The Start Of My Photography Trip To SouthEast Asia

On December 2, 2007 it was once again time to say good bye to Hawaii. Leaving Hawaii again has a Deja Vu feeling and as before this could be a permanent departure again (until I return?) so basically nothing is set in stone (again).

Because this is my first trip to Asia, preparations were probably more thorough. The following is an almost complete account of things I packed and details of the flight and my arrival to Saigon.

Flight To Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam

Do you want to hear the story of the one thousand dollar Gatorade bottle? Some travelers are more accident prone than others. With me it all started even before I left Hawaii.

Let me sum it up in one sentence: do not place a half closed Gatorade bottle in the same carry-on bag as your laptop.
Unless you have a RuffPC your computer’s motherboard may fry and your budget South East Asian trip could be starting with an unexpected major expense.

After I arrived to my hotel I opened up the back of my laptop and used the room fan to dry it out; everything works except the touch pad, so the mouse will do for now.

My China Air flight was fantastic not only because it was the cheapest ($580 one way from Honolulu to Ho Chi Minh City) but the food was great, the flight attendants were super cute and my comfort was better than 1st class!
The plane was quite empty so I was able to have the middle 4 seats between the isles all to myself so I could lay down, fully stretch out and sleep for hours.

The crew consisted of very attractive Chinese flight attendants who could be cast into very different and distinct roles:

the merciless assassin: stunning model face, tall, strong features with matching no-nonsense attitude, quite cold and unfriendly, my number one choice for a great B&W dramatic photoshoot (fashion, lingerie or nude)

the lovable and helpful: cute with a short haircut and matching (overly) bubbly very customer service oriented attitude, most likely best for catalog or editorial photography projects

innocent and shy: very pretty face but not a show off by any means, more of a wallflower, her innocence and shyness was the most attractive part of her personality, perfect for any photoshoot requiring innocent, fragile beauty

regular girl: she was hardly noticeable but very cute, definitely the lowest maintenance and the perfect girlfriend type.

I have not flown in 13 months so I was surprised that the use of digital cameras was prohibited during take off and landing. Is this something new? I have no clue but it sure sucks!

Arrival To Saigon, Vietnam

When the typical image of Saigon traffic consisting of 1000’s of scooters in mad chaos came alive in front of my eyes it was quite an experience, a perfect example of an immediate culture shock!

Within 60 seconds I left the airport in a taxi I was thrown into the middle of rush hour Saigon traffic. I will try to capture the madness of it with still photos to some degree but being physically in there was a true introduction to everyday life in Vietnam.

People wearing pollution masks, 3 people riding on one scooter (which is only legal if it is 2 adults and 1 child), zig zagging, cutting in, constantly honking, driving inches away from each other.

After arriving to a mini motel another reality check: no electricity. There were regular power outages in Fiji as well so this was not unusual, the room was nice and quiet otherwise.
The Wi-Fi did not work either but expecting will only lead to disappointment so going with the flow is usually the best policy.

Photography Gear:

Nikon D80 camera
Nikon 18-200mm zoom lens
Tokina 12-24mm zoom lens
77mm Circular polarizer
Nikon SB80 flash
Manfrotto tripod
Nikon MB-D80 Multi Power Battery Pack
5 EN-EL 3e batteries for Nikon D80
Dual Battery charger
LCD viewing hood
10 AA rechargeable batteries / battery charger
Travel Smart Adapter / Surge Protector
Swiss Travel Products adapter
Laptop
Headsets for Skype

Travel Gear

Chaco sandals
Walking shoes
Long cargo pants
Cargo shorts
Very few shirts, shorts, socks and underwear
Alps Mountaneering Denali 4500 backpack
Kelty Redwing 3500cu day / camera bag
Flashlight
SteriPen UV water purifier
SteriPen Pre Water Filter
Nalgane water bottle
Microfiber towel
South East Asia phrase book
Light fleece sleeping bag

Vaccinations And Medicine

Shots:
Flu
Hepatitis A
Hepatitis B (first of 3)
Japanese Encephalitis (first of 3)
Tetanus
Typhoid

Medical gear
Doxycycline for malaria
Imodium ID for diarrhea
Multi Vitamins
First aid kit

Visas

Vietnam - 1 month
Thailand - 2 x 2 months

My trip from Honolulu to Saigon was a breeze, getting here was definitely easiest part!