I leave the road behind me. Sounds of society fog away as I venture deeper into the bush. Birds watch as I walk by, both of us minding our own business. The water is still. The bush is green. Beyond the Track.
Beyond the Track
As Winter Approaches
2015 has been a slow photography year for me to date. Work and projects at home have pushed it to the back burner. So, when the other half had a appointment in town, I took the opportunity to grab camera and take a stroll to re-acquaint with the old Ricoh.
The weather has taken a turn these last few weeks. Rain is more often and temperatures have dropped. Its a refreshing change, and one not entirely unwelcome – perhaps its the thought of dressing warmly and making hot soups. I guess each season has elements I enjoy.
The following is a mishmash of images from my walk around Auckland’s Westhaven marina and under the harbour bridge, linking the North Shore to the CBD.
Images shot on Richo GRD IV, with warm bleach bypass settings dialed in (increasing the cold wet mood of the day).
Till next time…
Sunny Day at the Beach
Hot day in the sun!
Ricoh GRD IV
Te Henga (Bethells) Stroll
Gosh, where is the year going! For regular followers, apologies for the dead air. Been a very busy quarter year and one is not getting near enough images shot!
Todays a quick unedited selection from a walk at Bethells Beach on Aucklands West Coast. Shot on the Ricoh GRD IV.
Foggy Football
Things have been busy lately, and shooting images has taken a back step to most other things. Waking up this morning however, I took the advantage of the heavy blanket of fog to go for a stroll with my Ricoh GRD. It seems like an age since I last used it! Morning football/soccer was on with the little tikes playing first. The poor kids – when I first arrived, they couldn’t even see the other end of their field. Some of these lil’uns struggled enough to kick the ball, let alone get lost on the field looking for it!
Welcome Ko Lanta
After a ~2 hour boat trip we landed in the sunny (really really hot) Ko Lanta. Spending the rest of the day at the hotel area, it was like its own little village (much larger than our other temporary homes). An interesting observation (perhaps) also that it was the most English-western of all stops in Thailand based on both things like the music at the resort, and the general accent of the tourist staying there.
Farewell Phi Phi
Phi Phi Island was the most ‘island scenic’ of our time in Thailand, but all good things have to end some time (especially when its a holiday and you need money to continue on!). Here’s a series of final shots for now from Phi Phi. Tomorrow its the final destination of Thailand.
Outside the Resort
Three quick snaps from our first venture outside of the Phi Phi resort area.
Nothing like the big cities, but bikes still played a massive role in the local communities.
A very cool, but massively out or proportion map.
New Day New Island – Koh Phi Phi
Leaving Krabi, we hopped on a ferry destined for the beautiful Phi Phi Islands. Hot as usual, I struggled sitting on the reflective white deck for 40min’s before we took off, but once we started moving, the cool breeze was great!
The ride was somewhere around 2 hours, with cheap Singer’s being sold in the hot sun along the journey. Arriving at Phi Phi we were greeted with the 20 baht per person, keep the island clean fee (i’ll comment another day), and as soon as we got there, a long boat was called to escort us to our resort (We were now at the flash stage of the holiday).
Do the shopping cart???
Boat Tour Thailand
For one of our days staying in Krabi, we booked a day trip out to some of the smaller islands. Heading out via longboat, we had three main stops – one for snorkling, one for lunch and one for a few hours swimming.
One thing that became apparent in Thailand, starting with this trip, was the struggle the country appears to have with litter/rubbish, and dealing with it.
Each of the stops was beautiful, and away from the mainland, relatively free of rubbish. However, stopping at the lunch spot, walking on the beach, I could smell the familiar scent of ash/burnt goods. At the back of the small beach area, it was clear that all rubbish on the island just gets piled up and burnt. Relatively small stuff, but I’ll touch on it again in future posts where the issue was more obvious.
Anyway… Landing at the final beach and being left for the rest of the afternoon I went for a bit of a stroll. Thailand was hit by a nasty tsunami in 2004. This beach paradise, like many other places was hit, with old wreckage sitting in the bush as a reminder.
With the Thai authorities estimating that at least 8,150 are likely to have died, the bits of boats and other things around the coastal areas serve as a reminder, and sorts of shrines to remind us of the loss.
From Krabi and back on a boat tomorrow!
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