the stairs...”

Art Direction & Visuals:
Deniz Kader – Candaş Şişman

Music & Sound Design:
Görkem Şen

Project Management:
Erdem Dilbaz

Technical Advisors: Refik Anadol - Alican Aktürk (GRIDUO.com)
Modelling: Gökhan Uzun – Can Dinlenmiş (prospektif.org)

Special Thanks to: Efor Production, Visio – Vox, Sinevizyon, Yakup Çetinkaya, Gökhan Kurtuluş, Lokman Doğmuş, Baran Güleşen, Ümit Özdemir, Tolga Dizmen, Yunus Dölen, Murat Durusoy, Ahmet Türkoğlu, Mustafa Nurdoğdu, Burhan Ersan.

Realized with mxwendler.net mediaserver

contact: nerd@nerdworking.org

Tara Rides the Metro

noreply@blogger.com (Sebastien) — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 17:49:00 +0000

The following is just a test project I was working on with my new camera (Canon 7D). I'll be using this camera as my primary camera going forward and I am very excited to take my travel videos to another level.

This is Tara Kocourek riding the DC metro system.

Images of a Former Home: Thailand

noreply@blogger.com (Sebastien) — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 13:54:00 +0000

Some footage I have of Thailand edited to Mark Farina's "Dream Machine."

Locations:
Bangkok
Chiang Mai
Ampawa Market

The name of the temple in the opening shot is Wat Arun (Temple of the Dawn). Thought I would shoot it at sundown instead.

Video of the Week

noreply@blogger.com (Sebastien) — Fri, 28 May 2010 18:24:00 +0000

My pick for travel video of the week is Journey Across India by Mike Matas. As he describes it:

"2,000 miles
30 days
3,000 photo
in 3 minutes."

Enjoy.

Deep Fried Fish Ball, Manila, Philippines

noreply@blogger.com (Sebastien) — Thu, 27 May 2010 15:59:00 +0000

Trying new and different foods is a must while traveling. While I was in Manila, I had fish ball, which literally is deep fried fish ball dipped in a sauce. Is it really fish? I don't know, what is it made of? Good question.

Falconry: The Sport of Kings

noreply@blogger.com (Sebastien) — Tue, 11 May 2010 14:00:00 +0000

There are less than five places in the United States where you can enjoy the ancient sport of falconry and The Homestead in Hot Springs Virginia is one of them. It was amazing to see these birds of prey up close and watch them simulate hunting techniques you would normally only see in the wild...if you are lucky enough.

On this particular day we got to see a Lanier Falcon, Harris Hawk and a European Eagle Owl. The Harris Hawk is the one in flight and is apparently only second to wolves as the most dangerous pack hunter. This is rare given the fact that most birds of prey are loners and hunt on their own.

Learn more about falconry at The Homestead.

Below are two more videos about the history of falconry and Delilah the European Eagle Owl.

Laksa Wars - Singapore

noreply@blogger.com (Sebastien) — Mon, 10 May 2010 19:35:00 +0000

While doing research on Singapore, Tara and I found out that there were a handful of Laksa stalls that were vying for the title of "Best Laksa." Laksa, is a coconut-based curry soup. The main ingredients for most versions of curry laksa include tofu puffs, fish sticks, shrimp and cockles. Laksa is commonly served with a spoonful of sambal chilli paste.

We found this pretty intruiging so we decided to find out for ourselves not knowing exactly what we were getting into. Off we went to East Coast Road where these Laksa stalls are located. Although we couldn't find all of the stalls, we did manage to compare two of them. Good thing because Laksa is pretty darn heavy and, since we were feeling a little hungry at the first stall, we ordered way too much of the stuff!

Shooting Sporting Clays At The Homestead, Hot Springs, Virginia, USA

noreply@blogger.com (Sebastien) — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 13:53:00 +0000

On a recent trip to The Homestead, Eduardo and I were fortunate enough to go for a round of shooting sporting clays. I had never shot a gun in my life before and never understood why people were into it until now. I wouldn't say it is a hobby that I would pick up, because owning a gun is a responsibility that I do not want, but I certainly did have fun.

At the Fabric Store with Marisa, Wororot Market, Chiang Mai, Thailand

noreply@blogger.com (Sebastien) — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 14:26:00 +0000

Wororot Market (pronounced Wololot), sits next to the Ping River in Chiang Mai and is a massive labyrinth of stalls selling just about everything. On this particular day Marisa Marchitelli was showing us around and we happened to stop by a fabric store.

The great thing about Wororot Market is that, it is where the locals come to shop. You can expect to find the regular goods you normally find in Thai markets but at Wororot is is much cheaper and much better quality.

Iceland's Volcano Erruption Shuts Down Airports

noreply@blogger.com (Sebastien) — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 13:37:00 +0000

Volcano Eruption under Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull Glacier - Icelandic Coastguard

Ash drifting from the volcano eruption under Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull glacier on Wednesday has drifted towards northern Europe causing airports to shut down and the inevitable cancellation of hundreds if not thousands of flights. From the UK to Scandinavia, travelers will have to wait until all the ash has cleared before they can continue their journeys. Even transatlantic flights to and from the US have been affected. The FAA has grounded most Europe bound flights until it is deemed safe to fly again.

The ash is a safety hazard because the particles can get into engines and cause them to shut down, not to mention the visibility issues. Given the fact that the volcano shot ash 30,000 feet into the air, commercial carriers flying at 35,000 have every right to be worried.

As a traveler who has had to deal with many cancellations due to mother nature, I advise to all stressed out travelers who are grounded in Europe due to the volcanic ash to be happy they were not and are not in the air. I love traveling but I love living a whole lot more.

Departers and Departees

noreply@blogger.com (Sebastien) — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 22:16:00 +0000

This way?

There are certain situations which triggers a flashback in my mind to being a young boy moving to a new country with my parents. Parting ways with people you care about is one of them, in fact, leaving and the emotions associated with it - love, sense of change, sadness, reminiscence, etc. - have been a huge part of moving and saying 'ciao!'

Saying goodbye to someone is a part of traveling. Meeting new people, seeing amazing and beautiful places, and looking forward is certainly exciting but knowing that it could potentially be a long time before you settle into something similar to the comfort and support network you have created can be a bit melancholic; especially the closer that network has become.

Leaving those people behind for a long time not only reminds me of how fluid and in a constant state of flux life and people are in, but it also reminds me of who I am when I am not traveling. At the end of the day, when I put my gear down, those who want to be captivated by my stories are those who want to understand and get to know me. Essentially, they become the fundamental building blocks of home. For others like me, who cannot associate a home with a concrete location, having that is beyond comforting, it is necessary.

For me, the sad part about saying goodbye to someone is not that you are potentially never going to see each other again, it is the fact that you will be traveling on different roads in life. Where those different roads takes either of you does not matter, what does is the fact that you will each change and continuously grow, just not together. So when you meet in one of many intersections along the way, two, five or ten years later, you may not be meeting that same person again.

I've met up with so many old friends from past lives in Poland, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines and England. I've been lucky enough to say that 80% of the time we all hit it off just fine, 10% of the time, it was like we had never been apart and the other 10% left me the feeling that I liked who they were before.

Usually I am the one that would be getting on the plane but when I think of it from the perspective of the one being left behind, I ask myself what else is being affected when someone leaves? The shift in dynamics of your group of friends, friends of that friend that you won't see as often and in general things I would not have thought about in the first place.

My one clear thought as a departee is that I wish I were going too. I can't ever imagine not wanting to move around or continuously travel. As a very recent part of a group of departees (we were all left behind by a close friend), I have to say I am very happy and excited for her. It certainly feels like there is something missing, but that is not a foreign feeling for a group of world travelers. It will be amazing to see where we all end up - I could not even begin to tell you where I think I would, yet wherever we do, it is good to know that there are so many places for us to visit.