Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Yes, More Chiang Mai Pictures
I think the highlight of our Chiang Mai trip from the children's point of view was the day that we went elephant riding. There was a tour that offered a package that included an elephant ride, an elephant show, an oxcart ride, a bamboo raft ride, and lunch.
Our driver told us about the tour on our first day, but Tim and I were a bit hesitant because it was pretty expensive (at least from a Thailand perspective). The price was about $45 per adult, with children at half price. We finally decided to go on the second last day of the trip. Tim managed to negotiate a free admission for Aleena, so we paid about $30 per family member, which wasn't too bad.
The tour was fun. It was difficult to take a lot of pictures from the cart or elephant because the rides aren't exactly smooth. Lunch was a surprisingly good buffet. Those things are really hit or miss, as the place isn't really relying on the food to draw you in.
Here are some photographs and a link to the album.
Chiang Mai Adventures
Our driver told us about the tour on our first day, but Tim and I were a bit hesitant because it was pretty expensive (at least from a Thailand perspective). The price was about $45 per adult, with children at half price. We finally decided to go on the second last day of the trip. Tim managed to negotiate a free admission for Aleena, so we paid about $30 per family member, which wasn't too bad.
The tour was fun. It was difficult to take a lot of pictures from the cart or elephant because the rides aren't exactly smooth. Lunch was a surprisingly good buffet. Those things are really hit or miss, as the place isn't really relying on the food to draw you in.
Here are some photographs and a link to the album.
Chiang Mai Adventures
Monday, December 29, 2008
UDD Rally
This past week, the UDD, supporters of Thaksin and the recently deposed Somchai government, started a three day rally at the Thai Parliament to protest the new Abhist government. This is the same Parliament building that was occupied by for several months by the supporters of the new government.
The front page of the paper had a picture of a mass rally, a sea of red, so I decided to go check it out myself. After working out this morning, I grabbed a taxi, and armed with my Canon 40D and a trio of lenses, I went to see what I could see.
There was a fair sized crowd on the streets around Parliament, although no where close to the size on the front page of the paper. The people that I encountered were largely extremely nice. I think that some perhaps may have thought that I represented a Western newspaper, as I sported a pretty nice set of lenses, and wore a "badge". Of course, the badge was merely my Nichada ID.
Overall my experience was very pleasant. A number of people offered me water, and some even food while I walked around photographing the event. Others were more than willing to offer themselves as targets of my pictures.
Several people had signs appealing to the U.N. to help. Others accused PM Abhist of being a draft dodger. For some "odd" reason I had visions of 1992 all over again. PM Ahbist attended school at Oxford, and must have some how avoided the compulsory military service. Or so his critics claim.
Pictures will come soon. Shooting in RAW gives me a lot of editing advantages, but one is not the quick turn around of shots.
The front page of the paper had a picture of a mass rally, a sea of red, so I decided to go check it out myself. After working out this morning, I grabbed a taxi, and armed with my Canon 40D and a trio of lenses, I went to see what I could see.
There was a fair sized crowd on the streets around Parliament, although no where close to the size on the front page of the paper. The people that I encountered were largely extremely nice. I think that some perhaps may have thought that I represented a Western newspaper, as I sported a pretty nice set of lenses, and wore a "badge". Of course, the badge was merely my Nichada ID.
Overall my experience was very pleasant. A number of people offered me water, and some even food while I walked around photographing the event. Others were more than willing to offer themselves as targets of my pictures.
Several people had signs appealing to the U.N. to help. Others accused PM Abhist of being a draft dodger. For some "odd" reason I had visions of 1992 all over again. PM Ahbist attended school at Oxford, and must have some how avoided the compulsory military service. Or so his critics claim.
Pictures will come soon. Shooting in RAW gives me a lot of editing advantages, but one is not the quick turn around of shots.
Sunday, December 28, 2008
My Mountain People Children
During our trip to Chiang Mai, we had the opportunity to visit several villages of Mountain tribe people. One of the best bargains of the whole trip was where you could dress up in traditional mountain garb and take your own pictures for less than a dollar each.
Tim and I abstained, but shamelessly compelled the children to dress up. Okay, for Nalin and Aleena it wasn't really compulsion, and Jacob didn't complain too much.
We took pictures for about twenty-five minutes. When we were about to stop, some Chinese tourists asked if they could take pictures of our "Mountain children". The kids were incredibly well behaved while the "tourists" snapped pictures of them for another five minutes.
Below please find some sample images and a link to the picasa album.
Click here for the entire album.
Tim and I abstained, but shamelessly compelled the children to dress up. Okay, for Nalin and Aleena it wasn't really compulsion, and Jacob didn't complain too much.
We took pictures for about twenty-five minutes. When we were about to stop, some Chinese tourists asked if they could take pictures of our "Mountain children". The kids were incredibly well behaved while the "tourists" snapped pictures of them for another five minutes.
Below please find some sample images and a link to the picasa album.
Click here for the entire album.
Fishermen
I took these pictures a few weeks ago after we finished diving. We were waiting by the dock for Ae to get the truck so we could load the gear when I saw these fisherman on a nearby boat. I went over and asked to take their picture and they agreed.
I only took a couple of pictures, but I like how they turned out. When I left, they were all laughing and smiling about it.
Friday, December 26, 2008
Chiang Mai Vacation
Last Friday, Tim and I took the family up to Chiang Mai for a six day (five nights) vacation. We flew out in the afternoon, so we had to leave almost immediately after the kids were let out of school.
The Thai Air flight was pretty uneventful. The driver we hired met us at the Chiang Mai airport in an SVU taxi. We hired him and his car for 6 days for a total cost of less than $300, including gas.
Our hotel was located in the Chiang Mai Night Safari, a government run park that specializes in nocturnal safari tours. When we made the reservation, we were thinking that it would be a really nice setting where we could see the wildlife from our room.
Our expectations and reality, however, were quite different. While the room itself was well decorated, the surroundings were hardly inspiring. The four room unit was located at the end of a small paved road. It was surrounded by woods, but did not present a particularly pleasing view. There were no animals in the area, nor was there anywhere close by to get something to eat or drink.
The hotel delivered breakfast in the morning, but it was truly disappointing. The first day's was a fried egg and some sausages (more accurately described as hot dogs). It sounds a lot better than it was, and the fact that it was cold when it arrived hardly increased the appeal. The second day's breakfast was luke warm friend fish and chopped raw cabbage with salad dressing that arrived forty-five minutes late. Thai people often think that salads are made with chopped cabbage instead of chopped lettuce.
I won't do into all the details, but the highlights of the trip included:
- Visiting temples and the King's winter palace;
- Going to the highest point in Thailand. Unfortunately, the view was not very spectacular.
- Visiting the Night Safari. There were two tours where guests rode on a tram to view animals. Somehow we ended up on the Thai speaking tour for the first one.
- Going on an elephant ride, ox cart ride, a river raft and viewing an elephant show;
- Shopping at the night market. This gem included Nalin vomiting in the street and me cleaning it up;
- Attending the monkey and snake shows;
- Visiting a mountain village where the kids dressed up in traditional Northern garb. The best part of it was that after we were finished taking pictures, some other tourists asked to take pictures of the kids.
- Visited other local tribe people, including the long necks. These are the women who put the metal rings on their neck. We bought candy before we entered, and the kids passed it out to the children we met.
- Jacob and I saw the dreadful movie Transporter 3 while the girls shopped again at another night market. He loved the movie, except for the parts when they kissed, at which time he covered his eyes.
The Thai Air flight was pretty uneventful. The driver we hired met us at the Chiang Mai airport in an SVU taxi. We hired him and his car for 6 days for a total cost of less than $300, including gas.
Our hotel was located in the Chiang Mai Night Safari, a government run park that specializes in nocturnal safari tours. When we made the reservation, we were thinking that it would be a really nice setting where we could see the wildlife from our room.
Our expectations and reality, however, were quite different. While the room itself was well decorated, the surroundings were hardly inspiring. The four room unit was located at the end of a small paved road. It was surrounded by woods, but did not present a particularly pleasing view. There were no animals in the area, nor was there anywhere close by to get something to eat or drink.
The hotel delivered breakfast in the morning, but it was truly disappointing. The first day's was a fried egg and some sausages (more accurately described as hot dogs). It sounds a lot better than it was, and the fact that it was cold when it arrived hardly increased the appeal. The second day's breakfast was luke warm friend fish and chopped raw cabbage with salad dressing that arrived forty-five minutes late. Thai people often think that salads are made with chopped cabbage instead of chopped lettuce.
I won't do into all the details, but the highlights of the trip included:
- Visiting temples and the King's winter palace;
- Going to the highest point in Thailand. Unfortunately, the view was not very spectacular.
- Visiting the Night Safari. There were two tours where guests rode on a tram to view animals. Somehow we ended up on the Thai speaking tour for the first one.
- Going on an elephant ride, ox cart ride, a river raft and viewing an elephant show;
- Shopping at the night market. This gem included Nalin vomiting in the street and me cleaning it up;
- Attending the monkey and snake shows;
- Visiting a mountain village where the kids dressed up in traditional Northern garb. The best part of it was that after we were finished taking pictures, some other tourists asked to take pictures of the kids.
- Visited other local tribe people, including the long necks. These are the women who put the metal rings on their neck. We bought candy before we entered, and the kids passed it out to the children we met.
- Jacob and I saw the dreadful movie Transporter 3 while the girls shopped again at another night market. He loved the movie, except for the parts when they kissed, at which time he covered his eyes.
Pink Hat
I'm wading through pictures while trying to setup my new computer. Here is one of Aleena that I like. We bought the hat on the second last day of our trip from a vendor in a small village.
New PC
Bought a new PC today, so I'm in the throws of transfering everything over from my laptop to my new acquisition.
Here are some of the relevant specs:
Motherboard: Asus P50 SE/R
Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200 2.33GHz
RAM: 4GB DDR2
Disk: 500 GB 7200 RPM SATAII
NVidia GeForce 9600 GT
I've played around for a few minutes with Photoshop and its a lot faster. Hopefully it will help me process pictures more quickly.
Here are some of the relevant specs:
Motherboard: Asus P50 SE/R
Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200 2.33GHz
RAM: 4GB DDR2
Disk: 500 GB 7200 RPM SATAII
NVidia GeForce 9600 GT
I've played around for a few minutes with Photoshop and its a lot faster. Hopefully it will help me process pictures more quickly.
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Some Chiang Mai Pictures
Here are some pictures from Chiang Mai. Most of them are from the temples located in the mountains of northern Thailand.
Album
http://picasaweb.google.com/edwardbrianvogel/ChiangMai#
Here are a few of the pictures.
Album
http://picasaweb.google.com/edwardbrianvogel/ChiangMai#
Here are a few of the pictures.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Ghost of Jacob
During our trip to Chiang Mai, I played around a bit with my camera. Inside one of the temples, I took some pictures using a long exposure. This required a dark area for the long exposure, and the use of a tripod.
The first two pictures are of Jacob in a temple. I had Jacob walk across the room in front of the camera. The camera exposure was four and eight seconds.
You can barely see Jacob near the center of the picture. He was slowing walking across the floor.
This exposure was eight seconds, and believe it or not, Jacob was walking along the wall the entire time the shutter was open. Even though he was walking slowly, he was never in one place long enough to show up on the picture. He was effectively invisible.
I set the timer on my tripod and walked across the room myself. I'm the orange blur on the left side of the picture.
Jacob and I had fun doing these shots. I want to work on the technique some more. Its really a trial and error on how long to keep the exposure open.
The first two pictures are of Jacob in a temple. I had Jacob walk across the room in front of the camera. The camera exposure was four and eight seconds.
You can barely see Jacob near the center of the picture. He was slowing walking across the floor.
This exposure was eight seconds, and believe it or not, Jacob was walking along the wall the entire time the shutter was open. Even though he was walking slowly, he was never in one place long enough to show up on the picture. He was effectively invisible.
I set the timer on my tripod and walked across the room myself. I'm the orange blur on the left side of the picture.
Jacob and I had fun doing these shots. I want to work on the technique some more. Its really a trial and error on how long to keep the exposure open.
Christmas Update
Well, the presents are open, the wrapping paper tossed aside, and the kids are enjoying their new presents. Typical Christmas morning, well sort of. Its in the high 70's right now, so cold weather typical in Ohio is absent but not missed.
They shut off the water to our neighborhood for four hours today to connect a new subdivision. At first I thought that the people who run Nichada had lost their minds. Why would you turn off water from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Christmas morning in a community filled with a large percentage of people who will be celebrating Christmas. This appears to be the city's handiwork. Since Christmas is not an official holiday here, for most Thais this is just another day.
So, on to the loot report. The kids did pretty well, and seemed pleased with their haul. Jacob found a PSP, books, movies and video games under the tree this year. Nalin was the recipient of a new camera and iPod Shuffle, in addition to books and movies. A Vtech camera was the big score for Aleena, along with some books, movies and art supplies.
The jolly fat guy brought Tim some workout pants and tops. The gift for the entire family was a portable DVD player. Our last one mysteriously sprung legs and walked off.
I mentioned my present in yesterday's blog. The iTouch 16 is really nice. I bought the 1st generation ($219) instead of the second generation ($289), but its still really nice.
They shut off the water to our neighborhood for four hours today to connect a new subdivision. At first I thought that the people who run Nichada had lost their minds. Why would you turn off water from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Christmas morning in a community filled with a large percentage of people who will be celebrating Christmas. This appears to be the city's handiwork. Since Christmas is not an official holiday here, for most Thais this is just another day.
So, on to the loot report. The kids did pretty well, and seemed pleased with their haul. Jacob found a PSP, books, movies and video games under the tree this year. Nalin was the recipient of a new camera and iPod Shuffle, in addition to books and movies. A Vtech camera was the big score for Aleena, along with some books, movies and art supplies.
The jolly fat guy brought Tim some workout pants and tops. The gift for the entire family was a portable DVD player. Our last one mysteriously sprung legs and walked off.
I mentioned my present in yesterday's blog. The iTouch 16 is really nice. I bought the 1st generation ($219) instead of the second generation ($289), but its still really nice.
A Few Chiang Mai Pictures
Here are a few photographs that I took this past week. I have a lot to go through, so it might take a bit of time.
I really like this photograph. It is probably one of my favorite that I've taken.
I like this picture of Tim looking forward. One of the techniques that I've been working on is to not always put the subject in the center of the picture.
I really like this photograph. It is probably one of my favorite that I've taken.
I like this picture of Tim looking forward. One of the techniques that I've been working on is to not always put the subject in the center of the picture.
Return From Chiang Mai
We just got back from Chiang Mia this evening. I have a lot of pictures, some of them are actually decent. I'll blog about the trip a bit later and upload some pictures.. Yeah, I know, I still have to talk about the seamier side of Pattaya. I'll get to it. Really.
This evening I had to finish a bit of gift wrapping for tomorrow morning. I did most of the wrapping before we left, but there were a few outstanding items.
As you may remember, my iPod died via drowning a month or so ago. I ordered one from Amazon and had it sent to a friend who works at the U.S. Embassy. It avoids the Thai mail that way. I also ordered some books for Nalin. My friend told me that it was unlikely that they would arrive before Christmas. Low and behold, a Christmas miracle occurred, and the items arrived today. After syncing the iPod iTouch, I wrapped it up as my gift. I saved about 30% ordering it from the U.S. I had to wait almost three weeks, but the cost savings justified it. Instant gratification for the loss!
This evening I had to finish a bit of gift wrapping for tomorrow morning. I did most of the wrapping before we left, but there were a few outstanding items.
As you may remember, my iPod died via drowning a month or so ago. I ordered one from Amazon and had it sent to a friend who works at the U.S. Embassy. It avoids the Thai mail that way. I also ordered some books for Nalin. My friend told me that it was unlikely that they would arrive before Christmas. Low and behold, a Christmas miracle occurred, and the items arrived today. After syncing the iPod iTouch, I wrapped it up as my gift. I saved about 30% ordering it from the U.S. I had to wait almost three weeks, but the cost savings justified it. Instant gratification for the loss!
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