Centralised thread for backpacking photographers (02)
- Thread starter zoossh
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Yeah great thread, definitely helpful in reviewing equipments and practices.
On a break from corporate world, so am planning these trips (so far on my own)
Yeah great thread, definitely helpful in reviewing equipments and practices.
On a break from corporate world, so am planning these trips (so far on my own)
MARCH
Myanmar -12 days (Yangon, Mandalay, Inle Lake, Bagan)
Malaysia - 8 days (Taman Negara, Redang) also diving trip
APRIL
Vietnam - 8 days (Hanoi, Sapa, Halong)
Nepal - 21 days (Island Peak, Everest Base Camp)
MAY
Central Asia - 18 days (Samarkand, Tashkent, Khivi, Kashgar, Hunza, Abbottabad, Islabamad)
Especially for Central Asia would like to look for more people. Mixture of local guide plus free and easy planned so far but nothing confirmed. While the Nepal trekking is relatively cheap (including alpine technical training), i was in Annapurna earlier this year so maybe should see other places. Further away you go, would probably be better if you have companions.
I carry a heavy pack. Nikon dSLR, 17-55mm, 70-200mm, Fujifilm TX-2. Only take 12-24mm when visiting a place with plenty of architecture. Manfrotto CF tripod most times, also experimenting with Gorillapod SLR-Zoom. But 90% of shots are on 17-55mm.
Keep on exploring... if the world is a book, i'm still on chapter ONE... Asia...
On a break from corporate world, so am planning these trips (so far on my own)
Yeah great thread, definitely helpful in reviewing equipments and practices.
On a break from corporate world, so am planning these trips (so far on my own)
MARCH
Myanmar -12 days (Yangon, Mandalay, Inle Lake, Bagan)
Malaysia - 8 days (Taman Negara, Redang) also diving trip
APRIL
Vietnam - 8 days (Hanoi, Sapa, Halong)
Nepal - 21 days (Island Peak, Everest Base Camp)
MAY
Central Asia - 18 days (Samarkand, Tashkent, Khivi, Kashgar, Hunza, Abbottabad, Islabamad)
Especially for Central Asia would like to look for more people. Mixture of local guide plus free and easy planned so far but nothing confirmed. While the Nepal trekking is relatively cheap (including alpine technical training), i was in Annapurna earlier this year so maybe should see other places. Further away you go, would probably be better if you have companions.
I carry a heavy pack. Nikon dSLR, 17-55mm, 70-200mm, Fujifilm TX-2. Only take 12-24mm when visiting a place with plenty of architecture. Manfrotto CF tripod most times, also experimenting with Gorillapod SLR-Zoom. But 90% of shots are on 17-55mm.
Keep on exploring... if the world is a book, i'm still on chapter ONE... Asia...
very nice and complete analysis zoossh
this thread is very useful...at least for me though
i went to ozzi, thailand, hongkong, macau, indonesia, and india for the past 2 years and all i did backpacking, and what you have said are true...
my self i always carry 2 lens with me, wide angle 17-35 and tele zoom 80-200
i might be going to japan next month if situation permitted (last week of april 2007)
the next plan is cambodia and the famous angkor by august...
ups ups for this thread people!!!
this thread is very useful...at least for me though
i went to ozzi, thailand, hongkong, macau, indonesia, and india for the past 2 years and all i did backpacking, and what you have said are true...
my self i always carry 2 lens with me, wide angle 17-35 and tele zoom 80-200
i might be going to japan next month if situation permitted (last week of april 2007)
the next plan is cambodia and the famous angkor by august...
ups ups for this thread people!!!
zoossh
Senior Member
that's a long break. doubt there are many who can do that with you. take care but guess now you are somewhere already....
zoossh
Senior Member
South Korea
A) what to expect about the cost.
affordable non-exorbitant budget is possible if you learn some korean and get cheap motels, eat cheap food, walks and take tubes and no taxis, and do not go for expensive local tours/go skiiing resorts. i can't remember how things costs but with a budget travelling, spend about S$500-600 excluding flights and personal purchases (shopping) for about 6 days.
B) power adapter
can't remember. refer http://kropla.com/electric2.htm
C) communicability?
CDMA network like Japan, not sure about now. language difficulty worse than Japan.
D) safe or not?
very safe. and they are not as "rude" as something may tell you, but just understand that certain behaviours are their cultural norm and are not meant to be rude to you.
E) is their food hot?
not always but very likely, even a mushroom pot can be spicy one. want something safe? go for those menu with a picture or simply eat other cuisine there.
F) topics to avoid talking with a Korean
avoid talks about historical conflicts or cultural influence/dominance by the Chinese, Japanese and americans. do not talk about eating dogs.
.
A) what to expect about the cost.
affordable non-exorbitant budget is possible if you learn some korean and get cheap motels, eat cheap food, walks and take tubes and no taxis, and do not go for expensive local tours/go skiiing resorts. i can't remember how things costs but with a budget travelling, spend about S$500-600 excluding flights and personal purchases (shopping) for about 6 days.
B) power adapter
can't remember. refer http://kropla.com/electric2.htm
C) communicability?
CDMA network like Japan, not sure about now. language difficulty worse than Japan.
D) safe or not?
very safe. and they are not as "rude" as something may tell you, but just understand that certain behaviours are their cultural norm and are not meant to be rude to you.
E) is their food hot?
not always but very likely, even a mushroom pot can be spicy one. want something safe? go for those menu with a picture or simply eat other cuisine there.
F) topics to avoid talking with a Korean
avoid talks about historical conflicts or cultural influence/dominance by the Chinese, Japanese and americans. do not talk about eating dogs.
.
zoossh
Senior Member
Nepal-Tibet
From Guni_hoon
"for Nepal trekking trips, i know a local Nepal agent which I have used for my Tibet 8 days overland trip in 2003 or 2004 (it was the SARS period). I have also used his company for my recent Nepal ABC-Pun Hill trek in Dec 06."
Company name: More Than Mountains Treks
website: www.jagatreks.com.np.
email: mtm@mos.com.np
hope the info is helpful/useful to others.
From Guni_hoon
"for Nepal trekking trips, i know a local Nepal agent which I have used for my Tibet 8 days overland trip in 2003 or 2004 (it was the SARS period). I have also used his company for my recent Nepal ABC-Pun Hill trek in Dec 06."
Company name: More Than Mountains Treks
website: www.jagatreks.com.np.
email: mtm@mos.com.np
hope the info is helpful/useful to others.
zoossh
Senior Member
Malaysia
From Guni_hoon
maps for self drive in malaysia using GPS. u may need a GPS software to start with.
http://www.malsingmaps.com/forum/index.php
From Guni_hoon
maps for self drive in malaysia using GPS. u may need a GPS software to start with.
http://www.malsingmaps.com/forum/index.php
patrickfam
New Member
Hi Zoossh,
I just bump into this thread today and have to salute you for putting up all this. This is seriously very very helpful. Thanks.
Regards,
Patrick.
I just bump into this thread today and have to salute you for putting up all this. This is seriously very very helpful. Thanks.
Regards,
Patrick.
okie, i think i need to add to this thread. I am in Laos now, but unfortunately something terrible happened. My I was robbed through the window when asleep at night in the guest house. Insider job or outside ppl I do not know. Things were placed in the middle of the room far away from the window but the bugger used a pole like device to hook things out. Do NOT trust that the guesthouse may be locked or whatsoever. I dunno where's safe to place things when things like that can happened. Lost more then $1.5k in cash and valuables 
But what pissed me off is not the crime. Whatever happened has happened. Its the police report....
Went to the station (Lauprabang tourist police beside the tourist bureau) the police soon came to the guesthouse. Found the pole like device and claimed it was too short to reach.. had to explain to him that the person stretched his hand in (they should realli watch CSI!!) went back to station and request that they search 2nd market cos of ipod or money changer cos of Sing dollar which is not common.. claim they can't... fine... asked for copy of report to claim insurance.. they said i cannot indicate cash lost.. said i had a choice.. file report which they said they will investigate but cannot indicate cash.. or file a sheet which i can keep but they will not endorse..and best of all they will NOT investigate... i wonder whats the police for then?! before i sign the report.. said i remember something else stolen and wanted to add... they claimed cannot change!!! WTF!! Lastly, they made me sign a form saying i had taken the report and they will not investigate!! WTF!!
The place is good but this experience has left a super sour taste in my mouth.. if there are Laotian ppl here, i apologise first but the police force sucks n I dun think I will ever return to the country.. this is barely a week into my trip and I have 2 weeks more to go.. am disgusted, broke and pissed....one word of advice.. check the laws of the country to know what kind of protection u are having as tourists...
But what pissed me off is not the crime. Whatever happened has happened. Its the police report....Went to the station (Lauprabang tourist police beside the tourist bureau) the police soon came to the guesthouse. Found the pole like device and claimed it was too short to reach.. had to explain to him that the person stretched his hand in (they should realli watch CSI!!) went back to station and request that they search 2nd market cos of ipod or money changer cos of Sing dollar which is not common.. claim they can't... fine... asked for copy of report to claim insurance.. they said i cannot indicate cash lost.. said i had a choice.. file report which they said they will investigate but cannot indicate cash.. or file a sheet which i can keep but they will not endorse..and best of all they will NOT investigate... i wonder whats the police for then?! before i sign the report.. said i remember something else stolen and wanted to add... they claimed cannot change!!! WTF!! Lastly, they made me sign a form saying i had taken the report and they will not investigate!! WTF!!
The place is good but this experience has left a super sour taste in my mouth.. if there are Laotian ppl here, i apologise first but the police force sucks n I dun think I will ever return to the country.. this is barely a week into my trip and I have 2 weeks more to go.. am disgusted, broke and pissed....one word of advice.. check the laws of the country to know what kind of protection u are having as tourists...
zoossh
Senior Member
thanks for sharing. i've known of unbelievable police handling of an unnatural death in siem reap too. so much so for the protection we have in our country, we may not believe that some people will handle them in such a manner elsewhere. perhaps sometimes we will even see people having mishaps in developed countries and yet get some unconcerned handling too.
but the problem is it does not matter what the laws stated, it is how they are implemented.
i'll put together your inputs with the laos section. and probably start a thread sourcing for ideas of protection of gear for overseas trip.
Taiwan
A) power adapter
2 flat parallel pin. US-Japan types.
B) is it easy to travel to remote areas on your own?
in general, travelling along the trains are not difficult. basically taiwan is like peninsular malaysia and have the mountain range like a spine on the back, hence the train loops like a oval around the island, divided mainly into the eastern side and the western side linked up by the northern and the southern loop. internal flights cost about S$100. long distance trains cost about half of that. going up mountains will not be that easy as taiwan does not seem to tailor for backpacking practices for foreigners. does not suggest renting cars as accidents may happened for difficult mountain roads. even with lobangs, taxi will be expensive for these places. however, determined guys without time constraint and without tight budgets can still overcome this problem if you can speak some mandarin. and yes, those locals who do not speak mandarin or speak more taiwanese (taiwanese hokkien) will understand mandarin.
C) topics to avoid talking with a Taiwanese
political issues and cultural identity. they always have the opinion of singaporeans being too nosey into chinese-taiwanese relationship and can have a love-hatred feeling about it. in general, a mandarin speaking person is more likely to be blue whereas a taiwanese speaking person is more likely to be green, but to avoid it is the best and the safest, especially when we can only hear half side of the story in singapore, and yes, even with the cable channels.
D) what is worth exploring off the usual places other singaporeans goes?
near taipei: yangmingshan,
scenic places: the eastern coasts and the central mountaineous areas.
the essence, 3 standard places that japanese likes to visits - tarogo gouge, riyue tan, alishan
my personal recommendation: cchengkeng farm aka qingjing or ching jing (however very difficult to travel to as a foreigner, public transport requires at least 2 coaches between taichung to puli and puli to that place at hard to catch timing, most locals drove there) you can search in chinese the information here.
More inputs from Guni_hoon
"btw, I have just been to Taiwan. Ching Jing farmstay is between Taroko Gorge and Puli, its location I considered in the middle of Taiwan and not readily accessible by train. We drove."
"link to taiwan maps/road directory.
http://www.urmap.com/
2 places I watched sunrises in Taiwan, at
1. Alishan Zhu Shan (祝山
- can take the local train in Alishan, or
2. Tataka 塔塔加 at road landmark 140km. i heard it is a new place."
.
but the problem is it does not matter what the laws stated, it is how they are implemented.
i'll put together your inputs with the laos section. and probably start a thread sourcing for ideas of protection of gear for overseas trip.
Taiwan
A) power adapter
2 flat parallel pin. US-Japan types.
B) is it easy to travel to remote areas on your own?
in general, travelling along the trains are not difficult. basically taiwan is like peninsular malaysia and have the mountain range like a spine on the back, hence the train loops like a oval around the island, divided mainly into the eastern side and the western side linked up by the northern and the southern loop. internal flights cost about S$100. long distance trains cost about half of that. going up mountains will not be that easy as taiwan does not seem to tailor for backpacking practices for foreigners. does not suggest renting cars as accidents may happened for difficult mountain roads. even with lobangs, taxi will be expensive for these places. however, determined guys without time constraint and without tight budgets can still overcome this problem if you can speak some mandarin. and yes, those locals who do not speak mandarin or speak more taiwanese (taiwanese hokkien) will understand mandarin.
C) topics to avoid talking with a Taiwanese
political issues and cultural identity. they always have the opinion of singaporeans being too nosey into chinese-taiwanese relationship and can have a love-hatred feeling about it. in general, a mandarin speaking person is more likely to be blue whereas a taiwanese speaking person is more likely to be green, but to avoid it is the best and the safest, especially when we can only hear half side of the story in singapore, and yes, even with the cable channels.
D) what is worth exploring off the usual places other singaporeans goes?
near taipei: yangmingshan,
scenic places: the eastern coasts and the central mountaineous areas.
the essence, 3 standard places that japanese likes to visits - tarogo gouge, riyue tan, alishan
my personal recommendation: cchengkeng farm aka qingjing or ching jing (however very difficult to travel to as a foreigner, public transport requires at least 2 coaches between taichung to puli and puli to that place at hard to catch timing, most locals drove there) you can search in chinese the information here.
More inputs from Guni_hoon
"btw, I have just been to Taiwan. Ching Jing farmstay is between Taroko Gorge and Puli, its location I considered in the middle of Taiwan and not readily accessible by train. We drove."
"link to taiwan maps/road directory.
http://www.urmap.com/
2 places I watched sunrises in Taiwan, at
1. Alishan Zhu Shan (祝山
- can take the local train in Alishan, or 2. Tataka 塔塔加 at road landmark 140km. i heard it is a new place."
.
astroboy
Senior Member
I have not been to Laos nor Myanmar but I have heard lots of horror stories from tourists who went to these countries. Basically the feedback is that they have a poor infrastructure for tourism. I could be perpetuating a myth, though.
I guess the general rule is to be EXTRA alert and careful when travelling in 3rd world countries. I have seen lots of S'poreans who place their mobile phones on the table at hawker centres and dangle their expensive D2x and 1Ds bodies loosely on their shoulders. While no one bats an eyelid in S'pore, one have to drastically change one's habits when travelling.
Your D2x could feed an entire family for a year or two in poorer countries so the temptation is there. Travel safe.
I guess the general rule is to be EXTRA alert and careful when travelling in 3rd world countries. I have seen lots of S'poreans who place their mobile phones on the table at hawker centres and dangle their expensive D2x and 1Ds bodies loosely on their shoulders. While no one bats an eyelid in S'pore, one have to drastically change one's habits when travelling.
Your D2x could feed an entire family for a year or two in poorer countries so the temptation is there. Travel safe.
okie, i think i need to add to this thread. I am in Laos now, but unfortunately something terrible happened. My I was robbed through the window when asleep at night in the guest house. Insider job or outside ppl I do not know. Things were placed in the middle of the room far away from the window but the bugger used a pole like device to hook things out. Do NOT trust that the guesthouse may be locked or whatsoever. I dunno where's safe to place things when things like that can happened. Lost more then $1.5k in cash and valuables
Went to the station (Lauprabang tourist police beside the tourist bureau) the police soon came to the guesthouse. Found the pole like device and claimed it was too short to reach.. had to explain to him that the person stretched his hand in (they should realli watch CSI!!) went back to station and request that they search 2nd market cos of ipod or money changer cos of Sing dollar which is not common.. claim they can't... fine... asked for copy of report to claim insurance.. they said i cannot indicate cash lost.. said i had a choice.. file report which they said they will investigate but cannot indicate cash.. or file a sheet which i can keep but they will not endorse..and best of all they will NOT investigate... i wonder whats the police for then?! before i sign the report.. said i remember something else stolen and wanted to add... they claimed cannot change!!! WTF!! Lastly, they made me sign a form saying i had taken the report and they will not investigate!! WTF!!
The place is good but this experience has left a super sour taste in my mouth.. if there are Laotian ppl here, i apologise first but the police force sucks n I dun think I will ever return to the country.. this is barely a week into my trip and I have 2 weeks more to go.. am disgusted, broke and pissed....one word of advice.. check the laws of the country to know what kind of protection u are having as tourists...
I agreeded with your observations. In Singapore, I saw everyone put their house key. car key, cellphone, mp3 player on the table at hawker centre. Some wag even left their bag and go to order their food.
Even in prosperous neighboring country up north, people do not do that.
This habit got to change when Singaporeans step out of the comfort of their border.
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