Back again

For a while photos from this trip will start to emerge here:

http://www.globalphotographic.net/

Next trip will be October either
- Canada to Mexico through the Rockies
- South Africa and Soussusvlei / the Himbas in Namibia
- Kamchatka

Rio from above

Last minute deal

At 2PM jumped in a cab, went to the train station for Corcovado. Hired a driver, went to Donã Martin Lookout, continued to the minibus station leading all the way up the hills to the Statue of Christ. Ran up the stairs. Spent a while. Minibus down at 4PM, driver met at 4.07PM. Taxi at 4.23PM, rush hour. Back at hotel at 4.55PM. Got bag, new cab at 5.05PM, more rush hour. Airport at 6.20PM just in time for check in for AF445. Still sitting here at 10.10PM ridiculed by the frenchies.

Missing flight home

Air France does suck. Delayed minimum 1 hour, minimum 2 hours, minimum 3 hours. Much the same chinese water torture tactics used by Aeroflot before they got their act together. I promise never to fly Air France again.

Copacabana

Back in Rio

One day left. Going home through France 1h 5m between flights in CDG... including delays, immigration, customs in Terminal 2E bus (no... sprint) to Terminal 2D passport check security check and the marvelous efficiency of Air France.

More of São Luís

Sao Luis. Pretty nice pretty hot.

2.5 degrees south of the equator. São Luís.
Might be here tomorrow, might be in Montevideo, Uruguay.

Paraguay - Ciudad del Este

Most fun thing about my trip to Paraguay, was that border control refused to stamp my passport which had no space left, luckily no problems on exit, had expected a bribe would be required.

Bribing police did come up when stuck in this one hour traffic jam caused by general lack of knowledge about the simple purpose of a street. A police officer working in a team with a 10 yo kid let cars turn left through barricades and out of jam for 2 reais. At the exact moment money shifted hands a senior officer stopped us, knowing nothing about such arrangements -"GET BACK - ahora!"

Just really can't recommend this place.

Bye to Argentina and Iguazu for now

More water. Extraordinarily impressive place, and very loud, ears only stopped ringing after a few hours.

Argentina

Pretty nice to be back in Argentina, basically a nice country and language a bit easier to understand than in Brazil. 16km trek along the falls today. Beat. Total ascent 2500m.

Another shoot around the falls tomorrow morning and off to Paraguay @ 10.00AM.

First real day at the office

Iguassu. Beautiful weather and superb settings. Shot 50Gb this morning. Leaving for Agentina in half an hour.

Iguassu after dark

Arrived in Iguassu National Park. Dark, but loud, falls not far from here. Time for dinner. Apparently fair weather tomorrow. Good and bad. Risk of doing postcard photography lurking.

I'll be back

Left Rio after only just a taste. Very 3D city, very beautiful. Not up close though. Looking forward to doing more of Rio next weekend. Time to fly.

Leaving for Iguazu

Been taking a look at Rio this morning, flying to the Argentinian/Paraguayan border this afternoon.

Rain in Rio

Long day. Up at 5 now 3PM but really 11AM Rio time. Cruising south parallel to and not far from Mauretania. People seem to be catching a lot of sleep on the flight, maybe some remembering that they’ll be going to bed in 12 hours.

Staying awake and focusing on the local time ahead keeps jetlag away.

Found out that with a bit of luck Monday will mean entering country # 60, so actually there are loads of places I haven’t seen yet.

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1800 @ Ipanema. Rio. Rain. Nice and warm.

One night in Paris.

What a shitty airport CDG. Flight cancelled, airport hotel. But hey - Rio will be there tomorrow too, Air France will suck tomorrow too.

Chile trip cancelled. Brazil.

Situation in Chile is not good for travelling. Don't even think they need it right now.

Got hold of a bunch of really nice tickets for Brazil.

Trip map updated.

Santiago Airport Reopens, areas under curfew due to looting

Seems Chile is acting very fast

New bulletin from BBC

Map of magnitude

Santiago hit quite hard, airport closed until tuesday. Southern Araucania not affected to same degree. Coastal regions devastated. Some links to descriptions found in the sidebar to the right.

Have you been booking a hotel room whilst a major quake in that city is announced as breaking news simultaneously?

As I was booking a hotell in Santiago Saturday morning @ 9.00 breaking news came that a giant 8.8 richter earthquake has hit not far from Santiago. Damages seem severe, even to Santiago Intl. Airport that is currently closed.

Terrible news.



Made me think of how often a trip has coinsided with extraordinary event. Half an hour of brainstorming:

Marocco 2006

Muhammed cartoons published in a Danish Newspaper prior to a trip to Morocco. All travel to Morocco disencouraged. Postponed a few months, no problems.

Nepal March 2004

Trip for april booked and bought. Riots and shooting erupt in the streets of Kathmandu. Travel alerts go red due to maoist uprising. No trouble during trip.

La Paz, Bolivia spring 2003

Police fighting the army in the streets prior to my trip in May. No problems experienced.

Sri Lanka December 2001

It’s been relatively quiet since 2000 in Sri Lanka. A ticket to Columbo is bought summer 2001, and a trip around the islands is planned. Then things start to flare up and travel safety alerts are rewritten almost daily.

Trip is without hassle and photographically speaking very productive, actually hotels are empty and people extraordinarily friendly that I want to visit their island.

2001 October 30: Three soldiers and four of the bombers, including two women, are killed in a suicide boat attack on an oil tanker, MV Silk Pride, off the port of Point Pedro on the northern Jaffna peninsula.

October 29, 2001 : Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake escaped an assassination attempt Monday when police intercepted a would-be suicide bomber who detonated explosives strapped to his body, killing himself and five others.

2001 July 24: A group of at least 20 suicide squad cadres wearing military uniforms and carrying shoulder-launched anti-tank weapons, mortars, T-56 rifles and RPGs attack the Air Force base in Katunayake and the Bandaranaike International Airport, on the outskirts of Colombo. Eight military aircraft, including Kifr jets, two Mi-17 helicopters, one MiG-27 fighter, three Chinese K-8 trainer aircraft and six Airbus passenger aircraft are destroyed in the attack. Bodies of 13 LTTE cadres were found subsequently, including two of those who had blasted themselves. Six soldiers and an airport engineer were killed. A journalist of the state-run television Rupavahini, who was the only journalist to be allowed access into the airport during the incident, was wounded in the cross-fire. Tiger rebels stage a devastating suicide attack against the main air base and the only international airport in Sri Lanka, leaving 12 people dead and destroying 13 aircraft.

Bolivia July 2001

Civil unrest errupts during the trip. A bustrip from Uyuni to La Paz is stopped 50 miles outside La Paz, as peasants have blockes the road. Last for hours and hours, nothing to drink. Eventually the army reaches the deserted stretch of mouintain gravel road and chases the running peasants across the steppes while shooting frantically. Othervise a peaceful trip.

But then again
In 2007 the Solomon islands were stricken by a huge 8.0 richter quake, raising and sinking seabeds throughout the lagoons. Even Morovo lagoon considered one of the most beautiful places on earth was changed permanently, colours changing, areas dying and coastal villages wiped out. I passed by in July 2008 but was aware if what I saw was changed from what it had been.

Samoa was smashed by cyclones Val and Ofa in early 1990s before I visited in 1995.

Most of the houses on Maupiti in French Polynesia were destroyed before I visited in 1999 finding sheets of corrugated iron on the floor of the othervise pristine lagoon.

Focus on a region for a while and dissaster that you wounldn't otherwise remember for too long will happen.

Lets hope the next days wont add too much to the reported damages in Chile.

Puerto Montt in.

Puerto Montt is in the picture, skipping Santiago for this trip south. Any tips on shooting in Los Lagos will be much appreciated.

Also tips on tour operators in Arequipa, Peru will be very welcome. Which operator will be better?

South America 2010

Oslo, Norway. 5F or 15C below. South America 2010 is less than two weeks away:

Oslo-Paris-Rio-Santiago de Chile-Puerto Montt-Santiago-Arequipa-Lima- Sao Paolo-Rio-Paris-Oslo.

Outline of trip is beginning to be clear.
Still wondering if the countryside around Santiago is to manicured (guess the high Andes wont be though) and might book a separate leg to Puerto Montt. Partly because of it's ultra cool name "Araucania". Passed by i 2006 on my way to Puntas Arenas in the far south and couldn't believe how green Puerto Montt was.

Need to work around details for Rio and Arequipa.