Hello Bangkok!

Bangkok is a city unlike any I have ever experienced or even imagined. The heat, the people, the air pollution, the endless cars and scooters and buses, the markets, the presence of American culture(however faint), the tangled power lines, the vendors and the animals--all things that have jumped out at me since being here.

First off, I have never been so hot in my entire life.

The World Meteorological Organisation says:

Bangkok, Thailand is the world's hottest city. Other cities like Rio may reach higher temperatures but Bangkok rarely cools down, tending to remain largely above 30 deg C from day to night, summer to winter.

Also, according to almost everything I have read, April is the hottest month to be here...lucky me right? I managed to get over the heat and get out for a walk this afternoon after getting into the coolest clothing I had: rolled up jeans and white T. It wasn't ideal, but it worked.

In addition to being the hottest city on Earth, it is also probably one of the most congested and polluted. The air is thick with car exhaust. Walking down the sidewalk feels as though you are walking through an endless cloud of exhaust. Add a little REAL humidity and you begin to feel as though it is about 10-15 degrees hotter than it actually is (93 degrees). 

The air is marginally better once you get off main streets but still, very bad. I now understand why so many Asians where face masks over their nose and mouth; they aren't paranoid, they are just smart. 

As mentioned before, the traffic here is intense. There are too many cars for the streets to hold and the lights are too long. Add that up and it spells one thing: congestion. It can take hours to move a mile during the peak rush hours of the day. 

Crossing the street is like playing dodge ball, with cars.

Even in the markets, men and women on scooters weave their way through the pedestrian walkways that are barely big enough for 2 people, let alone a scooter AND a person. Just today I witnessed a small child begin to wander into the path of an oncoming scooter only to have his head grabbed by his father--pulled back to safety just in time. The child reached for his mother, crying. As scary as the scene was, I got the feeling that it was an everyday thing; just part of growing up in Bangkok.

I walked over to Prakanong Market today. I had scene the entrance streets from the bus on my way in from the airport and decided it was worth further investigation. It was huge, street after street, alleys and passageways winding around the interior of some of Bangkok's busiest blocks. Fake Rolex watches, cell phones, insane stereo systems with more buttons and knobs than I had ever seen, clothing, vegetables, sweets, meat, LIVE fish, dead fish: all for sale. It was something; to walk along these stalls, browsing with the locals. All of this so new and interesting to me, to them: everyday activities.

Today I was introduced to a world I had never known before. A world I had only heard about from friends, from movies and TV. Every expectation and idea I had about what it was be like to actually BE HERE was shattered within 5 minutes of getting on that bus at the airport.

I have seen a tiny part of an enormous city. A tiny part of the world. 

My experiences have just begun.

PHOTOS HERE

Berlin

Hello All,

I did not have any internet in Berlin and my days were simply JAMMED, so I did not have much time or means to update this lovely little blog of mine.

For those of you who commented looking for a new entry, here it is...sort of.

I don't have much time to write about my experiences in leaving Prague and in Berlin right now but I will make a point of doing so tomorrow.

For now, I offer up a new set of PHOTOS HERE.

I did not have as much free time to shoot as I might have liked, but I am fairly confident that I will be returning to Berlin, probably in June, and will have another round with the city. 

Coming Attractions: Taking off for Bangkok on Monday.

Prague - Day 2

I went for a short walk today, just a couple of hours into the city...a slightly different route this time: through the Prague Castle. It's really more of a small city than a castle with shops and restaurants lining the inner roads. For someone like me, who hates tourists, I suppose this was probably the worst route to take, but I had a plan.

Yesterday evening I realized the potential for a small series of portraits. I decided that I would photograph the 4 (or more) castle guards everyday until I leave. They are easy subjects--unable to move or speak--and with a little creative depth of field and arranging, I think these guys could produce a nice group of images. Here are the first 4:

After moving through the castle I headed across the river and into a slightly different part of the city. Even MORE tourists than yesterday! They are spreading. It started to rain and so I decided to head home, on my way capturing some fairly stunning sunset photos which can be found on flickr!

MORE PHOTOS HERE

Prague - Day 1

For my first day in Prague, I decided of course to go for a nice long walk--just to get a feel for the city.

First Impression: This city is old, REAL old, and very beautiful. There is a lot of history here--a lot of culture and character. There are also a TON OF TOURISTS. It was pretty annoying having to come to a complete stop for almost 30 seconds on the Charles Bridge because of the tourist congestion. Aside from the tourists, I like Prague quite a bit. There is a feeling in the streets here of something different, something detached every so slightly from western Europe. It really feels like you are on the fringes of the eastern block; I like this feeling.

Tomorrow there will be more exploring. For now, there is a new set started on flickr of shots I took walking around today.

As always, please feel free to comment if you see something you like! 

I love to hear back from any and all who are reading. 

Thanks!

Milan - Strasbourg

I left Milan early tuesday morning with 12 hours of train ahead of me. I had my book, Life of Pi, in my hand and Lost In Translation queued up on my iPod: I was ready for the journey.

I began reading after a short nap early on. By the time we reached the Italian/French border, I was deeply absorbed in Pi's fight for survival and didn't even notice that we hadn't moved in over an hour. We were delayed for almost 2 hours at the border due to what I can only assume was a backup in the long tunnel through the Alps. I resigned myself to missing my next two trains and pushed on in my book. 

The Alps are extraordinarily beautiful. Every twist and turn of the train revealed a different village hidden away on the mountainsides of these enormous mountains. Snow fell outside the train as I watched the smoke curling out from the tops of chimneys and the clouds floating low through the mountains--it was just too picturesque.

I made it to Lyon around 16:00. The next train left for Strasbourg at 17:08, getting in at 22:23--three hours later that I had originally planned. In the end, it didn't matter much. Julie was waiting on the platform for me and my journey was finally over. I had two days to relax in Strasbourg with Julie before continuing on to Prague early tomorrow(Friday) morning.

A quick update about my last post: I never got to go up on the Duomo. As I finished typing that entry and gathered my things to leave, I looked out the window and noticed that it was pouring rain. I guess it was a sign.

There are a few new photos in the Milan set on Flickr. 

Also, I just wanted to wish my brother a happy birthday. He turned 19 yesterday, March 12, and I wish I could have been there to celebrate...actually, I wish he could have been here to celebrate! Either way, happy birthday pete!