Thursday 30 November 2006

-Washington DC photos-

Well, as most of you know, I am gearing up my photography skills (among other things) and decided to begin my 'photographic' adventure in Washington before I'm off to stranger more exotic lands. I'm going to post some of the pictures I took in the last week here for you to see since I will be posting pics throughout my trip.
This first picture is of me (shirtless in winter) searching through garbage in the Washington Mall. A bit metaphorical since my perception of this town isn't all that and the government is and has become such shit, I found it a bit appropriate to 'suffer' in the cold of the night, searching for answers amidst the splendor of the nation's capitals beautiful architecture.. Such a façade..
The second picture I'm posting is of the artificially colored fountain at the Navy Memorial metro stop downtown. I really enjoyed taking this pic because the sky was so blue that day and the water contrasted with it. I was also testing out my shutter speed to see if I could capture water without it turning out fuzzy on film.
The same goes with this third picture of the same fountain as the water rolls down levels in the fountain.


This third picture is of a tree. I thought this was an absolutely amazing picture given the fact that there is no color enhancement to the shot. The leaves were of beautiful red tones and the sun was setting so the color was very vivid. I was pleasantly surprised to see the end result with this shot.
These following pictures were of me experimenting with splicing and stitching photographs. It's the first time I have tried doing it and it worked amazingly well.. At least I am satisfied with the end result.
This one on the stairs was easier to make since it was probably about 4 shots stitched together without having to touch anything up. This following picture below, was also simple given the distance between myself. The last stitch picture
I'm gonna share is by far the coolest one.. I am sitting so close to myself that I thought it wouldn't be doable.. Well here it is..

There were other pictures that I took at the Dupont Circle fountain. Here's one I really like.. I like the statue's face and the falling water out of focus.. It seems very classic and almost tells a story..

Another cool pic of the Washington Monument at night with the moon in it's crescent state. This picture was the one that inspired me to try and photograph the moon that night since it was so clear and cold.. I was sure I would get a good shot and I had not tried playing around with the zoom..
Ok, so here's the pic of the moon i shot. I absolutely love this picture.. I think it is one of the best shot's I have taken. I was amazed at the fact that I could see the craters where the dark and light sides of the moon meet. It blew my mind..

This other picture of the capitol building reminds me of CNN or C-SPAN or something.. It's that creepy-Capitol-tree branch shot you see around.. Well, I captured it and really liked it.. =)

This one here is of the Washington Metro. I love how eerie the lighting is inside.. During rush hour when you have a million things on your mind and you're going to work, you don't realize just how beatiful the transportation system really is inside. It's simple, futuristic and efficient.. I loved the shot.
Well, I think this is it.. These are a few pics of Washington DC through my eyes that I thought those of you that do live and don't live here would enjoy. This is where my journey begins so I see fitting to include DC in the story I will soon begin to tell..

PROVISIONAL ROUTE


This is the provisional route I will be doing making my way south to Argentina and Brazil from Mexico. I will be visiting many countries, people, historic sites and taking many pictures which I will not only appreciate myself, but hopefully, be able to sell as well and continue to fund this voluntary immersion of mine into the unknown.
You can also make a donation here:

I expect everything to run smoothly as I visit orphan homes, engage in cultural, historic and political discussions with locals, explore the social settings of each rural culture as well as that of dynamic metropolis'. This is not just a trip. I am trying to custom create my lifestyle by making a huge change in my life. I wish you to be a part of it.


Cancún, México -
(Chichen Itzá, México)
Flores, Guatemala - (Tikal, Guatemala)
Antigua, Guatemala
San Pedro Sula, Honduras
Granada, Nicaragua
Monteverde Cloud Forest, Costa Rica
Volcan Arenal, Costa Rica
San Jose, Costa Rica
Ciudad de Panamá, Panamá
Quito, Ecuador
Guayaquil, Ecuador
Lima, Perú
Ica, Perú - Laguna Huacachina /Nazca, Perú
Cusco, Perú - Machu Picchu, Perú
Puno, Perú - Lago Titicaca
La Paz, Bolivia
Uyuni, Bolivia - Laguna Verde
Antofagasta, Chile - Atacama
Valparaiso, Chile
Santiago, Chile
El Calafate, Argentina - Glaciar Perito Moreno, Argentina
Punta Arenas, Chile
Ushuaia, Argentina
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Punta Del Este, Uruguay
Montevideo, Uruguay
Iguazú/Iguaçu, Argentina/Brasil
Cuiabá, Brasil
Campo Grande, Brasil
Belém, Brasil
Lençois Maranhenses, Brasil
Salvador Da Bahia, Brasil
Rio De Janeiro, Brasil
São Paulo, Brasil


These are links for Lonely Planet with the descriptions of the individual countries. You can click here for South America and here for Central America

Here are some other links to visit with information and traveller blogs:

http://www.backpackers.com/
http://www.travelpod.com/
.

Tuesday 14 November 2006

CENTRAL AMERICA ROUTE AND PLAN

This is my official itinerary through Central America as I have already made reservations at the following hostels. You can click on the Hostel name to visit their page and see where I'll be sleeping through this part of my adventure. I decided to plan out Central America since my goal is to get to the deep south and the South American continent is MUCH larger than Central America. As soon as I arrive in Colombia, it's all a day at a time.. I hope you enjoy the sites as much as I did researching it.. Note: The Bearded Monkey in Granada, Nicaragua is looking for a bartender with free room, food, cheap drinks and a small wage.. hmmmm.. It's tempting especially when you see how cool the place looks!

December 13 – 14
Cancun, Mexico - Chac Mool Hostel

December 15 – 17 Flores, Guatemala - Los Amigos Hostel

December 18 – 20 Antigua, Guatemala - Jungle Party Hostel

December 20 - 22 Livingston, Guatemala - Finca Tatin

December 23 – 25 San Pedro Sula, Honduras - Tamarindo Hostel

December 26 – 29 Granada, Nicaragua - The Bearded Monkey

December 30 – Jan 4 La Fortuna, Costa Rica - Arenal Backpackers Resort

January 5 – 7 San Jose, Costa Rica - Costa Rica Backpackers