My Round the World Trip

[zoossh]

Hey fallenphoenix,
You know backpacking sounds so cool but behind the scene, it is exhausting, bothersome, dangerous and I hate having no one to blame if something goes wrong! haha!

main thing is the dangerous part. it is a risk that have to be weighed accordingly.

I am not sure if he is a professional rock-climber. He is just a local guy, probably having some fun at the old city and entertaining the tourists who happen to be there. I see you are an avid rockclimber.. would you do what this crazy Indiana Jones at petra did? No safety precaution or anything,, my heart always skip a beat when he makes a flying leap.

i dun think it is a good idea to climb. not about his safety, but dun think it is good for these old buildings, even though he is not using equipments.

i doubt that he is to entertain tourists. the very few middle easterners i came across superficially are mostly quite serious and pragmatic in life. they won't jeopardize their life and livelihood for only thrill, i think. is that your experience with the jordanians?

 

[alantkh]

zoosh, there were quite a few low light sitiuations- when the animals come by to the waterhole at night, sunrise, sunsets especially.

I know what you mean about the story component and I hope that there will be a more pics down the road that will tell a story to the viewers. can you share some tips - how to tell a story component for landscape shot?
I so appreciate your comments and by all means be harsh on the photo if you have to. I read some notes at the critque corner ... wos scary man!

then you should upgrade your D80 to a latest APS-C camera like maybe the nikon D7000 or pentax k-r/k-5.

I think both offer significantly better low light capability than the nikon D80. Technology is like that, a few years down the road you get more performance for the same price and weight.

 

[pupuce]

Pretty inspirational.. I will do my RTW trip one day with my wife.. Hopefully I dont have to wait too long for this day to come. =)

great plan you've got there! dont forget not to wait too long as you have to take your stamina into consideration. Old bones can go on those 3 months lxurious cruise around the world

 

[Fallenphoenix]

Hey fallenphoenix,
You know backpacking sounds so cool but behind the scene, it is exhausting, bothersome, dangerous and I hate having no one to blame if something goes wrong! haha!

Sales is my forte and that is what i do! How I managed to convince myself to leave my job was " sales is a portable skill and I can use it anywhere" but I did prepare myself mentally tha I might have to work behind mcdonald's counter if there is a economy downturn!

I am not sure if he is a professional rock-climber. He is just a local guy, probably having some fun at the old city and entertaining the tourists who happen to be there. I see you are an avid rockclimber.. would you do what this crazy Indiana Jones at petra did? No safety precaution or anything,, my heart always skip a beat when he makes a flying leap.

I agree, backpacking is exhausting and bothersome. After a month, I'll miss my room dearly. There's no such thing as professional rock climber but hardcore rock climber. I have yet to see any rockclimbers that live on climbing. I won't do that jump on that terrain. Sandstone are brittle and soft, hence, they re not very reliable. It's so soft that we often joked that if we ran out of hand/foot holds, just make one. Climbers like him, we call them free climbers. The person who started it, is already dead after clocking the world's longest rope bungee jump. I do have plans to scale the pyramids. shhhhhh

 

[Fallenphoenix]

main thing is the dangerous part. it is a risk that have to be weighed accordingly.

i dun think it is a good idea to climb. not about his safety, but dun think it is good for these old buildings, even though he is not using equipments.

i doubt that he is to entertain tourists. the very few middle easterners i came across superficially are mostly quite serious and pragmatic in life. they won't jeopardize their life and livelihood for only thrill, i think. is that your experience with the jordanians?

i agree. sandstone is too soft

 

[boroangel]

Jordan, Petra, Indiana Jones in the making

Nice photo, saw 2 guys climbing up when I was there. Its incredible how big the Monastery actually is, and putting a person in teh pic really shows the scale.

 

[Will03]

Jordan - Red Sea, Reflection
We were driving and almost arriving at the Red sea when I saw this scene. Had to stop to snap a photo.. this is the plus point of Independent travel, you can stop anytime you want

i like this.. of cos it would be better if there is a subject in the photo, a boat, a person, a bird etc.. thats why sometimes luck plays a part..

 

[alantkh]

Jordan - Red Sea, Reflection
We were driving and almost arriving at the Red sea when I saw this scene. Had to stop to snap a photo.. this is the plus point of Independent travel, you can stop anytime you want

I really like this too. Especially the light fog and its effect. + the reflection with zero clouds.

But maybe that is why the dust spot is soooo obvious. Clone it out lah.... you photoshop your pics right?

 

[pupuce]

I really like this too. Especially the light fog and its effect. + the reflection with zero clouds.
But maybe that is why the dust spot is soooo obvious. Clone it out lah.... you photoshop your pics right?

So no standard, right? Mah-loo! heheh!
Actually I loaded photoshop 7 a few weeks ago and just starting to learn how to use. Zoosh just thought me how to use the clone stamp and I was just trying it a few mins ago.. still cant quite get it right. (I wanted orange and cloned the black spot instead )I dont really know how to use photoedit software except "crop" from picasa to take out unwanted "faces" and sharpen image.
I will edit and edit before posting any more photos.

i can imagine how irritating it is to see the spot there especially if the photo is somewhat decent :cry:

 

[Will03]

It didnt even crossed my mind about that you think a car on the road would have the same effect or the object is better on the left side of the photo as it seems empty now that you mentioned it?

hmm.. a car on the road, would be on the right side of the picture, i guess ? I will prefer a subject on the left side.. to balance up the picture..

 

[ManWearPants]

You can download this dust removal tool from Polaroid.

http://web.archive.org/web/200206121...sr/pdsr1_0.exe

 

[pupuce]

# 7 Jordan, Dead Sea area, Reflection
(Cleaned up version of the above missing photo):devil:​

 

[pupuce]

then you should upgrade your D80 to a latest APS-C camera like maybe the nikon D7000 or pentax k-r/k-5.

I think both offer significantly better low light capability than the nikon D80. Technology is like that, a few years down the road you get more performance for the same price and weight.

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

 

[pupuce]

main thing is the dangerous part. it is a risk that have to be weighed accordingly.

i dun think it is a good idea to climb. not about his safety, but dun think it is good for these old buildings, even though he is not using equipments.
i doubt that he is to entertain tourists. the very few middle easterners i came across superficially are mostly quite serious and pragmatic in life. they won't jeopardize their life and livelihood for only thrill, i think. is that your experience with the jordanians?

I have a few times put myself into "dangerous" situations knowingly or unknowingly..crossing the no-man's land between Morocco and Mauritania which is laden with landmines, taking a Guatemalan local bus or even flying Cubana Air but I believe everything is meant to be and if its time to go, there is no running away.. haha Like the movie -
Then again, I might be wrong and if **** happens to me , that is because I put myself at risk!

As for the Indiana Jones in Petra, I cant think of other reason to why he was doing it besides enertain himself and us. He didnt ask for money or anything. He came down to the coffee-shop after his performance and had tea with us. Some tourist tooks photos with him and that is it. I also saw kids clambering at other ancient buildings so it could be a way for the town people to pass time.
I dont know anything about stones or rocks, I only think he might damage the ancient building if he continues with the stunt or those old buildings might crumble and then he will land with a thud. (lets pray not)
The few Jordanians I know are pragmatic and practical but I think it is because of upbringing and opportunities available rather than the general.

Zoossh, are you more a photgrapher or a traveller?

 

[pupuce]

New Series - SYRIA

#1 Syria - Dead Cities, Abandoned
al-bara" is the so-called Dead Cities, a series of ancient ghost towns among the limestone hills that lie between the Aleppo-Hama highway in the east and the Orontes River in the west. Reachable only by car.

#2 Syria - Dead Cities
Very isolated and I felt very alone wanderng around on my own.. there was only me,the howling wind and maybe the ghosts of the past​

 

[pupuce]

#3 Syria - Dead Cities
Sergilla is one of over 700 dead Cities and one of the better preserved ones.​

 

[zoossh]

I have a few times put myself into "dangerous" situations knowingly or unknowingly..crossing the no-man's land between Morocco and Mauritania which is laden with landmines, taking a Guatemalan local bus or even flying Cubana Air but I believe everything is meant to be and if its time to go, there is no running away.. haha Like the movie -
Then again, I might be wrong and if **** happens to me , that is because I put myself at risk!

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.

the world is very big, so i'm sure there are plenty of interesting yet relatively safe place that i can go to, or safer part of dangerous country, or safer route of a dangerous part. but whatever safety threshold is being placed, it depends on how much u can afford to lose.

Zoossh, are you more a photgrapher or a traveller?

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.

 

[gnohz]

Only managed to see this thread now!
You have managed to live the dream of many others. Congrats!!
It's also what I hope to do, one of my goals in my lifelist...within the next 10 years. At least around Asia, if not around the world
Hope to hear more of your experiences on your blog!

 

[pupuce]

#4 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​

 

[Fallenphoenix]

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

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