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Showing posts with label Photography. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Photography. Show all posts
Saturday, April 18, 2015
Sunday, January 4, 2015
Sunday, December 7, 2014
Sunday, October 26, 2014
Saturday, August 30, 2014
Sunday, April 27, 2014
Thursday, March 27, 2014
Flirting With Spring
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It almost felt like spring, or at least it did for a few days. A nice lunchtime stroll through campus, a walk away from the lab and from my work, serves as a reminder that there is life outside of work (and that it can be nice). It seemed that spring was around the corner.
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Of course, this is the pacific northwest, and as immediately as this weather appeared, it reverted back to the typical clouds and rain. Alas, it will be a while before it approaches the majestic conditions of a typical summer.
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Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Brazil Days 7, 8 and 9: The End
I got a little busy with relatives visiting, group meeting stuff, research, and beginning the grad school application process. So...
Day 7 (July 12): Leaving the Amazon
In the morning we went and visited the local rubber man. Currently most of the world's rubber production is in Malaysia since the trees were exported out of Brazil and production is cheaper there. Throughout the morning he scratched trees and collected the rubber. To make his various items (ranging from wallets to gloves to condoms), he would layer the rubber sap on the molds one at a time and dry them over a fire. After a short while we went around the area to sample some local wild fruit and to just wander around a little.
Collecting sap from the tree (Click to Enlarge)
Drying the layers (Click to Enlarge)
To finish the morning we went to the local school, which children arrive using a school boat. The first thing I noticed was the soccer field next to the school-even by the river, soccer is a huge part of the life.
Soccer field at the school (Click to Enlarge)
The school itself consisted of about 10 rooms, and the school served many people. Young children attended classes during the morning, teenagers attended during the afternoon, and adult classes were in the evening. There were a few computers but for the most part the education was pencil and paper-based, which is a refreshing departure from our internet-dependent society.
The local schoolhouse (Click to Enlarge)
After returning to our lodge, we had lunch and prepared for the journey back to Manaus. It was sad to leave such a beautiful place, but all good things do come to an end. After arriving in Manaus in the mid-afternoon, we hung out in town until dinnertime, when we were taken to the airport. In the airport, check-in for a flight usually doesn't begin until about 2 hours before the flight, and since we had a 3:30am flight, we had to bum around the airport for several hours. After checking in (and 2 gate changes within 15 minutes of departure), we boarded the 4-hour flight returning to Rio.
Monday, August 6, 2012
Brazil Day 6: Jungle Adventures
Day 6 (July 11): Jungle Adventures
It was already light out when I woke up past 6am, and outside we were greeted by this lovely pair of small birds.
After breakfast we headed up the river to go for a jungle hike on a trail. However, we ran out of motor oil so we had to take a slight detour to an unmarked area. At the beginning we found an ant nest, which locals use to mask their scent (especially from the hornets). You let the ants crawl up your arms before smashing the ants and spreading their guts all over.
For our hike, our guide took a machete and essentially sliced a trail through the jungle, cutting through foliage along the way. The jungle was quite dense throughout, and there were a lot of neat things to see. Our guide showed us many twigs and branches that the locals extract from for medicine. We also found some brazil nuts, which have a nice crunch to them. One of our fellow travelers also tried a bug that's found in a fruit, saying that it basically tasted like the fruit.
After a few hours of going through the jungle, we returned to the boat to head back to the lodge for lunch (slowly of course, since the motor was going pretty slow).
It was already light out when I woke up past 6am, and outside we were greeted by this lovely pair of small birds.
Birds outside the lodge in the morning (Click to Enlarge)
After breakfast we headed up the river to go for a jungle hike on a trail. However, we ran out of motor oil so we had to take a slight detour to an unmarked area. At the beginning we found an ant nest, which locals use to mask their scent (especially from the hornets). You let the ants crawl up your arms before smashing the ants and spreading their guts all over.
Chao spreading ants on herself (click to Enlarge)
For our hike, our guide took a machete and essentially sliced a trail through the jungle, cutting through foliage along the way. The jungle was quite dense throughout, and there were a lot of neat things to see. Our guide showed us many twigs and branches that the locals extract from for medicine. We also found some brazil nuts, which have a nice crunch to them. One of our fellow travelers also tried a bug that's found in a fruit, saying that it basically tasted like the fruit.
The jungle is dense stuff (Click to Enlarge)
A furry caterpillar (Click to Enlarge)
After a few hours of going through the jungle, we returned to the boat to head back to the lodge for lunch (slowly of course, since the motor was going pretty slow).
Sunday, August 5, 2012
Brazil Day 5: On the River
Back to writing! The GREs are over and now it's time to start looking at grad schools.
Day 5 (July 10): In the Amazon
We got up around 5:30am to pack up and head back to the lodge. The previous night was mostly uneventful for me, as I was one of the first to fall asleep and wasn't bitten by any mosquitoes during the night. Some of the others had a few issues with mosquitoes and the humidity and had a slightly rocky night. The sun was rising over the river on our way back, and it was definitely quite a sight.
Sunrise over the river (Click to Enlarge)
Early morning from the lodge (Click to Enlarge)
After breakfast we took some canoes out on the river. Since the water was at a high level, we could canoe through parts of the forest, which was really cool. Along the way we saw some massive ant and hornet nests (around one foot long) on the trees. On the way back Chao tried to swim back against the river, but after a few minutes she had made very little progress. Very soon afterwards the boat was rocking due to people shifting their weight too much when they were changing their paddling sides, causing us to take on too much water and sink. Unfortunately for me I lost my glasses and my point and shoot decided to take a little bath in the river (which means no more pictures for the rest of the day on the river).
After lunch we went piranha fishing, which, like any other fishing, is an exercise in patience and persistence. We fished in some quiet forested areas, and used a very basic setup of fishing line attached to the end of a stick. Our bait was pieces of chicken on the end of the hook. Catching the piranha was a little tricky, as they like to nibble away at the food and then swim away. To catch a piranha, you have to pull the line up as soon as you feel the nibble and hope the hook catches the fish. After a few hours, the seven of us caught six piranhas-the guide caught five and I caught one. We almost got a couple more, but the hooks didn't quite catch the fish well enough.
Sunset from the lodge (Click to Enlarge)
Before dinner, one of the dogs became really hyperactive and started humping people's legs. After dinner we went caiman spotting. They're not easy to spot (at least for me), but the one thing that stands out is their eyes, especially when you shine a flashlight at them. Out guide even reached into the water and pulled out a caiman, which measured about 50cm. It was a relatively young one (they grow up to 5m), so it wasn't very large and heavy. Afterwards it was off to bed before the jungle hike in the morning.
Saturday, July 28, 2012
Brazil Days 3 and 4: To the Jungle!
Day 3 (July 8): Travel Day
We had an early flight out of Rio to Sao Paulo (the smaller airport). We got to the airport early and got bumped up to a flight that was leaving an hour earlier. It was mostly uneventful, except for the fact that there was food, which is common among non-US-based airlines (tried Guaraná for the first time!). I'd also have to say there was more legroom, but it wasn't noticeable since I'm pretty short.
Upon arriving in Sao Paulo we took a taxi to Ibirapuera park, where we more or less wandered around for most of the day (without Evan, who went to his conference). It rained on and off, though that didn't seem to deter the many runners and bikers in the area. For lunch, I tried something called an açaí frooty, which resembled an açaí frozen yogurt covered in bananas and granola. In the afternoon we went to the nearby planetarium, where we had no idea what was going on and we ended up falling asleep. I still don't think I know anything about astronomy in Portuguese.
Later in the afternoon we went to the other airport in Sao Paulo to catch our flight to Manaus. At the airport I tried a salgado (a meat-stuffed pastry) for the first time, and I'd have to say it was pretty good. Our flight at 11:30pm was nothing unusual in Brazil, as most airports fly 24 hours to increase volume. This was also the first time we learned that Brazilian airports tend to change gates of planes a lot (only once this time).
We had an early flight out of Rio to Sao Paulo (the smaller airport). We got to the airport early and got bumped up to a flight that was leaving an hour earlier. It was mostly uneventful, except for the fact that there was food, which is common among non-US-based airlines (tried Guaraná for the first time!). I'd also have to say there was more legroom, but it wasn't noticeable since I'm pretty short.
Upon arriving in Sao Paulo we took a taxi to Ibirapuera park, where we more or less wandered around for most of the day (without Evan, who went to his conference). It rained on and off, though that didn't seem to deter the many runners and bikers in the area. For lunch, I tried something called an açaí frooty, which resembled an açaí frozen yogurt covered in bananas and granola. In the afternoon we went to the nearby planetarium, where we had no idea what was going on and we ended up falling asleep. I still don't think I know anything about astronomy in Portuguese.
Later in the afternoon we went to the other airport in Sao Paulo to catch our flight to Manaus. At the airport I tried a salgado (a meat-stuffed pastry) for the first time, and I'd have to say it was pretty good. Our flight at 11:30pm was nothing unusual in Brazil, as most airports fly 24 hours to increase volume. This was also the first time we learned that Brazilian airports tend to change gates of planes a lot (only once this time).
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Brazil Day 2: Tijuca National Park
Day 2 (July 7): Tijuca National Park
Breakfast at the hostel was pretty basic: bread, guava jam, cheese, ham, and a few other small things. Afterwards we took a taxi out to Tijuca National Park, which is a little ways away from Rio. I was asleep for most of the ride, but the taxi driver drove us a good bit into the forest. When we got off, we weren't exactly sure where we were (which was a general theme for me at least...). We soon found a posted map and started our walking for the day.
In general I had no idea where we were going, but it was definitely an adventure running around the place. We saw quite a few things, including some very nice waterfalls and lots of fruit trees. The park was very heavily forested, so it was pretty hard to get good views of Rio.
Breakfast at the hostel was pretty basic: bread, guava jam, cheese, ham, and a few other small things. Afterwards we took a taxi out to Tijuca National Park, which is a little ways away from Rio. I was asleep for most of the ride, but the taxi driver drove us a good bit into the forest. When we got off, we weren't exactly sure where we were (which was a general theme for me at least...). We soon found a posted map and started our walking for the day.
In general I had no idea where we were going, but it was definitely an adventure running around the place. We saw quite a few things, including some very nice waterfalls and lots of fruit trees. The park was very heavily forested, so it was pretty hard to get good views of Rio.
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Brazil Days 0 and 1: Arrival in Rio de Janeiro
I'll be gradually chronicling my trip to Brazil last week. Woo! Lots of pictures with the SLR!
Day 0 (July 5): Travel Day
The day was mostly uneventful, consisting of plane flights. I packed light, squeezing everything (including my SLR with three lenses) into a backpack. Preparations were pretty extensive (and expensive), which included typhoid and yellow fever vaccines and malaria medication.
Day 1 (July 6): Arrival in Rio
I arrived in Rio de Janeiro around 8:30am. After going through customs and navigating my way out of the airport, I boarded the Rio Ônibus line 2018 to head to the hostel ($R 12). (Some advice on the Ônibus: The bus will stop anywhere on its route, so when your stop is coming up, go and tell the driver where you would like to get off. Also, I would not recommend taking the Ônibus back to the airport since the buses aren't regular and they won't always stop for you.) Instead of taking the Ônibus all the way to Ipanema, I got off in the city and took the metro to Ipanema ($R 3.20 for one ride), saving about 45 minutes on my route to the Hostel Harmonia. I got there in time for the end of breakfast and the end of Roger Federer destroying Djokovic at Wimbledon. After Chao, Evan, and Neal arrived from Teresópolis in the early afternoon, we settled in and headed over to Sugarloaf Mountain (Pão de Açúcar) after a lunch at Galitos. In Rio the buses are pretty interesting. When you board the bus there is someone who sells you a ticket after which you proceed through one of those small rotating gate counters.
Sugarloaf consists of two hills: the first hill can be reached by cable car or by foot, and the second hill can be reached by scaling the hill (rock climbing) or by cable car from the first hill. It was a pretty decent climb to the first hill through the densely-forested hill. By the time we reached the first hill it was almost sunset, and it was quite a sight.
Day 0 (July 5): Travel Day
The day was mostly uneventful, consisting of plane flights. I packed light, squeezing everything (including my SLR with three lenses) into a backpack. Preparations were pretty extensive (and expensive), which included typhoid and yellow fever vaccines and malaria medication.
Day 1 (July 6): Arrival in Rio
I arrived in Rio de Janeiro around 8:30am. After going through customs and navigating my way out of the airport, I boarded the Rio Ônibus line 2018 to head to the hostel ($R 12). (Some advice on the Ônibus: The bus will stop anywhere on its route, so when your stop is coming up, go and tell the driver where you would like to get off. Also, I would not recommend taking the Ônibus back to the airport since the buses aren't regular and they won't always stop for you.) Instead of taking the Ônibus all the way to Ipanema, I got off in the city and took the metro to Ipanema ($R 3.20 for one ride), saving about 45 minutes on my route to the Hostel Harmonia. I got there in time for the end of breakfast and the end of Roger Federer destroying Djokovic at Wimbledon. After Chao, Evan, and Neal arrived from Teresópolis in the early afternoon, we settled in and headed over to Sugarloaf Mountain (Pão de Açúcar) after a lunch at Galitos. In Rio the buses are pretty interesting. When you board the bus there is someone who sells you a ticket after which you proceed through one of those small rotating gate counters.
The second hill of Sugarloaf (Click to Enlarge)
Sugarloaf consists of two hills: the first hill can be reached by cable car or by foot, and the second hill can be reached by scaling the hill (rock climbing) or by cable car from the first hill. It was a pretty decent climb to the first hill through the densely-forested hill. By the time we reached the first hill it was almost sunset, and it was quite a sight.
Christ the Redeemer from Sugarloaf (Click to Enlarge)
Sunset over Rio (Click to Enlarge)
After returning from Sugarloaf, we stopped at some restaurant next to the hostel for some dinner before an early night.
Friday, June 29, 2012
Monday, May 28, 2012
Monday, April 9, 2012
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Sunday, January 29, 2012
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