Transportation in the Philippines

Perhaps the most unique thing about the Philippines is the transportation system. With the exception of a short light rail line in Manila, there is zero public transportation in the Philippines. Well, they call it public transportation, but the ‘public’ refers to who the service is aimed at not ownership like in the US. The …

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Reflections on Papua New Guinea

This isn’t going to be one coherent article. There are too many things to say and I have too many observations to try and make it one flowing story. Instead, I’m just going to try and break everything up in small chunks of thoughts. I don’t have a lot of photos from PNG either, because …

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My Day As An Underwater Photographer

There are lots of places in the world you can go SCUBA diving, but Cairns just might have the biggest concentration of dive shops and and the largest diving industry in the world. The size of the industry is big enough that it has dedicated businesses devoted to underwater photography. I figured this would be …

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Palm Sunday in Jerusalem

I’m in Jerusalem now having spent three days near the Dead Sea. I was able to visit Masada and finally got my chance to float in the waters of the Dead Sea. Let me just say that a Dead Sea float is one of the most overrated things I’ve done on my trip. You float. …

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Operation Street Food – Day 1 (Food Safety)

My first day of street food went surprisingly well. I focused on grilled meat products because….well…it was easy to order. Here is how the day broke down: Breakfast – 3 pieces of chicken satay. 15 baht (US$0.45) Lunch – 3 grilled chicken wings and chopped grilled pork. 40 baht ($1.21) Dinner – Chicken with rice, …

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Why I Don’t Enter Photography Contests

I often get sent links from readers about various photos contests they think I should enter. It is flattering that they think my works is good enough to win, but the fact is I never enter photo contests. Never. A recent contest sponsored by Frommers is a great example and seems pretty typical of most …

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Living Under A State of Emergency

I began writing this post last night but had to delete everything once the bullets starting flying around 6-8pm Bangkok time. After a month of redshirt protests in Bangkok, things have finally come to a head. The protests thus far had been peaceful and the government has seen no real need to negotiate seriously with …

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Announcing the Travel Photography Academy

I’m pleased to announce the launch of the Travel Photography Academy! The Travel Photography Academy is an online course I’ve been working on for the last 2 years. When I started traveling in 2007, I knew absolutely nothing about photography. I did what many people did and purchased an expensive camera on the assumption that …

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The Danakil Depression: The Most Hellish Place on Earth

The Danakil Depression in Ethiopia is one of the lowest, hottest places on Earth. Geographically, it is part of the African Rift which extends from the African rift lakes of Malawi and Tanganyika, up through the Red Sea and into the Dead Sea of Jordan and Israel. Politically, it is part of the Afar region, …

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