The Tour De Container Ports Continues, QM2 At Laem Chabang, Thailand, QE Tied Up At Cochin, India

Late Afternoon In Columbo, Sri Lanka, View From QE's Bridge Cam

The Beach Lights Up As Night Descends

Meanwhile, QM2 Is Alongside At Phu My Vietnam, View From The Bridge: The Mekong River

Late Afternoon On The Beach

And Tonight El Presidente De Mexico Estan Aqui, A Puerto Vallarta, All I Saw Were The Fireworks, Security Was Tight

Random Shots Around Vallarta Town

Life guards heading home after a (no doubt) busy day.

At a taco stand

Liz and Dick each owned a house on opposite sides of the bridge, condos must be going in. Legend has it that any time a spat occurred  down came the bridge!

El Papa Wears A Sombrero! Live From Leon, Guanajuato, Mexico

Benedicto XVI  is the center of attention tonight here in Mexico, I took these shot from the TV in my room at the Hotel Escuela here in PV.  Dinner was muy rico--mahi mahi(dorado) and a margarita y tip, 165 Pesos, or $14--perfecto. Wonder when the Pope gets to eat!

A Magnificent Celestial Display From The Beach At Sunset, The Crescent Moon Below Jupiter and Venus

This photo I did sharpen up a bit

A Few Travel Photography Tips, Look For Examples Of This In The Upcoming Puerto Vallarta Photos

• Sunrise, sunset--you'll get the richest colors, most drama and fewest ugly shadows on people's faces.  If you're shooting mid day get close up to things, put people in the shade and try to get reflected light onto their face.
• Look up, look down, look all around--there are photos to be had everywhere.
• Flash--don't use it, ever.  It gives a flat awful light, not to mention red eye, and uses up batteries.  Modern digital cameras shoot well in low light.  Take photos at night of neon, candle lit tables, available light anything, but if there's no light, put the camera away and have a beer.
• Get close to things, get low to the ground to shoot, try different angles.
• It used to be said film is cheap, shoot, shoot, shoot.  Now pixels cost nothing, batteries are cheap, but storage on your hard drive is valuable.  So shoot away till you've snagged something good, then into the trash with everything else. You're not going to show your junk to anyone, are you?
• If it's out of focus, shows camera motion or is poorly exposed, chuck it.  I don't care if it's your dead grandmother in her casket!
• The very limited exception to the above--in the edit area of iphoto (and other photoshop type programs I suppose) there is the ability to increase definition and sharpness, as well as improve exposure. If you are just a little bit off, try it, it can sometimes rescue a photo.
• Otherwise stay away from screwing with color and effects--I'm a purist in that regard. An exception though that I use very occasionally, in iphoto there's the ability to "enhance color". It's useful if you've shot something that's just a little bland, usually in mid day light or haze, but is otherwise a good photo
• Shoot everything at the highest definition you're camera allows.  What if you want to enlarge something and you've got three pixels per inch?
• Anticipate that annoying split second delay that is ubiquitous with today's digital cameras. It's a difficult issue to deal with when shooting people in motion, flags, windy days, wild life. Just keep shooting till you get something then throw the rest away.
• Don't zoom beyond the optical range of your camera, in other words the point at which your camera lens stops extending. Doing so will produce a lousy photo every time.
• A camera that fits in your pocket means that you will be prone to carry it, and makes you less conspicuous. By all means spend as spend as much as you want on equipment, but a spendy camera does not a great photographer make.  I get great results with a four year old 12'1 megapixel Canon Sureshot that cost $140.
• Frame your photos, pay really close attention to the edges. Don't cut peoples feet off, although oddly it's ok  to cut the very top of peoples hair off. I find it forces one's eye to the face. Diagonal lines from one or more corners also brings your eye into the picture. Keep the horizon level, and if it's not, I correct it in iphoto. Don't cut picture evenly in half with a strong hoizontal line.
• Hope this all helps!  Shoot away!!!

A Word On Autobuses En Mexico: Great!

Long distance busses in Mexico come in two varieties, second class and first class.  For the eleven hour ride from SM de A Down to Puerto Vallarta I could have paid about $60, but for only $20 more why not go primera classe.  For that you get 2 plus one seating, three feet of leg room, soft drinks and bottled water, a sandwich (ham and cheese) and movies, wifi, and a ride on high quality toll roads.  Really the best way to get around Mexico.

Evening In San Miguel

At the Mercado In San Miguel

Sandwiches, Tortas, in Mexico are really good, 20 Pesos, about $1.75

San Miguel De Allende's Newest Attraction Is Also It's Oldest!

Discovered only in 1985 covered entirely by soil, and opened to the public last year, the pyramid at La Canada de la Virgen is a remarkable sight.  The Otami Indians native to this area were it's builders, and they were most likely the ones who buried it, to protect it, from those darn invading Spaniards.  It remained forgotten till someone started poking around in '85.  It took the archeologists 20 years to dig it out, and they've done a magnificent job restoring it and interpreting its story.  It's use was primarily as a solar and lunar obsevatory, to predict the equinoxes and soltices.  No blood sacrifices here! Well worth a visit!

Greetings From San Miguel De Allende

I met my cousin Stephanie at LAX and we flew overnight down to Leon Guanajuato International Airport, arriving at five am, where a shuttle picked us up for the hour and a half ride through the countryside to SMA.  The roads in Mexico are quite good, I did learn a new word on the way though, "topes"--speed bumps, lots of them, at each little village and wide spot in the road. They have two kinds, high and wide, and narrow and tall! 

We were to meet Steph's sister Michele and her husband John at a breakfast spot called Buen Dia.  They, along with my soon to be 94 year old aunt live on some acreage about 15 miles out of town.  When we got to the cafe it was not yet open, nor were any family in sight. An American lady walking her dog confirmed we were in the right spot (the restaurant had no sign!), and told us it wouldn't be open for an hour. Turns out she lives next door, and she invited us to bring our bags in off the street and she had us in for coffee.    Friendly locals!  The family soon showed up and we had a fun reunion and a good breakfast.   The trip is off to a good start!