October 2021

LOCKDOWN SMACKDOWN - ZOOMING THROUGH SCHOOL – GREYSCALE - WHEELIES AND POWERSLIDES - SELF PUBLISHING PROGRESS - FINAL 5.

 Difficult to get a solid grip on this time now. With the rest of the world opening up, Lao is locking down as COVID really takes hold. With no chance of heading out of Vientiane or going to my site up North, I am feeling restless and discontent. The lights of Thailand, just a short distance across the Mekong from our house, beckon cruelly. I have taken to fantasizing out loud to Mina;

“Mina, do you think it’s possible for you to take me to the airport tomorrow morning? I have a few things I need to do in Bangkok. It’s just for a few nights and I’ll be back on the Sunday afternoon flight.”

Mina looks at me. 

“What you talking about, you crazy or what?!” 

I’m not the only one struggling with this, though. Little Christopher is missing school terribly, with no friends to play with and the 5-6 zoom lessons per day a poor substitute for a 7-year-olds social life. I’m trying my best to be all things to him, a father, friend, teacher and mentor. My efforts are essential to his well-being, but they do little to fill him up in the areas he really needs. Tough times. 

With all this self-induced pressure on me, it’s interesting to see my creativity take a dive. I struggle to lift the burdens of work and home sufficiently from my mind to allow my creative spirit to roam free. As a result, my photography feels grey and uninspired, as are my few weak attempts at writing. Better to aimlessly scroll through YouTube videos, right?   

Despite the exploding COVID situation in Laos, the strict lockdown regulations set in place appear to be receiving less enforcement resulting in some inconsistences throughout the capital city. On the positive side, all the police checkpoints have disappeared, some restaurants and many coffee shops have opened for business. After supervising Christopher’s major set of zoom lessons and “classwork” in the morning, I head out to the office after lunch and work alone till the evening to catch up on the backlog of my morning's work. 

I bought Christopher his first “real” bike, a blue 20’’ 7 speed MTB. His old bike was really a toy. In the evenings, Christopher and I ride down to an abandoned school field near our house and ride our bikes around. During this time, I practice my wheelies, while Christopher practices power slides and gets used to having a set of gears. We are both improving in our separate objectives. Long controlled wheelies is a skill I have always wanted to develop, but never really had the time. I can now do around a 4 seconds burst at a time. It doesn’t sound much, but it is actually a vast improvement. 

In terms of my book development, things moved quickly this month. We finalized the book cover edits and completed the print book formatting and type-setting. I was shocked to see that the final proofreader found 123 errors, and this after a full set of professional line and copy edits! I also now have a set of ISBN numbers, one for each format, print and e-book. All that remains is the e-book formatting and a media marketing pack.  

I had an interesting experience this past week at work while developing a concept proposal for a new UK government funded grant for my site. Nothing unusual, X amount of GBP for a 5-year period. Been there and done that on more than one occasion. The thing that got me was the realization that this is most likely my last 5 year anything in terms of my formal working life. When I write the final report for this grant, if we get it, I will be 67-year-old. 

November 2020

SOCIAL MANIA – ORWELL - CYCLING ACROSS LAOS – SMART RANGERS – FILM PHOTOGRAPHY IN 2020?

 Social media

I’m still struggling with my determination not to be dictated to by social media. The reality though, is that sharing my stories, images and thoughts with you all is a big part of why I do the things I do, and what gives meaning to my photography. There is no point to documenting my life, only to lock the book away in a box under my bed.

 I am a storyteller, we are all storytellers, we cannot not communicate. Even my attempts at not communicating on social media, is an attempt at communicating that fact …. on social media! Actually, its really not at all the communication that’s the problem for me, it’s the knowledge that every line we write, item we click, photo we post, page we view is been collected and sold to the highest bidder, a bidder whose motives, values and purpose is largely unknown to us, except for one sure thing, the exploitation of who we are and what we think. 

 So I decide to print out a book instead, there, that’s content definitely off the grid right?..... except for my 360 revolving online subscription of Photoshop, Lightroom, and InDesign, a trail of YouTube how to tutorials, a series of email exchanges to the printer followed by an online transfer of files via my Dropbox account and an online payment transaction, followed by a thank you post to me from the printers, on their Facebook page!   

 Ok so how about I get off Facebook and Instagram for a while and focus rather on a website, that’s it! That will keep me off the mainstream social media, so I redesign my website to accommodate more regular and varied content and create a subscribe button which I share with you all on Facebook, subjecting everyone I know to have to decide if what you really need in your life is yet another request to click, like or subscribe, and the boomerang of hypocrisy once again fly’s around the corner only to hit me squarely on the back of the head. 

 Aggghhh, can’t live with it, can’t live without it. In my book review of George Orwells novel; Keep the Aspidistra Flying this month, I see the harsh reality of fighting against something that mainstream society has openly embraced. Of course you can do it, and many do, but few can avoid the loneliness that comes from being the only person in the room who is “right”. 

 There must be way, a path down the center, or to the left a little, then to the right, but until then, we

 Like, 

Comment, 

Click,

Subscribe, 

and let the algorithm report that, at the very least, we’re still alive.

 Cycle trip across Lao

My cycle across Lao continued on through much of this month ending near the Cambodia Lao border 18 days after starting at the China Lao border in October. Covering a distance of a little over 1,700 km in 16 days of actual cycling, it was wonderful to be out of the city, the office and the routine of everyday life. Reduced to a single purpose, one backpack and a bike, life can be very uncomplicated indeed.

Riding across the country in such a short time frame really highlighted the uniqueness of the various regions, mostly sampled through my interactions with the locals, especially the kids along the route. The outcome of COVID travel restrictions imposed around the world were evident across the country with most of the guest houses closed up and needing to be opened specially for me. 

 Southern Cross, my custom bike built for me by David Mercer proved herself perfect for a trip of this nature. By the time I reached Hiem town after a few days riding, I had reduced my kit to only the bare essentials, making my kit light enough to just enjoy the actual cycling. 

 I need to put my thoughts down and go through all my photos of the trip, sorting through 1,000’s of mostly bike selfies! Although I have riden in a few countries now, this is only my second actual crossing of a country by bike, but what counties! Bhutan and Laos! Can hardly wait for the next…….. 

 Ranger training 

The remainder of the month was taken up with forest ranger training in Thakhet, a town I had just cycled through on my bike trip across Laos. The Rangers and management team are responsible for managing Khounxe Nongma Provincial Protected Area in the central Annamite range of mountains separating Vietnam from Laos, an area of high biodiversity in the region.

Training involved field navigation using maps and GPS, recording patrol tacks and observations and collecting information of incidents encountered while on patrol. This information is then all downloaded into a software program called SMART, where the PA management team can analyze the data, and generate patrol reports and maps depicting the location and distribution of these key observations. Its an incredibly useful tool as it immediately highlights the; what, where, when of snares, hunting camps, people arrested, ranger patrol efforts, both spatially and graphically. 

I love this kind of work, always so inspiring to work with rangers in Lao. While their capacity may be low, they are hungry for knowledge and quick to learn, and as a result, any positive input results in immediate improvement in terms of protection of these areas.

 Photography

Life on the street - Thaket Laos (Ilford HP5 - Canon EOS 1N)

Coming back from my cycle trip across Laos, I sent in a batch of film shot during the past month to be developed by our local “garage” film developers, young Lao hipsters who have developed a passion for film.  So great to have these guys operating here in Lao, otherwise I would have to stop shooting till after COVID has come under control and I can once again travel regularly to Bangkok.

 Every time I see the results of one of my rolls of developed film for the first time, I experience a sense of disappointment and even frustration at why I am bothering with film at all. Visible grain, strange color profiles, artifacts, scratches and dust on the image, and more than a handful of frames out of focus thanks to poor technique on my part. But then after a second look and some reflection, a handful of images start to grow on me, and by the end of the process, I am in love with them. I load another roll of ILFORD HP5, KODAK POTRA 160 or KODAK EKTAR 100 into one of my 20+ year-old film cameras, closing the film door with a satisfying clunk. 

 “This roll will be different” I tell myself, “Better, for sure!”.

October 2020

LAST STORMS – BOAT RACING FESTIVAL – LAO OCEAN CYCLE – EARLY CHRISTMAS - MANAGEMENT PLANNING – ACROSS LAO CYCLE PT 1 – GOODBYE MOM.

Last storms of the season

last of the rain season storms, dramatic and ferocious, hit the country causing some serious flooding down south in the province of Savanakhet. Between these storms, the annual rice harvest is in full swing all over the country. 

Approaching storm on the Vientiane waterfront.

Boun Ok Phansa / Boat racing festival

A subdued and largely reduced, (due to COVID restrictions) annual boat racing festival took place in Vientiane immediately after the last day of the Buddhist lent period. Along with all the people from our village, we got to place our small boat float of flowers, candles and offerings into the Mekong river. The ceremony represents a blessing to the Mekong river for all the gifts it provides villages, towns and cities along its route to the ocean. A primary source of fishing, transportation recreation and refuse removal, but now increasingly under threat due to the many dams built within its catchment areas and on the river itself, higher up in China.

Our river blessing float about to be let loose in the Mekong River.

Lao ocean cycle

To make the most of the long weekend this month, I decided on a 3-day circular cycle trip from Vientiane via the “Lao Ocean” which is the Nam Ngum dam.  My original plan was to cycle to the dam, take the ferry over to the other side and continue around and over Phou Khao Khouay national park and back to Vientiane. When I arrived at the village on the other side, however, I was immediately blown away by the relaxed and peaceful atmosphere of the place. This was truly a paradise, one of the most beautiful, laid back places I have come across in Laos. I couldn’t bring myself to leave the next morning, so instead, I cycled around the village coastal areas, exploring the small bays, fishing jetties and villages. The children especially appeared to be thriving in the freedom and beauty of the place, diving off the wooden river boats, fishing and generally enjoying life on the “ocean shores. Huge mountains arise from either end of the horizon, adding yet another dimension of beauty to this place. It was difficult to leave when the time came, the local ferry loosely at anchor just below the window of my guest house. As with many of these experiences I have enjoyed in Laos over the years, I was the only foreigner.  

Nam Ngum dam

Early Christmas

With some opening of international freight services, I received a number of very welcome packages, some of which I had ordered in March, before COVID lockdowns earlier in the year. My sister sent me my driver’s license, wrapped with Cape Union Mart clothes and cycling shorts for my trip across Laos, and a colleague brought in with her from Canada, a batch of film stock I ordered. This was followed a few day later by the arrival of the original batch of film stock I had given up on which I had ordered from China in March! In addition, 2 classic film cameras ordered through e-bay, arrived from Japan after a 5-month delay in Singapore.

Film stock from China arriving just after a back up stock from Canada.

NEPL Management plan consultations

I had time for one quick trip up to the Nam Et Plou Ploy National Park (NEPL) before starting on my Lao country crossing cycle. I have been trying to take my annual leave for a few months now, but each time, someone on the program has something so important, that I need to postpone my leave. In this case, it’s to participate in the NEPL management plan consultation process, which is an important task. I can feel I need a break, its been non-stop from before COVID, and I feel stale and unproductive. 

Some of the NEPL technical team during a draft management plan review process.

Lao country crossing cycle

I have always wanted to cycle across Laos and with COVID international travel restrictions still in force, this was the ideal time. After a few days at home, catching up with a backlog of work and digging from next month’s pile, I was finally able to turn this idea into reality. My trip started on the 21st  with an internal flight to Luang Namtha and a short cycle up to the Lao Border with China at Boten, a crazy casino city. I then basically headed SE across Lao on my Mercer steel framed custom cross bike, Southern Cross” By the end of the month I had travelled 846km’s from the border to Muang Mo in the central area of Laos, with body and bike still very much intact. The journey continues into November.

On the road near Oudomxay

Farewell Mom

On the 19th my mom passed away quite peacefully with my siter Ellen at her side. She was doing ok only a few weeks before, but then she had a small accident in her room and broke her hip. The operation seamed to go ok, but soon after, infection set in and she slid into her final days with us. Although not entirely what she had in mind, even before the accident, mom had come to terms with the fact that she was nearing the end of her life, even embracing it, saying that she was ready to move on and go to be with dad. Always a mom, ever content, consistently considerate. I'm happy she went peacefully, but I regret that I didn’t get the opportunity to visit her in Cape Town just once more time, to take her out for tea, have fish and chips at Kalkbay harbor and have her spend time with Mina.  

 Not only did she give me life, she taught me how to live.

Goodbye Mom.

Mom during my previous visit to Cape Town during 2019