californians in the mist

somewhere

There was the faintest hint of a rainbow over this campground in Half Moon Bay.

welcome back

The lovely view returning to San Francisco this week.

in the nick of time

The day before I left Illinois, it snowed.

the real windy city

We drove through this wind farm in Indiana. Wind power is so cool. It seems so low-tech and high-tech at the same time...like the 1950s idea of "The Future."

return to the bay

I am back in San Francisco for a couple of weeks. Even though I lived here for so long, each time I return I am amazed by two things: the intensity of the fog, and how cold it is. In August. It is just as cold as Buenos Aires.



Yes, I know my camera's sensor needs to be cleaned.

this dream-like existence

It has been almost three weeks since my random Luna de Miel (honeymoon) in Spain. A lot of it was very surreal, like this drive through the clouds in Navarra.



Today I am reuniting with This Here Man, in another enchanted land...California.

singapore sweat

This is a pretty common sight in Singapore: older buildings covered in air-conditioning units. It is hot here. Did you know that? More humid than hot, really. A typical day here is 30C (86F) with 90-99% humidity. That's right, I said it: 99 PERCENT HUMIDITY.



I am in a constant state of sweat.

More Flooding.

The power went out in the middle of a storm Monday night. It was around 10 pm, pitch black. When I went out to buy some candles, this is what I saw:



We were in the middle of a lake!

Stuck in Aguas Calientes

Our overnight trip to Machu Picchu turned into a week-long adventure when torrential rains caused landslides, rendered the roads into town impassable, and stranded us in Aguas Calientes for five nights. We were eventually evacuated by helicopter. I took this photo while Stuart and I were being airlifted out on the sixth day. This guy is telling us to crouch and shield our eyes as we approach the helicopter.



With each helicopter carrying only 7-25 passengers, it took a long time to evacuate some 2,000 of us. Uncooperative weather, disorganization, and the priority situation in Haiti made things even slower. Luckily Stu and I steered clear of most of the melodrama, and for the most part people were calm and peaceful. If you ever find yourself in an emergency zone, pray that it's with a bunch of hippie backpackers; they're not quite so prone to anxiety and mass hysteria.

If you click on the photo, it will take you to a set of 20 photos from the week. I was waiting on publishing these because I've been trying to sell them, but I don't think this will matter. Anyhow, this photo, along with one other, was published on Matador Trips yesterday.

trekkers in the mist

I really enjoyed shooting Machu Picchu before the clouds disappeared in the afternoon.



This photo was taken on January 24, which was one of the last days it was accessible to the public before the flooding took its toll. What a strange place it is. It took us so long to get there, and even longer to leave. Can you imagine how Hiram Bingham felt in 1911 when he "discovered" it way up out there? I like to imagine that feeling. It is, I think, close to the feeling you get when you fall in love.