It is 3:30 AM on a chilly Sunday morning and I am preparing to do something illegal through the streets of Los Angeles. It is the morning of the LA Marathon and I have already spent the last 90 minutes riding from Santa Monica to Tang’s Donuts in Hollywood, the meeting spot for this illegal rendezvous.  In about 45 minutes about 4,000 bicyclists and I are going to crash the marathon route and race to the finish before the runners even get a chance to put foot to pavement.

I often ride my bike to work when the weather is good and make the occasional ride down to the beach.  However, I wouldn’t consider myself a biker and certainly not on the level of 80% of the people currently around me.   Most of the participants are wearing the kinds of bike attire you see the weekend road warriors wear and I’m lucky enough to have borrowed a padded pair of bike shorts from my uncle.  I’m there for the experience and just want to make it to the finish in a reasonable time.

It wouldn't be Los Angeles without some people being there to be seen. Not everyone would race, or even finish the route.

Before the Race

I made sure to get there early enough to lock my bike and wander around, camera in hand.  Meandering through throngs of cyclists, I can loosely separate them into those here for the experience, the semi-serious riders who will ride their guts out and the serious riders here to win the race.  The leaders in four categories (men’s & women’s fixed gear and men’s and women’s multi-gear) will win a set of dog tags.  For those competing this is no joke but a very serious prize.  The Los Angeles contingent is intent on keeping the dog tags in LA, while a group from Arizona is seeking to take them out of state.

It’s now a little after 4:00 AM and the bikers are lined up and ready to go.  The race begins with a rolling start from Tang’s to the actual start line of the Marathon.  Once the riders reach that point, the race is on and there’s zero chance of my getting any more images of the leaders until I catch up with them at the finish.  I have managed to grab some images, talk to the lead organizer and the coordinating LAPD officer and am now on my bike ready for the race to start.

Roadblock and a member of Wolfpack Hustle show the dogtags that the racers are seeking.

About the Race

The Marathon Crash Race started in 2010 when a group of riders decided to take advantage of the road closures established for the LA Marathon.  That first year there were about 400 participants, and it has grown ever since, with an estimated 3,000 to 4,000 participating this year.

“Roadblock”, the lead organizer, is part of a group of LA riders who participate in a Monday night ride called the Wolfpack Hustle.  “The Hustle” meets at Tang’s Donuts in Hollywood and rides anywhere from 35 to 70 miles as a group.  Often reaching in the hundreds of people, the hustle is a regular event open to all and considers the safety of the group a top priority.

The weekly hustle and other events that the group helps organize help to escalate the bike community in Los Angeles and promote the rights of bicyclists throughout the city.  Groups like Wolfpack Hustle (http://wolfpackhustle.com/) and the Midnight Ridazz (http://www.midnightridazz.com/) are a constant influence on the City of Los Angeles.  The LAPD even created a bike task force in response to various giant sized rides that were taking place from 2007 to 2010.  Some of these officers are involved in the Marathon Crash race and help clear the roads at the start.

My co-worker was the one who originally brought the ride to my attention.

My Experience

For my own personal safety, and the safety of my Canon 7D, I opt to stow my camera for the upcoming 26+ mile ride.  Having just finished taking pictures at the start of the pack, I’m right up front as the rolling start gets underway.  We have a couple miles to go before the race really begins and those preparing to compete are already passing me left and right.

As we ride into downtown, it dawns on me how interesting a ride this is really going to be.  I’d already ridden 18 miles just to get to the meeting point, but riding around with little traffic at 2:30 AM and riding through closed streets at 4:30 AM is more different than you’d expect.  Having the streets closed means you have the freedom to experience them in a radically different way.

Cyclists at the end of the race awaiting word on who won.

Imagine riding through some of the most famous and well-visited parts of Los Angeles, a city well known for its traffic, without having to devote a single thought to an automobile.  While it isn’t 100% free of cars just yet, it’s damn close.  From Downtown to Echo Park to Hollywood, through Rodeo Drive into Century City and Brentwood, finishing in Santa Monica, the ride itself is quite an experience.

Some of the roads aren’t completely closed by the time the pack gets to them but there are volunteers participating that hold all traffic until they’re through.  I passed the results of two crashes that looked to be pretty serious, but didn’t see any actually take place.  Roadblock told me that there are crashes every year, usually due to overly aggressive or overly defensive riding.  Because of this, everyone keeps an eye out for themselves and each other throughout the ride and it feels like an instant community from start to finish.

I didn’t time my ride but I’d estimate we started rolling from Tang’s about 4:15 AM and I got into the finish area around 6:30 AM.  I was exhausted and had tweaked my left knee at some point along the way, but I was also energized and excited about what I’d just accomplished.  I quickly stowed my bike, pulled out my camera and grabbed some images of the winners.

Winners of the two men's dogtags sets. The women's race was so close, the winners weren't announced until a week later.

Crash Race Outlook

Roadblock’s primary hope is to get this to be a legitimate event, where they can get permits to have the streets officially shut down and have more time at the finish to deal with assessing winners and handing out prizes without having the police break everything up at 7:00 AM.  A real finish line camera and rolling closure permits might be further away than they wish, but I have little doubt the Marathon Crash Race will continue to grow in size and scope.

When asked about having international travelers come along for the ride, Roadblock’s response was essentially the more the merrier.  Who’d like to join me for next year’s Marathon Crash Race and experience the city in a whole new way?

What better way to start off my new gear section of the blog than with a review on my favorite piece of travel gear? I love my camera and laptop dearly. They were the items I knew I’d need to protect most during my trip.  Lowepro’s Fastpack 350 is a camera bag, laptop bag and daypack all rolled into one and was one of two bags I carried with me for 30 months through 16 different countries.

Here's a great shot of the Fastpack 350 from the Lowepro website. PHOTO CREDIT: Lowepro.com

The Perfect Bag

When I was looking for a bag that would carry my camera gear and laptop, I knew it was going to be difficult to find what I wanted.  For security reasons, I wanted a bag that didn’t advertise itself as a camera bag.  I had to find something that would fit on the plane as a carry on and that was comfortable to carry for long periods.  It was also important that I could use it as a daypack during the trip and had to have space for additional items.

I remember having it narrowed down to two bags at my local camera store, but I can’t for the life of me remember what the other bag was at this point.  What I do recall were the two aspects that made me choose in the direction of the Fastpack 350.  The first was the side loading aspect – I rotate the pack on my shoulder and take my camera out without putting the bag down.  The second was that there was a cover that went over the lower pack, adding an extra piece of security if someone was fiddling with my bag from behind.

Canon 7D, Lenses, Flash and the rest that fit in the lower pocket.

Through the Ringer

Over 30 months of flashpacking around the world, I put that bag through the ringer.  During a travel day, when I would be moving all my gear from one bed to another, this bag would weigh 20 to 25 kilos, much more than my bigger bag stuffed with clothes, books and everything else.  My Fastpack 350 would carry the following:

Camera Gear and More in Lower Section:

Canon 7D with battery pack and Canon 24-70mm 2.8 lens attached.
Canon 70mm-200mm 2.8 IS Lens
Tamron 11-18mm 4.5 – 5.6 Wide
Canon 580 EX Speedlite Flash
2 extra flash cards in their little pockets
Emergency Poncho (used on more than one occasion)
2 Plastic Rain Sleeves I picked up in Tokyo (which came in real handy during Songkran)

Laptop Pocket:

MacBook Pro 15” laptop
Occasionally a magazine or flight paperwork would also go here

One of my rainsleeves in action during the week-long water fight that is the Songkran festival in Thailand.

Big Upper Pocket:

4 External Hard Drives
Cable Bag (I kept all my USB, power, firewire, etc cables in one bag)
Battery Charger for Camera
2 Moleskin Notebooks
Lens Cleaning Kit & Camera Cleaning Kit
Pacsafe Security Device
Pens, Pencils, extra batteries for flash, passport, etc.

Other pockets/gear

I’d also have a (usually filled) water bottle in the side pocket

There you have it.  That was the bag I had with me 24/7, in a locker in the hostel or locked away in a private room.  I was most nervous in transit and the bag would never leave my side.  If I couldn’t take it with me, I wouldn’t use that form of transportation.  I firmly believe my mild to serious level of paranoia kept me from having any major security problems during the trip.

When I was in a place where I could remove items into a secure location (locker, my own room, etc), that’s when I could swap out the laptop and hard drives for day pack items like a fleece and snacks.

The tear caused by the stress of carrying so much weight over 30 months of travel.

Current Condition

My bag has seen better days and is still together, but only just barely.  Due to the weight I’ve been carrying in it, the points where the shoulder straps attach to the bag have, over time, started to pull the stitching from the upper pouch.  I’ve been using safety pins to hold it together but this is only a stopgap measure.  Other than that I’ve had no serious issues with the bag.  The one thing I’d love for them to do is remove the Lowepro brand logo from the front of one of the shoulder straps which I did myself early on to help hide the fact that it’s a camera bag.

Recommendation

I really love this product and will be replacing the old one with a new one as soon as mine has reached the point of no return.  My current Lowepro Fastpack 350 held up under three years of extremely heavy use.  It carried and protected my precious MacBook and Canon gear through 16 countries and the only issue I had came late and through strenuous use.  As the wear and tear take their toll, the only choice I have to make for my next bag is what color to pick.

I spent this past weekend at TBEX 2012, a conference catering to travel bloggers, and let me tell you, it didn’t turn out at all like I expected.  I made some fast friends and reunited with some old ones, learned more than I knew but less than I expected, and networked with travel industry representatives and other travel bloggers.

The Soiree at the Summit event the night we arrived into Keystone Colorado. Photo by Graciel Cecilio.

TBEX in a nutshell

Taken directly from the TBEX 2012 site: “TBEX (is) the world’s largest gathering (of) travel bloggers, writers, and new media content creators”.  The conference was started about four year ago by Kim Mance and up until this year was apparently wrought with problems.  Not having attending any of the previous three years, I can’t speak to the past except to stay that my expectations for this year’s conference were not very high.  I decided to attend this year because of the networking opportunities the conference presented.

Although there were some hiccups from my perspective, I really didn’t expect the level of quality and organization that was apparent from the first night.  From the fully catered “Soiree at the Summit” hosted by Keystone Resort and Vail Resorts to the scheduled sessions that all ran on time and provided high quality content, the time and effort put into making this a successful conference was apparent.

The Pine Ridge Condos where a number of TBEX attendees were staying during the conference. Photo by Jason of Jason's Travels.

My Experience

TBEX started earlier than expected for me with the shuttle ride to Keystone, Colorado.  The two-hour trip was filled with introductions, our hopes and expectations for the conference, and a little bonding over “Game of Thrones”.

Having arrived just in time to register, I caught up on some emails before going to the opening “Soiree at the Summit” party.  As I had arranged to stay with six other bloggers (aka “the Pine Ridge Seven”) at a condo 30 minutes from Keystone, my primary mission that night was to locate members of the group, else I’d be sleeping in a gondola.  Little did I know I’d become quick friends with two of my condo-mates, Matt Karsten of Expert Vagabond and Graciel Cecilio of Pinay On The Move.  For a glimpse of our accommodation, Jason of Jason’s travel did a great rivew of the Pine Ridge Condos,

The altitude hit everyone hard.  Moving faster than a walk at the party Friday evening and sleeping later that night were difficult activities at best.  Since Matt and I were up at the break of dawn, he convinced me to hitchhike (Matt took the photo above) to the conference, not something I’d ordinarily do mostly because of the unpredictability of arrival (I’d rather spend my day exploring than waiting 3 hours for a lift).  To my surprise, it took only 10 minutes after putting the signs out to get picked up by another TBEXer heading to the conference.

Four of "The Pine Ridge 7", these were my condo-mates at the conferences. Left to right: Graciel Cecilio, Michela Baxter, Matt Karsten and myself. Photo by Graciel Cecilio

Saturday was mostly sessions and networking, with a western-themed party hosted by Expedia that evening.  Highlights of the day were seeing Jodi Ettenberg again after almost two years, getting my learning on, meeting new faces, watching Matt parade around in a bull costume and a relaxing soak in the hot tub at days end.

Sunday was more of the same with a really cool and unexpected “speed dating” event thrown in the middle.  This was the highlight of the day for me as I was able to interact with a side of the travel industry that is sometimes difficult to reach.  That initial introduction might not lead to anything immediately, but it certainly helps put them on my map and vice versa.

Things I’d Love To See At The Next TBEX:

Speed Dating Organization

Speed dating shouldn’t be just for Bloggers meeting industry folk but bloggers meeting bloggers.  I saw Nomadic Matt running around just before the speed dating kicked off looking for a place to situate himself for his meetings.  Later, in between my own meetings, I spoke to an industry rep without a table who was trying to figure out how she was going to find the bloggers she had scheduled meetings with.

Our view from the location of Friday night's Soiree

More Sessions

There were only four breakout session time slots on the schedule, each having five talks along a theme.  With two of those themes focusing on business, I had to decide which session to attend during each time slot, meaning I was always missing a session I would have liked to attend.  One option might be adding a couple of hours to each day, allowing for additional break out session slots so that sessions with similar themes could be moved out of conflict with each other.  On that note, I have notes from the four sessions I went to if anyone would like to trade.  Email me and we’ll chat.

Better Location

I’ve been to a variety of conferences in a variety of cities for a variety of reasons.  This is easily the furthest I’ve had to go to get to/from the airport.  This distance directly affected my conference experience with a couple of panelists for the last talk I saw on Sunday who had to leave early to make sure they made their flights.  My own time spent networking was cut short Sunday so that a member of my carpool could make her flight.

On top of the distance, the altitude hit everyone like a ton of bricks.  Headaches and sleep issues were the most common complaints I was aware of.  I made it through 10 days of burning the candle at both ends during SXSW in March and felt more tired after two less strenuous days at TBEX.  Keystone was beautiful and looks like an amazing place for a vacation, but the location took more out of the conference than it added.

Here's a photo taken by Graciel of us heading to the "How The West Was Fun" party hosted by Expedia.

More early information

I knew the TBEX dates far in advance but only found out about the advance activities after booking my flights.  I would have loved to participate in the rallies and “prebex” but arrived too late to do either one.  Next year I’ll plan on being there a couple days early, but new attendees not in-the-know might have the same problems I did this year.

Final Thoughts

Overall, the conference was, for me, a great success.  The sessions were mostly lively and informative.  The parties were fun and well catered with some great food and drink.  The networking opportunities, both planned and random, were ample and valuable.  I learned a ton, met some great people, made some new friends and came back with new ideas and more motivation than ever.

The best possible trip you can take to get away from Los Angeles is a quick two-two hour drive south to San Diego.  Ideal weather, terrific beaches, interesting neighborhoods and activities that cater to adults as well as families make it a great place to visit to get away from of the big city craziness that is Los Angeles.

I grew up in Los Angeles and, when I decided to move, my first choice was San Diego.  I lived there for six years, two of which were spent going to college to finish my degree.  There are many more aspects of San Diego worth seeing than I have the space to go into, so I’ll only be focusing on the highlights.  This will be part of a blog carnival (see the bottom of this post for more) with the “Nearcation” theme, i.e., vacations that get you out of your city but are close enough that you aren’t spending much money to get there.  I’ll be approaching this as if you’re a first time visitor to the city of San Diego.

Beaches

Of anywhere I’ve been, I believe that San Diego has the best weather in the world.  Take advantage of it and hit the beach.  If you surf, wake up early and head out to Black’s beach with the other pros.  If you want a mix of everything, including an upscale neighborhood and an art museum, make your way to La Jolla Cove.   And if you’re in a party mood, head to Pacific Beach for a smorgasbord of restaurants and clubs right at the beach.

The entrance into the Gaslamp Quarter of downtown San Diego - Photo from Flickr by Paul Edwards

Neighborhoods

For neighborhood exploration, your first stop should be downtown, affectionately called The Gaslamp Quarter.  Right near the convention center, this area is filled with shopping, eateries, galleries, theaters and bars.  Unless you plan on spending the day shopping, put this on your list as something to do after the beach or a day at the zoo.

Another neighborhood worth mentioning is Hillcrest.  While La Jolla Cove and Pacific Beach are draws because of their proximity to the beach, Hillcrest is a trendy neighborhood that might be a mix of Silverlake, Melrose and West Hollywood rolled together.  Again, the highlight here is a bit of shopping, getting your drink on, listening to some live music and people watching.

Attractions

Lastly, if you have never been to Sea World, or you’re visiting San Diego as part of a family group, you should spend one of your two days with either the fishes or on safari.  The Wild Animal Park isn’t exactly a “zoo”but it is as close as you’ll come to going on Safari without actually taking a trip to Africa.  Sea World is a no brainer and is still interesting to this thirty-something, especially now that I’ve recently acquired my scuba certifications.

The iconic killer whale that Sea World is known for - Photo from Flickr by gocardusa

Make The Drive

Whatever you decide to do, making the trip to San Diego really isn’t all that difficult or expensive.  If you’d prefer not to drive, you can take the Pacific Surfliner train down.  It connects with the trolley system, which can get you to some of the spots I have mentioned.  Basically, if you can’t afford a plane ticket for the next three-day weekend or vacation you’ve got coming up, you can still get out of the city and spend some time exploring a different part of California.  For my international readers, I would highly recommend allotting a minimum of two days for a trip to San Diego.  You’ll be thrilled you did.

The Blog Carnival

As I mentioned above, this post is part of a themed “blog carnival” that is taking place today, June 1st, 2012.  Basically, about a dozen of us bloggers got together and wrote posts based on the theme “Nearcation” (a vacation that’s near you – get it?).  You can read more about the carnival with the host at The Lost Backpack, and I’ve also listed, and linked to, the other people participating in the carnival.

Lis of LisTravelTips.com

Just over the hill from Wellington is the very New Zealand combination of wild rugged coastline and fine wines. Whatever your budget or interests there is something for you in the Wairarapa, and all under 2 hours drive from home!

Amanda of NotaBallerina.com

There are quite a few benefits to living in Perth, Western Australia, the most isolated city in the world – and one of them is that a typical “nearcation” is to hop on the ferry to idyllic Rottnest Island, just an hour away.

Ele of Kootvela

In 1772 there was a partition of one European country by its neighbours. A mere 30 years before there was a boy born in a poor family in France. Both events are related because this boy grew up to be one of the greatest botanists in the world and he came to spend a great part of his life in a partitioned country. The result today are the beautiful Kairenai botanical gardens.

Eva of ThatsHamori.com

When you think of southern France do you conger up an image of vine covered countryside and Plane trees along the Canal du Midi winding its way towards the Mediterranean Sea? Do you dream of sun bathed afternoon walks, a baguette under arm and sandy coast lines? With so much tradition and culture for tourists to sample, the south keeps visitors coming back back for more.

Craig of Indietravelpodcast.com

Most Aucklanders live well outside the city centre, only venturing in for business or a night out. There’s plenty to do during the day though, especially when you’re out exploring the sparkling Waitemata harbour. Find the best things to do in Auckland harbour.

Jen of GearUpandPlay.com

One of the coolest things about living in Portland is that so many great places are within reach; the ocean, the mountain, the desert.  But sometimes it’s good to get farther away, to a place that is a little more…theatrical. Ashland is a great escape with entertainment that can take you to other worlds.

Jim of AroundtheWorldinEightyYears.com

My kids aren’t quite turned on by the image I hold of myself as an intrepid Saharan explorer. So we load our little tent, sleeping bags and some coolers of food and drink into the car and hustle a quick two hours north on Highway 522 from our home in Taos, New Mexico, into Colorado and to the 85,000-acre Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve.

Lauren of SpanishSabores.com

Extremadura is a part of Spain that few people know about. But only an hour away from busy Madrid, Extremadura makes a great choice when traveling in Spain. Visit the charming town of Trujillo to see its gorgeous castle and taste world famous Torta de Caser cheese. If you prefer something bigger try the capital, Cáceres, to see its perfectly preserved old town. Finally, head down to Mérida where the Roman ruins rival those of Rome, without groups of tourists getting in your way.

The Shark Dive was one of about 20 dives I did while on a liveaboard on the northern part of the Great Barrier Reef. Needless to say, it was quite the experience.

I am happy to announce I get to host the Travel Photo Roulette contest once again.  I previously won round #3 and hosted round #4 about 18 months ago and won the recent round #43 with the image taken above for the “adventure” theme hosted by Matt Gibson.  If you don’t know what Travel Photo Roulette is, here’s an idea of the contest:

An Overview

The contest migrates from blog to blog based on the idea that the winner of the previous contest hosts the next one.  I get to host round forty-four because I won round forty-three.  As host, I get to choose a theme for the next round and bloggers can submit a single entry based on how they interpret the theme.  The time frame for submissions is generally one week.  At the end of the week, the host blogger will chose the winner for that round and said winner will then repeat the process on their own blog.  Readers can always try and sway the host via comments during the contest, but the host is free to give as little or as much weight to people’s opinions as they wish.

One of my favorite experiences from the last trip was couchsurfing for Christmas with 30 new friends in Bangkok, Thailand. Three days prior I was in Chiang Mai frantically looking for something interesting to do during Christmas when I read a post on the Couchsurfing.org forums. One thing led to another and I ended up staying with, meeting and hanging out with some of the most fascinating people I'd ever met. Scott, our host, had managed to attract people from all over the world for a few days of home-away-from-home type community. It all happened by chance, but spending those few days with a widely international group of like-minded travelers was pretty f**king great.

And The Winner Is…

Dustin Main at SkinnyBackpacker.com

A few exhaustive travel days, and the past 3 mornings up before 5 to shoot photos meant I was in a dream state already. Early this morning, 12600 monks descended on Chiang Mai to collect alms for the flood victims in the south. An entire street was blocked off as waves of orange robes came down from one end to the other. This dreamy shot taken with a lensbaby summed up how the morning felt. Surreal. It wasn't until days later that I was able to look back at the enormity of the situation and process it for myself.

The image is really great but it was the combination of image and story that made this one a winner.  With the story in my head, I could picture what was happening outside the boarders of the image and see thousands of monks filling the streets.  I also really liked the way he used a creative tool (the lens baby) to play with the shot.  If I were in the same situation in an event like that, I’d be tempted to not play around and get shots like this, which really makes me want to get back out there and get back to that experimentation that makes photography exciting.  Congrats Dustin!

Past Photo Roulette Winners and Hosts

The following is a list of the previously played rounds of the game and the hosting blogger for each. This list also doubles as a winner’s table as each topic host won the preceding round! Click the host’s link to go directly to that entry to see some stunning photographs from the chosen term/phrase!

1. Nov 4–10, 2010  – Living the Dream – “Animals”
2. Nov 17–24, 2010 – Skinny Backpacker - “Road Signs”
3. Nov 29–Dec 6, 2010 – Dream a Little Dream - “Street Art”
4. Dec 8–15, 2010 – Flashpacker HQ – “Festival”
5. Dec 17–24, 2010 – Over Yonderlust – “Landmarks”
6. Dec 26–Jan 2, 2011 – Don’t Ever Look Back – “Beaches”
7. Jan 5–12, 2011 – ThePlanetD – “Portraits”
8. Jan 15–22, 2011 – Travel with a Mate – “Motion”
9. Jan 26–Feb 3, 2011 – Johnny Vagabond – “Water”
10. Feb 8–15, 2011 – Ken Kaminesky – “Urban”
11. Feb 21–27, 2011 – Travels of Adam - “Friday Night”
12. Mar 7–13, 2011 – Itchy Feet Chronicles – “The Journey”
13. Mar 19– 25, 2011 – Brendan’s Adventures – “Changing Seasons”
14. Apr 4–10, 2011 - Shutterfeet – “Storytelling”
15. Apr 13–21, 2011 - 10 Times One - “Piousness”
16. Apr 26–May 4, 2011 – Beached Eskimo – “Learning”
17. May 21–27, 2011 – Travel Junkies – “Architecture”
18. Jun 1–7, 2011 – Destination World – “Transportation”
19. Jun 8–15, 2011 – Living the Dream – “Paradise”
20. Jun 21-28, 2011 - Vagabond Quest - “Clothes”
21. Jul 4-11, 2011 – The Unframed World – “Symmetry”
22. Jul 16-25, 2011 – Beached Eskimo – “Home”
23. Jul 31 – Aug 7, 2011 – BackPackerBanter – “Inspiration”
24. Aug 14 – 21, 2011 – WanderingTrader - “Darkness”
25. Aug 28 – Sep 4, 2011 – Finding the Universe – “Tranquillity”
26. Sep 12 – 19, 2011 – Fearful Adventurer – “Food”
27. Sep 23 – 30, 2011 – Adventures of a GoodMan – “City”
28. Oct 06 – 13, 2011 – Globe-Trekking.com - “Reflections”
29. Oct 17 – 24, 2011 – Scene With A Hart - ”Framing”
30. Nov 9 – 16, 2011 – Vagabond Quest - “Silhouettes”
31. Nov 26 – Dec 3, 2011 – Hecktic Travels – “Music”
32. Dec 11 – Dec 18, 2011 – Globetrotter Girls – “Love”
33. Dec 25 – Jan 1st, 2012– Man on the lam – “Humor”
34. January 8 – Jan 15 – My Walkabout – “Winter”
35. Jan 15 – Jan 22 – The Art of Slow Travel – “Blue”
36. Feb 6 – Feb 13 – Ten Times One – “Depth of Field”
37. Feb 22 – Feb 29 – Runaway Juno – “My Glorious Digital Nomad Moment”
38. March 7 – March 14 – Nomadbiba – “Sunshine”
39. March 24 – 31 – Travel With Kat – “Local Character”
40. April 10th – 16th - The Travel Bunny – “Street Scene”
41.  April 23rd – April 30th – Adventure Crow – “Spirit of the Country”
42. May 7th – 14th - Food Travel Bliss – “Evening”
43. May 17th – May 24th - Matt Gibson – “Adventure”
44. May 30th – June 6th – Flashpacker HQ – “Once In A Lifetime”

New Theme

It was a bit more difficult to pick a theme for this round than the last time I did this because of all the excellent themes previously chosen.  While I fear this might overlap a few previous rounds, I’m hoping this will draw out some cool images and the stories that go with them.  This week’s theme is “Once In A Lifetime”.  As a travel blogger, I love when people share those once-in-a-lifetime stories that are often a motivation for people to travel in the first place.  I know I’ve had a few of these kinds of experiences and I’m hoping a few others have managed to capture theirs on camera.  Share the photo and briefly tell us the story that goes with it.

How to Submit

Entering the contest is super easy.  Just leave a comment below with a link to the image you’d like to submit and a caption or description of the image to help flesh it out.  PLEASE NOTE: especially with this theme, I’d love to get a bit more story with each photo – how does the photo relate to your “Once In A Lifetime” experience?  Once you’ve added your comment, I’ll add the image to the submissions.  Don’t forget to check back in during the week to see the other submissions and join the conversation by leaving comments for others.

The contest runs for 7 days starting May 30 and ending June 6 at 12:00 PST.  The winner will be announced within a few days of the end of the contest and the selected blogger will then host round #45.  Please do your best to keep your images to a nice, medium size and be aware that anything larger than 630px wide will be reduced in size.

The Rules for Travel Photo Roulette

1) One submission per Blog (so sites that have 2+ authors only get one entry).

2) No photoshopping allowed unless specifically called for!  Cropping and correction for red-eye or camera flaws are ok, however.

3) Abstract submissions welcomed as long as it fits within the interpretation of the chosen phrase.  Remember, the hosting blogger chooses the winner, so if they cannot understand the submission, you might not win!

4) Keep phrases general so that all bloggers can participate.  Specific items like “Eiffel Tower” should be avoided but rather made open-ended like “monuments.” For variety, it is ok to say focused things such as “monuments at night” in which most of us have pictures of.

6) Abstract thoughts are appreciated, but keep it within the realm that all readers will understand.  No “Kafka-esque”, but “Overlooking Creation” is able to be interpreted by all.

7) No obscene pictures or phrases allowed.  Suggestive phrases and photography can be accepted, but please keep it within reason.

8) After a sufficient period of time, phrases can be reused, however new photos must be submitted.  Keep the ideas and photos fresh!

9) Pictures from your entire portfolio are fair to submit.  You do not have to take the photo within the week of the contest period to submit it.

10) Most importantly, ALL PHOTOS MUST BE YOUR OWN.

From Natasha von Geldern

"On a long road journey in Tajikistan I hit a roadblock because the road had collapsed into the Panj River. While we waited two days for it to be repaired the local villagers took great care of everyone, sharing their homes, plying us with food and copious amounts of vodka. They made elaborate toasts, alternately serious and humorous, while at the same time unintelligible to me. When called upon to reciprocate I could only come up with inanities such as 'Nova Zelandiya!' and 'Nyet Taliban!'"

From Cole @ Four Jandals

Sailing along the river Nile in Egypt was one amazing experience. But what turned it into a "once in a lifetime" moment and etched it into our memory was when we were invited to join the local crew on the beach with a bonfire, traditional singing and dancing and a home made sheesha pipe. Unfortunately the photo sucks but that memory will always remain with us.

From Jeremy at Living The Dream RTW

I'd like to hope that all of my travel experiences are NOT once in a lifetime moments, because many of the great ones I'd like to do again someday. This one; however, will be my only "once in a lifetime moment." It may not seem like much, but this nighttime scene on a beach on Koh Phi Phi, Thailand is the place where I proposed to my wife (married 14 days ago)

From The Rowdy Chowgirl

Watching the sun rise over Angkor Wat was breathtaking. And even though many, many people have stood in that same spot, and I could certainly go back and do this again, what makes it "once in a lifetime" is that it was my first time. The awe and delight I experienced at my first glimpse of the temple can never be re-experienced.

From Micki & Charles at The Barefoot Nomad

This photo was taken from the hills above Long Beach at Ko Phi Phi Don at sunset, looking across at Ko Phi Phi Leh. This is once in a lifetime for two reasons: 1. I haven't been lucky enough to see another sunset this spectacular. The photo was taken with a 3.2 Megapixel Minolta DiMAGE Xi point and shoot, and is completely untouched. No filter, not post processed, not even cropped. 2. I was in Ko Phi Phi with Charles, getting my first real taste of long term traveling. Sure, we've traveled since then, and loved it, but this was a time in my life when I was absolutely carefree, and when everything was new. This was our once in a lifetime trip, when everything was new.

From Dustin Main at Skinnybackpacker.com

A few exhaustive travel days, and the past 3 mornings up before 5 to shoot photos meant I was in a dream state already. Early this morning, 12600 monks descended on Chiang Mai to collect alms for the flood victims in the south. An entire street was blocked off as waves of orange robes came down from one end to the other. This dreamy shot taken with a lensbaby summed up how the morning felt. Surreal. It wasn't until days later that I was able to look back at the enormity of the situation and process it for myself.

Visiting a Muslim elementary school to understand their education system for the first time in remote beach area of Lamu, Kenya and seeing a culture so new, beautiful, and foreign to me was something to never forget.

From Jouljet

A group of 7 people, (3 Aussies, 3 Irish and an Englishman) were grouped together to travel the Trans-Mongolian railway. Here we are riding horses in the middle of the lush countryside in Mongolia, one of many amazing highlights we had over this trip - once in a lifetime for this place, this group, and this most amazing trip!

From On The Ground Travel

One of the locations that has been on our bucket list for a LONG time is the sand dunes of the Sahara Desert. So on our round the world trip last year, we made sure it was on our list. Going to the Sahara was truly a once in a lifetime experience and it was unlike any other desert we have ever been to. We drove to Merzouga in Morocco, and then rode on camels for 2 hrs until we reached the nomads camp. At night, we walked out into the sand dunes with our guides, with only the stars as a light source! We laughed and chatted about the most simple of things, like the number of camels one would need to have in order to get married in that part of the world. We watched a distant thunderstorm, a rarity in and of itself, and laid on the sand and just listened to the wind. There was absolutely nothing between us except nature. Here, it was hard to imagine somewhere else in the world, there is a place like Times Square in New York City. The whole experience was surreal!

From Fluent in Frolicking

This photo was taken in the southeastern part of Turkey in the town of Urfa. This town has a very important religious monument in it and I was told repeatedly before visiting that it was important to be covered up and respectful. I expected the residents to be unfriendly but instead was greeted with such warmth and friendly smiles. A group of us walked the ancient narrow winding streets and were followed by this group of children. Their smiles and giggles were contagious! This moment will be etched in my memory forever. It was one of those travel moments that reaffirms that no matter where we are from, what religion we believe in, or how rich our families are that we just want to be happy!

Sunset at Lake Nicaragua. We went on a booze cruise with a bunch of friends and we enjoyed every second of the ride. At sunset our friend Alisson out of the blue just dove off the boat. In a split second I got my SLR and got off one shot. Beautiful. A once in a lifetime shot.

Nestled along the Rio Grande and a main stop on any road trip along Route 66, Albuquerque’s highlights include a wealth of Native American culture and a variety of outdoor activities and destinations.  Take some time to shop in Old Town, have a beer at sunset on a roof top bar or ride one of the longest tramways in the world.

Albuquerque

Located in the center of New Mexico, I arrived in the city during my trip from Austin, Texas to Los Angeles, California.  Having never visited New Mexico before, I figured the biggest city in the state would be the place to get a sampling of this part of the southwest.  Odds are your stop here will be a part of a Route 66 roadtrip, which means you’ll be in for some of the same activities I found.

Part of the Japanese Garden at the ABQ Biopark, where cherry blossoms were in full bloom.

Bio Park

I did quite a bit in the two days I spent exploring the city.  I started with a visit to the Albuquerque Biological Park (aka. ABQ Biopark) which was nice after being in the car for so long.  It took a couple of hours to walk around the entire park while shooting pictures, and there are interesting, if small, different gardens to check out.  My favorite was (obviously) the Japanese garden, although the Heritage farm looked good as well.  Be aware that a ticket here also gets you into the Aquarium.

The trip up to Sandia Peak takes 15 minutes and crosses two towers. Imagine the sway on a windy day!

Tramway

After the park, I was relaxed and ready to try the tramway. I met some friends at the base for a great Mexican lunch before grabbing our tickets for the tram.  One of the longest in the world, it took us 15 minutes to get from the bottom to the peak where we basically hung out, enjoyed the view and had a beer at the nice, if a bit pricey, bar on top.  If you are there during winter you can ski and/or snowboard at the peak.

Nob Hill

That evening was spent in Nob Hill, which is essentially where all the cool, college kids go to eat, drink and be merry.  If you’re on that Route 66 roadtrip, be sure to have a meal or drink in this quirky area and see some of the old, authentic Route 66 motel signs along the way.

Fabian Fontenelle does a dance demonstration at the Albuquerque Indian Pueblo Cultural Center.

Indian Pueblo Cultural Center (IPCC)

The next day I spent immersing myself in Native American culture at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center.  This museum goes into detail on Native American history and their way of living.  The highlight of the day was the dance demonstration, performed by Fabian Fontenelle, who is of Zuni and Omaha descent, and Shelley Morningsong, who is North Cheyenne.

Old Town

After filling my mind at the IPCC, I went to Old Town, which has some of the older-style buildings and centers mostly around shopping.  There are some food options here, but this area mostly caters to selling New Mexico souvenirs and  Native Amreican arts and crafts.  It’s interesting to walk around and people watch but you can skip this spot if you’re low on time and have no interest in souvenirs.

"Old Things" is a good example of the type of architecture you'll see all across Old Town.

Events

While I wasn’t there at the right time, the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta would be the perfect reason to plan a trip to Albuquerque.  Held in the fall, it’s the world’s largest ballooning event and sounds like it would be quite the spectacle.

If you’re really interested in Native American culture, you might also consider coming around the end of April for the Native American Gathering of Nations Pow-Wow.  There are many events going on during the Pow-Wow and this also sounds like it would be worth a return trip out.

One of the things you'll see around Nob Hill are these old, Route 66 motel signs.

Conclusion

While Albuquerque is the largest city in New Mexico, it’s a bit more relaxed than you’d expect a big city to be.  I was there in February and the weather was perfect for spending the day outside wandering around and following that up with a night at an outdoor pub or rooftop bar.  If you’re into hiking and outdoor activities, you could tack on a day or two to check out some of the outlying hiking trails and national parks.  A city bustling with energy this is not, but that’s perfectly fine as long as you’re up for some relaxation and a bit of culture.

A selection of images from the Music portion of the 2012 South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas.

Titus Andronicus at The Belmont

Pennywise at The Main

MC Frontalot at Flamingo Cantina

Dancing Girl on 6th Street

Kimbra at MTV hosted event

Gary Clark Jr. at MTV hosted event

Fiona Apple at Stubbs

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros at the Paramount Theater

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros and Mumford & Sons at the Paramount Theater

East Side Dandies on 6th Street

Blitzen Trapper at Stubbs

Attila at The Main

Alabama Shakes at ACC

I just finished volunteering for my first year at the SXSW (South by SouthWest) Festival in Austin, Texas. The festival is a mixture of Film, Music and Interactive (think tech/business/internet), with the first half focusing on interactive, the second half on music, and film running the entire length of the nine-day conference. As a volunteer, I was required to work a certain number of shifts, but had enough time off to see some interesting discussions, panels, and excellent live bands. Here are some photos from the first half of the conference (interactive and film). Stay tuned for another set from the music side of things. Needless to say, if you can ever get down to Austin for the SXSW Festival, be sure to do so – you never know what you might see/hear/do.

An impromptu dance party breaks out in the rain after the SXSW premiere of "Girl Walk // All Day".

The panel for "We Are Legion", a documentary about Anonymous, was one of the more interesting panels I attended and included an anonymous member giving input via skype.

A number of the panels were set up as "A Conversation with X", and the conversation with Willem Dafoe was my favorite panel of the week.

From the panel "A Conversation with Joss Whedon"

Seth talked about his past, the evolution of Family Guy, and other projects.

Al Gore and Sean Parker had an incredibly interesting 90-minute conversation about democracy and the internet.

Anthony Bourdain and some of his production staff discussed various aspects of No Reservations and his now show The Layover.

It was common to pass one of these FedEx mobile chargers somewhere in the convention center with up to a dozen people all plugged in and charging their devices.

Free food and drink are common during the festival, and the Square Space food truck handed out freebies that changed on a daily basis.

The SXSW Volunteer uniform this year was the red shirt you see worn by this helpful volunteer.

South by SouthWest is a one-of-a-kind experience. If you’re at all interested or involved with independent film, live music or have anything to do with the internet, you’ll find interesting presentations, great films, and intimate live shows. You can choose to attend the whole conference (my suggestion) or focus on one of the three aspects. The mix of people and creative energies itself is worth the trip. Make sure you add it to your calendar for 2013, and stay tuned for more images from the music side of things.

The 84th Annual Zilker Park Kite Festival was held on Sunday, March 4th in Austin, Texas. You couldn’t have asked for a better day with all the sun and wind anyone could ask for. Under an umbrella of thousands of kites, the festival offered the usual American-festival goodies like games and face-painting for the little ones, rockwalls for the older ones, and food trucks and funnel cakes for the adults. They also had contests that included strongest pulling kite, most unusual kite and largest kite. Here are some of my favorite images from the event.

This two-year-old won the award for "youngest contestant" and, much to my delight, also seemed to have a fondness for the camera.

The winner of the "oldest event contestant" award, this 84-year-old kite lover was the operator of the Mary Poppins kite below.

These two kites were both entrants in the most unusual category. I loved the way the yellow one's "fins" moved just like a ray swimming under water.

This area covered about 1/6th of the overall park and gives you some idea as to the amount of people attending the festival.

One of the more interesting kite shapes I saw amongst the thousands at the festival.

Every kite starts low and rises, and this angry bird is no exception.

Question: How many kids does it take to control a kite?

Answer: It takes four kids to run a kite.

The anchor of the four children above contemplates the spool.

Judging the "strongest pulling kite" contest required special equipment and the kites that were entered for this contest were massive.

This contestant for Largest Kite barely made it into the air for the one minute that was required of it to compete.

Most of the entrants for the contests seemed pretty hardcore about their kites, and that definitely includes this gentleman.

All of the kites entering competition had to be hand made and this was the winner of the most unusual category.

Contrary to popular belief, Mardi Gras isn’t just about Beer, Beads and Breasts. The festival and parades were actually described to us by one locals as being put on “for the locals, not for the tourists”. A family affair, outside of Bourbon street you’ll see festival revelers of all ages, and even a few local canines taking part. Here’s some images from the parades that took place when I was there in 2012.

Masked revelers enjoy a Mardi Gras Parade

One of the half-dozen music groups walking through the French Quarter as part of the Barkus parade during Mardi Gras.

A rider on a Mardi Gras float throws beads overboard

One of the younger parade attendees toots her own horn.

One of the impressive marching bands charges down the street with attitude

The "Centerpiece" of these float were women dressed in colorful regalia.

The "Krewe of Barkus" is the only Mardi Gras parade centered around dogs and donates all of its proceeds to local shelters.

An injured dog is transformed into a mock Mardi Gras float.

A drummer steps out of formation to ham it up with the crowd.

I'm pretty sure this was a roller derby group dancing down as part of a parade.

This girl shouts and waves in an attempt to get a good Mardi Gras "Throw". The beads are the most famous of these, but the locals seek better throws like plush animals and doubloons.

Throughout the French Quarter you can find little shops selling high quality, hand made Mardi Gras masks - real works of art.

A new site just hit the web and I think everyone should go check it out.  The Indie Travel Manifesto, a collaboration between one of my favorite travel authors, Rolf Potts, and the Boots-n-all travel network, attempts to define Independent travel and create a community for those that relate to it.

Here’s the video they released with the site:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYIRLeiLtNs

I’ve typed out the individual statements below for your reference, which you can also find on their site indietravel.org.  I have to say, they did a great job of defining the style of travel I, and many others, try and promote.  All you have to do is scan the statements below to see why we love to travel this way and why we wish others would as well.  Discovery, growth, values, meaning – these aspects of travel don’t typically come with the umbrella in your pina colada.

Indie travel is about…

-       Replacing Broad expectations with nuanced realities.

-       Seeing yourself in the context of a rich and complex world.

-       Defining your values, exploring your beliefs, and crafting your own meaning for life.

-       Options over possessions

-       Dynamic Possibilities over Static Goals

-       Discovery over Escape

-       Interactions over Transactions

-       Local Information over received information

-       First-hand experience over expert opinions

-       Mental and spiritual growth as much as physical adventure

-       Private transformation over social status and bragging rights

-       The present moment over dreams of past and future

-       Pack light and keep things simple

-       Adapt as you go rather than micromanage in advance

-       Practice caution, but not paranoia

-       Slow down and enjoy an experience

-       Seek pleasure in simple moments and details

-       Make meaningful connections and informed decisions

-       Learn the economic, political and environmental context of my host culture

-       Emphasize listening more than talking

-       Practice courtesy, patience, humility, and good humor

-       Seek to understand – not judge or romanticize – other cultures.

-       Give back to the local economy.

-       Share what you’ve learned with others.

What do you think about these statements?  How do your thoughts on travel line up with these?

Image by NVinacco from Flickr.

I had grand plans at the start of this new year – weekly blogging, 365 days of photos and more.  Of course, I only made it a few days into January before becoming really really sick.  A week of headaches led into three weeks of fatigue and a hacking cough that is only now fading away.  So, due to unforeseen circumstances, I’m calling January a wash and am resetting my New Year resolutions beginning in February.

Being that sick got me thinking to how much it sucks being sick abroad.  Here at home, I at least had the comfort of a bed and a few people to comfort and take care of me.  When doing the independent travel thing and you get sick, you’re often in an unfamiliar place with nobody around to help you through that illness.  Here’s a few thoughts on how best to deal with being sick abroad.

Travel Insurance

The first thing I’d suggest is to make sure you’re traveling with traveler’s insurance.  In addition to covering things like major accidents and emergency evacuation, in a situation where you’re sick in a country where you don’t speak the language, you can call your provider, explain the situation and get good advice, usually from a staff nurse, on what to do next.  This is especially handy of you have symptoms for something that might be more than a normal cold or food poisoning.

God forbid you have to go to a local doctor or hospital, the insurance provider will tell you where the closest reliable place to go is, handle any communication issues, and cover any extraneous costs.  Hopefully you don’t get sick on your trip, but if it does happen, having travel insurance covers most of your bases.

First Aid Kit

I always carry a first aid kit at the bottom of my backpack and it’s surprising how often it comes in handy.  Yes it’s got bandaids and first aid cream, but I usually end up using the various medications more.  Anti-diarrhea meds, headache relief and rehydration packets are a life saver when you need them.  Don’t forget to refill these after heavy use or you’ll be left in the cold (pun intended) when you need them next time.

Digestion issues and food poisoning are probably the most common issues a traveler will run into.  The more foreign the country you are traveling in is to your home country, the higher the odds of something happening.  Best to have a remedy with you as it could be difficult to find the appropriate meds after the fact, not to mention that you won’t want to be wandering around town in your condition.

Hostels and Hotels

Take advantage of the staff at your accommodation.  They’ll know where the closest doctor or hospital is, where to get the meds you need, and will hopefully have a good handle on your language and be willing to act as a translator if needed.  They should also know if you might have caught something common to the local area that might be serious.

In addition, if it looks like you’re going to be laid up for a few days recovering from your illness, get out of the dorm room and splurge for a private room.  There’s nothing worse than having to deal with other people’s crap when you’re sick and you’ll gain karma points by not passing it along in case whatever you have is contagious.

Call Home

Call, skype or otherwise communicate with someone(s) back home.  Just talking to people back home adds a level of comfort to your situation.  Being completely alone for three days while recovering from food poisoning isn’t a situation anyone wants to be in.  Make it better by getting some love from friends or family back home.

Ever been sick on the road?  How’d you deal with it?  Share your tips so other people don’t have it so hard when a virus floats along…