Boracay part 2

April 17:

To try and beat at least some of the other tourists I got up at 8am, had breakfast and grabbed a motor with side car and headed to Puka beach in the north. The island is about 7km long so the ride didn't take too long. The further north you go the more secluded it gets. Most people hit Puka beach on a island hopping tour and reach it by water. I actually liked the ride, you get to see more real life this way. Once we arrived I thanked my driver and walked towards the white sandy beach in front of me. Breathtaking, gorgeous views made me stop and stand there in awe for a minute or two I wanted to snorkel a bit so rented equipment for the hour and plunged into the blue water. About five steps in I couldn't stand any more and two more stokes the water dropped to a depth I wasn't used to which was kind of unsettling for a bit. The water is so incredibly clear that you can see the bottom without any trouble. I didn't seem to see any fish though. I started to Swim towards a bunch of kids who were snorkeling and think the might know where to go. One of the boys was kind enough to go under rocks and chase some fish around, but there weren't that many. Maybe a good thing since fish actually freak me out. This is an easy and slow start up for tomorrow, since I'll go on a snorkeling trip to crocodile island where there are many fish.
After Returning the equipment and a fresh mango shake I started walking down the beach a bit. Just amazed by the beach and the sea I settled down and went back in the water. Since this beach is in the north and unprotected from any type of wind the current was a bit strong. Good for exercise I guess since you can swim at a good pace and not move an inch. I just drifted a bit, making sure I wasn't too far out (too many boats out) or to far down. Boats with island hoppers are now coming in which was my cue to leave again. But what to do now? Heading back to the hotel? Walking down white beach? The latter is what I did since I hadn't had lunch yet. The afternoon was spend next to the pool.
Most hotels are located along white beach since this is where the sun sets. I had to see that too of course, so after I had been dropped of at D-mall and had some dinner I headed for the beach. White beach has been plagued with green algae the last few years which make the beach not look as good as Puka beach, but the sand is just amazingly soft and comfortable. It also doesn't take away the beauty of the sunset. Walking back to the hotel I noticed that I might need to try and find another restaurant on the beach tomorrow. The smells in the air of all the buffets and various restaurants was just fantastic. One more refreshing dip in the pool to cool down my immensely burned body (PF 30 sun block didn't seem to work for me) and back to my air-conditioned cabana.

April 18:
Getting up a bit earlier and going down for breakfast so I can make it over to the tourist information center for my trip was what I did today. Of course I got there way too early and than I was asked if I had a reservation, something the lady failed to mention to me the day before. Not a problem apparently since I booked it right there and than. I was going to be picked up at 10am for island hopping. The highlight for me was going to be snorkeling. I had heard many good stories about crocodile island and was looking forward to this. I got picked up right on time and started heading for boat station 3 while picking up some other people on the way. The group was a bit larger than I expected, about 20 some people, mostly couples and families. I ended up spending most of the day chatting with a German named Claudia and an American named Rachel. They both traveled by themselves as well.
First stop was crocodile island. The name doesn't imply there are crocodiles on the island but merely that it is shaped like one. Lots of boats were anchored in front of the coast and once our boat found a nice spot as well we were able to dive in. It just amazes me still how deep the waters are and you can still see the bottom. It was about 10m deep which is quite unnerving. You also have to understand that fish kind of freak me out, so snorkeling is probably not something I should have been doing, but boy was it beautiful. I kept in constant motion so no fish would come near, but I enjoyed it thoroughly. The diversity of the fish was just stunning. The Australian girl was complaining about all the dead coral down there, but I had nothing to compare it too let alone seen coral ever before, so I was just intensely happy being in the water and swimming around
After about 45 min. of snorkeling we climbed back on board to go to our next stop, Crystal Cove. This cove is located on a private island. A few of us weren't interested in paying an additional 200 pesos so we stayed on the beach. Awkwardly aware of my burned back I stayed in the shade and chatted with Claudia. Stayed on the beach for nearly 2 hours before heading to out lunch spot on the next beach over.
after lunch we were heading to another spot for snorkeling, but since the currents were too strong we kept going and docked on Puka beach. I went there yesterday and knew how pretty is was going to be. We docked a bit further than I had walked the previous day and I decided to grab my snorkeling gear and swim out a bit. I saw a few schools of fishes and a dead tuna, but all in all not that many. Swimming back to shore I bumped into a few guys from our boat and stuck around chatting with them. They were from the UK and Venezuela but have lived in Amsterdam for the past 7 years.
since we skipped the last bay to snorkel in our guide decided to take us to Balinghai for our second snorkeling trip. Once I got in the water I wished I had been a bit more conservative with my pictures on the underwater camera I got. I ran out of film at crocodile island and didn't have a back-up. Balinghai was a much better spot to snorkel at. I saw Clownfish (Nemo?) and Blue Tang (like Dory) and Idol fish (like Gill) (clearly I can only indicate them by referencing Nemo) and many more. It was even more diverse than Crocodile island and the sea floor was much more interesting. This was the end of our tour so we headed we headed back to boat station 3.
Claudia was interested in dinner and asked if Rachel and I wanted to join her. First we were going to have some cocktails and watch the sunset. It was happy hour so we ordered our drinks and enjoyed the view. There was only one thing I hadn't though of. We hadn't had anything to eat since lunch and I do not drink. So after starting my second cocktail I started to feel woozy. So this is what it feels like to be buzzed, I thought. I felt kind of pathetic that I couldn't even drink two drinks. Both Claudia and Rachel said that dinner might help, so after we went back to our hotels to freshen up we walked down to D-mall and had dinner. It was nice to not spend the evening by myself and just chat and enjoy each others company. Rachel will be flying out tomorrow, but maybe I'll bump into Claudia again, especially since she is in a hostel right down the alley from my hotel.

Boracay part 1

April 15, 2011:

English radio, buses that look like they came out of a Jamaican movie (at least that is what I think), fresh smell in the air, palm trees, humidity and smiles are a few of the things I notice instantly after the plane had touched down in Manila, the Philippines. I am here to treat myself for my 30th birthday. Traveling alone and on my way to Boracay I am spending a night in the Orchid Garden Suites not far from the airport. The hotel is quite convenient and tucked away in a corner behind palm trees, so it seems. The room is small and the shower only has scorching hot water and the A/C rattles noisily. The staff is friendly and are at your service. It's only for the night, so it will do.

After I had checked in and dropped all my luggage, which isn't much, in the room I exchange some of my dollars and hunt for some food. The Philippines is notorious for good food and therefore it shouldn't be a problem. Walking down the street I found a shopping mall where I wandered around. Not much here and a bit disappointed I settled for pizza, Boracay is going to be better if I may believe my colleagues. However the trip wasn't in vain. A large supermarket was located across from the restaurant and I am in need of breakfast for tomorrow. Since the hotel doesn't start serving until 6am, which is when I am being picked up, I need to get something myself. Quite satisfied I leave the store with papaya, mango, water and caramel timtams. This should do for now and I headed back to the hotel to settle in an get some sleep. It will be an early morning.

April 16:

After a night of somewhat restless sleep I decided to just get up, although it was only 4.40am. Maybe I could just check out and sit in the lobby and use the hotel's wifi for a little while before my 6am pick-up. However to my surprise the limo was waiting, and I mean THE LIMO was waiting. No a stretch, but definitely a limo was standing outside the hotel to take me to the airport. After a quick FB update we went on our way. With soothing Christian music on the radio and a quiet streets the ride to the airport was swift and comfortable. Not seeing much of Manila since the darkness is still covering the city we arrive at terminal 2, the hub of Philippine airlines. It didn't take too long to check in, pay terminal tax and get luggage scanned. The terminal is quite small and birds are coming in and out flying around freely. After hanging around for a bit I settled in near the gate. An American Philippina thought I might be lonely and started a conversation with me. We ended up talking until boarding time. At 9am we took off, heading south to Kalibo. After a smooth flight we landed at Kalibo airport an hour later.

Since I am traveling light (carry on luggage only) I walked out of the airport less than a minute later and boarded the bus. The only thing between me and the island is an hour and half on the bus and a boat ride. The bus ride was a bumpy one, but filled with new impressions to store away for future stories. The surroundings were lush and green. Dozens and dozens of palm trees, huts with saw roofs and when we did go through villages we would see nice free standing houses in a rainbow of bright colors. We passed a numb of cemeteries, including a Chinese one and tons of primary schools. Here you really see the influence of the catholic church. Primary schools named after saints and clinics founded and supported by missionaries are numerous. But not only did I see a huge catholic influence, we also passed a number of Christian churches, a jehovah's witness building and a plot owned by the Mormons. It is refreshing to be somewhere where religion is a freedom of choice.

Over the mountains we went and than...there it was...the blue sea. I know that white sand and blue seas are the signature paradise items, but even in Hainan, which is the closest I got to paradise in my life, did not have a blue sea (although some would disagree with you). The sea here really is blue and crystal clear, just amazing. Once at the port someone from the hotel pick me up and took me to the boat for a 5 minute cross over. I was the only passenger and enjoyed the trip very much. Wind blowing through my hair and salt water on my lips with a view on the island, not bad, not bad at all. An open minivan type of car drove us to the hotel. After looking at pictures and listening to stories I was looking forward to this holiday a lot and was somewhat afraid I would over estimate the beauty and that it was all going to be better in my mind than in real life, but my mind could never have imagined anything like this. Instead of a deluxe room that was booked for me I got a cabana. A private room with a balcony with couch and hammock (which I am using now to write this) and a room I have never ever had in my life. A view on the pool that is snuggly fit in the middle in between the palm trees. A true tropical paradise.

Now that I am checked in I should explore at least a little bit. Walking down to the beach, since the hotel is not a beach front hotel I had to walk down there. The walk only takes a minute or three and once I arrived I popped into the tourism office for information on snorkeling trips. I might just book that trip to crocodile island for Monday. I would have liked to take a dip in the sea, but I carried my purse and camera and didn't want to leave it unprotected so just wandered down the beach in search of a place to eat. Lunch time had passed and my stomach was letting me know I forgot. Once food had been found and eaten I continued down the beach a nit further and stumbled upon the mall. Well....if you can call it that. D-mall is I think what the Americans call a strip mall but it circles. And doesn't look like a mall at all. It is an area with shops surrounded by greenery, just stunning to walk through. I found an underwater camera for my snorkeling trip and headed back to the resort for a dip in the pool. This is where I stayed for the rest of the afternoon. In a bliss of happiness I was laying in the pool or on a lounge chair reading and sipping my mango shake which is being served with a smile. Life can not be better.

Movement at Houhai

BeijinGX had another outing in January and this time our creative leader came up with the idea to prepare techniques and/or themes. We met at Houhai where lots of people would gather on a Saturday to go ice skating, ice biking, pick sledding or just stroll around and enjoy the atmosphere. Once we gathered at Starbucks for something hot our leader Nicholas distributed little pieces of paper with a theme on it. Love, laughter, freezing cold, panning, movement to mention just a few. My theme of the day was movement. My goal: capture moving objects and or people. To be very honest I ended up doing more panning than anything else.

To get around easier and not fall on my butt I rented an ice bike. This way I could also cover more of the lake and get some different shots. But before I did that I went to the ice skating part and took some shots of the skaters. It is not easy taking panning shots of them, but because of the speed when it does work properly you end up with some awesome pictures. The key is to follow one particular skater for a few rounds and get the movement just right. Follow him/her through your view finder making the same movement the skater is. Than set your Shutterspeed mode (TV) to a slow speed (I used 1/10 to 1/20). While folloing the skater take the picture and keep your camera moving until the picture has been taken. What happens is that your subject (the skater) is in focus while everything else is blurred. Just take a look at the pictures below.

After taking all these panning shots I focused on some other objects around that would show movement. I ended of focussing my camera on this cotton candy.

It is project time. Outside is cold and windy so I open my computer and go to DPS (digital photography school) for ideas. A few weeks ago I had seen an awesome picture and wanted to know what this photographer had done. Basically he had taken pictures of bubbles with a macro lens. Since I have no macro lens I'll have to settle with my zoom. Therefore my results will be different. I also tried the set up with umbrella flash, but the lighting in the bedroom was going to be enough.

So out to the store for straws. Back home put soap in a cup and blow bubbles. I had two cups set up, one with some water added and one with hardly any water added for different sizes in bubbles. Put a black t-shirt out for background and voila see the results below.

Vanvouver Canada

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Beijing wonderland

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Colourful Canada

Dear Reader,

In October of 2009 I visited a friend in Vancouver and brought my trusty Pentax camera with me. Living in Beijing makes me long for colours. Spring and fall are very short (2-3 weeks) and I feel colour deprived in the big city. I am from a country that has lots of green and my favourite seasons are spring and fall because of the range of coulrs you see around. It was my first time visiting Canada and I have heard many stories about the beautiful maple leaves in the fall, but I also realized I was not going to visit the east coast which is known for the maple leaves, but what I did not realize was that Vancouver is actually located in a rainforest. From the moment I got off the plane till the day I had to return to China I had my eyes open in amazement. The variety of colours is just stunning and although I tried to capture the variety it is just not the same as seeing it with your own eyes. In the pictures I attached below you will see I have tried to not limit my composition to one colour or tree. Instead of using my prefered 28-300mm lens I actually switched to my 18-50mm lens so I was able to get broader views and therefore more colour in one frame.

I hope you enjoy the beautiful vistas of the west.

A/M

The world under snow

Dear reader,

These next few pictures are not going to be remarkable at all. I am a snow lover and living in Beijing doesn't give me the opportunity to see a lot of it. Even when I lived at home (in The Netherlands) we were not blessed with a lot in general, but this year seems to have been crazy all over. Europe has been getting the biggest dump in forever and so has North America. Well Beijing is following. It may have been seeded it may not have been, who knows, but it doesn't take away the fact that there is a lot of white stuff out there now. Since It snowed heavily on Sunday and I have to get back to work on Monday I only had the time during my lunch break to go out. This means no nice, fancy, big pentax camera for me this time since it's too much lugging around, but my slim coolpix camera (nikon) that I acrry around in my purse for emergencies.


I hope you enjoy the snow as much as I do.

Christmas lights

Dear reader,

After reading a post on strobist (here at Blogger) on how to capture Christmas lights I decided to go out and give it a shot myself. Only one problem arose and a big one at that. Most places here in Beijing think that the lights do not need to be turned on till it's pich black dark outside (which would be 5pm) and that is catastrophic for the photographer. Strobist is telling us that you can only catch great lighting for about 10min and that is at around dusk. So much for me and experimenting. But I am not giving up and shifted my point of focus to a different new technique (for me that is) which is zoom photography. You take a point of interest and zoom in while taking the picture. Since it is difficult for me to set the aperture right I decided to use my TV function (shutter speed manual and aperture auto) and set it to "1. Keep your camera steady, point, shoot and zoom while the picture is beijing taken. For some swirl effect try twisting the camera 45 to 90 degrees or so.

See here the result.

End of the line - lost in Beijing

Dear friends and visitors,

This blog will not be me talking about trivial things that keep us all busy (I hope), but about sharing what I have learned and will learn about photography. I am not claiming to be....wait let's rephrase this....I am by far not an amazingly great photographer. I am simply someone who loves to go out and capture the city I live in, my travels and now als my friends through the lens of my camera. I feel comfortable looking through the view finder of my Pentax and shutting out the world around me.

My first entry here will be some picture of an assigment I assigned to myself. Last weekend I went out with the photography club I recently joined (BeijinGX). The purpose was to have an outing called 'the end of the line'. We hopped on the Beijing subway and went to line 8 (also known as the 'Batong' line) and went to the last stop, called 'Tuqiao'. Since we would be a bit out of the city I was hoping to find wasteland, ruins and torn down walls because it would be a great surrounding for an idea that had formed in my head. I had promised my friend's 13-year-old daughter that I would take some portraits of her and asked her to join me on this excursion. The assignment: Lost in Beijing.

I hope that these pictures are giving you the feeling that this 13-year-old girl is trying to find her way back.