Taipei

 Destinations, Travel  1 Response »
Aug 292011
 

Taipei, Taiwan
August 2011


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The Scooters Rule the Road

In a stark contrast to Guangzhou, I could easily live in Taipei for a year. What a great city! There are numerous restaurants that I’d like to try and the people have been very warm and receiving. The craziest adjustment would be getting used to the traffic. The traffic just makes me laugh, albeit nervously. Imagine you’re in a cab and you pull up to a red light. Now imagine all the the scooters, approximately 60 or more, begin to fill in all of the available space around your taxi. They speed along between the curb and your car or race down the white dashed line that separates each lane. It’s no wonder so many scooter fatalities occur here in Taipei. As the light changes, everyone begins to move forward and the scooters take off first. Then the taxis and other vehicles gun for space. Speaking of the open space, if you see it, grab it. If you’re going to hit someone, they will yield. That seems to be the norm here. Surprisingly, there was very little honking. I can only imagine the colorful metaphors that would come out of a New Yorkers mouth if this were to happen in Manhattan.

Typical Morning Commute

Sharing the Road

Guangzhou

 Destinations, Travel  No Responses »
Aug 292011
 

Guangzhou, China
August 2011


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I approached my visit to Guangzhou with some skepticism. You and I have both read about the human rights issues within China. We all remember Tiananmen Square. On my first visit, I wanted to let China speak for itself as I looked at the Guangzhou and the people from within their borders.

After we pulled up into the gate, we made our way to immigration. There was a bit more apprehension as we gave up our passports and submitted to their paperwork validation. In the back of your mind, you realize your saying to yourself, “I really hope I haven’t made any mistakes because I really don’t feel like spending the night in a Chinese jail.” Paperwork complete, we made our way to the curb and located our transportation to the hotel. The drive from the airport begins down this very well lit but lonely road. It’s a divided highway with yellow lights that shine over it. The lights are far enough apart that there is a little shadowed area between each light post. The misty sky made it seem a little more dreary than it might have appeared on another day. We pass a few bicyclists on the road. Mind you, it’s around 2 AM. By American standards, you ask yourself, why is this guy on his bike at this time of the morning? It seemed a little odd as my mind refocused on the drive ahead. The car was now beginning to snake through a few townships. It was easy to notice that there is but one “class” of people in the Guangzhou area. The living conditions all seemed to be very similar in appearance. Our drive didn’t take us through any neighborhood that appeared to be better or worse than the other. That said, I didn’t see a place that was deplorable but I didn’t see one where I could feel like settling down either. We made our way to the hotel and checked in for the night.

Street Vendor

The following day, I meandered around Guangzhou a bit. I took my camera but didn’t really feel inspired to take that many photos. I’m a people person who is rather addicted to coffee shops and starting conversations with complete strangers. I love exploring a new area and learning more from its people. Whether this be in the States or traveling abroad, I can usually be found in the thick of it. Guangzhou wasn’t like this at all. I didn’t see any coffee shops. The people weren’t as “approachable” as they had been in Japan. They almost seemed leery to talk. It makes one wonder if it is a crime to speak with someone from another country. As I would approach others, I nodded with respect and smiled to others that were passing. I can’t say that I saw this returned very often. It was one of the craziest feelings to be surrounded by this many people and to be as alone as you can feel. I never felt as if I was in danger. I was just a stranger in an fascinating culture. Like being in a roomful of doors without a single key, I wanted to explore so much but didn’t have a way to unlock the trust that was going to be required. The last thing I wanted to do was to put the people in harms way. If there was a rule about talking to foreigners, I certainly didn’t want to push the issue. The people seem okay with their lives but I didn’t see anyone overjoyed or acting playful. We saw this often in Japan.

After a brief walk around the city, I decided to return to the hotel. It wasn’t a bad day to walk around but it certainly wasn’t an experience that I’d like to repeat often. This experience helped me further appreciate the freedoms that so many of us take for granted. For instance, on BBC today, I heard a Chinese dissident was just released after having served prison time for writing an article that was critical of the Chinese government. We are truly blessed in the States. We have a lot of things we take for granted. We must do everything within our power to make sure that our government never strips us of our freedoms. We must never waiver on our Constitutional rights because we certainly don’t want to become what I was witness to this week.

What I’ve learned in Japan.

 Destinations, People, Photography, Travel  5 Responses »
Aug 252011
 

August 26, 2011
Osaka, Japan

From my limited exposure to Japan, I can say the people that I’ve met have been exceedingly gracious and helpful. It’s rather humbling. I’ve always done my part to help a confused traveler back in the States. Now that I’ve been one of those confused travelers abroad, you can count on me going even further in my efforts to assist those lost souls back in the States.

My first stop on this Asia/Pacific trip was the Tokyo Narita area. I thought we might be closer to Tokyo itself but in fact, we were approximately a fifty-minute train ride into the city center. If you look at the map below, you’ll see a little marker on the eastern side of Tokyo. This is the Narita area and you can see why I didn’t venture into the city on a short layover.


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I might have been swayed to explore more if the weather had been more cooperative. The skies looked a bit angry so I elected not to walk around with my camera in hand. My crew and I did wander from our hotel into the Narita area at night. It was quaint area with little shops and restaurants all packed neatly into the winding streets. The sidewalks were practically non-existent. The cars and trucks we saw were all very small and boxy by American standards. The drivers drive on the left side of the street and steer from the right side of the car. It’s safe to say, I’m happy we didn’t have to drive ourselves around in this area. I’m sure I’d feel a little odd shifting with my left hand and steering with my right hand.

Yesterday, we flew from Tokyo Narita to Taipei, Taiwan and then returned to Osaka, Japan for another short layover. The view from my hotel was probably the nicest thing I saw in Osaka.

Osaka

The weather has been much more cooperative than our Narita day. The skies are a little cloudy and the air a bit humid but it feels nice. I went walking around the Namba area in the morning. The people were just starting their commute to work. As in most large cities where space is in short supply, I’ve found the people to be a bit more distant than in the smaller cities. Osaka seems to be as congested as New York. One thing I’ve noticed about myself is that I line myself up on the right side of a sidewalk, much like you would drive on the right side of the road in the States. The Japanese drive on the left and thus naturally line up on the left when they walk on the sidewalk. Thus, I find myself consistently realigning to the left once I realize I’m on the right. This does take just a few minutes to notice. By the way, the bike riders around here are insane. I’ve been bumped and cut off by these guys and I’ve only been here for 24 hours. One guy turned right in front of me and only missed me by six or so inches. It’s really insane. Once I navigated through all of this mess, I found a little coffee shop with a menu that a “round-eye” could read well enough to make an educated order. This is the first time I’ve been in a country where I couldn’t read the language. I now have an appreciation for those with reading disabilities back in the States. At least those in the States speak the language, something I cannot do here in Japan. Thus far, my smile has been working and I’ve yet to get into any real trouble. I did walk into this one building and immediately was escorted out by a security guard and pointed in the direction of my hotel entrance which was just two doors down. What can I say, it looked like the entrance to my hotel.

As mid-day approaches, I find myself hungry once again. It’s time to venture out and get into more trouble. Tonights flight will take us from Osaka, Japan to Guangzhou, China. I’ll be there for two-days. I’m not sure what awaits me but from what I understand, I won’t be able to tweet or facebook while I’m in China. Hopefully I’ll be able to Skype and blog. Time will tell. If you don’t hear from me for a few days, you’ll understand why.

Midway

 Destinations, Travel  1 Response »
Aug 242011
 

Where the east meets the west

While flying my first international long-haul flight last night, I had the opportunity to cross the International Date Line for the first time. This is literally where the east meets the west. Where longitude 179.9 W meets 180.0 E. We approached this little line from the east. We departed Oakland and were headed to Tokyo’s Narita airport. While doing so, I was plotting my charts to make sure our navigation was a precise as it should be. As I was plotting a point, I opened up our chart a little bit more to the south and was a little stunned to see that we were just 1000 miles north of Hawaii. I had never been this far west before nor had I been this close to Hawaii. I’ve been to 49 of the 50 states and Hawaii is the last on my list. Had I not opened up my chart a little further, I doubt it would have sunk in a deeply as it did. We were literally in the middle of nowhere. A thousand miles from land and nothing but the open water ahead. Then I saw a little line show up on our navigation display. It was our alternate, Midway. There are a few places on this earth where such a decisive battle has taken place. In the civil war, it was Gettysburg. In the battle of the Pacific during World War II, it was Midway.

When I was growing up in this small town in northwest Arkansas, history was just something you read in a book. It was just a series of dates that you had to memorize and the overall significance was somehow lost on me at that time. It wasn’t until I moved to the northeast that history really started to sink in. When you live in the northeast, you’re literally surrounded with history. From the cemeteries that have the revolutionary war heroes to the alleys where George Washington and Thomas Jefferson literally walked. From the battlefield of Gettysburg to the First Continental Congress, you are literally surrounded with history. I remember Gettysburg. It was probably the first time that history really hit home. Learning about the 20th Maine division and how pivotal their holding of the left flank was for the country. Sitting on that ridge and realizing that I was in an area where the fighting had gone from bullets to bayonets. The 20th Maine had called for reinforcements and were told they were on their way. They were instructed to hold your position at all costs. They did. There were no reinforcements coming. If they had failed, the union would have been flanked and probably would have lost that battle and possibly the war. Just imagine where we’d be now if that had happened? Midway was that battle in the Pacific. It was one of the largest naval battles in history and we were victorious. Here I was passing just 600 miles north of it. I realize I haven’t visited the island but then again, just seeing it on my map was enough to spur me into researching it even more.  It’s a place that I must visit one day. A place that I already appreciate but that I’m sure a visit would somehow help me understand a little more, the sacrifice that was placed on the men of our armed forces.

Where are some of the places that interest you?  Do you have any historical places that you’d like to visit? What draws you toward that particular place?  If you don’t mind sharing with me and my readers, I’d enjoy hearing about it.  Perhaps one day I could visit it as well and maybe even appreciate it as you do.  If you feel inspired, I’d be honored if you’d share it with us.

Make it a great week!

JD

Hello Again

 Destinations, Travel  3 Responses »
Aug 222011
 

Hello…..yes, it’s me once again. Please don’t act shocked, you knew I’d return to blogging at some point. Lately, I’ve had to focus too much on work thus my blogging and photography had to take a back seat on the priority list. After two training events, I’m now in my new window seat, camera at the ready, exploring our world.

Within the next twenty-four hours, I’ll be taking my first flight across the Pacific. I’ve never been to the Asia/Pacific region before. Prior to this trip, the only places I’ve traveled were in North America and a short trip to Switzerland. That said, I’ve been to 49 of the 50 States, three Canadian provinces, Mexico and the Bahamas. This will be the first trip that I’ve taken with a true cultural change. I guess some would say that Switzerland was a cultural change but that will seem like nothing in comparison to Asia. If all goes as planned, I should be spending anywhere from 30-48 hours in each of the following cities: Tokyo, Osaka, Guangzhou, Taipei and Hong Kong. The total trip will take 12-days starting from Oakland and returning to the States through Anchorage.

Feel free to take the journey with me, I’d love to read your comments and take any suggestions you may have. If you know of a good place to eat, some place you’ve always wanted to see or know of some historical place that shouldn’t be missed, please let me know.

Talk to you again soon.

All my best to you and yours.

Smoky Mountains – Photography

 Destinations, Photography, Travel  No Responses »
Oct 222010
 

Here is a link to my Smoky Mountains photos on Flickr. These photos were taken between October 17-21, 2010. For those that would prefer to see a slideshow, you can click a link at the top right side of this page and it will start. Once it starts, click the bottom right to go full screen if desired.

I will update and publish more pics in the near future. Feel free to “add as a contact” if you’d like to continue to follow my work. You can see the rest of my work by clicking on photostream or sets. I hope you enjoy them. All my best to you and yours.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jkdurden/sets/72157625214489476/

Make it a great day.

JD

Smoky Mountains – Day 5 – Leaving

 Destinations, Photography, Travel  No Responses »
Oct 212010
 

Day 4 was a better photography day. I grabbed a bite and headed out with the goal of finding a good stream or waterfall. The colors have been great in these areas. As luck would have it, I found a good stream with a nice background. I pulled out my gear and began playing for a while. Tinkering with the exposure, I was experimenting with several different things trying to shoot, “The Shot”. I still don’t know if I got “it” after all of this work but I had fun trying. ;-) After about 40 minutes or so, a gentleman stopped by to shoot the same area. It was quite obvious he’d been shooting for some time. I asked him how long he’d been shooting. He replied, “Since I was 14. I’m 73 now.” ;-) He was also shooting a Nikon D3X, which is Nikon’s flagship camera. The D3X a 24.5 Megapixel camera that cost around $8000-9000. This guy, as you might imagine, is a professional photographer on vacation with his wife. As such, I’m sure he’s writing this whole trip off as a business expense (note to self). It turns out this guy is from southern Louisiana, a town called Franklin. We chatted it up for a bit and he gave me the idea to shoot a panoramic shot of this stream. (DING!) We traded cards then he and his VERY patient wife, continued on down the road. After he left, I ended up spending even more time in this little spot, trying more things. I hope I like the results. Either way, I learned a thing or two playing here.

That complete, I began to work my way towards the Laurel Falls trail. Across from which, I found some amazing color at a trailhead that led to the Appalachian Trail. After a few shots with my D300 and P7000, I began to work my way across the road and begin the hike to Laurel Falls. I spoke to some people who were returning from the falls and looked at their pictures. The falls were running slow and it wasn’t that dramatic of a shot. I decided to pass on shooting it on this trip. I was very happy they let me see their pictures because it would have been a waste of 2 hours if I hadn’t seen them.

I got back into the car and drove toward Clingmans Dome. There were pockets of good color on the ascent to the dome but they quickly faded into past peak as I got closer. On the ascent, I stumbled across a large cluster or rocks/boulders in a growth of old growth forest. Believe it or not, it was richly green. Once again, I pulled out my gear to shoot this area. I climbed around the boulders and took a few self portraits to boot. (I doubt you’ll see any of these.) These pictures will be published to Flickr and linked to this blog sometime early next week.

After shooting the old growth forest boulders, I ventured into Gatlinburg. Personally, I don’t see the attraction of Gatlinburg. I look at it and see what it could be versus what it is and I just despise it. However, they do have a few decent restaurants. I meandered around and made some calls. I spoke to my friend Emily. She’s headed out on another big trip in early November. If you want to live vicariously, http://emilytraveling.blogspot.com . Emily works half the year so she can travel and shoot the rest of the year. This year, she returns to India and plans to work her way towards Tibet and China. Her travels change with her desires along the way. It’s fun to read along as she describes her trip. Enjoy.

After dinner, I worked my way back to camp. I got the urge to pack it all up and head to Knoxville. I enjoyed the first bed that I’ve seen on this trip. The hot shower was amazing and now am beginning to reorganize my gear for the drive back to Memphis. I’ll drop my gear, wash my clothes and pack for Denver. I’m headed to see Emily before she heads out on her trip and I’ll take in the Broncos game as they play the Raiders this Sunday.

It’s been a fun trip to the Smoky Mountains. I once saw the peak back in 1996. I was hoping to see some similar colors this year but it wasn’t to be. I’m sure I’ll return again because this is an amazing area. It is actually our most visited national park and I can see why. You don’t have to even get out of your car to see some amazing beauty. All in all, I prefer the vistas of the mountain west. However, for fall colors, it’s hard to beat New England and the Mid-Atlantic region. ;-) . I’ll be taking a closer look at the hydrology reports before I plan a leaf peeping trip next year. I’m feeling more like New England next year, perhaps Acadia National Park?

It’s been a fun trip and it’s time to work my way back to points west. All my best. Thanks for reading along.

JD

Smoky Mountains – Day 4

 Destinations, Photography, Travel  No Responses »
Oct 202010
 

Here it is at Day 4 and I still haven’t found “The Shot” that all photographers are looking for on a trip. Since the foliage is rather mute, I think I’m going to focus on streams and long exposures today. It rained for 6 hours last night. I hope that equals better shots with waterfalls and streams. I may venture up to Laurel Falls. It’s a short family friendly hike. I normally don’t prefer those but the falls look like they would be worth the trip.

The fog and mist are pretty prevalent today. The light and color should be pretty good under the canopy of trees.

But first….breakfast! ;-) . I hope you all are having a great week. If you’re interested in seeing my photos of this trip, I expect them to be posted to Flickr and linked to this blog sometime next week.

All my best,

JD

Smoky Mountains – Day 2 – Cades Cove

 Destinations, Travel  2 Responses »
Oct 182010
 

Yesterday, I got out of Memphis quite a bit later than I had planned. I think I finally got under way around noon. Originally I had planned go be underway by 9 AM so I would pull into my camp ground around 4 PM. Last night, I pulled into Cades Cove around 8:15 PM Eastern and tucked in around 10 PM. The road to hell is paved with good intention, right? I haven’t camped in some time and was rather happy at how fast things came together. I haven’t put up a tent, solo, since October 2001. Normally I try to get at least three nights out per summer. Since my divorce and temporary relocation to Tennessee, I haven’t taken the opportunity to camp due to the crazy heat and humidity we had this year. It seemed like we just skipped Spring and leaped into a never ending Summer.

As I drove into Cades Cove, I was greeted with the still air, crisp and cool. The air was laden with the smell of campfires that lay burning in various sites. This was a perfect greeting for me. Fall seems to have arrived here in the Smoky Mountains or rather it feels that way at night. Daytime temperatures are still forecast in the 70′s all week. Rain on Wednesday but otherwise, sunny and unseasonably warm during the day with cool nights. Since I arrived at nighttime, I haven’t been able to determine the vibrancy of the foliage. I hope to shoot some vibrant colored shots with my camera but I fear the colors are going to be mute this year.

Today, I plan on simply taking pictures on Cades Cove and a day hike in the afternoon. Telephone service is about 9 miles out of the park. I’ll be in touch when I can. I had to run to Townsend for some gas. It seems the traffic is ultra crazy this time of year. Who knew? :-) . Apparently it can take 4-5 hours to tour Cades Cove on the weekend. I didn’t want to risk it with only a half tank, thus the reason I’m posting so early. Well the sun has just popped above the horizon. Time that I check-in with the Rangers and get my day started.

Make it a great day.

JD

Smoky Mountains – Day 1

 Destinations, Photography, Travel  No Responses »
Oct 172010
 

Day one will begin a little later than planned. I can’t say that getting to sleep at 1 AM is the best way to prepare for an early drive, thus I may be forced to get a later start. As my friend Rhonda might say, “That’s why we have headlamps.” I tend to agree. Tomorrow, I have a seven-hour drive to the Smoky Mountains. I will likely be setting up my base camp in the dark. You know it can be rather sporting to locate a good bear-bag tree in the dark. :-)

Don’t expect much chatter from me in the coming week. I don’t know how often I’ll be able to slip away to update my blog or post to Facebook. The goal of this trip is to get some good hiking in, shoot a lot pictures and find the calm that I seem to have misplaced in the past year.

Make it a great week! I hope to hear from you all.

All my best,

JD

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