Classic Macau Exhibition

I’m excited to be part of a group exhibition, Classic Macau, which opens Friday at the New York Academy of Art. Last December the Macau Government Tourist Office invited 10 U.S.-based artists including photographers, painters, illustrators and videographers to spend several days in Macau, China to capture their impressions of this unique destination.

Classic Macau will be up at NYAA’s Wilkinson Gallery in Tribeca from April 25th through May 6th. After its New York run the exhibition will travel to Los Angeles where you can see it at the Samuel L. Freeman Gallery from May 16 – 18.  If you are in New York or Los Angeles during these dates stop by if you get the chance. You can read more about the exhibition here.

New Macau Gallery

I’ve added a Macau gallery to my travel photography site. It features a selection of photographs taken on assignment for the Macau Tourism Office.

The former Portuguese colony, which has been crowned the gambling capital of the world, was handed back to China in 1999 and is a fusion of cultures.  The focus of this assignment was to capture the cultural heart and soul of Macau, which lies beyond the decadence of its glittering casinos.

The Taj Mahal: Man’s Greatest Monument to Love

The Taj Mahal could be considered man’s greatest monument to love. For the more cynical among you I would also like to point out that it is indeed a tomb. 

Happy Valentines Day to the lovers and cynics of the world.

Street Scenes: Exercise in Macau

A common sight in Macau’s public parks, particularly in the morning, is residents working out on brightly painted built in exercise equipment.

I wonder if the appeal of exercising outdoors and not paying a monthly gym membership is motivating for borderline couch potatoes.  Equinox eat your heart out.

Street Scenes: Architectural Fusion Macau China

Macau’s architecture is a unique mix of southern European and Chinese, the result of more than four centuries of East meets West. A former Portuguese colony its historic center is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Visually you feel as though you are in the Mediterranean one minute, China the next or both at the same time fused seamlessly. Macau became one of two Special Administrative Regions of China - Hong Kong is the other - in 1999 when Portugal handed it back.

Red Market Macau China

Macau’s Red Market gets its name from the 1930s red brick building in which it operates. One of Macau’s busiest markets, it has a wholesale market feel to it and is devoid of corporate logos. 

 
Vendors spread out over three floors sell meat, poultry, vegetables, condiments, spices and sauces. The entire first floor is mainly devoted to selling live fish.

Street Shrine Macau China

I spent a fair amount of time wandering and happily getting lost in and photographing the back streets of Macau, China earlier this month while on an assignment for the Macau Tourism Board. The maze of lanes of the former Portuguese colony’s older traditional Chinese neighborhoods are filled with street shrines.



Approximately half of Macau’s population practices Buddhism but shrines are also dedicated to or represent a variety of beliefs and religions practiced in China. Pictured here are offerings and incense at a neighborhood shrine tucked into a back alley.

Macau Bound

I’m heading to Macau, China later this week for a photography assignment. My last visit was 14 years ago. I look forward to seeing how the former Portuguese Colony has changed and experiencing and photographing its unique Macanese culture.

Macau can be reached in just under an hour by ferry from Hong Kong, which is how I will get there shortly after landing.  Pictured above is a photo of the high speed ferry to Macau taken on a trip to Hong Kong a few years back. 

I’ll share more about Macau and the assignment when I return.

Street Scenes: Notre Dame Cathedral Saigon

The Notre Dame Cathedral in Saigon or Ho Chi Minh City appears as though it is on an island surrounded by a sea of motorbikes that whiz by non-stop.

It was built by French colonists in the late 1800s who brought its red bricks from Marseille.

Binh Tay Market Cholon Saigon

It seems fitting that Binh Tay Market located in Cholon, Saigon’s Chinatown, is the city’s largest market. In Vietnamese Cholon literally translates to big market.

Much of the commerce that takes place inside the two-story building is wholesale. It offers a much more authentic Vietnamese experience than the popular Ben Tanh Market in District 1 where aggressive hawkers sell goods catering to tourists such as designer knock offs and “I Heart Pho” T-shirts.

Located in Ho Chi Minh’s District 5 Binh Tay was built in the 1920s by a Chinese businessman. It’s easy to spend hours here wandering the different sections that feature in abundance just about anything one could need. 

And if you need to get a bit of air after navigating its narrow aisles stocked high with merchandise step into the courtyard with its landmark clock tower and take a seat. You’ll probably end up here by default as it’s easy to get lost. 

Tourist Ghettos From Around The World

Cheap accommodation, hawkers, Internet cafes, watering holes, food catering to Western palates (pancakes in Asia anyone?) are part of the ecosystem that make up the world’s tourist ghettos. Backpackers who take pride in traveling independently and tour groups, whom backpackers frown upon, inhabit these enclaves side by side and often eclipse the local population.

It seems appropriate to start with the mother of all tourist ghettos – Bangkok’s Khao San road.  Nothing says Thai culture like getting your hair braided or a henna tattoo (cough).

Thamel in Nepal’s Kathmandu is one of the elder tourist ghettos in Asia. It was a destination of choice for hippies during the Flower Power era.

Saigon’s Pham Ngu Lao neighborhood is walking distance to most of the major sites in District 1.

Like its Asian brethren Calle Santander, the main tourist drag in Panajachel located on the shores of Lake Atitlan in Guatemala, has all the trappings of a tourist ghetto.

It is only fair to include my own city. There is no such thing as cheap accommodation in New York City and it’s not exactly a backpacker haven. But Times Square and its surrounds is the epicenter of the tourist trade. In this scenario I do recommend pancakes at a diner for brunch if you want to eat like a local.   

How many tourist ghettos have you experienced or do you try and avoid them?  Is there a tourist ghetto where you live?

Street Scenes: Wet Market Mekong Delta Vietnam

Wet markets, like the one pictured here in Tra On in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta, are typically found in many Asian countries. They feature fresh produce, poultry, meats, fish and a variety of ingredients for local cuisine. I love how goods are displayed and that there is not a corporate logo to be seen.

While in the Mekong Delta I experienced the rare occasion of not seeing another traveler for days. Have you experienced this recently and if so where?

Vietnam Gallery

I’ve added a Vietnam Gallery to the portfolio section of my Travel Photography site. Images include Ho Chi Minh City, or Saigon as it is still called, and the Mekong Delta.

Life in the Mekong Delta centers on the water. The agricultural region is also known as the rice bowl of Vietnam and shouldn’t be missed if you get the chance. I could live for a spell in Saigon. The energy, people and food make it my kind of city. It’s a “we’re all in this together” versus an “every man for himself” type of place.

With this gallery up I am finally caught up with editing. But not for long with some upcoming travels planned.

Where would you like to live for a “spell” if the opportunity came up?

Eyes of the Mekong Delta

The maritime custom of painting eyes on the bows of boats of the Mekong Delta in Vietnam has been practiced for centuries.

Their gaze is thought to ward off evil spirits and bring good luck. Large eyes indicate male boats and smaller female vessels.

The male and female pair pictured here were moored near Can Tho, the largest city in the Vietnamese Mekong.

City Icons: Saigon

Saigon or Ho Chi Minh City’s icon started off as a grand hotel. The French colonial style building was completed at the beginning of the last century. Named the Hotel de Ville, or City Hall, it catered to French brass during colonial rule.

In 1975 after the war, like Saigon, it was renamed. The Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee building now houses offices for Vietnamese government officials. The interior is not open to the public.

A statue of the city’s namesake, also know as Uncle Ho, sits in the park in front and in between a constant flow of motorbikes whiz by.

What do you consider iconic where you live?

Where Graham Greene Wrote The Quiet American

On the corner of upscale Dong Khoi Street in Saigon, or Ho Chi Minh City, is the French colonial era icon the Hotel Continental, built in 1880.

Graham Greene called it home while writing part of The Quiet American, which is based on his experiences as a war correspondent while living in Saigon. He favored room 214. The Continental is featured prominently in a film adaptation of the novel.

The quintessential “if these walls could talk” locale, during the Vietnam War the hotel’s bar was a popular watering hall for journalists, soldiers, diplomats and spies. Today state-owned Saigon Tourist operates it. Outside vendors sell bootleg copies of the novel.

Advertising Mekong Delta Style

It’s refreshing to see grass roots advertising in a world dominated by corporate logos and tag lines. You won’t see the latter in the floating markets of Vietnam’s Mekong Delta.

Rather than compete with the sound of the engines of their boats by shouting out what is for sale, vendors place goods on the end of a bamboo pole. All manner of produce are artfully positioned on boats, which often double as homes.

Scenes from a Tokyo Subway Car

How many people do you spot in this subway car in Tokyo engaging with their electronic devices?

Close to 9 million passengers ride Tokyo’s subway system daily. But how many actually interact with one another? It got me thinking about New York City and London as well where people do their best to avoid social interaction on subways.

Do people interact on public transportation where you live or do their best to keep to themselves?

Traffic Vietnamese Style

One of Ho Chi Minh City’s or Saigon’s most dazzling sites is the street traffic. There is something exhilarating about watching the city whiz by and soaking in its frenetic energy. Think people watching on fast forward with a turbo boost.

 
It’s not unusual to see a family of four with a toddler sleeping next to Mom or Dad on a motorbike in the midst of the chaos, a novelty for those of us who come from the land of SUVs and mandated car seats for children.

The motorized beasts of burden carry all types of cumbersome cargo balanced expertly by drivers.

 
Motorbikes are the transportation of choice in Vietnam for good reason. The taxes and fees the government imposes on owning/importing a car average more than double the amount of the purchase price making them beyond reach for the majority. The average per capital annual income is a little more than a $1,000 countrywide and about $3,000 in Ho Chi Minh City. The average cost of a motorbike is about $800.

The sea of motorbikes never stops surging in Vietnamese cities and certainly not for pedestrians. Crossing the street can be daunting for the uninitiated. The trick is to walk slow and steady into the street, have a little faith and let traffic go around you.

To give you a sense of the perpetual motion, below is a short unedited video taken with my iphone on Le Loi Street, one of the main thoroughfares of District 1 in Saigon, just before rush hour kicked in.

Vietnam Bound

If all goes well I’ll be on my way to Vietnam this time tomorrow via three flights and a 10,000 mile, 28-hour journey. I spent time in Hanoi and Halong Bay about 10 years ago. This trip I’ll be in the south exploring Saigon and the Mekong Delta.

Looking forward to experiencing and photographing somewhere new to me in Southeast Asia and amazed that the airports are up and running so soon after the devastation of Hurricane Sandy in this part of the world. I will be thinking of my family and friends who are still without power.

As always I’ll have posts lined up while I’m away and plenty more when I return.