Next time you're stuck at an airport overnight (yikes), here's how to make the best of your time - make a video! Hilareous and inventive.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xv1va9Jdt7g
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Go With The Flow 1
Travel is about experiences - good and otherwise. And in the end, an "otherwise" experience, which leads to a story later, is good as well. One just needs to go with the flow while traveling and see where the stream takes you. Here's the first of an occassional series on Going With The Flow.
The dozen or so of us had already made our way through passport control at Siberia's Magadan Airport. Our Alaska Airlines 727 was on the ground ready to take us on the next leg of our journey to Khabarovsk. As departure time get closer and closer, there didn't seem to be much happening either near the aircraft, which was parked out on the tarmac, nor in our waiting area. Departure time came and went and finally the Alaska Air agent popped by to tell us that "there was a problem." Not with the aircraft, but with Soviet customs and immigration. It seems that the chief who had approved of this flight was out of town on business and his assistant had not been briefed on this most serious of issues - foreigners taking a foreign airline on a domestic flight. No way. No how. Our agent was "working the issue" and told us to relax. In the meantime, through the bank of windows overlooking the tarmac and runways, we saw "our" Alaska 727 taxi away from its stand and before we knew it, it was airborne. "Cool" was my first thought - this should be interesting. "Panic" was the first thought of some of my fellow travelers (no, not in the Communist sense!). The agent came back a few minutes later and said that our luggage was on its was to Khabarovsk on the Alaska flight and that we would be on our way shortly - on Aeroflot. The "Panic" folks went into high gear - "We're going to die. All Aeroflot planes crash. No way am I getting on Aeroflot. How dare this happen to us. I knew we should have taken this tour." Of course, in the hour or so that of al this transpired, a half-dozen or more Aeroflot jets and landing and taken off, and not one had crashed! I was getting more excited by the moment - another experience - another airline - another aircraft type! Yes. We then noticed a dozen or so folks getting off of an Aeroflot jet. Our jet! Basically, Aeroflot kicked off the 12 passengers in the 1st two rows of coach on their flight to Khabarovsk and sold the seats (I'm sure at a greatly inflated price) to Alaska. We boarded, many reluctently, to the intense stares of the other 150+ coach passengers. The doors closed, the plane shot down the bumpy runway and 90 minutes later we touch down in Khabarovsk - we didn't crash, we enjoyed (or some of us enjoyed) our snack of a roll and a boiled egg, and our luggage was waiting for us. And the group, both the panicked folks and the cool folks, had another story to tell when they got home. Its what traveling is about. Cool.
The dozen or so of us had already made our way through passport control at Siberia's Magadan Airport. Our Alaska Airlines 727 was on the ground ready to take us on the next leg of our journey to Khabarovsk. As departure time get closer and closer, there didn't seem to be much happening either near the aircraft, which was parked out on the tarmac, nor in our waiting area. Departure time came and went and finally the Alaska Air agent popped by to tell us that "there was a problem." Not with the aircraft, but with Soviet customs and immigration. It seems that the chief who had approved of this flight was out of town on business and his assistant had not been briefed on this most serious of issues - foreigners taking a foreign airline on a domestic flight. No way. No how. Our agent was "working the issue" and told us to relax. In the meantime, through the bank of windows overlooking the tarmac and runways, we saw "our" Alaska 727 taxi away from its stand and before we knew it, it was airborne. "Cool" was my first thought - this should be interesting. "Panic" was the first thought of some of my fellow travelers (no, not in the Communist sense!). The agent came back a few minutes later and said that our luggage was on its was to Khabarovsk on the Alaska flight and that we would be on our way shortly - on Aeroflot. The "Panic" folks went into high gear - "We're going to die. All Aeroflot planes crash. No way am I getting on Aeroflot. How dare this happen to us. I knew we should have taken this tour." Of course, in the hour or so that of al this transpired, a half-dozen or more Aeroflot jets and landing and taken off, and not one had crashed! I was getting more excited by the moment - another experience - another airline - another aircraft type! Yes. We then noticed a dozen or so folks getting off of an Aeroflot jet. Our jet! Basically, Aeroflot kicked off the 12 passengers in the 1st two rows of coach on their flight to Khabarovsk and sold the seats (I'm sure at a greatly inflated price) to Alaska. We boarded, many reluctently, to the intense stares of the other 150+ coach passengers. The doors closed, the plane shot down the bumpy runway and 90 minutes later we touch down in Khabarovsk - we didn't crash, we enjoyed (or some of us enjoyed) our snack of a roll and a boiled egg, and our luggage was waiting for us. And the group, both the panicked folks and the cool folks, had another story to tell when they got home. Its what traveling is about. Cool.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Another Interesting Website
With some 70 million travel websites out there (based on my last Google search), finding a really good and interesting one is like finding a needle in the haystack. So, here's the latest needle I've found: Uncornered Market. Audrey and Daniel are roaming the world and reporting back on what they've seen and experienced. Very professional, nice photographs and a good read besides. Check it out.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Photo Coleslaw
Jennifer Spelman's photo blog, Photo Coleslaw, combines witty yet to-the-point narrative with great photographs and insights. I had the pleasure of meeting and working with her at Chris Rainier's workshop in Santa Fe last summer. She's now leading her own photo workshops at Santa Fe, a well-deserved role. Check out her blog from time to time for inspiration and a laugh or two.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
My 10 Best International Travel Experiences
Everywhere you look these days, you see "Top 10" or "Top 100" or "Top Whatever" lists: places to go before you die, places to see while you can still walk, places to eat before they close, etc. While they can certainly spark your interest, what is "best" to one person may be of no interest to the person sitting next to them. I've always kept my own list of favorite places. What constitues "my favorite" probably relates to the mood I was in, the events happening around me, the weather that day and a multitude of other factors. Whatever the case, I have vivid - and favorable - memories of these places to this day. Whether you would find them as interesting and moving and I did is the great unknown. But so is the best of travel! So, here's my list of my favorite international travel experiences (in no particular order, since the order could change the time I finish the list!!!)
Town Square, Krakow, Poland. Huge, medieval square with the market building in its midst, sidewalk vendors, people going about their daily lives, and a great restaurant on the corner. My hotel was a block away and across from a "nunnery" where the angelic chants awoke me each day. The full experience package deal.
Fish Condos, Moorea, French Polynesia. The dock at our resort ended at the edge of an underwater ledge. Entering the water with snorkle gear on, you you could see fish darting in and out of the porous wall as far down as the eye could see - like a huge condo complex. Unforgettable. Oh, and the water was warm.
Town Square, Antigua, Guatemala. Whether it was the sounds of silence at night with the glow of street lights, or the All Saints Day/Day of the Dead processions around the square, it was always enticing. And the bars were memorable too.
Skellig Michael, off the coast of the Ring of Kerry, Ireland. It was just the two of us on this tiny island rock outcropping on this bracing fall day. The wind was blowing and there was a slight mist. Just us and the spirit of the monks who inhabited this desolate spot 1000 years earlier. Wow.
Isle of Barra, Outer Hebrides, Scotland. Maybe it was the hot dog stand that caught fire during the island's Highland Games. Or the B+B proprietor, a sea captain, who had fresh-baked treats each evening and lots of stories to tell. Or maybe it was the tour of the castle in the bay (thus the name of the island's only town - Castlebay) by one of the hereditary descendants of the former rulers. Or all of these and more - yes, there were pubs, too!
Kaustinen Folk Music Festival, Kaustinen, Finland. My first trip to Europe was to Finland (don't ask why) and the highlight was the long weekend I spent in this small town in west-central Finland listening to music, dancing with the locals, and just hanging out. My favorite music festival ever!
Miyajima Island, Japan. The floating torii gate off of Miyajima Island was the draw; the experience of staying in a traditional Japanese Inn, complete with multi-course Japanese dinner was the equally enchanting memory. And the fact that no one was allowed to die on the island (its sacred, after all) made it a place where I could live forever!
Bhutan. Yes, an entire country. Festivals, scenery and wonderful people in traditional garb made it like walking through a copy of National Geographic each and every day. Talk about 3D!
Bali. Yes, an entire island (OK, so was Barra). Festivals, scenery and wonderful people, puppet theater, gamelon groups, even a cremation ceremony. Didn't even make it to the beach, that's how good it was.
Venice. An adult Disneyland, no kidding! Boats and bridges and gondolas and water and old buildings and more boats and narrow carless streets. Oh, my.
Town Square, Krakow, Poland. Huge, medieval square with the market building in its midst, sidewalk vendors, people going about their daily lives, and a great restaurant on the corner. My hotel was a block away and across from a "nunnery" where the angelic chants awoke me each day. The full experience package deal.
Fish Condos, Moorea, French Polynesia. The dock at our resort ended at the edge of an underwater ledge. Entering the water with snorkle gear on, you you could see fish darting in and out of the porous wall as far down as the eye could see - like a huge condo complex. Unforgettable. Oh, and the water was warm.
Town Square, Antigua, Guatemala. Whether it was the sounds of silence at night with the glow of street lights, or the All Saints Day/Day of the Dead processions around the square, it was always enticing. And the bars were memorable too.
Isle of Barra, Outer Hebrides, Scotland. Maybe it was the hot dog stand that caught fire during the island's Highland Games. Or the B+B proprietor, a sea captain, who had fresh-baked treats each evening and lots of stories to tell. Or maybe it was the tour of the castle in the bay (thus the name of the island's only town - Castlebay) by one of the hereditary descendants of the former rulers. Or all of these and more - yes, there were pubs, too!
Kaustinen Folk Music Festival, Kaustinen, Finland. My first trip to Europe was to Finland (don't ask why) and the highlight was the long weekend I spent in this small town in west-central Finland listening to music, dancing with the locals, and just hanging out. My favorite music festival ever!
Miyajima Island, Japan. The floating torii gate off of Miyajima Island was the draw; the experience of staying in a traditional Japanese Inn, complete with multi-course Japanese dinner was the equally enchanting memory. And the fact that no one was allowed to die on the island (its sacred, after all) made it a place where I could live forever!
Bali. Yes, an entire island (OK, so was Barra). Festivals, scenery and wonderful people, puppet theater, gamelon groups, even a cremation ceremony. Didn't even make it to the beach, that's how good it was.
Venice. An adult Disneyland, no kidding! Boats and bridges and gondolas and water and old buildings and more boats and narrow carless streets. Oh, my.
OK, that's my list. Hopefully it gives you a few ideas and triggers in your mind your favorite places. Journey On!
Monday, February 8, 2010
New Photography Portfolios On-Line
I've added a link today to my new on-line photography portfolios (see the right side of this blog for the regular link to Photography Portfolios). The portfolios include dance, ritual, landscapes, portraits and travel. I will be added photographs on a regular basis, so check it out often!
http://chuckkirchner.photoworkshop.com/
http://chuckkirchner.photoworkshop.com/
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