stairway to heaven

This is the longest unsupported escalator I've ever seen. It has NOTHING underneath it as it rises maybe 5 stories in the center of an all glass shopping mall. Where does it go? To the theater complex on the top of course.

I do go to Museums you know

Asia has some great, modern museums in locations you wouldn't expect. This is outside the local museum in Taichung. Very nice.

crowdy everwhere

Did I mention Asia is very crowded, and very fun? At night Mom and Dad, the kids, the teenagers, and grandma and grandpa all go out to eat and party. No matter who you are you don't feel left out, even a blondish white guy.

This is the STREET, it gets even more crowded in the pedestrian only areas. And best of all, not a McDonald's in sight.

feeling blue?

This guy just spray painted his entire bike blue, including part of the chain. Makes finding it very easy, and you know if someone rides off in it. Streets in Taichung, Taiwan.

when crowds are good

Subways in Asia amaze me. At peak hour in Hong Kong subway trains leave every 2 minutes, completely full. Wall to wall people, faces pushed up against the windows, probably more people being transported per minute than LA's freeway system, all handled in perfect efficiency.

well I cheated

This photo was taking many years ago in Hong Kong, but I still like it (I'm trying to only post newer postors, this isn't a best of.) It's near Time Square, on the island, looking up at the buildings. I spun around and took maybe 6 shots, then stitched them together to create this shots. It was a lot of work because I couldn't hold by position very well while spinning, but I think the results are worth it. Stay posted for a modern version of a similar shot in downtown Central.

Yes, that's the sun dead center. How did I do that? Even I don't know.

all the fruit you can eat

Fruit, fruit, everywhere, all different types, know, unknown, all good, usually cut, peeled and packaged for you for almost nothing. For a good time, go to a local market, buy a sharp knife for a dollar, several pounds of assorted fruits, and bring it all back to your hotel room for a food orgy. Throw in a handful of insects for protein, and you've got the start of an excellent dinner.

I fell into a National Geographic magazine

Sometimes I feel like I fell into the middle of a National Geographic magazine. All I have to do is close my eyes, press the shutter and POOF, a great photo that looks like a team of studio artists took all day arranging it. Limes at a local market outside Bankok.

is she unhappy with me?

Is she unhappy with her photo being taken? About to sneeze? Or just a moment in time? She's selling steamed buns on the street, pretty good. This is frequently a family affair, with Mom, Dad, and the kids helping out.

giant caterpillar

OK, it's really an elephant trunk, but I thought it looked cool. He's looking for food, and so the trunk is going any and everywhere, snuffing it out.

Chinese Chess at night

A very popular game, played late at night by old guys on street corners. Usually attracts a big crowd, with up to 6 or so games being played in one area.

did I mention the nail thing?

Every costume change has a new finger and fingernail style. Of course, what else would you expect!

Double click the photo to see it (and the nail thingy) in a larger size.

this is about the 20th costume change

Every dance has a complete change of costume and hair style and fingernail style. Amazing performance

rock out!

After 11 they stop doing the Thai classical dance, and start partying to an extended dance music jam session, maybe 12 minute of tight musicianship, singing, and dancing per song. Naturally, the audience goes crazy and follows along, a classical Thai dance party.

missed me by that much

I was almost in this photo of our tuk tuk driver's rear view mirror - managed to duck sideways in the nick of time. This mirror seemed to be there for the sole purpose to amuse my camera - the driver never seemed to use it.

did I mention the wiring was a little messy?

Well, if I had a garden it would be a lot neater than this wiring in Bangkok. Even if I didn't prune my garden it would be neater. Even the jungle outside Bangkok is neater. It it, however, probably really easy to work on.

how do they make rubber?

Well, first you get a rubber tree, then you get up at 2AM in the morning, then you scrape the tree till it bleeds, then you correct the sap. Take a lot of work even to make a small amount of rubber. Pretty interesting, there is still a strong demand for natural rubber.

sleepy in Phuket

The kids were playing all night while the mom's work, but finally they got tired with this little boy sleeping on what a few minutes ago was a toy fort for him.

advertizing

I have no ideal what the sign says, maybe I don't want to know, but I caught this ordinary talking against it at night in Taiwan.

getting hungry yet?

Well, this should slow you down. What good is a trip to Asia without the invitable "insect" as food shot? Waterbeetles of some type, ready to eat. No, I didn't try them, but I did try some more palatable insects.

a virtual cornucopia

You'd almost think I'd laid out this tableau item by item for a studio set up, instead of snapping a shot in a Bangkok country market. What a choice!

walking through the kitchen

Walking down the food alleys and street markets is like walking through Wolfgang Puck's personal kitchen, in full swing, only better. Smoke, steam, and aromas float around you as a myriad of teams prepare hot, freshly cooked food to order for the passerby's. You enter the alley hungary, you leave stuffed, assembly line gourmet eating.

man with a hat

Street vendors are quite adroit at carrying their goods on their hands. I guess it makes a good display for their customers, and frees their hands.

ballons holding child

You might expect a child to buy ballons, but here the reverse is true, they are usually selling them to adults.

grace and taste

The art of "poured" teas is very big in Bangkok, even though it's an Indian tradition. Strong tea is freshly brewed, and then poured from one mug to another to aerate it. This pouring has been turned into an art form, with much twirling and spinning going on with up to four simultaneous mugs being used. There are poured teas competitions held locally. Instead of tea, coffee or hot chocolate may be used, and the result served hot or iced.

world's largest watch?

Well, it appears that way at first glance. I'm not used to having such photo realistic billboards at street level. In Hong Kong above Central.

a Chinese still life

Don't know if it comes across, but I really like the lighting and composition of these cooking utensils found in a street market in Taipei.

my but she crops well

A crop of an earlier photo. This is why I carry 15 lbs of photo stuff around

you never know who will be serving you

I was snapping a photo of a vendor street stall. At the last second the lady working there looked up at me so I grabbed a quick photo. It's a Taiwanese lady apparently made up in a Japanese style, very popular there.

Yes, this photo is a little blurry (mostly fixed in post processing. I had the camera set at F8 from the last shot, and the shutter speed was just too slow. Moral: always reset your camera to some default value after your last shot, or else you'll ruin a great shot like this. There was no time to adjust!

I love photography!

This is camera row in Taipei. In Asia, like stores tend to group together. Very convenient for shopper.

so you think NYC is crowded?

Americans don't know crowds. This is crowded. Wall to wall people, shuffling in lock sync like members of a chain chain, only one speed - slow.

Memo to self. Do not go to a big Chinese shopping area on a public holiday!

bet you can't guess what this is

An exotic fruit? A nut? A gourd?

Nope.



These are eggs found on the streets of Hong Kong. The eggs have been coated in a salt mix, which has been allows to soak in and dry, and is then scrapped off.

the finer things in life

Even deep in the jungle of Thailand they still appreciate the finer things of life. The use bottles are used to construct walls and windows.

the face in the crowd

I love those moments when the crowds part and a single individual stands out like a rainbow after the rainstorm. This cell phone salesman stands in the middle of the moving crowds, patiently waiting for a customer.

who was that masked man?

Wandering around with the yuppies in Taipei I spotted someone who looked very much like a western cowboy. Although standing out in the crowd of mostly twentyish couples, he appeared very comfortable, and self assured as he strolled down the street.

There are just as many characters in Taiwan as there are in the streets of Hollywood.

smoke and mirrors

OK, the smoke is from a fog machine at the local cultural festival in Puket, Thailand. The dancers are highly trained, from a Thailand cultural college, and offer dozen of local dance styles.

it's a dog life

The dogs in Bangkok seem happy and well adjusted, even when there is no obvious owner around. They ignore the going on's of mere humans, making their own way through the city.

looking up again

Another in my to be looking up panorama, a building near the IFC II in Hong Kong is captured against the sky

enjoying a smoke

Guess you can't lecture him about the health consequences of smoking, looks like he's lived a long and healthy life, and is strolling through the street markets with his friends

old folks rule

Unlike many other nations, in Asia the elderly are an extensive part of city life. They outnumber the young in the markets and streets sometimes, doing the family shopping

color and beauty

We were lucky enough to attend Puket for their annual festival, with nationally trained dancers and musicians participating.

where the moped is king

Mopeds are the primary form of transportation in Taiwan. Shot at a street market in Taichung.

though a Monkey's eyes

A pensive monkey on a lonely island beach. The tour boats drop the tourists off to see the monkeys, who appear to survive on hand outs.

a rubber tree leaf

This was on display at a rubber tree plantation outside of Phuket.

looking up

Looking up near Central, outside the tallest building in Hong Kong, the IFC tower and mall. This will become part of a panorama of the sky and buildings in downtown Hong Kong (as soon as have the time!)

not hot dogs

Not hot dogs, not sausage, not anything exotic, these are simply bananas roasting on the street, a very popular snack in parts of Thailand

street light against a building

These street light look like balloons against a sunset, proving that you can find beauty even in the harshest city.

Flowers in Bangkok

This guy was trying to figure out how to delivery this bouquet to his girlfriend. Not an easy task in a city where the primary mode of transportation is two wheeled.

Asia 2008

Wiring in Bangkok always fascinates me. As an electrical engineer, the haphazardness placement of the cities infrastructure is amazing, seemingly organic.