Campco Vest

I never did seriously consider using a photo vest.

I prefer candid street photography, and a vest just makes you stand out. I have done just fine working out of a small bag, like Domke's 803 or F3X. The only time I appreciated being unencumbered by a bag was when shooting the G8 concert earlier this month (see separate post). I had to move quickly, mainly in darkness, in out and around crowds. I opted instead to use a 2-lens pouch on my belt, and luckily, Photoskoda had one by Cullman. Luckily, since I have been looking for something similar in the States for months. Still, I was not convinced to try a photo vest.

What I did see when I was in Europe earlier this month were a lot of people wearing travel vests. That, to me, made more sense. Going around town, it took the place of a daypack for a water bottle, small umbrella or windbreaker, ipod, map, guidebook pages, small LED light, small notebook or journal, pen, change,sunglasses, etc. On the plane, it is convenient as well, holding a pocketbook, reading glasses, passport and boarding pass (in a secure pocket), and water bottle. If you are one to travel light (with no checked luggage), the added bonus is that these are not included in your maximum carryon weight.

When we started planning our upcoming trip to Morocco (March 2007), and possibly to Egypt (in 2008), I decided to get one. Ok, if I am getting a vest, might as well get one sturdy enough to hold a camera and lenses. Although an M body would probably be too heavy to have in a pocket all day (though the pockets would certainly accomodate it, and more), a CL/40mm Summicron + 90 Elmar + 28 Skopar would be a sweet travel kit. Maybe throw in a 21/4 and VF as well.

Domke was an obvious early choice. The price of their photog vest has dropped significantly, now available from B&H for about $65. I have to admit, the black one looks cool. My only reservation was that it looked long and heavy. That may be less comfortable on long flights, specially when you find yourself constantly sitting on the hem.

I have heard many "old-timers" praise the Banana Republic vest, now long out of production. Campco's Safari Travel Vest was favorably reviewed, and was apparently identical to the old BR vest. It was also popular with geologists on the field for holding rock samples. Well, if it's tough enough for that...

Well, I have to say that I can't be more pleased with it. I initially ordered one in khaki, but opted for something darker, more like British khaki. There was apparently quite a sample variation as regards actual colors, and what I wanted was on the "spectrum" of what was officially "olive drab." Dana over at Amateur Geologist was very helpful, and saved me a lot of time as well as shipping expenses. They also have it at a great price -- $39. How can you go wrong?

What do you see?

Four Pairs Plus One
Venice, October 2005


I see something different everytime I look at this photograph that I took on a bridge alongside the Bridge of Sighs in Venice, Italy. As some have commented, the lone man in the scene makes the photo. He is in sharp contrast with the four couples walking hand-in-hand, going in the opposite direction.

Here are some of my thoughts:
- Loneliness. Like the couples, we go through life with someone, but the end of the journey is taken alone.
- Uniqueness. Being a non-conformist. Going against the flow.

What do you see?

Grillin' Weekend

It's the Memorial Day weekend. It's 80 degrees. Team Marvelous (Mikey and Daddy) just beat Team HGTV (Rica and Mommy) in the Ultimate Backyard Badminton Championship. I am having a home-made halo-halo with one scoop of Magnolia halo-halo flavored ice cream, a scoop of ube ice cream, topped off with langka, kaong, macapuno, shaved ice and evap milk.

Finally, our local asian food store now has these items. Earlier, we grilled chicken and pork BBQ (pre-skewered and vacuum packed in marinade), inihaw na baboy, and daing na bangus. Plus sinigang soup and dinuguan.

Earlier this week, we had the driveway paved. Rather than doing just part of it, we decided to have the entire 400ft length done. The kids have been scootering on their razors all weekend. Reminds me of the mastercard ad. Priceless.

Tomorrow, the kids and Dada will be braving the Memorial Day crowd at the beach in Hammonasset, while I work.

Have a great holiday weekend!

Day 7: Return to Prague

Ahoj!

It is Sunday, 5.07.06. The "Vindobona" train got us back to Prague in one piece at 3pm. It is time for "goodbye" stops: a late lunch of basta (pronounced "bashta") at "three bears." The name is fitting, as the spanish "enough" sums it up - a combination platter of all the things you would ever want to eat in Prague, with a one liter stein of dark beer to wash it all down. I wish I had learned of this dish earlier!

Last minute shopping at Hvelska market. I got a Praha patch for my travel bag. Sunset on the Charles Bridge. We are all packed for the trip back home tomorrow. Ironically, we missed seeing Prague Castle, of all things. Well, we did touch the gold cross on the side of the bridge (the "authentic one" according to locals, hiding silently a few feet away from the one mobbed by tourists), so I guess we will be back someday!

Prague photo gallery
Vienna photo gallery coming soon!

Day 6: The Vienna Woods

After yesterday's whirlwind, we were ready for today's relaxed coach tour of the Vienna Woods and the Mayerling. We drove through Baden, settled by the Romans for its medicinal hot springs. Now the home of mega-euro mudpacks. We visited the Mayerling Hunting Lodge, where Prince Rudolf committed suicide, and the medieval cistercian abbey of Heiligenkreuz. Last stop was Seegrotte, a crystal clear lake 400 feet underground. Employing prisoner labor, the gypsum mine was used by the Nazis as an airplane fuselage assembly plant.

Lunch was traditional fare at a sidewalk cafe on the Ringstrasse: Bratwurst, sauerkraut, chicken cordonbleu and more beer.

The rainy afternoon was spent souvenir shopping indoors at the Ringstrasse Gallerien. Wind-up music boxes and a marionette for the kids. I stocked up on Faber-Castel and Stabilo writing implements.

Our trip is winding down. Tomorrow, we catch the midmorning train which should have us back in Prague by mid-afternoon. Then it's back to the U.S. the following day.

Day 5: Vienna

Well, first impressions can be wrong. Vienna is a beautiful city to tour. Since the old part of the city is your main concern, Vienna becomes small and manageable. The tram/train system is superb, and the locals are very helpful. Having lived in NYC, it did not take us long before we were hopping on and off the trains like pros.

After breakfast at the hotel, we were at Sudtirolerplatz for our 9:45 Vienna City tour. We had a guided bus tour around the "Ring," where most of the tourist places are located, then on to magnificent Schonbrunn Palace, the summer residence of the ruling Hapsburgs.

The tour ended at noon, at the Opera House. Across the street was the Hotel Sacher, birthplace of the famous chocolate cake. We enjoyed viennese coffee and sacher torte (what else?) at the Sacher Cafe. Personally, it was a bit dry. When I next find myself in Vienna, I will need to try the version at Demel's.

The afternoon was spent strolling on the ring, using trams 1 & 2, and the U3 to move around quickly. If you are visiting Vienna, I would definitely read this section in Rick Steves' guidebook beforehand.

We completed circling the ring at the Stadtplatz. In keeping with our gastronomic tour, I had my first taste of Wienerschnitzel and Stiegl austrian beer, at a biergartl across from the Kursalon, where the Strauss brothers conducted their Promenade concerts.

From the circumference, we then went to the ring's center, St. Stephen's Cathedral. Here, we got a rosary and case to give to Rica, as a token of her upcoming first Holy Communion. Then down Graben Street, in the shopping district, to the Holmarkt. This is their version of 5th Avenue.

At 6:15, we met up in front of the Opera with a few other people for our evening tour: a Viennese dinner (Wienershnitzel again, and apple strudl) at the Albertina followed by a Mozart Concert at the Imperial Ballroom of the Hofburg Palace. This is "Celebrate Mozart year," and concerts are held all throughout the city.

The group consisted of a couple from Moscow, a dentist and his sister from New York, a retired couple from Mississippi now living in Mexico, and a pharmacist from Greece, in town for the Vienna marathon to be held that weekend.

We had a full day, and a lovely night, capped by gawking at the floodlit cathedral and buildings of the ring on the walk back to the hotel. Danke shein, Wien.

Day 4: Train to Vienna

Wow, I can't believe we are only on the fourth day of the trip!

We had a late night after the concert yesterday, capped with last-minute (of course) packing for the Vienna leg of the vacation. Armed with our handwritten itinerary, in Czech (thanks, Lenka) we found ourselves on the early train out of the Holocovice station without event. Not to be confused with "easy," as no one in the train station spoke english and all the signs were in Czech.

For reasons I still do not understand, the train to Vienna had to pass through Bratislava, which was a one-hour detour (into a different country, no less). Here, the train cars were switched. As there were no first class cars, many of us felt short-changed at riding second class for the second half of the trip, after paying first class rates. Other than that, it really wasn't so bad.

The train pulled into Vienna's Sudbanhoff at around 4 pm. We joined the queue at the information desk to get a map, as well as directions to our hotel by tram. We bought 72-hr tickets (good for bus, tram and underground) for 12Eu apiece. A half hour and a short walk later, we were checking in at the Hotel Albatross on Liechtensteinstrasse. Again, while the whole "independent travel" experience was not difficult, it was far from the "door-to-door" service and convenience we had gotten used to travelling with Holland America.

Compared to Prague, our first impression of Vienna: very very clean. The word "aseptic" comes to mind. Its size makes the prospect of walking around very daunting.

After freshening up, we took a short walk and had dinner at a newly-opened Vietnamese restaurant. After a steady diet of dumplings and sauerkraut, Dada and I were craving for rice!

Prague: The G8 Concert

This was one photography fantasy come true. Concert photographer. I think it deserves its own blog entry, don't you? Here's the story.

The concert was to start at 8 pm, at Roxy's, a club off Old Town Square.

G8 Transglobal is an eight person Czech band, performing "world music." The concert was lively and full of energy - a tremendous success. They are now looking forward to thier next gig, as the only Czech band in a European concert.

My other concert photos are in my here.

Prague: Day 3

Well, this morning was earmarked for Prague Castle and St. Vitus' Cathedral, which would require a hop on the #22 tram to the top of the castle complex. It fills up early with tourists. We woke up close to noontime (again!). It's probably because of jetlag... and all the heavy dinners. Not to mention the beer.

The Czechs boast that they have the world's best beer. And with the exception of Guiness (which is actually an ale), I would tend to agree. After all, beer was invented here, in a little town called Pilsen. Each adult male Czech consumes 50 gallons of beer per year. That's not hard to believe, since I just had a liter with my lunch. Which, by the way, was excellent Budvar goulash at nearby "Three Bears." Which is where we decided to go since we were too late for the castle. This is quickly becoming a "gastronomic" trip.

We bought some white wine to bring home to CT, then off to Wenceslas Square. After dinner last night, Martin asked me to take photos at his band's (G8 Transglobal) concert tonight. I would be one of two photographers. There would be a third, taking video. I had an "all access" pass. I desperately need some fast film.

I had heard about his band in passing. Little did I know that this would be a "serious" concert. The band was apparently fairly well-known, with a couple of CD's under the Sony/BMG label and a song currently in the local top ten. This was a big concert for the group, with an expected crowd of about 1,000 people.

I have no equipment! All I had was a 28mm Ricoh point and shoot camera, one Leica M6 body, and two lenses - a 35/2 ASPH Summicron and a 50/1.4 Summilux. Thank God I decided to bring fast lenses. But all I had was slow film, and no shoemount flash.

After asking around at different photo stores, we finally found PhotoSkoda - Prague's version of B&H. I got my hands on some Ilford Delta 3200 film, a Cullman belt pouch for my lenses, and a Hama lead film bag for the trip home.

P.S. Dada does not read her email regularly. When we got back to CT, she found an unread email from Martin telling us about photographing the concert!

Grrr. Had I known beforehand, I probably would have ended up lugging a photo backpack full of camera equipment. On second thought, it was probably better this way. Sometimes less is more.

Prague: Day 2

Thanks to jetlag, we awoke at noon. We had a hearty brunch at the Cafe Savoy. I told you we'd get back there. An elegant cafe with high frescoed ceilings, chandeliers and liveried waiters. All at McDonald's prices. We had a hearty fare of Prague ham and sausages, with the ubiquitous dumplings, washed down with Staropramen beer. Chocolate cake and "large" espressos. All for about $15 US.

It is very inexpensive in Prague. The way Spain used to be before adopting the euro. Go now, before prices skyrocket.

Today was another walking day. We started at the Mala Strana, or the Little Quarter, the section of the city below Prague Castle. Through the beautiful gardens below the castle, we then crossed Charles Bridge back into Old Town and to the Jewish Quarter. The Jewish museum here is said to be the best outside the Holy Land. Ironically, it was conceived by Adolf Hitler to be THE Museum of the Jewish race. Artifacts were brought in from all over occupied Europe, to document that Jews had once existed, after he had exterminated them all.

From there to outdoor Hvelka Market looking for souvenirs for the kids. Then up and down Wenceslas Square. This is a long, wide avenue of shops, much like Barcelona's La Rambla or Session Road in Baguio.

Martin and Hannah took us out for a traditional Czech dinner at a local pub or beerhouse. I can't pronounce the name, but I am told it translates to "Three Bears." Here, at the Budvar Bar, they serve the original Budweiser. The palacinky dessert - crepe with fruit, ice cream, and whipped cream, was excellent.

Arrival in Prague

Prague, Day 1.

Or actually, Day 2 of our nine day vacation from April 30th-May 8th.

We landed in Prague at 8am (2am EST) after an eight hour overnight flight from JFK. Today is a Czech holiday, and our host, Martin Stransky greeted us at the airport in his leg cast and crutches. Squash injury.

We had a quick driving tour of the city on the way to his apartment on Narodni 11, where we met Hannah, and Vacek, the expat golden retriever from Connecticut. The apartment is ideally situated on the bottom of the Stare Mesto (Old Town), a few minutes's walk from most of the places you'd want to visit. After dropping off our bags, we walked across the Most Legii (the bridge below the famous Charles Bridge or Karluv most) to breakfast at the Cafe Savoy. We'll get back to the Savoy later.

After a nap, Dada and I spent the afternoon walking around Old Town. Among the beautiful art noveau buildings, the major attraction was the astronomical clock at the town square. Neck and neck with a sea of tourists, we caught the hourly clock "show" at 6 pm. Dada read all about it - something to do with the apostles peaking out of a window, like the old Christmas storefront display at the Makati C.O.D.

We had a dinner of pork, sauerkraut and dumplings, with Pilsner Urquell. We would, later in the trip, discover its rival - Budvar. We then whiled away some time at a sidewalk cafe on the Old Town Square, until our 8 o'oclock concert: the Prague String Orchestra at St. Nicholas Church. Now that was a quaint venue! The concert was a bit chilly, and I'm glad the old church had radiator heaters in the front of each pew.

The concert ended at close to 10 pm. Dada and I walked back to the flat along the bank of the Vltava river. We were surprised by fireworks - it was Labor Day.

First Post

I have had my little moleskine for about 6 months now, and it has become indispensable. I had never been a big PDA fan since my first Palm Pilot (yes, the very first version) crashed in 1998. It was a new gadget back then, and I got it cheap from a Russian co-intern who bought one without realizing that she also needed a PC to hotsync the device to. But that's another story.

Since then, I have gone back to using planners (or agenda, if you want to get fancy) like the good old days. And post-it notes, plenty of them, for my to-do lists. Invariably, they go from shirt pocket to the top of the dresser. After enough have accumulated to get me worried that I am overlooking something important written on them, the items that have not yet been done (guess I didn't need the list, after all) get pared down to a fresh list. And the cycle begins again.

Well, not anymore.

It's also been a great travel journal. During our last cruise, the "journal" consisted of scribbles on sheets of hotel stationery tucked haphazardly in my suitcase pocket. They're here waiting to be blogged later this weekend. Seven months later.

Not anymore.

The moleskine's also been great for jotting packing lists, hotel and restaurant addresses (to show your non-English speaking taxi driver where to take you), and just about anything. And the lists don't get lost.