Sander van Hulsenbeek Blog

My Photo Book on Iran

2011-11-07T11:25:00.002+01:00

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Iran, Pictures of October 2011 by Sander van Hulsenbeek

Dear readers. After my recent Iran trip I spent time on my photo's and, as I now do almost after every trip, also produced a book with blurb. The above link brings you to the book and you are welcome to have a look.

Goodbye to Esfahan!

2011-10-20T20:51:00.000+02:00

Tomorrow to Tehran and then home early Sunday morning. The Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque
is the most beautiful building of Esfahan, no doubt. The is is how it looks after sunset,
when everyone comes out to the Imam Square and sits on the lawn and eats; as we did just now!

Naqsh-e-Jahan, in Esfahan

2011-10-19T20:31:00.001+02:00

One of the main structures on the "Half of the World" Imam Square, a.k.a. Naqsh-e-Jahan, in Esfahan is the Ali Qapu Palace. The music room, on the 6th floor has amazing acoustics, due to hundreds of plaster niches in its walls. Also the red color is novel, in this world of blue and yellow tiles. Here in Iran, a man is not supposed to take photos of women, but these girls, in an archtecture class, insisted. Girl power is is strong now in Iran, as everywhere else in our world. The Clerics are going to have a hard time in the near future!

Esfahan!

2011-10-18T22:13:00.001+02:00

Esfahan is Mosques and people. On Maidan Imam, also known as "Half the
World". Almost the biggest square ever, with jewels as Sheikh
Lotfollah Mosque, in the late afternoon light, and Imam Mosque, shown
here inside after dark. Many people gather on Maidan Imam at dusk.
Schoolboys want to try out their English; that's OK, but a picture
will be my reward. More interesting were two Iraqi's from Kerbala.
They are Shiites, and had a rough time under Saddam. Now they visit
Iran and its Shiite pilgrimage sites. More tomorrow from this
fascinating place!

Yazd & Kharanaq in Iran

2011-10-17T15:44:00.002+02:00

Early in the morning and late in the afternoon are the best! Up at 06:30, and the ladies are already crossing the yard of the Jameh Mosque in Yazd. The tilework is famous, from the Safavid era. Then a private trip with two others to Kharanaq, a deserted adobe village north of Yazd. Well, the donkey man stayed behind, I guess. Tom0rrow to Esfahan, for three nights: can't wait! Ciao from Sander!

To Yazd in Iran

2011-10-16T20:23:00.000+02:00

After 3 days of desert traveling, very dusty, I arrived in Yazd and just had a tea in the gorgeous yard of the Laleh Hotel. To savour L'Heure Blue. Pictures perhaps tomorrow. Now here is the baker in Neiriz, between Shiraz and Kerman. And a view from the roof of the Mausoleum, near Kerman, of Sufi Saint Shah Ne'matollah Vali.Built by an Indian Maharajah for his favorite Persian Dervish. Not the whirling kind, but a great mystic. Tomorrow we see Yazd. No Facebook check-ins here, sorry!:-). But if Ger and Troy check their Facebook pages in Cairo: Salaam!

Persepolis is Hot!

2011-10-13T16:56:00.002+02:00

Persepolis was the capital of the ancient Persian kings and was overrun by Alexander.
It is still amazing, but nowadays Persians first want their picture taken.

The part of the Main gate is still in quite good order. and so are the wonderful sculptures
on the Apadana terrace walls.That part is covered now, as the Iranians have discovered it

was not a good idea to built a petrochemical complex in the neighbourhood.
Tomorrow: to Kerman, in de Desert. Again a short message , because I am still using

the dodgy Internet here. My USB stick should already be chockful of viruses now :)

Shiraz

2011-10-12T17:04:00.002+02:00

Dear Readers,

This messages may appear more than once in your email. The reasons therefore I will explain when back in Amsterdam from this Iran trip :-)

Shiraz. Just a first taste: the really good stuff is still to come. The Iwan (Mosque-portal) is Qajar-style, not very old. Today we visited the Tomb of Poet Hafez. People line up for a declamation contest. And in the Bazar, women sit down in the shade. Tomorrow: Persepolis! A short message from a really dodgy internet connection, full of Google "unknown-certificate" notices: have we heard that before? Ciao! Sander

Fwd: First day in Tehran, Iran

2011-10-10T16:40:00.000+02:00

After an Iran Air flight, with a fun-loving crew, very nice passengers and lots of food and soft drinks, arrived in Tehran this morning at 06:30. Five hours too late for a five hours' flight and luggage of many passengers lost, except mine, I am in Tehran! Not far from the 'US Den of Espionage", former Embassy, photography not allowed.Visited one of the Shah's palaces, where bling was pushed to untold height. And the Jewelry Museum, where it is proven that putting too many costly and lovely objects together results in, yes, more bling!
As also found in streets shops, with my first peeping shot of a women in chador. Tomorrow to Shiraz! Facebook and Blogspot are blocked but my posts may get through!

Last post Summer 2011: Singapore

2011-08-01T13:15:00.003+02:00

And this really is our last post: from Planet Singapore. Ger is having an Orange juice on the top deck of the Marina Bay Sands building: 3 towers of 56 floors high, connected by a sort of shiplike structure, one-third of wich is a swimmingpool. The Raffles Quay buildings, quite high too, are in the background. The container harbour is behind, lest you forget what fuels this island state. Day after tomorrow: back to Amsterdam with Singapore Airlines. All the best from Sander and Ger!

Post 12: The Tarsier: 'Thanks for the flash, man!'

2011-07-28T11:08:00.006+02:00

And this will also most probably be our last post from Sulawesi. Yesterday we were in Tangkoko Nature Reserve, known for many birds, Balck-Crested Makake and the Tarsier. The Tarsier lives in Strangler Figs, like this specimen from the inside. The original strangled tree has since long expired.

The tiny Tarsiers, also known locally as Spookdiertje, come out after dark and have enormous very sensitive eyes. They live from insects they catch by jumping on them. The Park Ranger allowed us to take a flash picture, as there there were only the two of us. Not sure the Tarsier liked it.

Tomorrow we do a visit to Mahawu volcano, neighbor Lokon being off-limits after the eruptions this month. Then to Singapore! Best from Sander and Ger!

Post 11: Back in Manado, from the end of the World

2011-07-26T12:14:00.005+02:00

This must be the end of the world: Dodola Island, off the Morotai Coast. A sandstrip connects two little islands, one hour by not too safe longboat. Just between heaven and earth: with the softest powdery sand possible.

Morotai has no internet, electricity fails severals times per day. General Macarthur, of WWII, sat her on ZumZum islands, 30 minutes away, and directed his bombers to the Philippines, just an hour away.

We were back in Ternate yesterday, after an adventurous, very wet and stormy speedboat ride and a 3 hour taxi ride across Halmahera, with 3 near accidents.
Behind the little cone is Tidore Volcano, from Ternate, the first VOC stronghold, before Batavia.Jakarta.

Soldiers pose in front of the room, opened once a year, where the crown of the Sultan of Ternata is held. The crown is able to hold off volcanic eruptions. This is in the Ternate Kedaton, the Sultan's Palace. We spoke with his sister, in Dutch!

In the middle of Ternate Town: Old Dutch Benteng(Fort)Oranje. Cannons with VOC engraved on top guard the entrance, heavy handedly restored some 15 years ago.

Kids in Ternate want their pictures to be taken all the time.

We wish we could have taken this boat from Morotai to Tobelo, on Halmahera, but no boat on Sunday: this is Christian territory!

Off the Tobelo Coast, on Halmahera, we are on Karaka Island. This view shows a dormant but pretty volcano on the right, at sunset, and one of the outrigger boats with weekenders leaves. On the left, the stormy clouds are supplied with ashes from Dukono Volcano: the most active volcano on the world. It bellows ashes and smoke every day! Just Google, and find that it is seldom visited because of its remoteness. When the wind is wrong, like it was a few days ago, Tobelo town gets showered with grey ashes. This goes on since the volcano started erupting in 1933! Unfortunately we had no time to climb: have to get back. But may be a real possibility, after our fantastic stay in Bunaken. A fascinating part of the world!

We close with a typical evening streetshot: just outside the hotel. In Tobelo.
Next few days we make a jungle trip to Tangkoko Reserve, and then go to Singapore. May post from there! Bye from Sander and Ger!

Post no 10!

2011-07-18T05:38:00.002+02:00

We realize we only put this picture on Facebook yesterday! Here we are, on the way back to Manado: "Under the Volcano! Ciao! Sander and Ger

Where worlds meet: Manado, Post #9

2011-07-18T04:52:00.004+02:00

Back in Manado after 9 super days on Bunaken; diving and snorkelling. On this picture, taken outside Manado's newest Mall: The Holland Bakery with windmills on the roof, Pizza Hut, JCO: our fav coffee place, Lokon Volcano, still smoking (but everybody here does) and the Hypermart sign. Where one does not find After Sun Lotion, but who needs that here?

Tomorrow with Lion Air to Ternate for a week. We are not at all sure about Internet there, so this be may our last post for 8 days. Bye for now from Sander and Ger!

Pos nommer Dilapan dari Pulau Bunaken, and Dr. Fish

2011-07-15T11:31:00.004+02:00

Well, what is the news: Ger's made a qualifying deepdive to a wreck (World War II) and I was snorkelling all morning. Here is a picture of Ger, at left.

And this is a Giant Pufferfish, with a Blue Streak Cleaning Wrass cleaning out his gills. Like Dr Fish, but not on the Van Baerlestraat:

The tide was very low when we came back: so the, amazingly beautiful,"Housereef" in front of Living Colours was almost dry

Next post perhaps in a few days, as tomorrow we will be back late!

Post number #7: Ger's first Scuba Pictures

2011-07-14T11:36:00.003+02:00

First time I took photo's under water. A complete new world opened up, with beautiful fish, corals, turtles, and many other interesting things to see. Especially the colors are impressive. Bright yellow, red, blue and green. Had to handle a camera and trying to keep balance, while you are on drift in a current. Looking forward to the next dive, tomorrow!

Post number 6, Bunaken: First Rainstorm: Hudjan!

2011-07-14T11:16:00.005+02:00

Just after the second dive/snorkel session, a nice thunderstorm approached from the Minahasa Mainland: impressive. And lots of rain! The little Nemo family down below, I think they did not care.

Just another day in Bunaken: Post Lima

2011-07-13T11:09:00.004+02:00

In front of the Living Colours resort, just 10 meters from the beach is the House Reef: nvere did better snorkelling. As well diving for Ger, with diving-buddy Natasha from Sydney (not the town in Canada). Tonight they are doing their first Night-Dive. I will dive in the Bar.

Wacky Colours Sulawesi Post #4

2011-07-12T11:18:00.003+02:00

Now some really colorful stuff: yesterday evening a Dutch family staying here plus Ger and me decided we were sunset-starved. So we hired a boat and went over to neighbouring Siladen Island. Much too early so there was time to stroll on the beach. In the background: the Manado mainland.

In this sunset picture, livened up with Singh Rays Gold&Blue polarizer, Manado Tua vaolcano, high, and Bunaken, low at the left, are across the channel.

While snorkeling today, I had set the little Pana's white balance at 'Underwater'. So that's why this unworldly shot has come out. No natural disasters in sight!

And then, at the very end of the second dive-snorkel session, we were at a really steep vertical wall, Lekuan Satu. It goes down many hundreds of meters. When the sun is strong, the rays converge at the bottom. So this light-harp really comes from below. The red fishes stayed for several minutes.

Just to have an idea of the stay here: breakfast at 07:30, diving (Ger) and snorkelling me: the boat goes out at 08:30. The dives do two dives, at different spots, of approx 1 hour. One hour pause in between. Back at about 13.30, lunch and Tidur Siang: a siesta. Wonderful food! 18:00: be at the bar on the beach, terrible :-). 20:00 diner, and to bed, reading and sleeping. 5 nights more! heaven!

Sulawesi Nr. Tiga Post

2011-07-11T09:26:00.007+02:00

A day's snorkeling, and diving for the divers along Bunaken's vertical walls in the bay.

Fouraging Tomato Anemonefish, just point your camera!
More tomorrow, or the day after! Ciao from Sander & Ger!

Second Post Sulawesi: Bunaken Marine Park

2011-07-10T10:04:00.003+02:00

Already our second full day here, and Ger has done 4 dives, two per day. That goes on from 8:30 in the morning till 14:00, and then there is a big lunch waiting. Plus sleep, "tidur siang" for Indo's. Here is a picture Ger's dive-buddy Natasha, from Australia, took today.

Me, Sander, I have to be content with snorkeling. Both dive-sites were for muck-diving this morning, and the Divemasters regretted that the coral was not very good. I saw not so much wrong with it, and it can only get better I understand. So then: what we saw in Thailand last X-mas really sucked!

The Resort Bar and Dicing buildings are on the beach, which is behind some mangroves.
So not really a beach destination, but there is plenty of sun on the boats. Some pictures of that next time!

First Post from Sulawesi Utara: North Sulawesi

2011-07-09T05:10:00.006+02:00

As Facebook addepts already know, we arrived in Manado some 3 days ago, totally jetlagged. But nicely welcomed at the airport, comfy hotel, and what expels the jetlag better than some Bintang Beer and liberal portions of Sulu Sea seafood. Then: 11 hours sleep!

The next days was set out for doing completely nothing in Mnado. So no mountain climbing or what not: just walking around, eating modern Indo food like doughnuts and a potong rambut for Ger. At Yopies :-) Mandap! (A cool Betawi word for cool!)

Next day, the Living Colours resort on Bunaken island, just 45 minutes out in the Bay, collected us, and this is how one arrives on Bunaken and what it looked like on our first evening there:

Today Ger went on his first dive trip. I stayed in the resort, and tried some snorkelling, but the currents were too strong to go out alone: have to find another moment, and tomorrow I will just go out with the dive-boat. So do expect some underwater snorkeling pictures to pop up there in the next few days!
All the best from Sander & Ger

Rainy day in Istanbul

2011-05-04T21:01:00.001+02:00

On a rainy day in Istanbul; stay wet! Go to the Basilica Cistern, built in 532 AD, about, and then visit a Hamami, a Turkish Bath!

Istanbul

2011-05-03T22:34:00.001+02:00

We are in Istanbul. And it feels great, almost are we like at home. Here are some fishermen on the Galata Bridge, while we walk from our hotel in Sirkeci to a nice restaurant in Beyoglu. The New Mosque in the background. Some three days more; lots to see and visit!

Syria!

2011-03-10T17:41:00.003+01:00

At last a hello from Syria. Some of you may have seen these pictures already on Facebook. Never mind: till now Blogspot was blocked, but in liberal Aleppo it works!

So just a small visual report from Syria. The Umayyad Mosque in Damascus is of course still its greatest and really timeless, attraction. The woman steps through the Gate of the ancient temple of Jupiter, and the people pray, in another Mosque, at the shrine of the Daugther of Hussein, a Shiite Imam.

Apamea is as stunning as we saw it ten years ago.

All well here, but the last two days were cold and rainy. Much better weather expected when we go to Palmyra in a few days! Bye from Sander from Syria!

Yes, we are in Thailand!

2010-12-22T11:24:00.003+01:00

OK, already for a few days in Thailand, sure, but this is the first time there is a good Wifi. The Iphone was good for Facebook, as some may know, and they also know, that we had to wait 10 hours at Schiphol, before our flight could lift from the snow. De-icing took 20 minutes alone ;-(

And now: 30 degrees C and sunny all day! We are on Koh Kood, not far from the Cambodia border. Tomorrow we will move north, to Koh Chang, for a Christmas Diner on the beach. And we will try to write ou Xmas cards there, as y'all will love Thai stamps for sure!

Today we took a snorkel-swim-beach trip, as you can see. Oh... so boring :-)

Lots of love and a Merry Christmas from Thailand!
Sander and Ger

My favourite Olinda evening picture:

2010-10-19T23:17:00.002+02:00

A relaxed scene at the time of day the French call: L'Heure Bleue. When the sun has set, but the sky is still blue. There even is a star to be seen!

Brazil Nordeste now as Blurb Book!

2010-10-08T10:46:00.002+02:00

Brasil Nordeste by Sander van Hulsenbeek |

Joao Pessoa: a surprise

2010-08-02T23:03:00.003+02:00

Joao Pessao we thought just to use for an overnight stay between Forte Orange and Natal. So that is why you were not expecting another post from Brazil! But we were early, because our driver in his little VW Golf really hit it. The same, very nice, guy drove us from Olinda to Forte Orange, and we thought he was a careful driver. Yesterday we discovered why he was leaning over the steering wheel all the time and observing speed limits: He does not see too much! He barely realized it when we were in Joa0 Pessoa, en had to ask on every corner to get to the hotel. So relieved we were we got there. Hope he got back to Recife too! So we were early and our Footprint guidebook (they are the best)told us the Sao Fancisco church plus Sao Antonio Convent are one of the most important baroque complexes in Brazil. With the best view to see the forest.

Footprint did not disappoint. It was wonderful and a little lady showed us around (for a little something for her in the end of course, which she thoughtfully asked for when we were alone with here in the garden. OK, she opened the famous window for us, with the view over the Mata Atlantica, the special kind of forest on the Brazil Coast.So, to really end this series from Brazil: here is the front of the church and here is the view. Watch my Zenfolio site in the near future for all pictures! Ciao from Brazil!

Forte Orange in Brazil.

2010-07-31T18:03:00.003+02:00

Click here for the map!

This is our last beach destination. Tomorrow we stay in Joao Pessoa for one night and the next day go back to Natal for the flight home. Forte Orange is is a Portugese fort, but built on a Dutch Fort, hence the name. Plus everyone here rembers the visit in 2003 of Reina Beatrix de Holanda.

A great trip this summer it was, but logistics were special to put it mildly. Sanders bankcard got skimmed on the first day at the aiport in Natal. That we discovered after a week when his bankaccount was empty - a new feeling - and then followed numerous phonecalls with the bank, a trip to the local Police - an adventure in itself - and so on. Several bookings were dodgy or non-existing. Brazilians are wonderfull when you meet them, but those you do not meet are not always nice, and let's leave it at that! Plus some electronics went dead from the salty inclement weather on Fernando de Noronha, but that is only things. Great trip! Last posting probably from Brazil! Ciao from Sander and Ger!

Olinda!

2010-07-28T14:54:00.003+02:00

For a few days rest and some culture we are in one of Brazil most original cities, just north of Recife. Morning and evening are the best times of the day.

For historic interest, this is what Wiki writes: "Olinda was the capital of the hereditary captaincy of Pernambuco, but was burned by Dutch invaders. The Portuguese built their town on the hill, for practical purposes (sewers) and to make it easier to defend. In the 17th century the Kingdom of Portugal was united with Spain (the 1580-1640 Iberian Union period). Taking advantage of this period of Portuguese weakness, the area around Olinda and Recife was occupied by the Dutch who gained access to the Portuguese sugarcane plantations. John Maurice, Prince of Nassau-Siegen was appointed as the governor of the Dutch possessions in Brazil in 1637 by the Dutch West India Company on recommendation of Frederick Henry. He landed at Recife, the port of Pernambuco and the chief stronghold of the Dutch, in January 1637."

Next post from the earliest Dutch Fort: Forte Orange! Ciao!

Fernando de Noronha

2010-07-23T16:19:00.007+02:00

Yesterday we were on the eastermost accesible point of Fernando, and only less than 3000km from Africa. On the top of huge volcano that goes 4000 meter deep in the Atlantic! This morning, it rains, but yesterday we were lucky to have a day full of sunshine. Good to see the turtles! Photo by Ger, with the little waterproof Panasonic. Photo with Blue fishes taken at this location ( click), in fact is is the spot of the local little beach bar:

SPOT-link: Click here!

What you do here basically is go from one gorgeous beach to the other (Diti would be proud of us!), swim and snorkel everywhere, and get dangerously sunburned. And at the end of the day everybody goes to a sunset lookout, And the two best are the remains of two Dutch Forts, Remedios and Sao Pedro!

Internet is a little dodgy so, not sure if this message comes through and we still have some site-visits to make, so hopefully more news in a day or so! Therefore, a short post this time and Caio from Sander en Ger!

2010-07-18T22:51:00.003+02:00

We promised you yesterday a picture of the very touristy Porto de Galinhas trip to the natural pools, well, here it is:

Very sunny, very funny and really just a delightful tourist trap. And except some poor fish, there was nothing to see. No wonder after a storm last night churned all the seawater into a murky green. Spot a well known Tilley-hat in the distance! We were with the first few boats and 30 minutes later there were about 200 people in this spot. Nao importe: this is Brazil, and anything in the sun is fun!

So tomorrow we do absolutely nothing but stay in our posh hotel, and lounge on deck chairs by the sea. The resulting suntan we will absolutely need on Fernando de Noronha, so that's why! Radio silence for a few days; day after tomorrow we go to Recife. do some shopping at the biggest shopping mall in Brazil (Mr Cat for men's shoes!), and fly to Fernando on the 21st. Messages from there? All depends on the Internet. What strange times these are; maybe next time we will do the Blog from our Iphones! Ciao from Sander & Ger

Kuta in Brazil

2010-07-17T22:48:00.003+02:00

The world is getting so small! Even Porto de Galinhas, ten years ago a small village with sandy streets and only a handfull of tourists, has become totally Kuta-fied. (Kuta as in Kuta, Bali). The attraction is occurence of the Natural Pools (Piscinas Naturais) in the reef, where there should be seahorses to watch. At low tide, one takes a Jangada - lagoon-boats - to get there and lounge in the pools.

But now, and behind these Pernambuco Belles, you can see (click on the picture for a better view),in the distance on the reef, hundreds of people, waiting patiently to sit in a pool. If I were a seahorse, I would have split a long time ago! We have not made this exiting outing today - no swimgear with us - but maybe tomorrow, so watch this space for some fun photo's!

OK, it is Saturday, and all Recife has descended on Porto, and it is relaxed and nice enough. Family fun, with salads and beer on the beach. Indeed we will come back tomorrow. if it does not rain. As it did this morning, and lots of it! The forecast for today was bad weather: on the pictures you can see how true that was :-)

2010-07-16T20:36:00.003+02:00

Thanks, dear readers, for your kind replies! As a small reward two photo's from Porto de Galinhas, taken this morning.

There was one very pertinent question today in the mail: where is the wine? Well, Brazil is not so much a wine country. A Caipirinha country: yes! But we will have to hold back after discovering this afternoon that in one Caipirinha, the barman shoves two (2!) very full tablespoon of sugar. And that when for lunch and breakfast we are only eating vegetables and fruit :-). But there is an excellent alternative: the local Spumante (bubbles = champagne). And is that not also fruit? Plus, the red and white wine they serve at dinner is not bad at all, quite good really.

This morning we walked along the beach, southwards to Porto do Galinhas, but the weather was not good enough to go to the natural pools: the sea was too rough after last nights' rains and a thunderstorm was approaching. Happens in the Tropics. Better tomorrow. Ciao!

In Brazil: first a whole week on the beach! A New Series.

2010-07-15T22:53:00.008+02:00

Brazil has 4000km of beaches, and Ger needed a break, so we are sitting here on Praia Porto de Galinhas, south of Recife, reading (me) and doing Sudoku's (Ger). The flight to Natal (day before yesterday) was OK - with Arkefly - and Natal's best restaurant, Camaroes, appeared to be next to the hotel, so we had the largest shrimp(camaroes) dinner ever. The next morning we sat on Praia Ponta Negra and got seriously sunburned. Auw! A short flight to Recife to get south, and it will take two days in the beginning of August to redo that flights' distance back overland! The plan is to stay in this hotel for almost a week, see the natural pools with seahorses in Porto de Galinhas tomorrow for a break - and then fly to Fernando de Noronha for 5 days. Fernando is a bio-paradise in the middle of the Atlantic and the seas should be brimming with dolphins and turtles. Brought our new Bonaire snorkling gear for the reportedly super snorkling there. After Fernando: one week of culture and good food in Olinda and Recife, and then back via Itamaraca, where the hotel on the beach sits next to an old fort, Forte Orange, and you can guess who build that! So, that's the plan and herunder is today's location (click!). All the best and Ciao from Brazil and now it is time for some serious caipirinha's!

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=-8.47505,-34.9956&ll=-8.47505,-34.9956&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

Back Home from Italy: my IWTF Photo's

2010-05-12T18:17:00.005+02:00

As some of you may know Ger and me had to leave Italy early because Ger's mother fell ill and sadly passed away a day later.

My first week in Italy I spend in Liguria, with the "Italy Within The Frame" photo workshop. Pictures are now on my Zenfolio site. See the Liguria Group under All Photographs.

We hope to be back on this Blog soon!

Some News from Rome

2010-05-02T19:38:00.009+02:00

The first few days after my Liguria trip I was alone in Rome, and the weather was good. I have always been fascinated by the Via Appia. So I went here, with a taxi, at 06:30, and walked the whole way, what remains of the ancient way, from near the motorway to the beginning near the Porto San Sebastiano. Here is a Panorama, and it had been raining briefly the evening before.(Click on the pictures for a better view)

Then,after Ger came on 29 April, there was time for more serious business, like visiting the Pantheon. When the sunlight streams trough the Oculus, the opening in the dome, the light plays on the walls:

as well as even more serious business like lunch on the Piazza delle Rotonda, in front of the Pantheon, with icecream and little wood strawberries, fragolinas, as desert...

To sober up, here is a picture of the famous staute of Augustus, in the Vatican Museum. My feet hurt now! Ciao and till next message!

Italy: a Week in Liguria II

2010-04-25T20:36:00.006+02:00

Just arrived in Rome after the closure this morning of a very nice photo week in Liguria.

Here are some pictures, gathered on my laptop in the train this afternoon. May not be the best, but I have 1500 pictures to go through! The first picture, above is a Panorama of Piazza do Ferrari in Genova. And here are two street scenes, the first during the famous "Blue Hour" at the end of day, and that lasts no longer than 10 minutes.

A perfect gentleman in Gamogli is followed by less perfect tourists in Montorosso:

.. and as dessert here is a view of Vernazza by nightfall:

All the best from Italy and more to come!

Italy: a Week in Liguria

2010-04-21T17:54:00.005+02:00

OK, enough of being at home, retired and all and nothing to do :-). So a week in Liguria, West of Genova, and then Ger will join me in Rome. Plus we hope that the airlines are functional then, as I spent 17 hours on a train bench, and the same amount in Paris trainstations to get Italy.

Canadian photographer David Duchemin (find him with Google!) gives a photocourse together withe his colleague Jeffrey Chapman from Newy York, and it is hard work. Especially as both, and the international group as well, like good food and great wines. Here is a photo take in Genova after a super meal and some very fine wine:

Two days later we were in Vernazza, where I made a panorama of one of the most famous vistas around, more to come perhaps, as after dark the views around the harbour were wonderfull!

Today, 21 april, we are in Camogli, next to Recco, the Home of Focaccia bread. With cheese, just out of the oven, for lunch, and a real Macchiato afterwards: one is in heaven!

Last New Zealand message

2010-02-18T14:45:00.003+01:00

Sorry everybody for my '"Testbericht" a few minutes ago; wrong Blog selected! As a consolation I post herunder a panoramic view of the Moeraki Boulders. The Boulders are certainly a geological oddity and this is the only placee in the world where you can see those huge perfectly sferical geodes. For now: New Zealand is closed as subject on this Blog!

New Zealand pictures: some Panorama's

2010-01-16T13:07:00.005+01:00

Some panorama's, from the South Island, of the Milford and the Routeburn Tracks, to be exact. Click on a picture for a larger view. Read on down from this post for our New Zealand adventures.

This first pano was taken on the second day of the Milford Track, in the Clinton Valley.

And here is the view back to the Clinton valley, as seen from Mackinnon Pass:

Not far from Quintin Lodge, in the last hour of the third day of the Milford Track, a mysterious bush down the Pass:

Glorious Milford Sound, as seen from the boat.

Darren Range, as seen from the Hollyford face, on the Routeburn Track:

Lake MacKenzie, on the Routeburn Track

Routeburn Flats, on the last day of the Routeburn Track:

New Zealand 'Parting shot".

2010-01-14T00:22:00.002+01:00

Our last evening in New Zealand: the vista from Peter and Philippa's house on the hill in Wellington. A Cook Straits ferry is visible at the right. At the left Mount Victoria and the lights of the airport runway far left. Yesterday in Wellington, was partly sunny, warm, and no wind. Strange! All four of us had a holiday-day, with the Te Papa national museum in the morning, fish fries as lunch, the look-out from Mt. Victoria, the Cable Car plus coffee at the bottom, and finally a nice bush walk trough the Otari-Wilton's Bush. Now we are at Auckland Airport, after stocking up at the Icebreaker Outlet - in preparation for Europe's weather! So, this is the last message from NZ: with perhaps some of our best photo's to follow in final blog-post. Ciao!

From Rotorua to Napier

2010-01-11T06:44:00.002+01:00

One more volcanic view, now of the big steaming pool at Wai-O-Pua south of Rotorua, on the way to Taupo. This volcanic area is quite fun, even the Lady Knox Geyser. Why even? Because it only goes on when prompted with some washing powder. Which it is supplied with every morning at 10:15h. Quite a circus! The pool is much more natural.

Since yesterday we are in Napier, in the middle of the Hawke's Bay wine district. More than a hundred of wineries to be visited here. We only saw 4, and that was enough: tasting about 25 different wines. Fortunately on a tour, and not in our own rental car. Now it rains; and that should be our 3rd rainy day in NZ: we sure have a very sunny picture of this country!

Tomorrow on to Wellington to visit Cousin Peter and his wife Philippa. Then, on the 14th, back to very cold Holland. Bye from Sander and Ger!

Mount Tarawera near Rotorua.

2010-01-08T09:04:00.003+01:00

This is only part of the rift - not a crater - on top of Mount Tarawera. That Volcano erupted in 1886, and the eruption could be seen in Auckland. The whole rift spew fire, and the nearby lake erupted too. The byproduct of that concurrence was - as said our our pilot - a pyroclastic surge; a particularly nasty eruption byproduct. Villages and a boat full of tourists disappeared. Now Tarawera is dormant, but a nearby volcano is growing!

This flight over the volcanos was our activity for the day: now we really need a day of rest :-). Perhaps some more fire and brimstone after that?

Cape Reinga: to the North.

2010-01-07T09:56:00.003+01:00

Day before yesterday we were at Cape Reinga. Let's see what the experts say:

"Cape Reinga (Te Rerenga Wairua in Māori) is the northwesternmost tip of the North Island of New Zealand. The name of the cape comes from the Māori word 'Reinga', meaning the 'Underworld'. Another Māori name is 'Te Rerenga Wairua', meaning the leaping-off place of spirits. Both refer to the Māori belief that the cape is the point where the spirits of the dead enter the underworld."

Latitude:-34.4302
Longitude:172.6816
GPS location Date/Time:01/05/2010 11:17:57 NZDT

Click the link below to see where we were located.
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=-34.4302,172.6816&ll=-34.4302,172.6816&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

Abel Tasman only sailed by, and named Cape Maria van Diemen after the wife of the Governer General of the Indies. Surely his boss, who paid for the trip. Some hundred years later James Cook claimed New Zealand for the English.

This is truly a magical place and we were lucky to see it in good weather. A panorama photo is in the making. The Cape is also the point, or more exactly the neighbouring Cape Maria van Diemen, where Ninety Mile Beach ends. The end of the world really. Here are Cousin Diti Hill and Ger on Ninety Mile Beach.

Now we are may km south, in Rotorua, where the sulfur fumes arise from the streets. Well, at least in the Polynesian Spa we visited this afternoon, to have a well deserved bath.

New Year in Leigh after the visit to the Hokianga.

2010-01-01T22:23:00.002+01:00

Off tomorrow for 3 days far North! Halfway up is the Hokianga and here is just a view of the Bluff and the yellow dunes in the distance. We stayed there in a lovely Hotel, a little to the east fron this spot, with the same view on the dunes. Plus Chardonnay of course.

Drove back for the New Year, with 0liebollen at Bert's and the next morning to the Beach.

This is just a every day Pakiri beach scene but see here the coordinates and the time: 20 minutes before New Year in Europe!
SanderGerSPOT
Latitude:-36.24478
Longitude:174.72834
GPS location Date/Time:01/01/2010 11:40:11 NZDT

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=-36.24478,174.72834&ll=-36.24478,174.72834&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

All the best and Happy New Year from Sander and Ger

Fishing in Leigh and Te Matua Ngahere

2009-12-29T02:35:00.006+01:00

On Boxing Day, so 5 years after the tsunami, Bert Denee took us out to fish on his humongous Thunderbird boat to a secret spot near Little Barrier Island. Normally this trip takes a good hour, but with two 150 Yamaha Outboards you are there in 20 minutes. The fishes almost jump of the water. As this one, which Sander caught, and it is a Trevally. Excellent for making sashimi. A full plate was finished in 5 minutes in the evening,with an excellent local Chardonnay, and the Snapper also tasted super. Why do we sleep so much here?

Today, 29 December 2009. we are having a lazy afternoon - not so much sleep last night after a decaf which was perhaps not -, but this morning we visited the giant Kauri trees in the Waipoua forest. Not so old as the Mourakai Boulders, but not bad nevertheless; > 2000 years. here is what Wiki says:

"Te Matua Ngahere is a giant kauri tree in the Waipoua Forest of Northland Region, New Zealand. The tree's Maori name means "Father of the Forest". Although not as massive or tall as its neighbour Tāne Mahuta, Te Matua Ngahere is much stouter, with a girth (circumference) just over 16 metres (52.5 feet). There is no proof of the tree’s age, but it is estimated to be about 2000 years old. The tree is a remnant of the ancient rain forest that once grew on the North Auckland Peninsula."

Tomorrow up to the Hokianga, perhaps to the beach for a swim, the weather is still good, and then on the 31st back to Leigh for New Years Eve. Best wishes to everybody!

The Routeburn Track and on to Leigh.

2009-12-24T22:03:00.002+01:00

Most definitely the Milford Track was the more exiting of the two, but the Routeburn was wonderful too. Three days of brilliant sunshine, good company and excellent care at the lodges. Here is a picture of the highest point - not so high in New Zealand - at Harris Lake, just below the Harris Sadle.

After our return to Queenstown we had a great dinner at Pier 19 Restaurant with New Zealand and Korean friends. On 23rd December we flew of to Auckland, got our Hyundai Tucson 4WD (fun) and immediately got royally stuck in Auckland pre-X-mas weekend traffic. Now in Leigh, just 100km away, more than 3 hours after departure

Made the Milford!

2009-12-19T08:57:00.003+01:00

Hi everybody! So there we are, back now from the Milford Track, after a truly exiting 4 days. Wind sun, height, views and rain. Torrential rain yesterday, plus gale force winds so that the next group had to be helicoptered over the Mackinnon Pass. We passed the easy way as you can see on this spot message:

SanderGerSPOT
Latitude:-44.80255
Longitude:167.77541
GPS location Date/Time:12/17/2009 12:09:27 NZDT

Click the link below to see where I am located.
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=-44.80255,167.77541&ll=-44.80255,167.77541&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1
Message:All well, everything OK. Check this Google Maps link for our position.

The rest of the day was fine, be it a little steep: 1000 meters dowm. The last day walking from Quintin Lodge was rainy in the beginning. OK, no problem. Then, at about 10:00h the skies opened New Zealand style. This region gets 800 cm rain per year. We guess several decimeters fell yesterday. The path disappeared and the side of the path just became one extended waterfall.(The blob on the photo is a drop on the lens, of our little waterproof Panasonic: the only camera that would work in these conditions.) It was great and very beautiful. Tree-ferns everywhere, and water also. Got to the boat in time, for the short ride to the Hotel.

Fortunately today, at Milford Sound, the weather turned fine. As it should be during the next three days of radio silence, on the Routeburn Track. Till Christmas, or at least 22 December!

13 and 14 December 2009

2009-12-14T09:42:00.003+01:00

Those were typically travelling and family visit days. After lots of photo-time at the Boulders, it was eating time in Moeraki. Ken and Jenny invited us to an evening dinner in Riverstone, and we already had had a huge lunch with Ken. The excellent Chadordonnay helped though.

Then we drove to Wanak and first visited Cousin Jo and her boyfriend Kurt, and had a look at the site where Kurt is single handedly building a house.

After that we had a great dinner and the view from the restaurant over Lake Wanaka is here:

Now we are in Queenstown, and tomorrow the Milford- and Routeburn-track tramps (= walks) start. The weather will be like this, so wish us luck! Sunshine and rain, most possible happening together! This is "Lord of the Rings" country after all!

Next message will be from Te Anau after the Milford Track, and if there is no Wifi there, you all will have to wait till December 22! Ciao From Otago, New Zealand

Back at the Boulders!

2009-12-11T04:59:00.003+01:00

250KM South-east of Tekapo, on the Pacific Coast, one finds one of the small wonders of the world: the Moeraki Boulders. 30 years ago I got a glimpse - no time to stay - and now we stay here for two nights in a luxury cabin - with jacuzzi-tub - next to one of the best restaurants on the South Island: "Fleurs". All in view of those Boulders I just had to come back to one time. Sunny weather, cloudy weather, they remain as strange and out-worldly as ever. This is what Wikipedia says:

"The Moeraki Boulders are unusually large - max 2 meters + - and spherical boulders lying along a stretch of Koekohe Beach on the wave cut Otago coast of New Zealand between Moeraki and Hampden, and are located at 45°20′42.99″S 170°49′33.82″E. They occur scattered either as isolated or clusters of boulders within a stretch of beach where they have been protected in a scientific reserve. The erosion by wave action of mudstone, comprising local bedrock and landslides, frequently exposes embedded isolated boulders. These boulders are grey-colored septarian concretions, which have been exhumed from the mudstone enclosing them and concentrated on the beach by coastal erosion."

So much for the Wikis: to us they look like giant geodes, as you have with amethyst, but then with brown crystals inside. Some of them are broken and you can look inside. This picture is just a teaser: more to come!

And as Ken lives in Hampden: lunch at Fleurs - see above - tomorrow! Ciao from Moeraki!

Sushi in Kohan

2009-12-10T18:21:00.002+01:00

Still quite jetlagged and up in the morning at 06:00h. Today we drive to Moeraki via the mountains and the lakes of the hydroelectric scheme. Yesterday evening Cousin Marianne and her son Marcus showed up from Timaru and we had wine on the terrace and a Japanese diner at the Kohan: reportedly the best on the South Island. So now, after this message, back to packing and breakfast! Weather looks fine!

Lake Tekapo

2009-12-09T21:03:00.004+01:00

Lake Tekapo, smack in the middle of the South island, after a 250 km drive yesterday from Christchurch.

Click the link below (or paste in your browser) to see where we are located.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=-44.00446,170.48346&ll=-44.00446,170.48346&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

In a little Ford Focus. And boy, were we glad we brought the Tomtom! Christchurch is a one-way nightmare. The weather is beautiful this morning, as you see. Yesterday there was a Northwesterly storm, and then it gets wet and warm. Here in Tekapo we probably have the best place there is, a little 3 bedroom cabin in the best spot of all Tekapo: a stone throw away from the Church of the Good Shepherd. The panorama I made this morning was shot about a 100 meters walk away from the cabin, towards the lake. Lupins galore.

Lake Tekapo village is overrun by Japanese, Chines and elderly Dutch couples. Just like us. The best restaurant is Japanese. And tonight cousin Marianne and her son Marcus are coming for diner! Tomorrow we drive to the East Coast, to Moeraki, where one can find one of the strangest sights in the world: the Moeraki Boulders. On the beach. Just Google and you will find them. All the best again from New Zealand!

Hongkong from Floor 67

2009-12-07T11:49:00.002+01:00

OK, not New Zealand yet - flight leaving in two hours - but a stopover in Hongkong with a so-called dayroom in a 100 story hotel is fun too. Except the weather: rain the whole day. People dress like it is winter, I suppose it is. Slept through the morning after a 11 hour flight, and another of those is now waiting. Bye from Sander and Ger, and that was all for the first message of this trip. Stay tuned!

Short Report from Lisbon

2009-07-31T19:55:00.003+02:00

A fast City-trip to end our Azores walking holiday. Best way to start: with 'Lisbon Walkers" an organization that does a couple of walks every morning, and always one through the Alfama district, where the cities oldest roots are. This is warren of medieval streets and alleys at the foot of the old castle of Lisbon. Here are some views.

Another interesting aspect of the cities are the trams and the 'Elevadores'. One enormous lift, like there is in Salvador, Brazil and a couple of funicular railways, which are the best fun. We ride them whenever possible, and they function until late at night.

We also visited the great aquarium at the former Expo site. Where there are also some good Calatrava buildings. And finished today with Sintra. Here is a picture of the Pena Palace above Sintra. Funny outside, utterly bourgeois inside. Not royal at all, we do think. But the lunch in Sintra town, after a long walk down because the bus did not show up, was great. This sure is a civilised country! Bye from Portugal!

Faial and Pico Islands in the Azores

2009-07-25T22:58:00.013+02:00

Above see a typical Azores scene: cows and Hydrangeas. We saw plenty during a very pleasant walk down from the top of the Faial Caldeira -the big central Volcano - to the coast. All hedges are almost only Hydrangeas here, and they are cut with a machine, just as we do with hedges. The weather has turned sunny, and very sunny as well: we are both sunburnt. The upside of all that sun is that you can sit outside in the evening and and enjoy the famous harbour of Horta. Many transatlantic sailors stop here, en drink beer at Cafe Sport. Our Hotel is very close, which is good as drinks cost next to nothing.

So yesterday evening on to Pico, with the boat, crossing a very choppy 'Canal' in 30 minutes. In the main city Madalena there is an extremely noisy festival going on, so we are lucky to have booked in Lajes do Pico, at the 'Whale.com' Hospedaje, next to the main whale watching shop. Super room, excellent Pico wine and, a good restaurant and sunny outside:

This morning, instead of tomorrow morning, when it is supposed to rain, we took the whalewatching trip. This is only one whale - on its way down below - and we saw many, many. A whole pack of perhaps 15 whales during the second half of the trip, and they were even jumping out of the water.

Is the old boatsheds there is a good museum.Seeing a former whaling boat plus looking at the pictures of 50 years ago, we had a real deja-vue of our whaling trip in Lamalera, Indonesia, in 2002 that was I think. Photos of that trip on http://www.vanhulsenbeek.com

Next message from Faial or from Lisboa!

Day #4 in the Azores

2009-07-21T19:40:00.002+02:00

So, here is the picture promised day before yesterday. Why such delay? Well... try the Internet here. Yesterday, it worked nowhere. Today in Clube Naval it does, at the cost of beer and chips. After a 6 hour walk, including a steep 1000 meter descent, that is OK. Pictures? We hope tomorrow. Not of the first two hours of the walk, because then we only had fog, as thick you do not see in Europe nowadays. And maybe of the last hour, at Faja do Ouvidor, where the sun shone and rain fell at the same time. For one hour on end! Suppose that kind of weather you only get in the Mid-Atlantic. But we are lucky: flights are delayed for two days, but we walked in the sun from noon till 16:00H! Just depends on which side of the island Sao Jorge you are! Anyhow, the Hydrangeas and the cows thrive; just wait and see! Ciao!

Porto do Velas, Sao Jorge, Azores.

2009-07-20T18:13:00.005+02:00

Internet is intermittent at best here, as is the weather, but last evening we had this view from our hotel window on Sao Jorge in the Azores, with Pico Volcano, on the island aptly called Pico, in the distance. Pico, the mountain, is more than 2300 meters high, or some, and the highest mountain in Portugal. See picture in 21 Juli post!

Yesterday we climbed a little volcano, and tday descended the >700 meters from the road on the island to the sea on the North Coast. A sort of mini-Hawai, with incredibly lush vegetation. Hortensias, ... oeps.. Hydrangeas, everywhere. As hedges between the meadows. Because the cows do not like to eat them, that is why. 60% of the population of Sao Jorge works in the dairy/cattle business. Probably not much else to do here.

Lots of rain this evening, but tomorrow should be better, and the walk longer. One sleeps well here, as in the restaurants a bottle of good Vino Verde costs only 5 EUR.

All the best for now! Sander and Ger.

At last: two sunny days in Scotland!

2009-04-30T17:30:00.007+02:00

Yesterday, and the day before, the sun shone, sometimes, so there was ample possibility to capture those famous Scottish skies.

This burn was full of water this year (it was almost dry two years ago when we had that boring week of blue sky only) so pasting together those highlights and darks clouds in the skies was easy. With special software in which you load 5 shots, from very over exposed to very underexposed. In the end, this comes out:

And here we have the Ben Nevis range very far away in the background, with massive clouds looming over Glencoe, taken near Corrour Station.

When there is some green available, infrared photos do well. In infrared light, green stands out, and blue becomes almost black, as seen here in this view of Loch Ossian, the main lake on the Estate.

Today: rain again. So, except for a little wet walk after lunch, not much exercise is available - not good! - and time is spent behind the laptop, and packing in the evening for an early start to morrow. Back to Edinburgh and the KLM flight back home! Perhaps there will be another post about this trip. If not, the above picture of our home for the last few days is my Scotland parting shot. Further details: click/look here: http://www.corrour.co.uk/

More pictures in my Picassa Webalbum::

Corrour 2009

Ciao everybody!

A week in not so sunny Scotland

2009-04-28T10:46:00.006+02:00

Back in Corrour, a private Estate south-east of Fort William for a week of photo shooting and photo-software instruction. Corrour, 300 km2 large (!, is property of the Swedish owners of Tetrapak and the lodge houses celebrities like Paul McCartney in the weekend. The other buildings, very nice though, are for rent to lesser mortals, and pleasant they are. Depending on the weather! Two years ago we had a week of brilliant sunshine, and it became boring! Now..... . Well, the first day, after being disappointed that a very nice and picturesque piece of woodland had been turned into this: a couple of people climbed a nearby hill and were treated with this typically Scottish landscape. The lake in the distance is Loch Ossian and in the woods near the lake are the Corrour Estate buildings. This is a so called HDR (High Dynamic Range) picture. The results of this pasting toegether of of several different exposures of the same subject look crappy in color, in my humble opinion, but Black & White.......? Let me know. Click or the picture(s) for a 1200 pix rendering.

This is a panorama from a little higher up the hill than the previous shot, made some secends before the weather turned, and we had to leave the hill in a hailstorm! Yesterday was a drizzly day, good for walking. My new Goretex lined boots are great, and very necessary, as every path turns into a little stream in the rain. A little weak sunshine yesterday afternoon produced this small vista in obviously above 100% humidity: The famous Rhododendron garden on the Estate suffers from the rain. The sturdy species from the Himalayas, with the red bark on the trees, are glorious, but the weaker European varietes drop their blooms. Pretty though! So what now? The BBC tells us that this afternoon is better, so off to more software instruction - hard in the evening with all the good wine available - and hopefully a good walk in the afternoon.

Ayo Boneiru, te otro bes ku Dios ke!

2008-12-29T10:09:00.004+01:00

A parting shot from Bonaire: Boca Wayaka, almost as far as you can get in Washington Slagbaai N.P. The sandy beach has disappeared in hurricane Omar, and the coral was damaged, but there were many many big fishes, like a Rainbow Parrot Fish, if I am right. Pizza the last night with an american couple from San Diego, and that was about it! Ciao and thanks for reading!

For those that did not get my other messages: http://sanderva.blogspot.com

Underwater Christmastree

2008-12-25T21:13:00.005+01:00

Merry Christmas everybody!

Today we went on a snorkel/rum&coke trip to Klein Bonaire, a litle, pristine, island 700 metres, wow, off Bonaire's West Coast. On a catamaran with the whole works. Sea & Sea camera included. That's why. The fishes were undoubtedly happy on this auspicious day.

Yesterday day was really a funny day. Every halfhour during daytime it rained, poured, for 3 minutes, no more. And the rest of the time there was sun. For the evening we had booked in a nice restaurant, outdoors, and when we arrived they were all in a panic, because it had just rained again. Not enough tables inside for the long queue that was waiting. So we said, put us at a table outside please, we can always retire to the bar inside. OK, two hours later we left - not a drop till then - and we walked back to the hotel, 5 minutes away. Then it started, trees did not help for shelter, and we got royally soaked. In the hotel the whole lobby was awash. Today was fine. Now next to the pool, in the shade. Wifi is free!

So again! Feliz Navidad, Bon Pascu and till again!

On Bonaire it only rains at night!

2008-12-23T22:00:00.006+01:00

This is a picture of the famous slavehouses at the Bonaire Salt pans. Faithfully, if somewhat sloppily, restored. Photo made yesterday morning very early, jetlag of course!

Today we went to the Washington Slagbaai National pak. Picures to come. The park is very very green, and there is a nice restaurant about as far away as you can get. Our Jeepny does well: the roads are bad because of Storm Omar in September. Which also washed away most beaches as Sander remembers them from 30 years ago.

Tha was a long day (the drive through the park took 6 hours) and now we chill out, sunburned at the pool, in the evening sun. Goes under at 18:15 and yesterday we saw the green flash!

Ah, and it rains here. At night only! Isn't that nice?

Bonaire: Terschelling in the Tropics!

2008-12-22T20:21:00.005+01:00

Notwithstanding the brilliant sun and the sights like the slavehouses, Sorobon, Goto lake, we get a real Terschelling (island in the north of the Netherlands) feeling here. Book- and souvenirshops managed by big-boned blond women in their fifties, beaches, tourists, even the food! But it is nice, also to be back!

Here we are at the central Bonaire spot, the Market at the beach in Playa:

After a very good flight and a quiet day yesterday - with a drive to the salt pans and to Goto Lake in the evening - things changed today: a cruise ship of Brobdingnagian proportions showed up. First a big white blob on the horizon, then after 30 minutes of mooring this monster, with 3000 people on board! (photo from the hotel grounds)

The girl in the City cafe said: they never eat here; it is free on the ship! Very nice place, the City cafe, for lunch - since Sanders constitution returned to almost normal - and even with wifi. An example of modern Papiamentu: "Bo ta klar pa surf riba e wep!"(Esuse:-)

Tomorrow there will be two of those cruisers, so we go to Washington Slagbaai National Park. With the little Susuki Jimny 4WD: wish we had that car in Namibia! Should be nice: the island is very very green, compared to thirty years ago. Also in winter then, the landscape was gray and brown. The climate seems to have become cooler and wetter.

So, if the dodgy wifi in the Hotel keeps up: more to come. If not Bon Pascy y Feliz Ano Nobo!

18 South Africa and Namibia Pano's!

2008-09-01T15:08:00.005+02:00

Some people like panorama's; I do! The best of South Africa and Namibia are now on my website Pictures with the Leica in a new subweb Panorama's 2008. Enjoy!

From Windhoek to Amsterdam

2008-08-02T14:19:00.006+02:00

The last of this South Africa-Namibia series! Of course, a sunset Panorama, from the 'sundowner' viewpoint at our Sossus Lodge. And I changed nothing in the colors in this pictures! The view extends to the dunes that lie between this point and the Atlantic Ocean. That is Namibia: one can see perhaps 40 km far from here!

(Click on the picture for a larger view!)

Not shown here are the table and chairs waiting behind the camera, with snacks and an excellent, cold, Chardonnay. All set up by guide Matthias, who drove up the steep slope with a big 4WD.

The flight back home was OK, and that is all I can say. Now we are back home and loving it too. Miss the views of SA and Namibia! The automatic emails from this Blog will now stop, but I will sure publish some more stuff, Bye!

But OK; for you who come back to this Blog, a bonus of three Panorama's: stitched from vertical pictures, mostly made with a tripod; always click on the picture for a larger view!)

In chronological order:

1. A flower field in Goegap Nature Reserve near Springbok: the center of Namaqualand. If there has been enough rain in May and June, this otherwise very dry region erupts in flowers in Spring: nowhere better than here, in Goegap!

2 A colorful but drier view of some dunes in Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. The sun has just set and we are still 25 km away from camp: that is only possible during a sunset drive!

3. An early morning view of Dead Vlei in Namibia. It speaks for itself!

All the best!
Sander & Ger

From Sossusvlei on to Windhoek

2008-07-30T19:24:00.004+02:00

Some days later now, and we are now in Windhoek, to fly back tomorrow. Sossusvlei was wonderful and the little pictures in this Blog do not do it justice. Coming soon!

North of Sossusvlei is a special place, Solitaire, that made its fame with a book by Dutchman Van der Lee with the same name. Now, sure for Dolf van Elten:-), a picture of the gasstation and of the interior of the store.

The Internet in the Vondelhof Guesthouse is a little dodgy, so more news and pictures when we are back. A quiet day tomorrow, and then a night flight via Johannesburg to Amsterdam. Ciao everybody!

Namibia: Fish River and Namib Naukluft Park

2008-07-26T09:54:00.004+02:00

Fish River was our first destination in Namibia. Here we are with guide Jannie on the canyon floor. Very special trip. We will tell more in this post when back!

Now we are in a Little Sossus Lodge near Sossusvlei: the famous red dunes. The last hours of yesterdays drive were breathtaking. Sure the widest vista in the world. Had we known where the lodge was, we would have seen it from 40 km! Tomorrow we will visit the dunes. All is well. The satellite connection here is very slow, so that's all for today! Ciao from the most beautiful golden valley anywhere!

Vastrap Guest Farm, South Namibia

2008-07-23T11:13:00.007+02:00

Yesterday we were a bit late to get to to the hotel before dark so we stayed at a Farm south of Gruenau; Here are some pictures. First the surroundings:

The Farm buildings:

And now we are in Keetmanshoop, and here you have the Kaiserliches Postambt!
Viele gruesse!

Springbok to Kgalagadi and Augrabies

2008-07-22T10:43:00.003+02:00

Just before taking the turn to Namibia, from Upington, out last news from Suid Afrika.

Springbok was enough for an overnight stop and a huge dinner at Tauren Steaks. Funny waiters and a fancyful interior. Miners galore (there is a big copper mine there). The Afrikaners seem huge and overweight, the Blacks are skinny. Next morning to nearby Goegap Nature reserve where the famous Namaqualand springflowers have started to bloom. Best in August, but early this year for the small Asters and the yellow 'Dubbeltje'.

Then more than 300 Km to Upington through an immensely wide landscape to friendly Affinity Guesthouse. Huge room with view on the Oranje Rivier.

The trip to Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, 260 Km further was a little long but the park (a huge chunk of the Kalahari Desert) is rewarding. As shows this picture:

We made a 100km trip ouselves in the park, with lots of Gemsbok, Springbok, Wildebeest and Stokstaarties. Many birds, also the big ones: Secretary Bird and Gompauw.

Equally good where the sunsetdrives, and we did them both two evenings. Saw a whole pack of lions, the animels hereabove, and after the sunsets, in searchlights, a huge owl, many small jumpy animals like the Springhaas, Kaaphaas, Jackals and wild cats.

Yesterday we were at Augrabies falls where the Oranje Rivier falls into a huge gorge. The falls thing is a bit touristy. Not so the 4 hours trek where Ger slipped on a rock, but was not hurt fortunately.

So now, after some shopping at the Pick' n Pay we are off to Namibia! Ciao everybody!

Via Cederbergen to Springbok.

2008-07-16T18:08:00.003+02:00

After Langebaan on the West Coast we drove to Kromrivier in the Cederbergen area. From even the Coast we could see the snow on the mountains. That had fallen during the terrible weather some ten days ago. Olifantsrivier was to high so we even had to make a detour.

Cederbergen is not high, some 2000 meters on the highest top, aptly called 'Sneeuwberg'! Here we are just under the top:

That was a nice walk, the last hour in the snow. The 2nd day we saw the Bushman's-peintings and the weather detoriated, so we spent the rest of the day in the selfcatering cottage, with Fawlty Towers (audiobook) on the Ipods and with excellent rose and red wine from... Cederbergen.

Today up early, detour again, and then 350 km, as the TomTom flies, to Springbok. Only 160 km from the Namibia border. But first tomorrow direction Kalahari and then with a stop at Augrabies falls - probably spectacular now - to Fish River in Namibia.

Not sure about Internet the next few days, so stay tuned!

West Coast

2008-07-12T17:51:00.003+02:00

Yesterday, after only two hours drive, via Darling, we arrived at Langebaan, on the north tip of the West Coast Park.

The weather is unbelievably clear. From the beach at the far end (north) of the park Table Mountain at Kaapstad was visible. So are the Cederberg Mountains where we are going tomorrow, and the have snow on their tops! The last week it has rained so much that tomorrow we have to take a detour, because the bridge we should take to cross Olifantsriver has been flooded. So has the whole valley up north at Vredendal.

On the West Coast the flowers are starting to show. We hope there will be more up north, where it is warmer, but we are early. Next 3 nights at Cederbergen are selfcatering so we bought food at the local AH: Pick @ Pay. Prices are about half what they are in the EU, and so is the price of gass. Almost 500 Km on 17 EUR untill now: not bad!

The car, a Toyota Yaris, is OK. Quite ugly: when we first saw it Ger said: what a creapy car! (Enge auto). There is almost no trafic, already now, so when you turn up on the highway and drive on the right, nothing happens :-). Fingers crossed for tomorrow, when we first pass Vredenberg, oeps: Vredenburg.

That's all for now: the USB of this PC does not read from my reader: otherwise we would have shown a nice flower picture. Or a fossil bone, from the Museum nearby, of the short-necked giraffe, that lived here 5 million years ago. Next post: hopefuly in Springbok. Ciao!

At the Cape! South Africa Trip started!

2008-07-11T09:06:00.003+02:00

Hi Everybody! As can see we have arrived at in South West point of Africa! Of course this is not Capetown, this is the Cape of Good Hope, the little hump in the distance. Went there yesterday, with Hans in his 4 wheel drive. A good trip to get used to the distances here. And it was the first day of good weather since weeks. In the last week almost half of the winter-rains fell, and rivers are rising. Whole settlements have been affected. Now it is over.

Arrived in the evening of 8 July, and spend 9 July in wet and rainy Capetown. Shopping and going to the great aquarium. Beautiful Kelp Forest display.

Today we are going to Langebaan, to the West Coast National Park. First past Blaubergstrand with the views of Table Mountain and the to Darling to visit Evita se Perron. More about next time, when there is more tine for a leisurely report. Everything else OK. No jetlag (!), no sunburn, yet. All the best from Sander and Ger!

Three Sumba Panoramas

2008-01-15T20:36:00.000+01:00

After a few months fiddling around on my laptop - a new but very dodgy version of DXO spoiled most of the fun - I have come around to present some interesting panoramas, made on the island of Sumba in East Indonesia.

The first shows a beach north of the capital Waingapu. This was indeed a lucky pano. No tripod, no pano setup, just 20 pictures shot by hand - with some discipline - and then stitched with PtGui. Only very few corrections to be made afterwards in Photoshop. Click on the picture for a larger view: best done with rightclick and opened in a new window.

And now a pano I like a lot. Sodan village is in the South West of Sumba on a high and steep hill.
This pano was made making use of a few minutes of sunshine. For the human element, there are some kids to be seen at the far right.

This is an old and venerable village - Kampung - and not long ago on one of the attics in the top of the 'hat-roofs', a drum was found with a human skin. May sound morbid now, but in earlier times, like 100 years ago, such 'treasures' were indeed fabricated after a victorious war. Now the people are christians and work in the field, down the hill at the riverside. But the customs regarding burial still persist. On of the graves with a large raised tombstone can be seen next the first communal house.

One of the best know tombstones on Sumba can be found in Rende, in the east. The village is not so pure anymore but the tombstones of the princely families are awesome. The large rock shown here was towed to the village from many miles away. The considerable manpower for such a feat has to be fed, and the family saves for many years before being able to afford the slaughter of scores of buffalows needed at lunch for such a ceremony , and for the energy involved!

All pictures made with the Leica M8 and the new 16-18-21 Wide Angle Tri-Elmar M.

Rinjani Caldera: View from the crater rim

2007-09-22T17:57:00.000+02:00

Some photo's from one of our two Volcano treks in Indonesia - July/August 2007.
(See August 3 for Rinjani and August 9 for Tambora)

This is a 180 degree + panorama, made on the rim of the 6 km wide caldera of Rinjani Volcano on Lombok. Lombok is the first big island east of Bali. The top of Rinjani, left in the picture, is the second highest peak in Indonesia, after the snow capped mountains - show not expected to be there for much longer - on New Guinea.

The height of the rater rim at photo point is 2650m:Garmin GPS details: 01/08/2007 16:50:08 2650 m S8 23.049 E116 24.011

I used a Leica M8 plus WATE (Wide Angle Tri-Elmar) at 18mm. The IV/UR filter probably caused the reflections at the right. The panorama was stichted with PtGui. Click on the picture for a larger view.

And here you find the spot the panorama was taken from in Google Maps (click):
http://maps.google.nl/maps/ms?f=q&hl=nl&geocode=&num=10&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=109402382047109712499.00043abb8d249ba57fac6&t=k&om=1&ll=-8.382544,116.404266&spn=0.123804,0.138702&z=13

Appreciate the width covered by the panorama (put together with 12 vertical wide angle pictures) with this Google Maps screenshot:

Plus below I pasted a Google Map in which, in Google Earth Plus, the Garmin Track and Waypoints were imported, so you can see the actual route of the trek: straight up :-)

Indonesian Jungle Panorama

2007-08-26T20:51:00.000+02:00

In the next weeks I will publish some Indonesia photo's on this Blog. Here, to start, is a Panorama, made at Pos II on the Rinjani trek. 11 photo's, upright and made with the Leica M8 plus WATE lens at 21 mm, stitched together with PTGui.

Back in Amsterdam.

2007-08-25T09:18:00.000+02:00

With only one of our 30 days left on our visa, as the Immigration officer at Bali Ngurah Rai Airport happily remarked, and with a full day stop in Singapore, we are now back in Amsterdam, since yesterday. Greeted at Schiphol not only by Troy but also by colleague Wil!

Singapore has changed and not changed. Its skyline is impressive, and many old buildings and streets have disappeared. But people are still sitting outside, and - more so in the former Chinese quarters - seem to be sitting outside the whole afternoon and evening to eat. Vast amounts of delicious Chinese fastfood. Yummy!

Far many of our readers, Indonesia may, after the previous posts, seem a far and primitive destination, Not so, and to prove that, here are two pictures made at hotels in Bali. The first is a view from the bar of the Ubud Inn in Ubud, Bali. At the Lotus Pond. Most civilised.

And this is a picture from the pool at the Sofitel Seminyak, 1 kilometer north of Kuta. Also on Bali. Comments?

Thanks everybody for bearing with our posts! The Blog stays, but the automatic email feature is now switched of. Till next time!

Ger and Sander

A week in Sumba, East Nusa Tenggara

2007-08-19T04:07:00.000+02:00

Sumba is an hour's flight away from Bali, but in fact Indonesia as it was 50 years ago. (Except for the ubiquitous GSM in everyone's hand, mainly for SMS use)

The villages are unique, very pure in the east, and spectacular in the west, in Kodi, where the rocket-shaped roofs soar to 15 meters. Space obviously needed for the many spirits in the communal house after so many years of use. Some houses are, their frames at least, hundreds of years old.

Here you see a couple, with some villagers:

We rented a car with driver and guide, and that was fun. The guide, listed in Lonely Planet as it appeared later, spoke very good English, and knew all the head men of the villages (kepala desa), which made introduction easy. Helped with the usual offering of siri and betelnut, chewed by everybody. Ruining their teeth, and coloring their lips brilliant red. Sander tried, at a funeral, and spit out copious amounts of red sap, making all the bereaved, including the mother of the deceased, chuckle with laughter.

Lunch was usually taken at a local market, like this. Fried banana in dough cannot go wrong.

We have, by the way, not been sick since in Indonesia!. Except tired from the Malarone. A good idea to take that, said an American naval doctor. who worked with a anti malaria campaign. Sumba was rife with malaria, including the deadly Plasmodium Falciparum parasite. And lots of mosquitos in the evening.

We stayed in a great beach resort, spectacular beach, and the first night we were the only quests. Electricity went down, and their we were having our beer and very good diner with candelight and with our headlamps. Staff sitting on the side, and whispering only. Very memorable. The second night the American docter was there, and there was electricity.

Now we are back in Ubud Bali, in the same hotel we stayed in 5 years ago. Tomorrow we will visit Gunung Kawi and the famous sawah-lookouts.

All the best from Bali!

(Pictures are untreated, because this PC has no imaging program)

Volcano bagging done!

2007-08-09T04:26:00.000+02:00

Back in Bali from Sumbawa! Hiking Mount Tambora was totally different from Mount Rinjani. This was not a trip for pretty pictures but a real jungle adventure. To start: here we are, about half way in Sumbawa, near Empang: the trasi capital (for the Indo-culinary interested) of Indonesia. In the distance you see Tambora. The whole flat top is the caldera (wide crater). It is not very steep, but that is the only one bonus (see further)!

The way up to the Tambora base in Pancasila is a good 12-14 hours drive from Poto Tano Harbour on West Sumbawa. And the road gradually changes from good to bad to -- what can we say. We arrived in Pancasila village in the evening and slept in a local home. Very tired. Get up 06:00h, then a bone shaking ride on motorbikes to shorten the route with 3 hours. And then?

This, for the next 10 hours up, 1500 meters climb:

And this actually is the good stuff. The path was opened some ten years ago, and now perhaps 30 people walk it, per year. So it is totally overgrown, seemingly narrowing daily as it had already recovered when we walked back from the top. About 30 centimeters wide, through meters high grass, ferns, ect. And some uncovered patches in very dark jungle. 60 meter high trees, etc. Very humbling and exiting but not for pictures. Hence the adventure!

And then the bonus, the word used by the porters: indeed an unexpected extra: 3 hours up fighting through a giant and super-ferocious relative of our European stinging nettles (brandnetel)! Where the tree cover was less dense, so that was on the steeper paths, of course. The oh's and auw's kept the group together.

That was composed of the competent and cheerful owner of Lombok Trekking, Sunny, two local and very strong porters and student Rahman originally from the same region. And 2 Bule(tourists): we.

The first night we slept 700 meters under the top (which is at 2700m) at the last level spot , where Sunny cooked up a famous nasi goreng. We got up at 03:30h and there we went. Ger was some ten minutes before Sander at the rim, and saw the crater and crater bottom. And fortunately took pictures. Sander only got some glimpses of the other side of the crater, 6 km away and of the awsome rim, before the clouds came in. But nevertheless a great experience!

Then a 14 hours 2200m slip, stumble, walk down (no, actually it was fun!), the last part, 6 hours in the rain and and later also the dark (darker and more mysterious than Harry Potter will ever know). Followed the bike ride, and back at the village late. The mandi (cold bath) was great, and so was the dinner waiting for everybody.

Next day we had a 12 hour ride, cheered up by Sunny and driver Nasir, a man of great humour.

The day was ended with 2 hours on a ferry in very choppy seas from Sumbawa to Lombok and a nasi goreng in a street stall in Mataram (Lombok's capital), Sunny's favourite, and the best nasi goreng we ever had. With tea only, as the whole trip was alcohol free ( :-).

So was the pilot from Lombok to Bali, as the flight and landing was super smooth! What about all this Indonesian airline ruccus? This pilot was good!

Last night in Bali, Ger woke up and felt the hotel tremble. Yes, earthquake! 7 on the Richter scale, somewhere in Java. Sander slept through it and was very disappointed there fore that he could not enter that terremoto to his list of consciently experienced natural disasters :-(

Next post if possible from Sumba, and, if not, from Bali where we hope to be back 18 August, staying in the Ubud Inn in Ubud.

Ger and Sander

Second Post from Indonesia: Rinjani

2007-08-03T03:49:00.000+02:00

Hi! we are in Senggigi on Lombok. And are back from Mount Rinjani. The caldera of Rinjani is one of the biggest in Indonesia, and the Crater Rim where we stayed is at a height of 2671 meters. As our trusted Garmin GPS showed.

Very cold at night, well, relatively. But the views are superb, when at the end of the afternoon the clouds lift. Here is a picture looking back to the sea north of Lombok:

After a cold and windy night, the sunrise is even more beautiful and one can see Tambora Volcano on Sumbawa, our next destination. Westwards you discover the Gili Islands - we stayed at no 3, Gili Trawangan, the island with the little hump at left. And in the far distance, on the other side of Strait Lombok, you see Mount Agung on Bali:

Yesterday it was time for a 2000 altitude-meters slog down to Senaru, the base where the car waited.

Oh yes, we were really thrilled that the campsites are sweeped - with a sapu lidi - every week, all paper burned and plastic bottles taken down. Indonesia is changing!

This afternoon we leave with the Lombok Trekking people to Sumbawa to climb to the rim of Mount Tambora on Sumbawa. The is a 4 day trip, and not many people do it because it is very far. But it should be easier than Rinjani which is steeper. Formerly Tambora was > 4000 high - must have been a sight - but in 1815 it blew its top with the biggest bang in recorded history. 10 times Krakatau. And on the Volcano blurp-scale it ranks immediately below the largest expected cataclysm of all: the eruption of the whole of Yellowstone. When? That is only a matter of waiting.

Ah, we did not show a picture of Rinjani caldera, because, it cannot be captured otherwise than with a panorama photo. Which will be coming after we are back in Holland.

And every else is fine, even the weather ;-). Ciao everybody!

First 2007 Indonesia post!

2007-07-29T08:24:00.000+02:00

Just an ordinary everyday shot while arriving at Gili Trawangan Island off Lombok :-). Sun and sea!

This was last night after a nice afternoons' trip from Bali. Everything seems to go fine (except that the Epson 2000 battery gave out, so now it only works off the electricity net. This detail for techlovers!)

We had the fastest arrival ever at Ngurah Rai Bali airport: 35 minutes from plane to taxi, including visa, luggage finding and customs! Kuta is hectic as ever, but the beach scene with the pijit (massage) ladies hasn't changed in 30 years. The Legian Beach Hotel is nice as ever, and so is the nasi campur at Made's Warung.

Good weather here, as opposed tot Singapore, where the plane took 30 minutes to fly to the top of the murky clouddeck. Borneo smoking? Looked like it.

Here on Gili we can see Rinjani Volcano in the morning on Lombok and it looks huge! That is for the day after tomorrow, and tomorrow we will do nothing as there is not else to do here anyway. There aren't even cars, only cidomo's, horse carts! And excellent Illy coffee.

After coming back to Bali from Lombok and Sumbawa on 8 August, we will leave for Sumba on 11 August for a week's stay. Then a couple of day's on Bali again, and then 'selesai' (finish)

Ma, can you relay this and further messages to the Rolsmas please?

Blog, with picture, at http://sanderva.blogspot.com

Sampai Jumpa Lagi!

Sander and Ger

Scotland visited in a week of glorious weather!

2007-06-17T16:01:00.000+02:00

From 24 April till 4 May 2007, just before turning 60 on May 10 :-) , I participated in a week's Photo and Video shooting on Corrour Estate in the Scottish West Highlands. Deer stalking yes, shooting: only with camera's!

Corrour lies east of the corrour Station on the Glasgow -Fort William line, and is only accesible from there on foot. Cars are allowed for guests only from the other side of the Estate, a 1 hour drive.

My Website ( http://www.vanhulsenbeek.com/ )gives you the picture- and panorama pages. Our Grouplog ( http://corrour2007.blogspot.com/) shows more about panorama building, an exiting recently accessible development of digital photography.

The BLOG is revived!

2007-06-01T14:40:00.001+02:00

About time! Certainly in view of our upcoming travels to Lombok and other islands in Indonesia Nusa Tenggara: go east, go east!
Sorry, no pictures of our Rajahstan travels, and just one, here above, of my Scotland Photo-Video week end of April 2007 on Corrour Estate. One week: no clouds (except those in the picture), no wind and 25 Centigrade in the daytime. Scotland.....?
OK: Stay tuned for further announcements!

For Marianne and Wayne!

2006-11-04T20:12:00.000+01:00

So,

Hi again! Knowing that a picture says more than a thousand words,
I am including 3 pics in this post! > 3000 words; wow!

This is Ger and me over 25 years:

And here you have the Van Hulsenbeek-Sieger family in July 2006 , and our house in Amsterdam. That's where we had the 2005 NZ-invasion, and now we are expecting a replay in 2007 :-)

Bye!

Peru Images are on the Website!

2006-09-10T19:06:00.000+02:00

Several images of our travels to Peru are now on my website.

Please visit http://www.vanhulsenbeek.com and click on Peru at the top.

And why no leave a comment here? :-)

The Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, and End of Journey

2006-08-13T00:03:00.000+02:00

Back from the Inca trail - El Camino Inca - and that was the end of our Peru trip.

Text with pictures: http://sanderva.blogspot.com
Email address: vanhulsenbeek@wxs.nl

We had 4 days of glorious weather, including the appropriate clouds at the first pass, and fog in the Cloud Forest. But a great view of the Vilcabamba Range here at the Sayacmarca Ruins in the third day. The first time I walked this trail - 27 years ago, and about that later - the ruins were covered with vegetation and a little more romantic as they are now, beautifully restored. Never mind, this way they will be better preserved:

That 27 years ago, the weather was not so good, in January, and actually we had rain all four days. Here is a picture of that time, on the second day, in the first hours up to the first pass. Quite steep and evidently time for a break:

Now, in retrospect, that walk must have been something. I was more or less acclimatized but totally unprepared, never been in relatively remote mountains, carrying 25 kilos, with an oldfashioned tent ( Erdman Schmidt's " de Mier", I Think) , no walking sticks, no "never cold, never warm, never wet" polyester clothes, just a Levy shirt and jeans. No wonder I look a little baffled here! Now a much happier picture, in the modern age and on the first pass, taken by our great guide Ruben:

But the campsites were quiet in 1979, different from today in the high-season, when the limit of 500 people, including porters and staff is reached. Amazingly, you do not see them all. Before the new regulations, imposed in 2001, some days more than 2000 people started on a single day. Chaos ensued. The damage done then can still be seen, like at the little lake before the second pass above Runcuracay Ruins. So kudos here for the authorities!

After the Intipunku Sungate, just after the glorious first view of Machu Picchu we had an (expected) surprise: Remquito Dalkmann joined us for the walk-out, as he had arrived the night before in Aguas Calientes with his SNP-group. Here is the proof! And also you can see how the Inca Trail now is kept in good order, but somehow a little wider as I remember ......

So there were the last days in Peru. We stayed for one night in Ollantaytambo, to visit the ruins in the morning, and they are truly amazing. But even nicer is the little village, of which the center has not changed much since Inca times. Pictures to be published on my website.

The morning of our flight back to Lima: surprise; Rain! The first in our time in Peru. The flight was on time though, and so was KLM in the evening. Unruffled despite the Heathrow scare, and we were only checked for bottles with liguid. But Remko's group, who had to fly via Miami and London ...............

Thanks for your patience, and for your mail. This Weblog will remain active, but the mail via Google groups will stop for now. Ciao! Sander and Ger.

In Cuzco, after Puno

2006-08-03T18:50:00.000+02:00

Hola Amigos!

Text with pictures:
http:/sanderva.blogspot.com
Email address: vanhulsenbeek@wxs.nl

Puno was advertised as a frozen hole, but actually it was quite nice. Not too much to do, but great Pisco Sours and even not too cold. The trip to Amatani Island and Taquile was, hm, special. The preceding Uros visit has in twenty years evolved into an embarassingly commercialised spectacle. See us here, nevertheless: sitting on a Totora-reed island, surrounded by well instructed locals. 27 years ag0, there were very few Uros to be visited. Now it looks lik a stadium full.

The stay with the family on Amantani island - 4 hours by boat from Puno in Lake Titicaca - was sweet. Their life is very basic, and it must be a little sad for them, having all those well fed and rich gringos visit.

Then we took the 10 hour long train ride from Puno to Cuzco: Inka-Class this time. Orient Express like, with running waiters, Pisco Sour in the Lounge (Abraham Lincoln style wagon with open balcony at the back) 4 course lunch, fashion show with Alpaca Wool, more Pisco, more real coffee, high tea etc: nice! And arrived in Cuzco `en punto`.

Here we nicely cover the famous 12 cornered Inca stone in the street above Calle Triunfo. So you must wait for more pictures. Cuzco is great. Also to see again. Cafe Ayllu has not changed at all. Same Mozart, excellent coffee and cakes. But the city center is now brimming with jewelery shops, the contents you will not wish to see. We already feel almost beatified after visiting the Cathedral and the Compania de Jesus, filled with the richest and most gaudy religious art anywhere. The poorer the people, the richer the (Catholic) Church!

Ger is now sleeping in his chair in the Internet Cafe, so this is the end of this blog entry. Till the next!

Back from Colca

2006-07-29T17:36:00.000+02:00

Hi all!
(Text with pictures at: http://sanderva.blogspot.com
Email: vanhulsenbeek@wxs.nl )
Back in sunny and warm Arequipa after 3 days in the beautifull but cold Colca Canyon. Well below zero at night. Hotels dispensed hot water bottles!
No altitude problems. In Remko´s group several people had to take oxygen. We were more excited by the Fiestas Patrias, the Indepence Days ( yes, 2!) festivities. Allways nice to see such ceremonies in a small provincial place, with marching school children instead of endless military. San Martin´s Indepence Declaration was recited by a creaky old professor, who was nearly overcome with emotion: had to be helped where to continue with his speech. Several school brass bands. In one particularly cute band, most of the musicians had no clue how to play their instruments! Great! It is all on HDV-Video.
In the afternoon we saw the unofficial festive side: a Corrida de Torros, in small and far away Madrigal. A Corrida with brass bands on both both sides of the arena, happily trumpetting against each other. Timid bulls, and many drunk men wanting to participate. Their wives had to tow them out to the merriment of the public. Next to the arena a great drinking and dancing festival was going on, with people with masks, feeding us (the only gringos to be found) with endless beer and other stuff. Beter to drink than to look at.
On the last days we saw the condors at the Cruz del Condor, a high spot where condors soar up and by on thermic winds from down the canyon.
This is one of them. They are, fortunately, completely oblivious of all the tourists that come to watch. And there were about a thousand, in the second Fiestas Patrias day! Including many Peruvians.
Next back to Arequipa, for a day of rest. So now back to hotel for a sunbath. Mind, it is winter here, warm in the sun, cold in the shade.
All the best from Peru!
Sander and Ger,
(Ma: kan je Ma Rolsma informeren? Dank)

From sunny Arequipa, Peru

2006-07-26T02:24:00.000+02:00

And sunny it is, 360 days per year. Fortunately we choose sunny days :-).
Arrived yesterday from Nasca in an overnight Ormeno Royal Class Bus. Only tourists can afford it (15 EUR for 8 hours), and the reclining seats put KLM World Business Class to shame. So much for good old KLM.
Nasca was nice. Foggy in the morning and we feared for our sobrevuelo - flight over - the Nasca Lines. But the skies cleared at noon, and suddenly at 14:00 we were shoved into a 6 seater with a gung-ho pilot. 45 minutes over the lines and saw them all. Paper bags were almost necessary.The lines were amazing and spectacular. What a sight!
The Casa de Mi Abuela Hotel (my grandmother`s house) was very welcoming, and we went straight to the Plaze the Armas, that must be the most beautiful in Peru.The Sta. Catalina Convent is the other world class site. Amazingly colorfull and picturesque. Halas, no pictures as all PCs here are Win98, so no USB connection. Maybe in Cusco. Next we saw the Recoleta Convent. With a great library with original Erasmus copies.
Juanita, the Andes Ice Maiden, was the last we visited before this report. Discovered some years ago on Ampato Volcano: a Noble Inca girl in full dress, sacrified some 500 years ago and preserved in the bitter cold on the top of the mountain. The museum is top, but the sight of the girl in her see-trough fridge is a little lugubrious.Good she did not know at the time she would be displayed like she is now, many years later.
OK, this text already survived one PC crash, so more after our Colca Canyon trip starting tomorrow!Mail is welcome at Sanders normal email address at wxs.nl
Ger is hooked on Pisco Sour!

A First Hello from Peru

2006-07-22T01:44:00.000+02:00

After a very uneventful flight with good old - I am talking about the videoequipment of the MD11 here - KLM, we arrived one hout to early in Lima. And had a wonderful view of Alpamayo in the last sunlight.
Very nice reception in Hostal Mami Panchita, and a beer too many. Even Ger.
Next day to Pisco in a Royal Class Bus, where Ger refuses to tast Pisco Sour. Pisco is nicer than reported. But, walking on the streets, it is evident that provincial towns and their people are better off in Brazil, Argentina, and even Paraguay. Peru´s economy is not booming as in in Brazil for that matter. Today was devoted to the seabirds on Ballestas Islands. Off the Pisco Coast. Their guano - produce of daily natural duties - accumulates and in the 19 century provided lots of cash for Peru. No more so, and now only tourist in fast boats come and have a look. Nice!
The afternoon we visited Paracas Penisula, where this picture was taken. By a Dutch couple who went camping there. Totally overequiped. Too much weight, too many camping gadgets, sounds familiar? The weather: a little sun after two days of winter Garua: the peasoup fog caused by the cold Humboldt Stream, and covering these coasts in winter.
So much for this first report, in English for Troy and Alain and Philippe. :-)
Next: from sunny Arequipa. Adios! Ger and Sander
(Troy, Ger asks if you can phone Theo for his emailaddress!)

Almost on our way to Peru

2006-07-13T11:41:00.000+02:00

Less than a week and, if all goes well, we will be on our way to Peru.
And then this is only a test message!

For the Blog and other messages: click here

Pictures with Leica & Canon

2006-07-04T23:20:00.000+02:00

Pictures with Leica & Canon : my own website

Country roadside in France

2006-06-25T21:26:00.000+02:00

Three weeks ago: a weekend in rural France, somewhere on the border between Ile de France and Normandy. An overcast day and here is a view of some simple roadside flowers. Ordinary things can be nice too :-) !

From behind the Geraniums

2006-06-25T21:17:00.000+02:00

Just a peek, on yesterday's sunny and balmy evening, from the balcony of our home on the park. Two guys, talking, nice guitar music coming from the car of the guy with the hat. Cool!

59!

2006-05-16T15:45:00.000+02:00

Lived safely trough my 59h birthday ( of 58th?) Exchanged my Canon 16-35 and 50/1.4 lenses voor the brand new 17-55 IS on Saturday morning. Advertised it on the net last Sunday, and got my first buyer in 15 minutes! And a happy one too. Here is a picture with the new lens: one of the blooms of the rare trees in our Fredriksplein park.