Happy New Year, and Good-Bye to 2008

Out here in Indonesia it is almost the new year...in about three hours...

I wish you all the best in the upcoming year!!

Yep, It's RED

I couldn't help but notice the great texture and color...and patterns at the bottom of the great wooden hulls of the sailing ships...

Orangutang

Orang - Hutan is the actual Indonesian name for these guys....it means people (orang) of the forest (Hutan)...

A Couple More Shots From Sunda Kelapa

I posted these two shots on my family blog last night...

Another Trip to Sunda Kelapa

My parents are visiting Jakarta. What would a trip to Jakarta be without heading to Sunda Kelapa to see the old sailing ships...and a stroll through the neighboring Kampung (village)...

We had great skies today...not the normal haze that there usually is in Jakarta...

Christmas Eve

I wish this was Jakarta, but far from it...the photo below was taken in Switzerland a couple of years ago when I went to visit some friends for some skiing...they really have nice white Christmas' there...

Most likely, I won't be making a post Christmas day, so Merry Christmas to all of you out there in Blog Land!!

And Thanks to all of you that left nice Christmas messages for me and my family in the post below...Klaus, Pernille, Stacey, Ivar, Thomas, and Quint...Merry Christmas to you and your families as well...

The Antelope of Chobe

The one animal there is no shortage of at Chobe in Botswana...

Zillions of Fish and Reef

Talk about Bio-diversity...

Skywatch Friday - Clouds Over the Gobi

Happy Friday!!

This Friday for me is one of those really good Fridays....the Friday before a three-week vacation!!

My photo today takes you to South West Mongolia to the Gobi Desert....some cool skies there!

Be sure to visit other sites from around the world...click here to take you to the skywatch site...

Just Clowning Around

Every body's favorite fish...the clown fish.

Published With A List of Distinguished Names

I learned this weekend that a few of my photos will be included in a brochure that is being published for my favorite dive destination, Raja Ampat. But the coolest thing for me is the list of photographers that also have photos in the brochure...my name is amongst those of David Doubilet (famous underwater photographer for National Geographic), Mark Strickland, Roger Steene, Gerald Allen, Stephen Wong, Takako Uno, Willem Gingnagel, and others...I am honored to be mentioned along side these underwater photographers...

This is one of the photos included in the brochure...

Like Fireworks Underwater

These little tube worms are sensitive...if you make any sudden movements with your camera, they fold up quickly, and don't come back out for at least a few minutes...but when in full bloom...wow...

It's No Wonder People Love The Beach

Doesn't the water just beg you to dive in?

Fish Forever

My good friend, Max Ammer, came by for a visit today. He is the owner and operator of Papua Divers in Raja Ampat...the ultimate dive destination where most of my underwater photos come from. In his honor, I went through some of my old photos from Raja Ampat, and found this beauty...I remember thinking when I took this shot, it was like "fish forever"...

Skywatch Friday - Another Sunrise at Angkor Wat

Happy Friday, Everyone....wow, this week flew by...

My Skywatch photo this week is from Angkor Wat in Cambodia. I had a similar photo awhile back, but the one below is from a different morning, and I like the sky better...

Be sure to visit as many other sites as you can....click here to take you to the main skywatch friday website...

A Head of Hair

These guys have hair....I do not. The guy in the red hat has hair just as long as the other dude, but it was wrapped up in that hat...

Don't Try This At Home

Diving in Tulamben, in North East Bali, there is a long walk down the beach over hot black rocks to get to the liberty wreck just off-shore. These ladies will carry your scuba gear and weight belts to the entry point for less than a buck.

...and I complain when I have to carry my camera and fins...

Surfing

Sorry for the late entry...I guess you can say I went surfing...

Actually, I went to the Indonesia vs. Singapore soccer game last night. Indonesia has made it to the semi-finals even though they lost last night to Singapore 2-0. It was a very cool experience being there with the loud crowd, and we bought funny red and white hats, and one of us was interviewed on Indonesian TV...it was fun.

A Cabin in the Swiss Alps

At every corner when traveling through Switzerland, you expect to see Julie Andrews come strolling over a hill singing the Sound of Music...

Climbing Dunes in the Gobi Desert

We traveled for hundreds of miles looking for the dunes of the Gobi...

We found them...

Skywatch Friday - Sunset at Alona Beach

Happy Friday!!

My skywatch shot today is from Alona Beach in the Philippines...one of my favorite places.

Be sure to visit other skywatch sites from around the world HERE...

An Ancient Hallway Bathed in Afternoon Light

You gotta wonder...who walked down this hallway a thousand years ago?

A Boy and His Sheep

The question we would always ask each other when traveling through Mongolia was, "Where do you think they are going?"

There is so much wide open space, we would run into kids only 10 or 11 years old hundreds of miles away from any known structure they could call home...where were they going? How do they know where they are?

Angkor Wat

I took this photo back when there were not too many tourists in Cambodia...in fact, I was one of only maybe three or four people on the grounds of Angkor Wat when I took this photo. I returned to Angkor Wat two years ago, and there were about 400 people there to watch the sunrise...I am happy that Cambodia is getting more tourists dollars, but not happy about the crowds...oh well...

Peeping at the White People

In Mongolia, everywhere is the middle of nowhere. I think it is about as remote as you can get with exception of the arctic. Our Russian jeep stopped at this little outpost, and at first, I thought it was completely deserted, but then these two girls popped their faces into these two small windows for just a second. They were very shy, and I am not sure if they had ever seen white faces before...

Mongolia

This weekend, I started a big project that I have wanted to do for some time now. I am going through the thousands of slides I have had stored away, and starting to scan my favorites. It is a huge project, and will probably take me years...but, in the next few weeks, I am going to be posting some photos from some of the trips I took in the past...it is actually fun to go through my old photographs...

This one is from a trip I took a few years back to Mongolia. Digital cameras had just started to make their mark in the market, but I was not quite ready to make the switch yet...

Skywatch Friday - Sunset in the Himalayas

Ok, I know, this is the second week in a row with a Skywatch shot from Nepal...but, the skies in the Himalayas are really tough to beat...

Have a great weekend, and please visit as many Skywatch Friday sites as you can...meeting new people and seeing new places in the world is what Skywatch Friday is all about...

Click here for links to other sites...

Happy Thanksgiving

One of the things I miss the most when living overseas is Thanksgiving at home with family. The smell of the turkey in the oven and watching football all day long...it is an American tradition that is hard to beat.

Although we didn't have football to watch, and I had to work all day, a bunch of us did get together for a big turkey dinner. It was good to be with friends and family for a few hours, but man am I stuffed...will have to get to bed early tonight...

For all you Americans out there...and anyone else...Happy Thanksgiving!!

Now THAT is a BIG Pack

When you trek in Nepal, most hire porters to carry your packs...at least I did. I only had to carry a small day pack that held my camera and my water...and even with that small pack, it was a challenge going up and down the Himalayan trails.

But these guys were amazing...I don't know how they walk for hundreds of miles with bare feet and a strap around their head carrying everything from baskets to refrigerators up and down steep hills...it really is unreal...

Walkn' The Plank

I have actually posted this photo before...but since I am teaching about textures in my photography class, I thought I would add some texture to this photo...I like the way it turned out, but admit that it isn't for everyone...

Proud Soccer Player

One thing I have noticed in all my travels is that no matter where you are, kids are pretty much the same. Yes, this kid is growing up in a very poor neighborhood, but like all kids, he plays and thinks like any kid anywhere in the world. He stopped me as I was walking and wanted me to take a photo of him with his soccer ball...standing as proud as he could...

Kampung Living

I can't believe I skipped over this photo when editing my Jakarta Photowalk photos...So much going on, it is hard to know where to look first...

Skywatch Friday - Sunrise in Nepal

It was a VERY cold morning, and we were packing our bags for the long hike down from Annapurna Base Camp Christmas morning last year...I looked up and saw this orange cloud...grabbed my camera (almost slipping on the ice to get it), and got one shot before the orange left the cloud...it was literally only seconds before the cloud turned greyish white...

Have a great weekend, and be sure to check out as many sites as you can using this link...

Just Making a Living

Necklaces and flowers...why not?

Not a Bad Place To Hang Out

That water is for real...not "Photoshopped"...

Waiting For Divers

I was down to the last few minutes of my dive when a small school of fish cruised right in front of me...I thought, "That would make a cool shot....the fish, the small reef, and the boat on the surface...". What I didn't know... was that everyone was already on the boat waiting for me...

The Amazing Cuddle Fish

One of my favorite animals on the reef. They are amazing at changing colors and texture. Do you notice the purple color at the bottom matching the sponge below him? Too cool...

Jakarta...A Unique Skyline

I took this photo from the parking lot of a new mall in Jakarta called, Grand Indonesia.

Skywatch Friday - Low Tide

Happy Friday, Skywatchers!!

Please visit the skywatch site to view the links to the hundreds around the world who participate in this fun day looking at the sky...

Have a great weekend!!

A Bat Fish Cruises the Reef

The reef says it all...what can I say?

Broken Boat on the Beach

So, I heard the story about this wreck...

A guy has this great idea about building a catamaran...a really BIG catamaran. So, he sinks his life savings into the project and has a local boat builder in Lombok build his dream boat. It takes almost two years to build. On his maiden voyage, his dream boat splits in two...they drag the heap of wreck onto the beach where it still lies today a couple of years later. The guy stays on the island, no money, no honey, and gets drunk every night...and that is the story of this wreck.

Now, it makes for a good picture...and story...

Leaf Scorpion Fish

I guess these guys are beautiful in their own way...

Black-Saddled Sharpnose Puffer

Diving is truly like flying through another planet....don't believe me? Just check out the colors on this fish...almost seems unearthly..

Skywatch Friday - Lombok

Happy Friday!!

Be sure to visit blogs from around the world also watching the sky...it is fun!

Click HERE to go to the Skywatch Site...

Have a great weekend!!

Stop Where You Are

We saw lots of turtles while in Lombok...this one appears to be telling me something...

The Lion Fish Lurks

Speaking of poisonous fish...these guys also have some venomous spines that would ruin your day...but they are beautiful...

The Gathering of Catfish

I have heard from some that these little guys are poisonous...I don't know if it is true or not, but I keep my hands away from them when I see them just in case...

The Peace of Late Afternoon

My favorite time of my routine while in Lombok was after my third dive...the light was just magical, and the sky and water had a new look every day...

Back From Lombok

One week on the small island of Gili Air just off the coast of Lombok...

A great trip...and got some new photos to post that I will be sharing with you this month.
Gotta admit...it was tough leaving the island life and returning to the hectic pace of Jakarta...oh well, gotta make a living somehow...