It was a chilly day, with the early morning temperatures definitely below freezing. Our day started before 6am, but in reality it started much earlier.

You can say it started when guys like Jeremy Cowart came up with an idea to organize photographers and ask them to dedicate a day and give back to communities worldwide. This of course is not a new idea, many photographers have found ways to give back to their communities for years. However, the concept of Help-Portrait was new mainly due to its scale. Help-Portrait is seen by many as not an organization, but a movement. For one day, thousands of photographers and other volunteers capture smiles on faces of people who are being a gift of an image, an actual physically printed large print. Why does it matter, well, if you have never seen the reactions, you may not understand that having a professional quality photo of you presented into your hands is about confidence, self-esteem, and self-worth.

Since the first HP event in 2009 the movement has grown. In 2011, according to help-portrait.com almost 170,000 portraits were given away in 56 countries. In 2010 Help-Portrait trended on twitter worldwide and in 2011 coverage from many news sources brought attention to the amazing day of smiles.

I have been convinced of the amazing purpose of HP when I was involved in the HP efforts in Atlanta and was hoping to do so in Chattanooga in December of 2011. Of course this journey would not let that happen. I have tried to think about jumping on board with a Help-Portrait group somewhere else, but with unpredictability of my schedule it did not seem likely. That was until I was able to connect with a high school classmate who teaches English in Nanjing, China. Through him I made a new friend, Shelly Au, a photographer with a heart for the city that has welcomed him. Shelly decided to try out this Help-Portrait “thing” even if it meant working by himself, but amazingly he was getting more help than he ever planned.

Shelly has built a strong portfolio of landscape and architectural work (see his work here) and has also been pursuing an intense Masters degree so as the Help Portrait Nanjing grew, some of the prospects could have gotten somewhat overwhelming. He was blessed with an amazing assistant who helped manage much of the process from recruiting volunteers to translating information provided by HP into Chinese. When Shelly and I spoke for the first time, I knew this was an amazing opportunity, so I jumped on board and booked my flight to Nanjing.

Coming from a much warmer Xiamen to Nanjing I got to pull out my warmer clothes and was glad to jump in and roll up my sleeves. A lot of prep work was done, but we still had some challenges in front of us. We had to secure a location, which turned out to be the very original one that Shelly and his helpers scouted, but not before we had to jump through a few hoops, including dealing with local authorities who were not completely certain if they liked what we were up to. It seemed confusing to them, and to a few other folks we met along the way, why we were giving away these portraits for free and why in this particularly poor neighborhood.

While we had many helpers for registration and event management we did not have enough people to do photography, edit photos, and print them. Well, opportunity was presented and the answers came. Through the help of my above-mentioned high school friend I was invited as a guest lecturer at the Art Institute of Nanjing. There I spent three afternoons speaking to and working with 40+ photography students. Over a dozen of them signed up to be a part of Help-Portrait, in fact on the day of the event students from the Art Institute (and a couple from another university) were the only ones who took photos of actual “customers” and did all the editing, allowing Shelly and myself to work on managing the event and capture a few “behind-the-scenes” images. Not only did the students play a huge part in the day, with the help of the photography school dean we were able to secure all the lighting gear for three separate sets we ended up setting up.

Additionally, a local photo printing shop was a huge help to us. They sent an employee of the shop to help with on-site printing, loaned us power extension cords, back drop mounting equipment, and also gave us an amazing price on all the prints. With the help of a few American donors we were able to cover the costs of these prints. And then we had a local Nanjing donor step up and provide the funds to pay for the background paper and all the little things we needed to make the day possible.

The week of the event just flew by and all the little details came together. The pre-packed van was met at the Art Institute by several students who helped us load up all the lighting gear. We were on site by 8am, by 10am the sets were up, volunteers were in place and “gates,” which did not really exist, were opened. Our setup was in a community playground rec area. A gazebo was used as a makeup area, South corner was the home of editing and printing stations and North side housed a play area for kids. Tea, coffee, and hot water were served on the east side near the registration desks, music was playing, the place was vibrant and alive.

Every one of our “customers” was accompanied by a host who guided them through the process. There was also a new thing that the global leaders of HP came up with for 2011. Our hosts kept an ear out for people who had interesting stories about why these photos were so meaningful to them. CNN actually grabbed on and featured some of these stories – #13 came from Nanjing (http://cnnphotos.blogs.cnn.com/2011/12/16/this-is-the-first-gift-i-will-keep-forever/).

There were a few hiccups along the way, but overall we got back to base twelve hours later with giant grins of joy even despite tired feet. We had some people who came to the square as skeptics but seemed to leave with an extra dose of joy. Overall we made over 200 people smile with the help of over 80 amazing volunteers from all walks of life. Since time wise we were way ahead of Europe and the Americas I spent the evening watching social networks for Help-Portrait news and sending some info as well. The folks managing Help-Portrait blog showcased Nanjing in one of there posts (http://help-portrait.com/2011/12/h-p-story-of-the-day-china/).

Well, the story did not end exactly with the day itself. Of all the photos we took, we only printed out just over 30 on site, the rest were printed by the print shop that helped us so much. We scheduled a return visit for delivery a week later. When we came, people were excited to see there images. I even had an older gentleman, not knowing my origin start trying thank me in every language he knew, including Russian, which he studied as a young man. About half way through the photo-handing-out process, we notice some folks with a large tv camera. Apparently a local news crew from a major network was scouting the area for human interest stories and stumbled upon people walking around with large prints and even larger smiles. So, as much as I just love being in front of a camera, they asked some questions and I gladly answered. Here is the news clip from JSTV.com, in Chinese of course, but you can see some happy people smiling and a goofy looking westerner talking too.

So, if any of you like the idea of Help-Portrait and want to get involved, it is never to early. Go their web site (http://help-portrait.com), join the community, find your local group (or start one) and December 8 2012 will be here before you know it. Who knows how it will touch your heart!

Here are a few “Behind the scenes” photos from this very special day. More can be found in this dedicated flickr gallery.

All images © 2011 HELP-PORTRAIT® For more information about Help Portrait please visit http://help-portrait.com/

This first update focuses on Oceania, covering my first four stops – Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Australia and New Zealand. To put is simply folks in that part of Southern Hemisphere LOVE their sports. They get as passionate as SEC fans and those in the Bronx or Wrigley. My time in New Zealand happened to coincide with the World Cup of Rugby taking place in that island nation. And everywhere you went All Blacks (NZ National Rugby team) gear was on display.

But let me start at the beginning. The first billboard I saw just outside the airport was for the Fijian Netball team. So of course I pondered, what is that? Well, netball is popular in Oceania. It is a women’s sport, similar to basketball, minus the backboard on the hoop. The major difference though is that players can not move around freely but can only stay in there zones, so instead of running the floor there is a lot of passing. Shooting is of course a bit more complicated since you have to put it directly into the hoop.

As my journey continued I met many avid sports fans in every country. They talked about soccer, swimming, cricket (a sport where you actually take a tea break during the match and the “test” match can last for days). But the #1 sports topic all over Oceania is Footy (or Footie).

Now, this is where it gets interesting. Depending on where you are Footy means completely different things. It pretty much never refers to soccer (though a new friend in Melbourne tried to convince me that it should) or American football (known as Gridiron – I actually like the name). It refers to Rugby or Aussie Rules Football. But wait, there is more! Term Rugby refers to two basically different games. There is Rugby League and Rugby Union. They sound similar, but the rules and the styles of play are really not. Before I give some of the breakdown of differences let me explain that the term Footy and its use is largely regional. Kiwis (that would be New Zealanders) love Rugby Union. Even though the NZ Rugby League professional team, the Warriors, made the league finals, hardly anyone noticed. In Melbourne it is all about Aussie Rules. In fact up until a few years ago AFL (Australian Football League) was only based in Victoria. They have no expanded to have several teams outside of the state, but the championship game as well as the league’s loyal followers are all in Victoria. I went to the league playoff game between the Hawthorne (suburb of Melbourne) Hawks and Sydney Swans. Well, the Swans used to be in a different Melbourne suburb and then moved to Sydney. Yet at the game, which took place at the historic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) they had tons of local supporters. Can you imagine that happening in American sports? Anyone from Cleveland ever cheer for the Ravens?

To appreciate Rugby League one needs to travel to Queensland, the Northeastern state of Australia. Sydney is a bit of a melting pot. There are folks who love Union and League and the city has several teams of both in the pro leagues.

Australia is a pretty unique team when it comes to professional sports. If you combine the three highest level pro leagues there are only a small handful of teams that are located outside of the metro areas of Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane. Can you imagine combining NFL, MLB, and NBA and only have 6-8 teams outside of LA, NY, and Chicago? Australia’s size (very close to continental US) and the population (under 30 million) have forced majority of the population to be concentrated in these metro areas and along the East coast, so the sports follow.

My first introduction to Rugby, and the fandom that comes with it actually happened in Papua New Guinea. I arrived just in time to witness the grandeur of an event that to Rugby (League) fans is bigger than the championship – State of Origin. Basically it is a 3-game series where players are divided into two clubs – the Blue and the Maroons. The division is based on the geographic location of the initial (minor league) player was a part of. The Blues represent clubs that are based in New South Wales and the Maroons represent Queensland. The best equivalent I can think of is NFL guys playing an extremely intense series of three games where alumni of the SEC would take on Big-10/11/12 (this is for my friends who are the fans of the mid-western league that has a hard time with math) alums.

Rugby is a violent game. Tackling is fierce, though rarely are more than 2 men are involved in tackling the runner, three is a big crowd. Rugby League is a very fast pace game with a lot of lateral passing and some precise kicking both punting style (high) and bouncing along the ground. The game pace is harsh. The rule that surprised me the most in Rugby is “make it take it” – as in you keep the ball on offense after you score.

The differences between Rugby League and Union go back to England. Union was the game of prep/private schools so league became the game of more blue collar folks. Union has more bulkier players. The World Cup in New Zealand this year was for Rugby Union. The things many Americans associate with Rugby, especially the scrum, come from Union.

Speaking of Rugby World Cup (RWC), being in NZ during the time of the tournament was amazing. The small nation was ALL-All-Black. They were gracious hosts, many towns and neighborhoods adopting a “second” team to cheer for. But everyone was about the national team. The All-Blacks, with the amazingly intimidating Haka, based on the Maori war dance, have been favorites in almost every RWC since winning the initial one in NZ in 1984. The pressure was on. In Auckland, the day of the Championship match against France, there was a mix if excitement and nervousness. Some folks were seriously afraid of what would happen in NZ would loose. And the game was a nail bitter.

Fans of all footy are passionate and intense. They proudly barrack, support, pull for and support their clubs. In Melbourne, before AFL matches you can see clear colors of teams at the train station as fans arrive from all around Victoria. There are even alleys made by law enforcement to keep them separated. Because of the geographic proximity of most teams, there is rarely a home or a road team.

About the only thing more extreme in Oceania is the love for extreme sports. Surfing, both board and kite, diving, all manner of extreme water sports are alive and well in Australia and New Zealand. At the Whitsunday Islands area I saw the Australia team’s yacht practicing for the next Americas Cup. I did learn that New Zealand is the home of the bungee jump. When I visited Queenstown, my bus made a stop at the famous AJ Hackett Bungee site, an old bridge acquired by the bungee inventors (AJ and his partners) and set up as a first commercial jump site. And before you ask, I did NOT jump.

I hope you enjoyed this little foray into sports. I will do such updates once in a while. But if you are not a sports fan, don’t worry, this blog will not be sponsored by ESPN any time soon.

Thanks for reading. Stay tuned for more.

If you had a chance to read the post about my South Island adventures, you know that New Zealand is a beautiful country. Between the two islands the population is estimated at around 4.5 million. The country size is equivalent to the state of Oregon, with Auckland, NZ’s largest city being similar in population to Portland (about 1.3 million). Geographically New Zealand is really not near anything. It’s largest major neighbor, Australia, is still a good 4-hour flight away. There is a historical connection to the British side of New Zealand’s roots, but there is also a clear group of people, the Maori who do not share that bond.

Some people have made comparisons between the Maori in New Zealand and the Native Americans in United States, but I do not feel such comparisons are accurate or fair. Maori were not native settlers of New Zealand, they came from the islands of Polynesia about 300-400 years before the Dutch and British settlers arrived. Most of the Maori initially settled on the North Island and while a few migrated to the South Island, most preferred to venture south only during the warm months. Much of the real settlement of South Island happened when the British settlers, who were much more comfortable with the cooler climate, arrived. In general, unlike in neighboring Australia, this was not a peaceful colonization, however peace was achieve when a treaty to share the land was signed, a treaty that some members and leaders in the Maori community believe has not always been honored.  Still, much progress has been made. Every major political party has Maori candidates and there is actually a separate Maori party. Those Maori who live in tribal settlements actually have a choice to vote for one of the guaranteed Maori seats in the legislature or for “at-large” candidates.

With the population of the country not being too large, the system of government is pretty simple. There is the federal government, based in Wellington and then there are local city/community governments. There is no state or regional layer. The political system is closer to Australia than US with multiple parties, though with the popularity of the current prime minister (John Key) many feel that his party (National) is in the position to have single handed majority without a need of a coalition. In general, while in every country people can find something to gripe about, citizens seem pretty content with the state of New Zealand.

The nation now honors the Maori heritage by treating it as an accepted official language, though maybe not 100% on equal ground with English. A few years ago it was a major controversy when national anthem was performed in England as a Maori song. Since then New Zealand has two national anthems, “God Defend New Zealand” which is performed in both English and Maori and “God Save the Queen” which, while on equal legal standing, is performed less and less.

New Zealand’s economy is largely based on exports and some on tourism. Probably one of the largest export industries is farming. And I will say that they do farming as well or better than anyone I have ever seen. For starters, there are absolutely NO government subsidies given to farming. So farmers have learned to be creative. At one point the local population was viewed as 10 sheep for every human. As demand for wool decreased, Kiwi farmers diversified. They got it into deer farming, for venison which was exported to Europe  and North America and horns that were exported to East Asia. Then as the cost of dairy began to rise, New Zealand became a leader in dairy production. In grocery stores around China the best milk, cheese and butter – all come from New Zealand. And then there is tree farming. With a wonderful temperate rainforest climate and extremely clean air, especially on South Island, some hardwoods, like California pine can grow in 1/2 or 1/3 of the time it  would take them to reach same size in other parts of the world, like California.

New Zealand made a choice to be a nuclear free nation. This decision actually brought some tension in NZ relationship with US as US nuclear submarines and ships were no longer welcomed in country’s ports. I had a chance to ride across the countries largest hydro electric dam, which is extremely unique as it actually sits on an earth’s fault. In fact this dam project came close to bankrupting the nation, but ultimately succeeded. Oh and the entire structure sits on a series of coils that are designed to absorb a major earthquake. Earthquakes are actually pretty common in New Zealand. In my short stay on the east coast of South Island I felt 3 of the 5 or 6 recorded ones. Speaking of earthquakes, the Kiwi nation is still dealing with the devastation of the major one that hit Christchurch in February of 2011. From my conversations with a few folks there is a sense that much of the damage happened in the older constructed areas, including those in the unstable ground (landfill) that has not been properly set up for construction. The effort to rebuild is strong, but there is an understanding that with a limited budget of a smaller nation resources may be limited. Additionally there are concerns being raised about Wellington, a city that also sits on an edge of a fault and some experts believe is in line for the next major earthquake coming to New Zealand.

As far as infrastructure goes, New Zealand roads are as good as any other place on earth. There is a unique thing I noticed. Even on the major highways, especially on the west coast of South Island, bridges only have one lane. It is calculated choice made due to very limited traffic. There is good intercity transportation with trains, buses and ferries. About the only place I saw any issues with infrastructure was in Auckland, which is definitely a victim of urban sprawl.

Overall Kiwis are incredibly welcoming and friendly to visitors. During Rugby World Cup, while everyone cheered for the All-Blacks, national team, many towns, neighborhoods (especially in Auckland) and schools adopted a  second nation to cheer for. Sense of national pride is seen in every corner of New Zealand, from the abundance of silver fern logos (national symbol taken from a common tree) to stuffed kiwi birds in cars and windows, but most importantly you can hear it in the voices of people when they speak about their country.

As far as my adventures go, you have a pretty good picture of the South Island in my last post. I will say that in my opinion, the North Island does not offer as much in terms of scenery as the North, but it still has some interesting places. There are amazing beaches, which have warmer waters, especially towards the northeast. Then in the middle of the island there is a large desert, which is actually on of the best military training grounds used by NZ and its allies, US included. When you go north from the desert, you end up in Rotorua, home to world famous hot springs and mud pools. You can smell the sulfur for miles, even before you enter the town.

My favorite highlight of the North Island was actually an event that took place around Rotorua, and it had nothing to do with the smell or the seismic activity. I had an opportunity to attend a Maori cultural show in a nearby village. The show is obviously tourist oriented, but it was fun and informational. Between the delicious feast, the show of song and dance, the village set up where we were introduced to different skills that Maori passed on through generations, it was a great evening. However, the most memorable part was the greeting. When we arrived, our guides explained what we were to experience and how we were to act. Each of our groups/buses elected a “chief”. The chiefs were welcomed by that tribes version of a war dance (a Hakka) which is designed to as a show of force and also as a test of the comer’s intentions. Once it was understood that we came in piece our chiefs were greeted by an arm embrace and the touching of the noses, twice, on the second time both people inhaled sharing a breath of life. The scene, which of course was staged was powerful. One quick note on the Hakka. Most foreigners have seen the Hakka as performed by the NZ Rugby team, the All-Blacks. However Hakka is different in each village, thought they all share the same features (tongue sticking out, throat slash, slapping of arms or hands on legs, etc). According to the Maori, Hakka serves both as an intimidation to the opponent and an honor to them, which is an interesting thought.

Not to sound like a travel agency brochure, but if you have an opportunity to visit New Zealand, my simple advice is to DO IT! Please enjoy the photos and know there are MANY more in my New Zealand album on flickr. Thank you again for reading.

I have always wanted to visit New Zealand and did a bunch of research prior to coming. Along the way I considered various ways of actually getting around and seeing places. After eliminating several options, like city buses and trains for lack of flexibility and limited destinations and rental cars for cost and lack of local knowledge, I came to a conclusion that I will be using one of the hop-on-hop-off bus services that go around both islands and provide access to more remote places as well as help with accommodation planning.  There are several companies that offer such services, Kiwi Experience and Magic Bus being the most popular and best known ones. After a few phone calls and emails I made an easy choice and went with Magic Bus. Their customer service/sales people actually took the time to listen and understand what I was looking for. They also gave me very smart advice both in relation to possible limited accommodation options due to Rugby World Cup. However, I was especially impressed when my sales rep put together a list of potential photo opportunities that I would encounter on different legs of the journey. Now that is what I call PERSONAL service!

My journey in NZ started in Christchurch. I can only imagine how nice of a city it was before the devastating earthquake in February 2011. I stayed with a new CouchSurfing friend Synco and even right near his house there were houses marked as condemned and scheduled for demolition. I could not make it into the “red zone” which is where the center of town used to be, it was closed off. Still, you could see the signs of life and resilient spirit. I came through Christchurch two weeks later and could actually spot progress – there is a strong sense that this city will rebuild and will probably be better for it.

I climbed on board of my first Magic Bus my second morning in NZ. The bus was not full and there was plenty of room to stretch out. Throughout my 2+ weeks on South Island leg of Magic Bus journey people came on and came off, but there was a good portion of people who shared a major part of the loop with me. Other passengers ranged in age from 18 to 70 and came from all over the world, majority being from Europe (England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Ireland, France, Catalonia [Jordi would be unhappy if I said Spain], Switzerland, Germany), with Australia, Canada, South Africa, Seychelles, China, Taiwan, Argentina and Brazil also being represented. The drivers, and I had 3 different ones on South Island, made the time between destinations fly by with interesting stories, useful facts, even legends and fables. One day our driver entertained us with an All-New Zealand music compilation playing rock, pop, and traditional songs from Kiwi artists. Oh and of course there was plenty of Rugby talk. Many travelers where there supporting their countries’ clubs and of course NZ was all behind the All-Blacks. Oh, and I have heard enough renditions of the Haka to last me a lifetime. (If you want to know more about RWC and other Southern Hemisphere sports, check out my post on that topic here.)

From Christchurch the bus headed north up the rainy east cost to a town of Kaikoura. It is a popular fishing spot as well as a place where one can go swimming with the dolphins. After a night in Kaikoura we headed to Picton, at the very north end of the South Island where we dropped off majority of bus passengers who were headed to catch the quarterfinal matches via ferry in Wellington. With just two passengers left on the bus for the short journey to Nelson, our bus driver kindly offered us an opportunity to visit a winery and sample some of New Zealand finest. Nelson is considered the sunniest spot in the country and has similar soil to Northern California so the grapes love the conditions.

Nelson was my first multi-night stop on my tour. The free day was spent exploring Abel Tasman National park, one of my two side trips on South Island. Abel Tasman NP stretches along the coast in Northwest corner of South Island and very much reminded me of Olympic National Park (in NW Washington State). The lush greens, steep hiking trails, beautiful rugged sand beaches, all on a beautiful day, were a joy for my eyes and a boost of energy. The park is set up with water taxis dropping you off at one of about a dozen possible stops. Then you can hike back to either be picked up at another stop or to hike all the way out of the park. The longest such trail would take a couple of days and the route is equipped with several basic lodges. I chose to be dropped off and then picked up at a further spot giving me about 5 hours to complete an estimated 3.5 hour hike. I met some interesting people on the boat and one the trail, including a couple of guys who came from US to support the Russian Rugby team.

After Nelson the Magic Bus took us to Greymouth, a small west coast town. We enjoyed a visit to one of NZ’s oldest breweries for a tour and sampling. Later that night I got a first hand experience watching Rugby World Cup with Irish and Welsh fans. From Greymouth on the majority of the bus crew stayed the same all the way through South Island. Several folks on the bus where photography buffs, so we had plenty of times to compare notes and ideas.

Heading south along the west coast of South Island we stopped at some amazing places like Pancake Rocks, a seashore rock formation that looks like someone stacked rocks on each other, Lake Matheson which provided amazing reflection and view of the two tallest peaks in New Zealand (Mt. Cook and Mt. Tasman). Finally we arrived to a village of Franz Joseph, which was a base camp of operations for tours on a glacier with same name. The afternoon was spent catching my breath on the beautiful blue ice. The reason you see blue ice is because it has been so compressed that the spectrum of light that produces blue can not make it through the ice. Our guides carved out steps on some of the steeper edges, the rest of the time we relied on the shoe-attached crampons to stay vertical. While I wish I would have had an extra day to do a second hike, possibly heli-hike, my muscles were sore enough from the experience that I tremendously enjoyed soaking in the glacier hot spring heated pools that evening.

Our final west coast stop was Queenstown, a popular tourist destination famous for water sports and skiing, depending on the season. Queenstown is a bit of a party place and boasts a lot of great eateries, including a home of one of the best burgers I have ever tasted, Fergburgers. Queenstown is also a gateway to Milford Sounds, a world-renowned site for fjords and waterfalls. It take almost 4 hours to get out to the base of the Sounds and we happen to arrive on a rainy day, which in a way was good since there was plenty of water to come crashing down on the rocks. We took a two plus hour boat trip to the outer edge of the sound and experienced amazing waterfalls. Many of you may have caught a sight of Millford in movies including Lord of the Rings and Wolverine. At one point Jordi and I planted ourselves toward the front of the boat and would sneak out just quickly enough to snap enough exposures to come back with a lens covered in water (thankfully the camera bodies were protected). Even though all my clothes were soaking wet by the end of the boat ride, the sights and the images were well worth it. If I get a chance I would love go back to Millford, and some of the neighboring fjords, and experience the area in different types of weather.

From Queenstown we headed east with a stop in a college town of Dunedin, home of the worlds steepest street. Then we turned up the east coast, with a short scenic pause at Moeraki Boulders, basically giant almost perfectly round stones which line a portion of the beach as marbles. The “goofier” side of Magic Bus came out as there was jumping, piling on, and even “planking” to be seen. That night we made it to the scenic shores of Lake Tekapo. We visited the Church of Good Shepherd, built to honor the early sheep herders of New Zealand and supposedly the most expensive wedding location in the nation. However the highlight of the stop was heading up to the top of Mount St. John, a home of an observatory with potentially the worlds best sky and least light pollution. It was definitely a chilly night, but I loved playing around with capturing night sky photos.

My time on South Island wrapped up with a second stopover in Christchurch and then hopping on an intercity bus to Picton to catch a ferry to Wellington (on the North Island).

In hindsight, I would not too many things differently. Magic Bus was definitely a wise choice (we encountered a few Kiwi Experience buses which where mostly filled with folks in there early 20s sleeping and getting over their hangovers) and while I probably would choose a few different backpackers places, now that I know more about them, the only thing I wished for was more time. I would have gladly spent several days around Milford Sound, at Franz Joseph, Lake Tekapo and possibly in Kaikoura.

Please enjoy the photos and know there are MANY more in my New Zealand album on flickr. Thank you again for reading.

Let’s start with something as simple as what you are packing with you. Most people tend to over pack. I have met backpackers who have been traveling for close to a year who admitted that up to 1/4 of their baggage is not something they use. Yes, it maybe nice to have an extra shirt or pair of sandals, but in many cases you can replace one cheaper in many places around the world and you can do with the ones you packed.

Related to clothes there are shoes. A friend, Russ who has traveled much more than I have (check out his blog) gave me good advice on footwear. Unless your plan is to go serious hiking, skip the heavy hiking boots and find versatile footwear. I have stuck with 2 pairs of Keens and they are doing everything I have asked them to do. Will keep you posted on how that continues.

If you are doing a lot of backpacker/hostels or camping out, think about laundry. Doing laundry too often will wear out the clothes and will cost you. I have found a lot of places have very inefficient dryers. Some travelers mentioned needing to run the dryer 3-4 times to even dry clothes a little. But almost every place in the world has somewhere you can hang clothes out to air dry. Aim for quick drying items (I am loving the exofficio brand stuff). Also make sure you have some outerwear and even pants that can dry quickly. If you get caught in a downpour or are going up on a glacier, jeans are not your friend.

Maximizing your space and staying organized is helpful, especially if you are moving around a lot between places. Rolling clothes when you pack them takes up less space and keeps some of the wrinkles out. Speaking of organization, one of my favorite little tools for organization has been especially helpful. With a wide variety of electronics I end up traveling with a serious selection of wires/cables. To keep the cables together I am using a GridIt, got mine like this one at Amazon and love it. Even in the dark I can easily extract a wire or put one back (and yes when you are sharing a hostel room you WILL end up packing up in the dark).

Since we are talking technology, think about the devices you are carrying. How many of them do you need? How are you planning on charging them? With the work that I do and being a gadget guy I am probably carrying more than an average number of electronic gear. One thing that has made it easier is that other than my camera battery they all charge via USB (come on Nikon, get with it, make a USB charger . Why does this matter. There may be times you will only have one or two outlets and you may even be sharing them with someone. When it comes to power, I also love my TripShell (also available from Amazon) – a single converter from any plug type to another, not a voltage converter. Again, since I am powering through my laptop for most things and the laptop has a voltage regulator this does the rest. Also, TripShell  has a fuse that can save your device from frying when power fluctuates too much.

Another thing to think about when it comes to technology is backing up your files. Some people travel with a backup hard drive (I have one). However, I have seen one girl whose backpack was stolen and she lost both her laptop and her backup. She also lost 2 years worth of photographs and journal entries she kept on her laptop. If you are traveling where internet speed is not an issue, consider using Carbonite. I have signed up for a 3-year service at $129 (now $139) and they give me unlimited storage. I have gotten close to 100gbs of backup data and no issues. So even if my laptop and local backup are dead – my photos still live on. For photos only you can use alternatives like Flickr or Picasa, just remember Flickr has a limit for photos on the free account and Picasa may compress some of your photos. (Note: if Carbonite is something you want to do, message me and I will email you a referral link, you get 2 months bonus that way, and so do I. It is a nice tool, even if you are not traveling too)

One last item when it comes to technology. Again, thanks to Russ for suggesting that I should have a phone when I travel and my former boss Elise for providing her older sim card phone which I was able to unlock. I think having a phone is helpful to connect with people locally. In some countries there are even very affordable sim cards for calling back home. There was a Lebara card that gave me US calls for under .05/minute. Be careful with the sim cards, read what they are giving you carefully. Some expire sooner than you think, others have flagfalls (charges every time you dial). Also be very careful with data. Many foreign phones use same credit bank for data and phone services. If you happen to have a smart phone that regularly checks email or goes online you may be out of credit sooner than you think.  Oh and by all means, don’t waste your cash on a US based cell. Yes, you will have your number, but it will cost you an arm and a leg and it will work a lot less than the local company phones. On average you can pick up a cheap unlocked phone for $20-$40 and then use it everywhere you travel. (Unlocked means phone not tied to a particular provider. Even with sim cards some phones are locked and can not be used on other networks).

The last, and definitely one of the less pleasant subjects is finances. Do your homework, check your wallet. Make sure you know if your credit card company charges international fees. I will say I have loved my Capital One cards, $0 of any international fees as long as I do not try to withdraw cash. For that I found a bank that gives me 2 free international transactions a month (there are several in US that will do it). If I were to try to use their debit card as a credit card though, it would cost me! Also, for people staying in same country or region for a decent amount of time, consider opening a local bank account. You may save money on exchange rates and other fees (e.g. local ATM fees). Speaking of exchanges, avoid cash exchange companies, especially at the airports, and definitely always ask about their fees. And remember, you can negotiate with them. They are buying and selling currency to  make a profit. Your best bet, if you are stuck with foreign cash is to find a spot in a larger city where several companies run an exchange business. And do not be afraid to walk away, rates may get better instantly.

I hope these few tips have been helpful. As time goes by there will be more and some of these may get revised. Your feedback is very much welcomed as is sharing. Thanks for reading.

Melbourne as a city does not have any inferiority complex to Sydney.Melbourne as a city does not have any inferiority complex to Sydney. Yes, Melbourne is the second largest city in the country, but it is the fashion, sport, and probably cultural capital. There is a unique charm to the city’s CBD (Central Business District) with many older buildings and street trams, including a loop line of older trams that is completely free and allows tourists to get a feel for the city. There are many alleyways with shops and cafes. While there did not seem to be a central spot like the harbor or opera house in Sydney, historic Flinders station did offer a cool sight. In fact one of my favorite photos from Melbourne came from there (but to see it, I will make you got to my flickr page

I met some amazing folks in my 3+ weeks in Melbourne. Kent, Crystal and their four children who hosted me showed amazing hospitality and went out of the way to help me experience the city and its surroundings from cuisine to detouring to a park so I can find some Roos. Ian, a fellow shutterbug who weathered the cool evening with Kent and I to get a good look at the fairy penguins and more importantly capture great skyline shots (one in gallery, more on flickr). Eric, another American and an NFL fan (who is enjoying his still undefeated Packers) joined me for a AFL playoff game at the historic MCG (more about sports in another post, coming soon). I also reconnected with a new friend from Sydney, Yamini who in turn introduced me to Kallika, an introduction which led to one of my several out of town excursions.

Yes, in between several photo shoots, web work, even Russian language translation for an IPhone app (there is something I never thought I would do) I found a chance for 3 wonderful trips around Victoria. I ventured to a town of Ballarat to a photo exhibition. Following weekend two new friends – Amanda (from the office where I was working) and Ivan (a Chinese guy who has lived in New Zealand and was now living in Melbourne and whom I met via a CouchSurfing meetup) headed down the Great Ocean road. The drive was beautiful, in some ways reminding me of the Pacific Coast Highway, but unique in its own way. We made a few scenic stops and made it to the 12 Apostles, a spot where once 12 rocks stood out in the ocean. Currently only 8 are still standing. While the sun did not allow for the best photo at that spot, the memory of a great full-day trip will remain.

My other out of town trip was to the “bush” aka Australian country. Kallika recently moved out there from Melbourne and graciously invited me for a visit stating that I can not say I experienced Australia without experiencing the bush. The trip was pure joy – from an exciting back road ride that took a bit longer than planned yet was filled with load of smiles, to providential meetings and even doing a little web trouble shooting while in a small cafe, to sampling a few local brews at an award winning small Victoria brewery.

As I am traveling, I do not want to loose the joy for making delicious food for friends, old and new.In addition to experiences I have appreciated people opening up their homes and lives to me. And on a smaller things, I also loved that several of my hosts have allowed me to cook for them. As I am traveling, I do not want to loose the joy for making delicious food for friends, old and new.

So, after just over three very full and busy weeks in Melbourne I decided to test myself and headed to the island of Tasmania. For those who slept through that part of geography, it is the little island just south of the big island that happens to be Australia. In addition to the challenge of even cooler weather (see photo of ice on the bush in gallery) I dared to attempt to drive. After a short flight to Launceston, the second largest town in the northern part of the state I picked up my rental car which was not exactly what I expected. I did get used to my Suzuki Swift, even though it was by no means roomy. The first day of driving, with loads of rain on the way to and from Cradle Mountain was definitely challenging. I can only imagine the looks on some of the drivers faces wondering about a large man in a small car going slower than many, possibly a little too close to the line. After one day of driving I felt well adjusted and only made one error, ironically while driving with my CouchSurfing host Daynis (a Russian born college student), when turning out of the right lane on a one way street I turned into a right lane of a two way street, but quickly corrected. Daynis introduced me to beautiful spot called Cataract Gorge which is just minutes away from CBD. Then I continued to the rugged East Coast and down to Wineglass bay.

Following day, I returned to the middle of the island and drove through a few older small towns, many if which where built by prisoners who were the initial residents of the Island. In the town of Ross I found a beautiful old bridge and a lovely cafe which claimed to have “worlds best vanilla slice” (Aussie version of cheesecake of sorts). I then headed down to Hobart, the capital of Tasmania. There I met up with Celia, of Celia and Alex my CouchSurfing hosts, at the Salamanca Market in Hobart CBD. Salamanca is an open air street market with vendors of food, art, and even clothing. Celia was there for a salsa group dance meeting which was one of several artsy gatherings in the area.

Celia, who is heading out on her own international adventure soon, and Alex helped me with some sight seeing ideas and shared a few wonderful regional brews at a favorite pub. I loved the fact that that you can drive all the way to the top of Mt. Wellington which gave a great scenic view of the entire city of Hobart.

Additionally I took a day trip to Port Arthur, a historical site of a former prison.Additionally I took a day trip to Port Arthur, a historical site of a former prison. This is where repeat offenders where sent when the sentence of simply being relocated to Australia or even confined in an Australia prison was not enough. The day spent at Port Arthur was definitely educational and challenged me to think about the history of the penal systems and punishment and the contrast that exists today. One of the interesting historical lessons I learned had more to do with US and to my recollection seemed abscent in the American history books. When talking about the British prisoner relocation program the numbers showed that thousands of prisoners where being transported to North America. While Australia is known for the prisoner history the US history does not seem to acknowledge it much.

The Port Arthur prison demonstrated methods and techniques that we can hardly even imagine, especially in the severity of punishment and psychological manipulation. Many of the men sent there were hardened criminals, but some committed multiple petty crimes (e.g. stealing a loaf of bread and later a pair of shoes). One interesting story was of a group of soldiers who were sent to be guards at the jail and encountered one of the prisoners who used to serve in their regiment. Upon completion of his duty he had no chance of finding a job as much of England was in economic crisis and stole to feed his family. Later he assaulted a warden of another prison for denying him the right to see his wife and son. It was definitely a challenge for the guards to reconcile one of their comrades being a prisoner as they probably saw that any of them could have been in his shoes.

The example of psychological manipulations is seen in the second prison building, built especially for hardest criminals. The entire prison dehumanized the prisoners. Names were stripped out, no communication was allowed (something prisoners got around by learning to talk to the tunes of the hymns sung at the chapel to fool the guards), even guards wore padded shoes to keep the prison almost silent. There were also sensory deprivation cells built with no light, extra padding and unparalleled walls and uneven floor. The results were so intense that next to the second prison stands an asylum where those whose minds were broken stayed, even after their sentences were served.

The other interesting historical side note is that Port Arthur historical site is itself a place infamous for a horrible crime – a 1996 Port Arthur Massacre when a local man killed 35 people, mostly tourists and strangers, many at the site of the cafe on the museum grounds. The man who committed the crime is still alive serving life sentence in Melbourne.

Still, despite the gruesome history, Port Arthur is a beautiful site that provokes thoughts and challenges one to ask questions.

As I wrapped up my short stint in Tasmania, I was reminded that despite the chilly weather in the air I was once again blessed by the warmth and generosity of others.

Thank you for reading, commenting and sharing. Stay tuned for more. Next stop – New Zealand!

Speaking of food and going out to eat, there are a few things I found interesting. First of all, Australia has no tipping. Possibly related to that is the fact that in general restaurant wait service is not on the same level as it is in the States. On the other hand life is easier because all prices (not just food) include the sales tax IN the price. So when you see a sandwich for $4.50 it will cost you exactly that. A few years ago Australia switched to a federal sales tax (GST) which has brought both positives and negatives. Some of the states have complained that the federal government has exersiced too much authority in attaching new “conditions” to the sales tax purse strings, but since Australia does not have a strong history of State’s rights the folks in Canberra can be a lot more heavy handed. (side note – read more about the structure of government in my Canberra post).

In general Australian goods, even home grown or produced, are 20%-50% more expensive than in US. Of course back in the day of strong US$ it washed out. A few years back $1AUS was worth only about $.60US. However,  when I arrived to Cairns US$ was worth less than $1AUS. When I left Melbourne the $US slightly rebounded, but was nowhere close to the past levels.

Australia is a good country to be a working poor.The higher cost of living is somewhat compensated by a higher standard of income. A friend told me that Australia is a good country to be a working poor. Many programs exist to help out people – from subsidized housing to concession travel/transportation costs. Minimum wage for an adult is around $16/hour and I heard several university students saying that working for less than $20/hour is beneath them. So when you make $20/hour paying $4 for a soda or a coffee is not as hard.

Oh, and speaking of government, I was a bit taken aback when I heard radio programs talking left and right about various government “schemes.” While for most of Americans the word scheme has a negative connotation, in Australia it is simply a government program e.g. a GST Refund Scheme for tourists.

There are two other financial items that puzzled me. First one was rental property pricing. Most apartments/houses for rent are advertised with weekly prices or sometimes “fortnight” prices (every other week). Yet, when a lease is signed the rent is calculated in monthly terms. Speaking of rentals, most standard leases are signed in 6 months terms and the rental company (usually done through a realtor) does 2-4 “inspections” of the living quarters. There is always a move-in and move-out inspection as well as sometimes one or two mid rental inspections. The inspections check and see if you are keeping the place clean and in good repair.

Speaking of homes, in the cities, the real estate prices are VERY high. Melbourne and Sydney homes and apartments seemed to significantly outpace Atlanta and New York ones. In center of Sydney, near the train station (think near Penn Station in Manhattan) in a middle class building (as in not luxury) a modest one-bedroom apartment  can fetch up to $1M. On the water by the harbor $1.5M+. Of course Aussies do not seem to care for apartment living and prefer single family homes. One interesting note about homes. While most of the building codes seem stricter than those in US (e.g. in some areas you may not do almost any significant home repair without a licensed repair person) most homes do not seem to have much weather protection. In Melbourne, where temperatures do get close to freezing the idea of insulation seems foreign. Because when it gets hot, it is not as humid, people prefer to air cool homes (no AC in most homes) and the homes are generally pretty drafty.

Second financial uniqueness is in relation to gas, or as Aussies call it petroleum, prices. They shift as much as 10 cents per liter (~ 40 cents per gallon) within the same week. Some places have a cycle when Wednesday is the cheapest, others discount on Thursdays, but it is always changing, like a consumer “do you feel lucky” game. There is also a relationship between grocery story chains and gas stations. When you buy over a certain amount of groceries you get a 4c/liter off coupon that you redeem. One thing that is missing at gas stations is “pay at the pump” option.

Of course as most of you know, Aussies, as most folks connected to the British (thankfully Canadians wised up) drive on the left side of the road. I did partake of driving, but only when I made it to Tasmania. It helped to remember that the driver is always in the middle of the road. On some of the tourist roads (e.g. Great Ocean Road) there are regular reminders to drive on the left side. Additionally most street roads are narrower than US ones. Highways, while in good repair are almost never as massive as the ones in US. One small thing I liked on the more rural roads in Tasmania was having a passing lane area every 10-15 kilometers – the road went from 1 to 2 lanes allowing the slower traffic to stay on the left and be passed. That way nobody gets stuck behind a tractor or a slow sightseeing vehicle for too long. Oh and with the roads being smaller, so are the cars. Yes,  there are a few SUVs (bit no Hummers or Suburbans) and Utes (pickup trucks or modernized versions of el camino like the Holden Ute – I actually think I want one) and some mid size sedans. However, most of the cars are in the compact and smaller range. When I rented my car in Tasmania I got a Suzuki Swift (photo in gallery) which was pretty tight, but what is even scarier is that there was an entire class of cars smaller than it. Getting back on the road, you will find  lot fewer stop lights in Australia. They replace many intersections with roundabouts, which, once you get used to them, are actually pretty convenient, especially in the less busy areas.

And when it comes to oil, that is one resource Australia is not rich on. Other resources are abundant. One of the biggest focuses in Australia is on liquid natural gas. In fact a good portion of cars have been converted to use both petroleum and LNG.  Of course there is one interesting curve ball to natural resource development in Australia – much of it is financed by companies from China. One very interesting observation, of course over a beer, was made by a social studies teacher I was speaking to. He said there is a dilemma in Australia. There is a historical relationship with London, political one with Washington, and economic one with Beijing. When push comes to shove, nobody knows where the loyalties will lie. And the fact that China is closer than the other two countries mentioned only makes it so much more interesting.

If this was a review, I would say, make an effort to visitOk, so this became a long and probably way too serious of a post. I just wanted to share a few things I learned about the nation and the people of Australia. The people are friendly, fun, have a unique side to the language we share. They say Sport when we say Sports, Good On You when we say Good for You, and for the cars they buy tyres not tires. Aussies love their country while realizing that there is a lot out there outside the shores of their giant island. If this was a review, I would say, make an effort to visit if you have not. Just don’t mess with the Roos!

Thanks for reading, commenting and sharing.

The photos in this post are less scenic than many others I have taken and are mainly for reference purposes. I am only placing a few photos into the blog. If you would like to see many more sights captured through my lenses, please click here to visit my flickr site.

Let’s start with some basic facts. Australia is a very large country, equivalent to the continental US in size, yet just under 10% of the population of United States. The highest percentage of population is concentrated along the eastern seaboard and around Melbourne with west coast (Perth), Northern coast (Darwin), and Tasmania (Hobart) being places of much lower population. To give you a more personal perspective on size and distances of Australia, my trip from Cairns (North East corner of the country) down the coast to Sydney and then to Melbourne took just over 60 bus hours. In US the same timed trip (using the same bus company  - Greyhound) would take me from Port Arthur Washington (top of Olympic National Park) to San Diego CA and then over to Albuquerque NM.

The middle part of Australia is know as “the Red Middle” – just picture Arizona desert covering 3/4 of the Great Plains in US. The middle part of Australia is know as “the Red Middle” – just picture Arizona desert covering 3/4 of the Great Plains in US. With this much land lacking water, you can imagine that Australia does struggle with drought. In the nations early days some errors in planning were made and many farmers created their own irrigation systems even further depleting water supply. This was a major issue and a source of many political battles between rural and urban resident, especially for Victoria and Queensland. Sydney has been blessed with a great reservoir of fresh water coming from the Blue Mountains. The rest of the cities know that water is a high value resource. Australians have learned to manage their water better. Hostels have reminders to limit shower times, farms reuse brown water and pretty much every toilet in the country has an option to half or full flush. In my opinion, this last little incredibly simple step is an example of a nation and people who are a lot less wasteful and more thoughtful about their resources than most Americans are.

Speaking of simple, there is another small item I have seen in every Australian household (as well as in some places in Papua New Guinea which were influences by Australians) that I believe US homes can easily implement and see positives for the environment AND their wallets. In Aussie homes and businesses EVERY electrical outlet has an on/off switch. Told you it was simple, but it is very effective.

Not only are the Aussies conscious of their resources they are highly protective of it. Much harm has been done to native species of flora and fauna by introduction of foreign items. Most people have heard the “rabbit” story. In case you have not, rabbits were introduced into Australia in 1800s for hunting purposes and with no natural predators multiplied (as rabbits do) and became a huge pest damaging farm product, spreading decease, and leading to national rabbit hunting and extermination efforts. There have been other problems from introductions of things as simple as algae to untreated lumber with pests. Having gone through Australian border twice, I can tell you, they are tough. My bags were scanned, sniffed, swiped and hand checked. If I were to fail to declare any living or food item the fines could have been in thousands of dollars. One would say that border protection services may be going overboard as I have heard some crazy stories from various folks (including being given an option of having to spend a few hundred dollars to scan a US shipped package with an insect killing gamma rays or have it destroyed only to find out the package contained a simple cheap stuffed toy). However, having understood the history I can not blame them.

Of course there are other side effects to such tough measures. Imported food is very expensive. And some items are not even allowed to be imported. A simple example of a recent crisis can be seen in bananas. Due to flooding in Queensland and a bug that attacked Australian bananas the amount of banana supplies was cut by over 1/2. So the prices went up to as high as $16/kg. Now, my initial reaction was, well grab some bananas from Papua New Guinea (and for the record they were delicious) and bring them down. But the fear of introducing a worse disease or pest is greater to Australians than paying a high price for delicious fruit.

You may have heard that Australia has more creatures that can kill a man.The protective sense extends inside the country to taking care of native creatures. You may have heard that Australia has more creatures that can kill a man (and a good friend of mine made ever effort possible to remind me of that fact before I left) – there are various snakes, spiders, crocodiles (including the salt water crocs that are one of only two creatures that actively hunt humans), sharks, spiders, jelly fish and who knows what else. And then there are animals that can become very pest like – possums, kangaroos, and wallabies among others. Well, while these animals may cause harm to you, in most Australian cities, states, and territories, you may not harm them. One other interesting note about Australian animals, many of them are nocturnal and therefore the encounters with them are most common ant dawn or dusk (or at night) Kangaroos can be hunted in certain locations with a special license in certain seasons and are used for meat. I have had a chance to sample Roo and the taste very much reminded me of another lean game meat, venison. And while it seems a bit odd to eat an animal found on your nation’s crest or as your symbol, Australia is not the only nation that does that, just ask folks in Johannesburg.

In my travels I did catch a few of the native creatures in my viewfinder. Thankfully I have avoided crocs and snakes. Still, there are a few in the gallery following the post (and on my flickr) mostly featuring the “cute and cuddly” Aussie creatures. Well, they may seem cute and cuddly, but the reality is a bit different. Koalas, which I was informed have no relation to bears, have serious claws and do not like being disturbed. They also make noises similar to a loud old lawn mower. Kangaroos have attacked and mauled humans who have breached their turf. Both roos and wallabies have been deadly for drivers on the road as they jump, sometimes through the windshield, when seeing approaching vehicle headlights. Oh, and no, I have not met “Skippy” who is the Australian equivalent to Lassie – friendly kangaroo who helps folks and maybe even delivers mail (on tv).

Ok, moving away from the furry creatures, let me share some of my thoughts about a much more friendlier kind – native Aussie humans. They are very hospitable and are a lot more laid back than Americans and even Europeans. One of my favorite phrases overheard often was “no worries” which pretty much symbolizes how most in Oz approach life. They love to enjoy life, travel, cook out, eat out, drink various styles of coffee, sip their wine chilled (sometimes even red), and engage in all types of outdoor activities, including amazing “extreme” sports like kite surfing. I saw a large group of these kite surfers on my way to capture some ferry penguins at St. Kilda pier (Melbourne suburb). Not only where they doing amazing stunts and flips, they were extra daring since the water was pretty chilly (around 10 degree Celsius or 50 F) . While food, as pretty much everything, is more expensive in Australia, Aussies do on average eat healthier than Americans.

Australians do like their drinks. This is definitely more of a wine country than liquor or beer. There are several good brews that I have sampled, favorite being White Rabbit, an interesting name for a brown ale from South Australia. While in Tasmania I discovered they are a top 10 worldwide region for whiskey production. Still, the soil and climate is wonderful for grapes and there are vines of various types all around. Wine is perhaps the one affordable purchase in Australia. Australians do prefer to partake of the their beverages out in public, even street cafes allow BYOB when they do not offer refreshments.

One thing Australians love more than their alcohol is their coffee.One thing Australians love more than their alcohol is their coffee. There are probably more coffee shops per capita in Sydney and Melbourne than in New York. And they want coffee to be good. There is no instant coffee, every place, even a small hole-in-a-wall has a “barista” or a few of them. Starbucks only exists in touristy areas. Some Aussies even claim that Starbucks coffee is simply inferior. Since I could not tell a good coffee from a bad, I will not render judgement.

There are some food items that are viewed as Australian. There are some famous desserts: Tim Tams, Sticky Date Pudding and a controversial one called Pavlova. Pavlova, named for a Russian ballerina, is a claim to fame of both Australia and New Zealand. Both nations claim to have invented the dish and accuse the other of stealing it. My hosts in Melbourne went out of the way to introduce me to all of them. The oldest daughter in the family put a huge amount of effort into preparing a home made Pavlova, which is a layered maurange concoction with a passion fruit syrup and fruit topping. And for the record, the home made Pavlova in Melbourne was tastier and much more meaningful than the one in a commercial establishment in New Zealand.

— I decided to continue this post in Part 2. Please do read on.

The photos in this post are less scenic than many others I have taken and are mainly for reference purposes. I am only placing a few photos into the blog. If you would like to see many more sights captured through my lenses, please click here to visit my flickr site.

At the end of the day my feet were tired and my mind was filled. I would say the only faux pas by the organizers was the making the maps not up to scale, thus leading me on a 10+ km hike up the hills of South Ballarat toward the Observatory. Still, despite the distances and the near freezing temperatures it was worth to be inspired. While I appreciated works of many artists, from landscape to macro, street photography to wildlife, my main source of inspiration came from several artists whose work focuses on humans.

There is an interesting thing about inspiration. Seeing masterful work of others can make one want to get better or cause to give up. I will admit to actually having both feeling on that day. After seeing the first 2 or 3 inspirational artists I was feeling like their work is in a different stratosphere. However, the more I looked and saw the variety of styles presented I felt challenged to continued pressing on and growing as an artist and a technician. Who knows, one day a few of my photos may end up in Ballarat.

I want to share a few that were particularly inspirational. Fair warning, some of the content produced by these folks and some links are not suitable for all audiences. Please use your own discretion.

Colin Page, an Aussie artist who was raised in Papua New Guinea produces a series of simple portraits titled Gossamer. The unique part of the series is that his primary lighting is Infra-Red, bringing out a lot of details that are not usually present in portraiture. He overlays it with Greek Mythology (the connection that seemed a bit lost or forced on me) but the intensity and emotion is clear.

One of the major exhibits was of the works of legendary Duffy, British photographer who defined 60s and 70s fashion work. The clean lighting and sometimes simplicity of each image were powerful.

From the historical perspective there was a fascinating exhibition of a series of images by “group M” – a 1950s group of amateurs from Victoria who pushed for recognition of photography as an art form. One of the series they shot was based on role reversal – aboriginal women were placed in the roles of white housewives and white women were placed in tribal environments. for example an aboriginal woman was in a nice kitchen cooking dinner while a white woman, dressed in Sunday best was participating in a dance ceremony.

Dan O’Day is an Australian wedding photographer who created a great series of images titled Print of Prints (image 4 in the link). While I am not certain the exact post production techniques used, the creativity is wonderful. He won an Australian national award. Some of the other amateurs and professionals who received various levels of awards were highlighted, including by having their blurb books printed and available for viewing. Blurb did a good job being a sponsor.

On the edgier side, there was the work of Jack Picone an Aussie who lived in Thailand. His Nuba series focused on tribal rites of passage, tattoos/brands and cultural communication.

Again, these are just a few artists whose images caught my eye. I hope no matter what art form or skill you choose to partake in you will seek to be challenged and inspired by others in the field.

Once again thank you for reading. You can see some of my travel work (perhaps there is one image or two that will inspire you) on my flickr site – http://www.flickr.com/photos/bcserge/sets. Please do share my stories with others who you feel would enjoy them.

]]> http://www.atomicdots.com/2011/09/inspired-ballarat/feed/ 1 http://www.atomicdots.com/2011/09/australia-canberra/ http://www.atomicdots.com/2011/09/australia-canberra/#comments Thu, 01 Sep 2011 02:51:55 +0000 atomicdots http://www.atomicdots.com/?p=492 To avoid any confusion, Canberra is the capital city of Australia, but it is very different from most major nations’ capitals. While in some ways it was modeled after Washington D.C., due to its size, geographic location and design, it is very unique.

The first thing that you realize is that this planned city is the city of compromises. When Australians were picking their capital there were two competing camps. Folks from New South Wales (which had largest population at the time) wanted Sydney to be the capital. Folks in Victoria wanted Melbourne as the capital. So a compromise was reached.  The new capital territory would be in between the two cities, carved out of the NSW land but at least 250 kilometers away from Sydney. The land was found in just a few years, but it took over 20 years of building and preparation before capital was moved from Melbourne (temporary capital) to Canberra.

The natural river through Canberra was expanded into a man-made lake and a main street was added which is now called Anzac Parade. Anzac is a term used by the British military for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps which became famous in the WWI battle of Gallipoli despite suffering defeat to Turkish forces. Most historian believe that the Gallipoli experience led to Australia gaining first bit of national identity and also for the first time having a possible grievance against the British for essentially using Anzac troops as cannon fodder.

One of the unique things that I got to do was not only take part in the public tour of the new parliament building, but also got to be shown a behind-the-scenes view by one of the guys who hosted me through CouchSurfing who works for the health minister. The current parliament building opened in 1988. The initial building held its first session in 1927 and was always designed to be a temporary building.

Paul, my guide to the parliament helped me understand the government structure which is very different from US government in several ways. The two houses are similar, but unlike in US the numbers are not prescribed, but the ratio (house should have ~ 2x the number of members compared to senate) is observed. There is a special role of Governor General, a post appointed by the Queen of England, is the person who actually has the final sign-off on any bill before it becomes law. Usually that task is largely ceremonial, but in the 1970s the person in that role did sack the entire cabinet and forced a national re-election.

The major difference is in how the executive branch is constructed. Prime minister and the entire candidate are actually elected members of the lower house. They are elected by the party or coalition who controls the house. Actually there are 5 parties currently represented in the house. The numbers between the two major parties are very close. The Labour party was able to form the coalition with the Green Party and a couple members of the National party and have a narrow majority. The ministers are appointed from the MPs and represent the ruling coalition. What is also unique is that the opposition group or party also selects people for each ministry called the “shadow ministers” whose job is to monitor the actions of the ministers and prepare arguments for the floor to oppose their measures. Now, for the absolutely confusing part. A person who is a minister of education could be shifted to a minister of transportation role. The knowledge of the area is not a prerequisite. Australians believe that those who work for the ministers need to know the specifics and the minister needs to lead.

On a less serious note, during my tour of the Parliament an explanation was provided for why Emu and Kangaroo were chosen as the State symbols. Supposedly they were chosen because they are native species, about the size of humans, and have no ability to move backwards. The Australian early leaders wanted their nation to be progress onward and not get stuck in the past.

While the government structure is designed largely using the British model, the city planners wanted to stay away from designing a town that mirrored the “parent country” and actually used some of the plans of Washington D.C. However, with the river running through the middle of the city it has not been made a city of easy transportation/navigation. They tried to build in “green” spaces and as a result a city that is very spread out. The public transportation is provided by buses, but to get to any part of the city you pretty much have to go through the center district.

At the same time the parliament building was being constructed a decision was made to build an Australian war memorial which was designed to commemorate those who have died in various wars, but especially at that time was meant to focus on honoring those lost in WWI. The land for the memorial was selected on the other end of Anzac Parade from the Parliament building. Architect wanted those who had offices in the Parliament to see the memorial from their windows and be reminded of the weight of their decisions. Of course the irony is that the new Parliament building, which is built on the hill just above the old building, has the office windows facing the opposite direction. Another irony of the memorial was that it opened its doors in November of 1941 as the next great war was about shake Australia.

As far as comprehensive national war memorials/museums, I have never seen one as well put together as the Australian War Memorial. As far as comprehensive national war memorials/museums, I have never seen one as well put together as the Australian War Memorial. The upper outdoor area house a remembrance wall with the name of EVERY Australian soldier who is known to have died in military action. In one of my photos you see a mass of poppies on the wall. Traditionally people place a poppy flower by the name of relative and sometime students who visit the memorial pick a name to place a poppy by. Inside the museum there exhibits and audio-visual presentations on various historical periods. Peter Jackson, director of Lord of the Rings and an renowned military aircraft buff, helped create a movie/audio presentation recreating and Australian bomber crew’s experience in a raid on Berlin. There is also a great re-enactment of the Japanese mini-sub attack on Sydney harbor.

Outside of the main building of the memorial there are a few satellite monuments. One that initially confused me is a monument honoring Turkish soldiers who fought in Gallipoli and their general, Kemal Ataturk who later became the first president of Turkey. Apparently in addition to being a brilliant military mind and a strong leader, Ataturk was a master of Public Relations. In 1930, 14 years after the bloody battle Ataturk wrote a letter to the Australian mothers promising to take care of the graves of their lost sons. He summed it up by saying ” After having lost their lives on this land they have become our sons as well” (read full letter here). Since then Australia and Turkey have had a very strong relationship.

After spending 6 hours in the war memorial I have gained much appreciation and some knew knowledge. It was very much impressed upon me that Australians are proud of their military history and contributions and while the losses of Australia lives are smaller than those of many other nations, with the population of only 20 million most families were impacted. I do hope those on the other side of Anzac Parade remember the cost of their decisions, as the architects and city planers envisioned.

I was also reminded after mi 3 days in Canberra and multiple conversations with Australians, there is no perfect system of government implemented on earth. Here is a way one Australian put it to me (paraphrased) – “We have a a prime minister no one in the country voted for, a new tax no one was given the option to vote for. Is that really democracy?”

Thank you for reading, commenting and hopefully sharing my stories with others.