Death Valley's back door (1)

It’s been a full week since my last post, not in my habits. The work hours have been crazy and, most importantly, our hockey team made it to the second round… ;-)

So back to my tales of the desert we go…

Right after the sunrise, my partner and I started our backcountry road exploration. After all, we did rent an SUV just to do that so it was just about time for us to get serious.

The first short exploration we did was in Mosaic canyon, maybe one mile west of Stovepipe village. Ridding on for a few hundreds metres on an easy unpaved road get you to what actually is a hiking trail that takes you in the meander of a marble canyon.

The hike is easy and rather short but walkers have to be careful about the sun and take plenty of drinking water. We did the short hike at 9h00 in April and could feel the harshness of the sun… Can’t imagine doing talking this walk in July or in late afternoon. None the less, this is a fun little walk in a movie like scenery. If you just stop for a second and take the time to look up the canyon, you can almost see the cowboys hiding…

After the walk we continued west on route 190 in direction of Panamint Spring. There we branched off on Emigrant Canyon road. A flat road first took us to the abandoned mining ‘city’ of Agueberry Point. The city is actually a camp consisting of a few abandoned houses :

''Originally the town of Harrisburg was to be named Harrisberry after the two men who found the gold that launched it in 1905. Shorty Harris later took credit for the strike and changed the name of the town to Harrisburg after himself. Nevertheless, Pete Aguereberry, one of the original strike finders, spent 40 years working his claims in the Eureka gold mine. Harrisburg was a tent city that grew to support a population of 300. Today nothing remains of the town but Pete’s home and mine which are located to the right two miles down the dirt road to Aguereberry Point.''

For us however the real interest was the opportunity to walk a few metres in the actual mine. Stepping in there definitely take you back in time… Just don’t forget your headlamp or your flashlight!


After our encounter with gold digger ghosts, we continued our way up to Aguereberry Point. The road up there is amazing and the 4X4 finally got in handy… The trail is narrow and people with vertigo should definitely pass… The road climbs up a near 1900 metres… But boy is it ever worth it!! Seeing the vastness of Death Valley from above is a sight everyone should see. To bad the road was too narrow for us to stop during the ascent cause the pictures would have been amazing! But the sheer satisfaction of simply making it to one of the top was rewarding. Getting out of the car, we were greeted by cold icy wind… Even at noon, it was hard for us to stay out and enjoy the scenery. So we quickly grabbed a bite and slowly made our way down.

H.

Of Dunes and Star

After about 10 minute drives, the Mesquite dunes appeared to us in the distance, big, beautiful, majestic. We arrived from ‘’behind’’, the dunes already darkened by the setting sun. Seeing soft, white sand felt good and we could not resist the urge to try our luck and drive off road. The trail was unfortunately too soft for us, little inexperienced drivers, so we had to get back on the normal road. We did make time for a little pit stop to feel the sand on our feet.

Although a big thrill this was – fantastic reminiscence of my previous trip to Egypt – better excitement soon came to as we continue on the road and drove closer to the Dunes. The road actually takes you directly next to then. You can park you car on the side and it’s a small 5mn walk to the first, smaller dune.

Since the sun was already low, I stopped myself on the first dune and quickly set up my tripod to start shooting. Unfortunately, he light was not as good as I had expected. The surrounding mountains quickly hid the sun. Although I got some fairly decent shots, the interest at that time was actually the fantastic colours of the mountains. Never before had I seen red, orange or purple summit.

I kept wondering where these dunes came from. All dunes in Death Valley are created by the accumulation of loos sediments coming for erosion of surroundings rocks. Block by the surrounding mountains – Amargosa Range to the east, Panamint Range to the west, Sylvania mountain to the south and Owlshead to the north - these particles just fall in a particular place when an obstacle is to big to be surmounted. It takes years and years of windstorm to create sand dunes like the one seen in Mesquite.

As the sun lay even lower behind the mountain, my partner and I started to feel the shortness of the previous night… As our stress level diminished, fatigue was more and more pleasant. We then decided to drive to Immigrant campground – a small, free camping ground just about 10 miles from the Mesquite Dunes, only to find it already full. With only about 8 spot, that was to be expected, even so early in the season. To tired to drive further away on one of the many back roads, we decided to settle in the Stovepipe ‘city’ camping ground.

With a big, beautiful star filled sky above us, we quickly fell asleep. Too bad the night was going to be short…

By the way: it’s hockey fever here in Montreal and, well, it’s taking a toll on my writing habits… Hopefully I’ll be more consistent next week! ;-)

H.

In the face of death

Hey guys,

We are back to cold and greyish weather here at home… Just what was needed to emphasize what I’ve been crying for the last three days: I WANNA GO BAAAACKKKK!! Thank god for memories…

So after a few hours drive, we arrived in Beatty too late to be able to speak to the ranger as the station apparently close up at 5h00 pm. Maps of the park are available for passer by. We just didn’t see them at the time. So we stacked up on food and water at the local convenience store, filled up the gas tank and decided to keep on going none the less, relying only on our little (bad) photocopied map of the park. We had food, water, sleeping bags, nothing could go THAT wrong.

Entering Death Valley is the easiest thing I ever had to do: from Beatty, you simply follow road 374 right to the park. The park doesn’t really ‘close’ at any time so you can go in and out very freely. Visitors are however to pay their fee at one of the many information station you can find throughout the park. The fee is minimal: 20$ per car, which allows you to stay in the park for up to a week. Considering the quality of the road maintenance and services available throughout the park, this is more then a bargain.

The first miles in the park offer the same scenery then what we had seen on our way there. You have to wait until you reach the first information station for your first glimpse at the immensity of the park. And what a view! At just a little below 4000ft, the desert plains lay there before you, surrounded by majestic mountains that were slowly turning red, thanks for the setting sun.

Our goal was to reach the sand dunes for sunset. At this time, we didn’t know if we were going to be able to make it sine our map was very unclear. We started driving in that direction none the less only to see them appearing after the second turn. What a sight! At that time, our excitement reached a peak as we realised we were indeed going to make it time. We pumped up the music as we drove Gazhala (yes, we did give a nickname to our SUV) towards the dunes. H.

Leaving Las Vegas

Hey folks.
So am back home after a few days away from home to beautiful California and Nevada. Although very short, this little escapade was none the less high in emotion and discoveries of all sorts. The first thing I can say is that Vegas is everything we’ve heard about ‘her’ and more. What a city! Especially when she slowly reveals herself to the night drivers we were…

But that’s another story in itself. After the initial shock of seeing the strips just a few miles next to the airport, we made our way to the rental car facility and picked up our little silver grey SUV to head up towards Death Valley. Thankfully to departure in the middle of the night, we actually were able to arrive in Vegas just a bit past noon. A few pits stop for food and gas and we finally hit the road around two. Which gave us just enough time make it to one of the northern entrance of the park, located right next to the little town of Beatty.

Because we were a little short on time, we decided to take highway 95 straight to our destination. The ride is smooth and rather short but lacks a bit of interest. Thankfully, spring flowers were still blooming, adding touch of colours to the Armagosa desert. As we drove on, the scenery slowly changed and more mountains started to appear in the horizon. With less and less cars sharing the road with us, we slowly but surely beggan to feel the ''roadtrip'' vibe and some sens of isolation.

We were, however, guarded during our entire trip by the snowy top of Mount Charleston. The mountain was by our side most of the ride, with its arrogant snowy cap reminding us how high it is. To see snow when your standing in hot and sunny weather in a tang top is an interesting experience. I taught the contrast was amusing. Little did I know that contrast was going to be the theme of the entire trip… H.

It's a go!

Well, it's now official: Death Valley it is.... Can't wait to go there!! ;-) It's a little last minute to make plans but a little backcountry camping never anyone.

While researching our destination, I did a lot of research on what has been taken there before and was amaze by the variety of scenery I saw. But more importantly, I stumble across a few darn good photographers, most of who’s work can be seen on Flickr.

What a fun website this is! I just join recently and can't seem to get enough of it. It is fun and somewhat educational to have to opportunity to compare work with photographers from all around the world. And it raises the bar too, which is always a good thing. Just go to the website and do a search on 'death valley'... Sure works my anticipation!!

Well, that's it for now, see you soon!
H.

Going to Vegas baby!

Good evening everyone!

It’s official, am leaving for Vegas in about a week! YAY! While the many attraction in the city are more then appealing – if you embrace the ‘fakeness’ of it, which I totally intend to do - am also excited about my first encounter with the South West USA area.

Although I can’t wait to see the bright shiny lights, the natural wonders of the area are also calling my name. But since am short on time, I’ll only be able to visit one of the many natural parks on the area.

While Grand Canyon seems an obvious choice, my buddy and I are extremely torn between Zion Park and Death Valley. Both offer photographic dreamscape opportunity but there is something about Death Valley… The idea of getting back in touch with the desert – I previously and an intimate encounter last October of which I’ll tell you all about it soon – seems like an amazing opportunity. Am curious : what would you choose?

But with any opportunity come some challenges. Some of the best landscape photographers have shot both these locations so the stakes are high… I think it will be interesting to compare how I saw the Great West to what other have seen. Like this amazing shot of Red Rock Canyon taken by my buddy. I know am looking forward to it! H.

Food for taught - part one

Hello everyone,

My previous post was suppose to be my last one about Vietnam but then I realised that I barely talked about one of my favourite thing to do while traveling: visiting the local markets.

And the food markets in Asia are definitely worth a visit. Full of life and colours and strange food, they are a shutterbug AND an epicurean dream. I guess that would explain why I love them so much… ;-) So I couldn’t resist doing one – or two – extra entry about Vietnam.

But doing justice to the markets I visited in Vietnam only in with words in extremely difficult. The experience is too sensual, to intense. Between the roasted meat smell mixing up with a more muddy, fish like perfume, the sounds of locals chatting and going around there business, the fun and new colours and shape of food you’ve never seen before and the occasional escape of a chicken or eel cutting you off, you’ll always be busy.

So instead of loosing myself in words, here are a few pictures taken in the many Vietnamese markets I visited. They can never do justice to the real thing but I hope they’ll inspire you to swing by the local food market on your next trip.

Happy Easter everyone! H.

Lucky girl - in HCMC

It just seems like I have all the luck in the world... Now considering that I'll be going to Vegas soon, luck is a good thing to have with you!

Am actually the lucky winner of two tickets on Alaska Airlines. Now considering where they go, I'll have some tough decision to make: Hawaii or Anchorage? Will keep you posted on how it goes....

Back to my Vietnamese account, a final note on the Mekong Delta and our return to HCMC. While in the Delta, we also visited impressive pagodas. One of the most impressive one was located in My Tho, the usual base for Mekong Tour as the city is very close to Saigon.

Vinh Trang Pagoda is a quiet and beautiful sanctuary. While visiting the temple, we got lucky enough to meet one of the monk who treated us to a spontaneous and inspired talk on spirituality and the power of soul. It was priceless and a unique and a nice end to this part of our adventure.

After our Mekong tour, we drove back to HCMC and only stayed there two days before we had to head back home. It was the end of our trip and we were getting pretty tired so we stayed low. We only did two things while in HCMC: visit the presidential palace.

Now call the Hall of reunification, the presidential palace is located in ward one, the down-town district of HCMC, where you'll also find the colonial City Hall, Ben Than Market, art museum and the former U.S embassy.

The Hall of reunification allows traveler in intimate encounter with Vietnams icon 'Uncle Ho'. The visit takes us through the official and formal rooms but also deep under the building in Ho Chi Minh Bunker. Visitors are also treated with a propaganda documentary on the famous president's life.

A visit to the palace makes for a nice eye opener especially if your coming from the north. It's very interesting to hear what the people have to say here about the communist regime. Many Saigonese were forced out of the city to country re-education camp or were strip of their belongings for the good of the regime. A human reminder that in conflict, one person's victory is another one's lost....

Have a great one everyone! H.

Mekong blues

Hello everyone! Hope you are all had a very good St-Patrick and that you’ll now be able to get the rest you surely deserve…

Getting back to the trip. After our visit to the Cu chi tunnels, we headed to the Mekong Delta for a few day excursion. The area is quite unique and is a definit most if you are thinking of wondering south of HCMC.

The Mekong Delta is the usually referred to as Vietnam’s food reserve since about 50% of all the country rice reserve are harvested there. But in addition to rice, the delta plains are also appropriate for shrimp, fruit and sugar cane plantation.

The Delta river is actually taking source in Tibet’s high land and is running all the way across China before reaching Vietnam and crossing to Lao, Cambodia before it finally reaches the China sea.

One of the favorite departure point for your excursion in the Delta is Can Tho province since it is easily accessible from HCMC. From there, you’ll be able to easily visit many interesting surrounding villages. While in the area, we highly recommend that you take time to visit the floating markets. They are truly unique and offer countless photo opportunities…

Obviously, life in the Mekong delta revolves around water. The river is use as for transportation, but also as garbage disposal facilities and sanitary for many families living right on the banks or directly on the river. Needless to say that pollution is extremely high and that many health problems can be directly link to this problem. One can only hope the government will one day really invest to improve water quality of the delta.

Have a great Monday everyone! H.

Going under : The Cu Chi tunnels

About forty kilometres south of Hanoi lays one of Vietnam most popular tourist destination: The Cu Chi tunnels. No trip to the city would be complete without a day at Cu Chi.

The ingenious tunnels run for throughout the province for approximately 250 kilometres and some tunnels had up to 4 levels! At it’s peak, this network spread all the way to the Cambodian border. It took the Vietnamese a little over 25 years to complete all the tunnels whose construction started with the Indochine war.


It is however for their use during the Vietnam War in the sixties that the tunnels are better known. More then simple communication channels, the tunnels were developed and used as hideouts, hospital, military reserves and shelter where Vietnamese families would live.

A visit to the site allows you to walk around the site to sample the complexity of the network and ingenious conception. Some entries to the tunnels were kept to allow us to get an idea of their tyniness: most North Americans can’t even fit pass the hips!

About 2 km of tunnels were enlarged just enough to allow tourist an underground experience. Crawling in those for a few minutes is sufficient to give you an idea of the suffocating and oppressing feeling the Vietnamese had to deal with. The experience brings your visit to an all-new level of understanding but is not recommended if you suffer the smallest claustrophobia. I personally had more then enough after a few meters…

You can find interesting information and articles on the BBC website and on wikipedia.

***

That being said, St-Patrick’s day is just around the corner and the celebrations already started in beautiful Montreal. With beer dressing up in green and all the pubs feature traditional Irish music, there is no reason to stay in! Am still dealing with a little headache from yesterday’s outing but will definitely be celebrating again. Cheers everyone! H.

The not so crazy Crazy kim Bar of Nha Trang

While sampling the beach stores and multiple bars in Nha Trang, we came across a very special lady owner of a very special bar and restaurant.

The Crazy Kim bar is named after its owner, Kim Le. Kim first left Vietnam in the early 80’s looking for a better life. Her journey brought her all the way to Canada where she lived and studied at Concordia University in Montreal for twelve years. Having studied in education, she decided to come back to her roots for a temporary teaching position in Nha Trang.

It’s not long before Kim realise the booming city has a very dark secret of which Nha Trang’s street children are the most numerous victim : like many other popular asian beach destination, Nha Trang was dealing with it’s own child prostitution issues.

Appalled by the children abuse, she embarks on a sexual predator chase, helping authorities to catch a few offenders. Rumour has it that the name ‘Crazy Kim’ came around that time…

But investigation and procedures are long and the arrest minimal. So in 1992 she decided to open her café and use it as a base for her operations. Knowing that poverty and lack of education are roots to this problem, Mrs Le decided to use the backyard adjacent to her restaurant to give a basic education to the children of Nha Trang.

Six days a week and completely free of charge, Kim takes in children and young teenager and teaches them Vietnamese, English, and computer science for half a day. The kids are also given a free hot meal after each class. The operation is volunteer operated – tourists can donate time and thus participate to the kids education – and partly founded by the bar and merchandising profits. Her ‘Hands off kids’ t-shirt are indeed quiet popular!

From only a few in the beginning, Crazy Kim’s school now welcomes close to fifty kids each day. In addition of this basic education, the kids are also taken on a monthly half-day field trip in the region. As Kim Le says herself: ‘These kids families are so poor that they can’t afford a proper education, let alone some fun time outside this town. I have the means to help them takes to the profit coming in from the bar so it’s only natural that I offer them these chance of just having fun. They are, after all, a bit like my own children.’


How can anyone resist? H.
Crazy Kim Bar
19 Biet Thu st, Nha Trang, phone : 816 072

Sea and Cham in Nha Trang

All right, back to Vietnam after another photographic intermission. I have to think about setting up a timetable for this blog update. Could be a neat thing to have.

Anyhow.

After the visit to the north counter we started to make our way south. Our first stop was in Nha Trang where I had to go to meet a photographer I wanted to interview for another project. An interview that will be posted most probably this week.

Nha Trang is the capital city of Khan Hoa Province. Located right in the middle of the country, the city is well know for its beautiful beach leading to the China sea. Of course we had a storm and the sea was too agitated for us to even try to make a dipp but I if you're there on a sunny day, the public beaches are great spot to loung around.

Nha Trang is an interesting mix between a pastel hotel/party bar beachfront city and your average middle class Vietnamese town. Party lover will enjoy the endless bars and restaurants and walk in the city. There are also a few nice temples in the area, one of the most popular being the Cham towers of Po Nagar.

In Vietnam, Cham architecture doesn’t have building of impressive scale like you are bound to find in Cambodia or Lao. Rather, Vietnamese Cham temples generally consist of a sanctuary towers surrounded with a few smaller building, like the one in Po Nagar. The lack of grandeur makes way for details and more intimate visit.

Another highly recommended stunt is to rent scooters and drive around the city. The fisher villages are a must if you like to get close to the people. You’ll have to get up early though to catch the man getting ready to set sail! The Bo Ho falls and the fairy spring will please nature lovers as they both offer nice short hikes. The 20 or so km ride up there is also pretty neat!

H.

Higher!

When came back from our nice cruise in Halong bay just in time to meet our group for what turned out to be the BEST part of this trip...

Off we were up north to the Yen Bai province for a three-day visit to the hill tribes. This visit was special in many ways: not only were we to live with some family of the Dao community but also were to witness the century-old tradition of lacquer harvesting.

We drove a little over three hours on the back roads north of Hanoi to reach the tapper’s hideaway. The ride took us far away from the noise and pollution of Hanoi and allowed us to saunter postcard like scenery. Next to us, the Red river, then the Clear River, and finally the Black river. To our left, the calm and grey lazy water reflects a red setting sun. To our right, field worker are slowly getting back home, walking on a dam build to protect the fields and dwellings. Magical.

We arrived at destination in Song Thao as the sun completely sets. We were obviously expected: glasses are filled as soon as we step in the courtyard next to the old tapper’s house. Our host happily hugs one of the tapper and introduces him as is “uncle”. We are here among family, the uncle smiles around and, for a second, the language barrier disappeared. After the long road, our first meal is welcome and whatever shyness one might had quickly dissolved in the general relaxed and family atmosphere. This was priceless, and this was only the beginning...

H.

Ridding the dragon in Halong

After a few days in Hanoi we decided to get out of town and reserved a cruise in Halong Bay.

This is a very popular activity with tourists, and after being there I certainly can understand why.

Halong Bay translates into “dragon descending into the sea.” Legend has it that they bay was created by a swirling dragon tail that gouged valleys and crevasses while the dragon was fighting the chinese invasion. When the Dragon finally plunged in the sea, water filled in the wholes, thus creating this amazing landscape.

Aery looking at dusk or down, the formation offers a constantly changing landscape one could explore for days.

Cruise can very easily by hire from one the many travel agencies in Hanoi. When booking your cruise, keep in mind you’ll have to spend half a day on the road from and to Hanoi city before reaching Halong Bay. So you might want to reconsider before booking a two-day trip…


Also keep in mind that such high tourism demand put an enormous pressure on the ecosystem. If possible, try to go with one of the eco-friendly tour operator. The Ecoboat is a good alternative choice.

Well, that’s it for today. Have a good one everyone! H.

Chilling in Hanoi

Like I said in my previous post, Hanoi can be a little bit overwhelming for us travellers. Which is why the many lakes and little peace oasis one can find all over the city.

The most famous of those might just be Hoan Kiem Lake, located right in the middle of the old quarter of Hanoi. On top of a nice little temple, your bound to see students working on their drawing skills or stopping at Ngoc Son Temple for a prayer. Surrounded by beautiful mature trees, the place can offer a beautiful shaded spot to rest.




Right next to the Ho Chi Ming mausoleum sits the Literature Temple. Founded in 1070 to honour scholars and man of literature, the temple and small garden all around it is another nice and quiet place to escape the city’s turmoil.


It is really worth it to stop by at least one of these places, even if you have very little time in the town. These are great places to just watch the world go by.

Another fun thing to do in Hanoi is to rent a motorcycle – or hire a local student for the day – and ask them to take you to some temple and pagodas outside of Hanoi city. On top of experiencing the thrill of driving in chaotic traffic, you’ll have the rare opportunity to really meet the locals. Most of the monk will indeed be more then happy to show you around in exchange of a small donation. Money definitely well spent!

Have a good Monday everyone!
H.

City Life : Hanoi

I'll always remember our arrival in Hanoi: it was late, dark, and as we were entering the city in a cab we notices that regardless of the late hour, people were still everywhere on the street, selling, eating, just going about their business.

As we slowly made our way to our hotel and settle in our room, it became obvious that noise would be an issue - at least for the first days...

It's as if the city never falls asleep. Or perhaps for just a few hours, somewhere between 3h00 Am and 5h00 Am, right before the loud speakers encourage us to get out of bed and stretch.

Pollution is another big issue in Hanoi. Usage of fuel with lead and the obsolescence of most of the vehicles on the road - not to mention their extremely high number - are the main source of air pollution. While authorities are aiming at a maximum level of 0,02 mg of suspended air particles by cubic meter, the reality in urban zone has been closer to the 0,04 or 0,05 for the last five years.

I guess that would explain why breathing mask are being sold as fashion accessories...

Than being said, Hanoi is fun to wander around. One of the best thing to do is to just get lost in the city's old quarter, the Hoan Kiem District. In this mazelike neighbourhood you'll find everything from century old houses to temple and a variety of stores, the best and the worst...

Originally, the neighbourhood was home to the 36 guilds of Vietnam who, in the 13th century, established themselves in this part of town. Each guild had there own designated street : one for candles, one for lanterns, tailors had there spot and so one. In time, more and more merchants added to the original 36 streets but you'll still find a definite tendency for the merchant to regroup.

What I call the ''Embassies'' Neighbourhood - is another fun place to wander around. Located far west of the Hoan Kiem District, this area is home of Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum Complex. Unfortunately, the Mausoleum was close during our visit but we still were able to visit the park where you'll be able to visit Ho Chi Minh museum, HCM Stilt House and the One Pillar Pagoda.

This area of town is also home to many foreign embassies. Most of them establish themselves in old colonial houses. A stroll along one of those large boulevard, surrounded with century old trees and colourful colonial houses make for a refreshing afternoon.

Well, that's it for now. Next post: A few nice relaxing spot of Hanoi and more pictures. Have a good day every one!!

H.