My Round the World Trip

[gnohz]

Syria - Aleppo, Little Yellow Cabs
Aleppo is also know as "halab" by the Syrians. we were a bit confused as we were looking into our map for "halab". While Aleppo may not bustle as it did when it was a key stop on the Silk road, the relative lack of big investment has actually done the city a favour. The World Heritage–listed Old City was saved from irreparable damage by not succumbing to modernisation

It's interesting to see all the satellite dishes on top of the ancient buildings

 

[alantkh]

Jordan, Dead Sea area, Reflection
Cleaned up version.

Have been lazy and promise no more eye sore in the future:devil:

The cleaned up version is much better right?

Usually I am not really particular about dust but for certain pics, it REALLY stand out.

you are really new to CS. Zoossh is one of our resident Travel photographers in CS he has some really great shots over the years.

Anyway I thought your shots are really good. It shows many interesting things and stories actually.

 

[alantkh]

I have the budget to buy one item right now. Should it be the body upgrade or a 10-24mm 3.5 lens?

I undertand it is essential to have a tripod for low light shootings but in the event its not available, I seem to have lots of difficulty getting a decent photo. Even if yes, it will be very noisy.

How nice if no budget

do you like changing lens? some people can do it when travelling, others hate it. If you get a 10-24mm, you probably need to switch lens quite often and more dust will get into your DSLR.

I never quite got used to setting up a tripod during travelling. Some people can afford the time but since I travel with my family, I NEVER have that luxury. Not to mention how HEAVY and bulky the tripod is.

There was a big improvement in the high ISO performance from D80 to D90. And looking at the pentax k-5, the new generation of DSLR like D7000 will further improve that from D90 until ISO6400 is pretty clean.

you can look at the situations you shoot and decide if useable ISO6400 will solve your low light problems without tripod. I think the jump from D80 to D7000 or any other new DSLRs is pretty big.

But D7000 is not released yet...

 

[pupuce]

It's interesting to see all the satellite dishes on top of the ancient buildings

Here is one for ya!

#6 Syria- Aleppo, Satelite Dishes
At first glance, it looks like a mess of rooftops, I like that the satelite dishes are dotted all over the photo even to the far end​

 

[pupuce]

certain things happened too fast and there won't be time to think. but being taken hostage is no joke, and that is when one have a lot of time to think... what am i doing here? nat geo (or is it another channel) have a series, i think have covered that of congo.
travel photographer, newbie amateur.

i see images in my travel, and set out what i would want to look for (as images) when i plan a trip. my travel experience however is probably like 1/10 to 1/30 of your experience. maybe when my chance of covering benin (voodoo fest) and ghana (white castles by the sea) comes, i will pm you to ask for advices.

The danger of being Kipnap is very real and that it makes me jittery when travelling in some of the "renowed cities" The stories of Mexico City makes me wary and told myself I wouldnt get into a taxi unless I am in dying and need to get to hospital. (not that I can afford taxi rides anyway:devil I avoid the obviously dangerous places where social/political uprest is a daily occurance, other than that, I leave everything to destiny!

I realise that travelling and photography pretty much go hand in hand. The difference is some are photgraphers first then traveller, vice versa for the other group. I belong to the latter and thats how the first DSLR came into my life.
After a trip to Brazil where my photos didnt do the place justice, I went for my first lesson in "Creative photgraphy" with my point and shoot cam and was mah-loo to see I was the only one..hahah..

And my photography skills is 1/10 to 1/30 of your experience :sweat:
but being at Clubsnap has motivate me a lot to work on my skills and has also make me observant to my own work. Aiyoh, those dust spots in all more photos which I didnt give a hoot about is now irritating to my eyes...
a little secrret.. "Indiana jones in the Making" .. i didnt even notice the plane in the distance till someone point out *faint*


For that, Thanks to all you guys and girls out there

ps - wish I made it to Benin.. i was so nearby at Burkina Faso but just couldnt squeeze anymore time unless I was prepare to lose time in South America

 

[pupuce]

i like this shot, perhaps remove the purplish tint by adjusting the WB?

I have learn how to remove those dust spots, now its time to learn how to adjust the white balance... everyday there is something new from this classroom.. loving it!

 

[DinoSG]

Wow ..you are really amazing and brave..how i wish i can travel that long too...:thumbsup:

hope to see more photos of yours...and hear about your experiences..in this thread..

 

[Fallenphoenix]

I have learn how to remove those dust spots, now its time to learn how to adjust the white balance... everyday there is something new from this classroom.. loving it!

good on ya! the last pic could do with a little bit more warming. Try to recall the colours and light when u were there. It helps. Personally, I often feel I was there again when I process my travel pics. Probably, that is why travel and photography re good buddies.

 

[pupuce]

good on ya! the last pic could do with a little bit more warming. Try to recall the colours and light when u were there. It helps. Personally, I often feel I was there again when I process my travel pics. Probably, that is why travel and photography re good buddies.

I know exactly what you mean.. I am so happy to be posting some photos here. first it let me take a good critical look at them rather than jus clicking through. secondly, It brings back memories.

I felt that Satelite Dishes pic seems rather bright and hurts my eyes a little. I will try some editing later and improve it. The weather is mostly hard and harsh throughout the day in the Middle east and I sometimes cant even check the photos till much later in the day.

 

[pupuce]

do you like changing lens? some people can do it when travelling, others hate it. If you get a 10-24mm, you probably need to switch lens quite often and more dust will get into your DSLR.
I never quite got used to setting up a tripod during travelling. Some people can afford the time but since I travel with my family, I NEVER have that luxury. Not to mention how HEAVY and bulky the tripod is.
There was a big improvement in the high ISO performance from D80 to D90. And looking at the pentax k-5, the new generation of DSLR like D7000 will further improve that from D90 until ISO6400 is pretty clean.
you can look at the situations you shoot and decide if useable ISO6400 will solve your low light problems without tripod. I think the jump from D80 to D7000 or any other new DSLRs is pretty big.

But D7000 is not released yet...

I dont mind changing lens (but not too often) and also depends on the travel conditions. During my RTW, at times i am already stress about having my camera in the hands while walking the streets, much less changing lens.. draw too much attention to myself.
always I am busy putting in and taking out my camera.. think of change lens.. sianz..
so the 18-200mm lens is perfect for me - one lens does the most of the job although when in europe ,many times i wish i have a wide angle. Also wish i have a better combination for low light conditons - I have lots of crappy photos for evening animal life, sunset, sunrise, evenin street scene. indoor situations + max zoom = :thumbsd: photos

I will patiently wait for the right one :lovegrin:

 

[Fallenphoenix]

I know exactly what you mean.. I am so happy to be posting some photos here. first it let me take a good critical look at them rather than jus clicking through. secondly, It brings back memories.

I felt that Satelite Dishes pic seems rather bright and hurts my eyes a little. I will try some editing later and improve it. The weather is mostly hard and harsh throughout the day in the Middle east and I sometimes cant even check the photos till much later in the day.

it's good to have a polariser with u. It'll come in handy when u've issues with reflections in particular. if the light reflected from the dish were polarised (probably), a polariser would dial it down.

 

[gnohz]

Here is one for ya!

Syria- Aleppo, Satelite Dishes
At first glance, it looks like a mess of rooftops, I like that the satelite dishes are dotted all over the photo even to the far end

Thanks pupuce!
This is really interesting as well!

 

[gnohz]

I dont mind changing lens (but too often) and also depends on the travel conditions. During my RTW, at times i am already stress about having my camera in the hands while walking the streets, much less changing lens.. draw too much attention to myself.
always I am busy putting in and taking out my camera.. think of change lens.. sianz..
so the 18-200mm lens is perfect for me - one lens does the most of the job although when in europe ,many times i wish i have a wide angle. Also wish i have a better combination for low light conditons - I have lots of crappy photos for evening animal life, sunset, sunrise, evenin street scene. indoor situations + max zoom = :thumbsd: photos

I will patiently wait for the right one :lovegrin:

Just wondering, are the chances of getting robbed/kidnapped relatively high in certain countries?

I have a lot of unsorted images from my trip to Alaska too...I think I'll need half a year to clear this backlog :bsmilie: Maybe I should cut down on pressing that shutter too often lol ;p

 

[ManWearPants]

What is the short form for Pupuce? Pup? It probably is some french or alien words. What does it mean?

You mentioned you spent 6 months in France. So does it mean the rest are done in 9 months?

On the topic of safety, what prep do you have to do before the trip. Did you pick up some martial arts skills, acquire super long stamina for out running threats, keep a knife in your socks, etc. Do you bring anything that would have came in handy or deemed handy. I used to carry those multi-purpose camping knife but was confiscated at the airport when I forgot to checked it in. The risk of being pick pocketed, mugged and gears and kidneys stolen are very real. You experienced some of them. Obviously, that is one reason I wouldn't do a trip like this alone. Given a chance to do a RTW trip again. How differently would you have approached the preparation?

 

[aloks]

Hi
Nice post, looks like the TS is a very brave person and rich too, he/she has posted very nice pictures of various countries, can we see one of his/her picture ??

Thanks
alok

 

[gnohz]

Hi
Nice post, looks like the TS is a very brave person and rich too, he/she has posted very nice pictures of various countries, can we see one of his/her picture ??

Thanks
alok

I believe that even if TS may be rich, she definitely didn't live lavishly during this 15-months trip

 

[pupuce]

Hello Guys, what has been going on while I was out for sunday familly dinner?:nono:
seems like there were some jokes and fun going on when i was not around!
We are all here to discuss and learn ( I'll benefit a lot from here, for sure) and it will be cool to have some fun and laugther too. I dont get offended easily and only a few things will tick me off, so by all means, let your sense of humour bubble to the surface on this thread and fire away with any questions in mind.

although i was dirty and rugged in the wild for 15 months, I am a lady, have no doubt about that!
And since you are doing that curtsey, dont forget to don a skirt for that!


"What is the short form for Pupuce? Pup? It probably is some french or alien words. What does it mean?"You mentioned you spent 6 months in France. So does it mean the rest are done in 9 months?

dont fall off the chair*
Pupuce - "flea" (oh yes, thats right, fleas like on the dogs) Wikipedia states "In French, puce literally means "flea", and the usual coloration of a flea is dark reddish-brown or dark purplish-brown; specifically, it is the color of the belly of a flea.
In france, it is also used like a nickname, an endearment. Ma puce (my flea) pupuce (little flea) that what my friends call me!

You can just shorten it to puce too, no problem.

I spent a total of 15 months travelling on the road and followed by another 5 months living in paris, learning Fench. it has been my dream for the longest time so I thought 'why not" since I quit my job to travel, might as fulfil another dream :devil:
All in, I was away for 20 months..

 

[pupuce]

Just wondering, are the chances of getting robbed/kidnapped relatively high in certain countries?

I have a lot of unsorted images from my trip to Alaska too...I think I'll need half a year to clear this backlog :bsmilie: Maybe I should cut down on pressing that shutter too often lol ;p

There is a chance to be robbed almost everywhere and i hear these stories even for the developed countries like France and Spain. Kipnapping happens but I think this is more common in the americas.

I met an Italian in mar de plata, Argentina where he was studying spanish and i was serving tables (in exchange for a bed every night while waiting for my new passport to arrive) we share some of our travel experiences. I thought I had it bad that as I was mugged in Dakar by 2 guys with a knife which left me paranoid for a few weeks but his story, if it happen to me might have send me STRAIGHT home.

Caracas is one of the few dangerous cities and on an overnight bus to Bogota, Colombia, their bus was hijack by robbers. It was christmas season and many colombians were going home with their hard-earned money and he was the only foreigner onboard. Hijackers had guns and even fired shots while in the bus. They took his money or rather whatever is left of it since he was crossing border and flung his towel (which he was using as a blanket ) over his face. He said it is even more terrifying not to be able to see what is going on.. every sound makes him jumpt out of his skin. the ordeal last for about an hour before the robbers took off with everyone's possessions. Although no harm came to them, it was scary and many of the colombians were crying their eyes out for losing all their money.

Mexico City also has a reputation for kipnapping foeigners for their credit cards and pin number. I think there was once a program on Nat geo about 2 British women who were kinapped for a few days while they cleaned out their bank account.

dont be too paranoid though.. they are also good people out there and sometimes there are some things that are not within our control.

as for your photos... good luck I was losing steam with sorting them out because they are so many.With this thread to share my experience and photos, its making me more excited to go through them and sort out my favourites.

 

[gnohz]

There is a chance to be robbed almost everywhere and i heard this stories even for the developed countries like France and Spain. Kipnapp happens too but I think this is more common in the americas.

I mert an italian in amr de plata, argentina where he was studying spanish and i was serving tables (in exchange for a bed every night while waiting for my new passport to arrive) we share some of our travel experience. I thought i had it bad that I was mugged in Dakar by 2 guys which left me paranoid for a few weeks but his story, if it happended to me might have send me home.

Caracas is one of the few dangerous cities and on an overnight bus to Bogota, Colombia, their bus was hijack by robbers. It was christmas season and many colombians were going home with their hard-earned money and he was the only foreigner onboard. Hijackers had guns and even fired shots while in the bus. The took his money and flung his towel (which he was using as a blanket ) over his face. He said it is even more terrifying not to be able to see what is going on.. every sound makes him jumpt out of his skin. the ordeal last for about an hour before the robbers took off with everyone's possessions. Although no harm came to them, it was scary and many of the colombians were crying their eyes out for losing all their money.

Mexico City also has a reputation for kipnapping foeigners for their credit cards and pin number. I think there was once a program on Nat geo about 2 British women who were kinapped for a few days while they cleaned out their bank account.

dont be too paranoid though.. they are also good people out there and sometimes they are some things that are not within our control

as fr your photos... good luck I was losing steam with sorting them out because they are so many.With this thread to share my experience and photos, its making me more excited to go through them and sort out my favourites.

Hi pupuce, thanks so much for taking the time to answer my queries. Really appreciate it
Wow, so you were technically away for 20 months!

I think Singapore is so safe that we just take safety for granted. It should be a good experience to be overseas and get some idea and knowledge which we don't get at home. Thanks for sharing the stories. I'll keep that in mind. There's really a need to plan how to keep ourselves as well as our money safe!

I think I should also start a thread so I can have some motivation to sort out my favourite photos too

 

[ManWearPants]

Hello Guys, what has been going on while I was out for sunday familly dinner?:nono:
seems like there were some jokes and fun going on when i was not around!
We are all here to discuss and learn ( I'll benefit a lot from here, for sure) and it will be cool to have some fun and laugther too. I dont get offended easily and only a few things will tick me off, so by all means, let your sense of humour bubble to the surface on this thread and fire away with any questions in mind.

To Mearwearpants -dont fall off the chair*
Pupuce - "flea" (oh yes, thats right, fleas like on the dogs) Wikipedia states "In French, puce literally means "flea", and the usual coloration of a flea is dark reddish-brown or dark purplish-brown; specifically, it is the color of the belly of a flea.
In france, it is also used like a nickname, an endearment. Ma puce (my flea) pupuce (little flea) that what my friends call me!

You can just shorten it to puce too, no problem.

I spent a total of 15 months travelling on the road and followed by another 5 months living in paris, learning Fench. it has been my dream for the longest time so I thought 'why not" since I quite my job to travel, might as fulfil another dream :devil:
All in, I was away for 20 months..

Nothing much really. It is normal for me to be stirring my cup of tea a little bit harder on a Sunday night.

So all in all, it is 20 months and not just 15 months. My gosh. No wonder your friends are calling you pupuce cos you are jumping from one host to another. I better flea hop away for now. More photos please.