Corporate America Runaway

I’ve had an ill feeling that has plagued me for the last year. I first remember it coming on in New Zealand. Then it hit me stronger in Vietnam. I was feverish about it in India. It is the feeling of being in some type of moving vehicle, traveling through a country, and seeing about 25 perfect photographs outside my vehicle window. I would feel ill thinking – if only I could tell them to stop so I could get out and take a picture. Yet I sat there helpless watching my beautiful shots go whizzing by – wondering if I would ever be able to capture this image again. I would get queezy when I saw a group of people intimately interacting, simply being themselves, but I couldn’t get the nerve to go up and ask them if I could take a photograph. Instead – I would linger a bit, and then sulk off mad at myself for not having the guts to be a real photographer! The few times I did get the guts to go up and ask if I could take a photograph (fumbling through this conversation in broken English, pointing at my camera and smiling) they would normally say ‘yes’ and then give me some big, posed, toothy grin – transforming the shot from a nice little intimate, cultural gathering, to a Sears family portrait.

However – I have decided to attempt to put an end to this fear…I decided to hire a professional photographer to help me improve my photography skills of people so that I am no longer afraid to go ask someone for a photo or to ask someone to stop so that I don’t have to shoot out of a car window. I had actually been thinking about this for quite some time. I had taken photography courses in New York, but now I’ve been practicing photography on the road daily. When you actually start using a skill you had learned – then you have a ton of questions…so I’ve been traveling around gathering up photography questions in my head with no one to ask them to. Questions about technique, the profession, using flash, saving digital photos, editing digital photos…the list if long. I have looked into taking a photography workshop in various countries, but none really had worked out until now. I was doing research on travel in Laos when I came across an ad for a photography school in Asia – specifically Bangkok. The ad talked about custom photography tours to Laos, so I clicked through and inquired about more information. After a number of emails back and forth with the photographer and checking references, I decided to splurge on this unique opportunity…I hired the photographer to travel through Laos with me and teach me about documentary photography.

Jonathan Taylor is a professional photographer from the UK, living in Bangkok. He’s a photo journalist that has done work for various publications including Time, as well as a prior photo editor for a publication in Bangkok. You can see his work HERE. He speaks Thai so that would allow us to get us by in Laos. Lord knows that it would get us further than English! Plus, the real benefit was that he knew how to go into a town, talk to the locals, talk to the taxi drivers, develop the right relationships with people, and sniff out a good photographical story. In one of our many email exchanges, he told me that we would go into towns in Laos, find out what was happening there, and then hopefully find some story that we could document such as a traveling Chinese acrobat team. Little did he know, but the idea of following around a Chinese acrobat team and photographing them was what sold me…it sounded cultural, unpredictable, crazy, and fun! Granted – I knew that I may not find that acrobat team – but I would get further with him than on my own. At the very least, I could tell have him tell someone to stop the car so I could get out and take a photograph! Plus – I would be traveling through Laos – a scenic, quiet little country in SE Asia that I had been wanting to see for quite some time now.

You will have to check back in a week to see what adventures Jonathan and I find in Laos as well as to see if my photography improves! As a small preview – I can say that I’ve been traveling with Jonathan for 3 days now and I’ve had access to photograph people and things that I never could have imagined! Stay tuned….

Photography School of Asia – http://www.jonathantaylor.net/photographyschool/courses.php

Podcasts – An Essential Traveler’s Companion
For those of you who have never heard of podcasting – it is NOT:
An alien life form that has come to take over Earth
A new type of fly fishing technique
A new type of vegetable from the pea family
A new type of reality TV show
A new way to cast a movie
It is simply an audio recording of someone sharing information about something. Think of it as a weekly or daily radio show…and it’s free.

Why do I care about podcasts? Because they are a fabulous long term traveler’s companion! Even though this last year has been full of amazing experiences, it’s also been full of a large amount of waiting. Imagine yourself on a 6 hour local bus ride through Morocco. Imagine waiting in an airport in Jo’berg for a delayed flight for a 4 hours. Imagine an overnight train in Vietnam. Imagine sitting in the smelly, hot Indian Embassy in Rome for hours waiting for them to call your number. Imagine a ferry ride in Croatia or an 11 hour car ride in Egypt. Having something to listen to besides music or the person next to you is a wonderful solution to these common travel situations. Podcasts are typically educational and they connect you with the rest of the world. This is how I came across the Amateur Traveler Podcast www.amateurtraveler.com I was searching on the internet for podcasts about travel and I found this gem. A 40 min. weekly show about travel news, travel locations, and online resources…perfect! Before I went to a country I would often go through the archives of the show to see if they had any info relating to that country that I could listen to. I simply downloaded these episodes/shows to my ipod and could listen to them any time picking up information about places to go, things to eat, and tips that the guidebooks don’t tell you.

I have learned Italian, Arabic, and Hindi from podcasts (ok – not fluently, but enough to get me through hello, thank you, and how are you). I have learned about world, technology and entertainment news. I have learned all about digital photography through a podcast – The Digital Photography Show Podcast. I have learned grammar through podcasts – Grammar Girl Podcast. Ok – I know that many of you are wishing that I paid more attention to the Grammar podcat! I even listened to a complete recorded lecture from UC Berkley on American History 101 from the Civil War to Present – it was just like being in college all over again minus the exams and the kegs. It’s such wonderful entertainment that I normally feel guilty that it’s free…I feel like I should be paying for such a service.

After listening to some of my favorite podcasts regularly during my travels, I decided to do something that I never normally do….I decided to become a full-fledged groupie and actually contact some of the hosts from my favorite podcasts to just tell them that I enjoy their show and that they are keeping me entertained and educated while on the road. That’s how I ended up being a guest on one of my favorite podcasts – the Amateur Traveler. I emailed the host, Chris Christensen about my experiences listening to his show during my long term adventure, and sure enough – he bit.

I was a bit hesitant at first at the thought of going on a show and talking about travel. However, one thing I have come to realize is that I know a lot…and that’s not an easy thing to put down in words…in fact, I kind of cringe when I type it. However – deep down, I know that this extended travel has actually educated me tremendously about the travel industry in general. So when he suggested that I come on the show and talk about my travel as a solo female traveler – I thought – why not?! I’m not going to lie…I was pretty excited about this…as if I was back in college and Bon Jovi had asked me to personally join him on stage.

How do I go about getting one of these fabulous free podcasts you ask?
There are a few ways to download podcasts to your computer or your ipod (or similar music player) The easiest way is to go to Itunes Music Store (if you have it) and then click on the Podcast section on the left hand side – start to browse through the massive selection of podcasts that you can download to your ipod. You can also go to Itunes and simply search on a specific podcast and you should find it. Don’t have an ipod – no problem – then you can normally go directly to the podcast’s website instead and listen to the show – just do a Google search on the show’s name and podcast – you’ll start to get some hits. You can also simply browse around the Podcast Network website and see what they have to offer.

If you want to listen to my interview…and of course you do…simply click on this link!
Amateur Traveler Podcast – Episode #107 – Solo Travel As A Woman

Now – I’ve armed you with one of my big travel secrets…how I am able to waste large amounts of time without losing my mind…go forth, podcast, and enjoy! Oh yeah…don’t forget to listen to me on the Amateur Traveler Episode #107– I feel like such a star! And please, please, please drop me a comment and let me know what you think!

Welcome to my 4th installment of my ever-changing itinerary! I've made it through the sweltering summer months in Italy, Morocco, Egypt and India. I'd like to say that my body has adjusted ... [Continue reading this entry]

Photo: Little girl in the slums in Delhi For the 'best of' Delhi Photography - click here! For the 'best of' Agra and Taj Mahal Photography - click here! For the 'best of' Rajasthan ... [Continue reading this entry]

I have finally had a chance to upload my hundreds of photos of India. I have went back to the Entries for Spice Diaries and added the links to the pictures. However ... [Continue reading this entry]

Photo: Women singing to me at the temple For the 'best of' Udaipur Photography - click here! For all snapshots of Udaipur and surroundings - click here! Roadtrip! My India visa was such a pain in ... [Continue reading this entry]

Photo; My roommates - Cate, Catherine, and Lynn For all snapshots of my trip to Cate's Placement - click here For all snapshots of my trip to Lynn's Placement - click here [Continue reading this entry]

It’s hard to believe that yet another Sep. 11th is going by. Once again I’m out of the country this year. Just two weeks ago in India there was a huge terrorist attack ... [Continue reading this entry]

Photo: Typical traffic...welcome to India For all photos of Driving in India - click here! Up until now, I used to think that Vietnam was the craziest traffic I had ever seen in my life. ... [Continue reading this entry]

Photo: Me in front of my laptop...a familiar site! It’s been one year…one year since I left home. I can’t remember what it feels like to be home anymore. I left wondering if ... [Continue reading this entry]