Street Scenes - Hanoi

Hanoi is a unique city. These are some photos I took while wandering around the downtown area. Hanoi has the charm and character of an old European City... and if it weren't for the constant roaring of the motorbikes (and humidity), it would feel like you've transported yourself across the world. There are many winding alleyways, open markets, outdoor cafes, friendly people, and fantastic restaurants. It's definitely worth exploring.

Local Flavor in Cabarete

Beachfront property in Cabarete!

One evening I decided to get dinner in the little beach town of Cabarete (on the Northern Coast of the Dominican). It was a cool little place with nice boutiques, good food, and fun beachfront bars. Before dinner, I took a little walk around the town and tried to capture some of the "local flavor".

The local transportation.

Nice colors/texture.

There's light at the end of the tunnel (and a nice beach as well)

Looking down the row of beach restaurants and bars.

The street scene

Motorbike Life - Ho Chi Minh City

Motorbikes are the primary mode of transportation for the majority of Ho Chi Minh City's population. Even if someone had the financial means to purchase a car, it's more likely than not that they also own a motorbike. The city's infrastructure & roads just do not support cars... It is much too crowded and poorly maintained. I keep hearing about a highway and a subway system that are supposed to be built, but I haven't seen any sort of construction in the works.

Anyways, when I visited Vietnam, I was lucky enough to be stuck in a car for 2+ hours per day (sarcasm). Instead of sleeping or listening to music, I decided to challenge myself and take photos of the most ridiculous motorbike situations I saw. Since the motorbike is the main (or only) form of transportation for most people, they find ways to transport what they need to transport... whether it be families of 5, giant tires, steel beams, or propane tanks. The skills of these drivers was quite impressive. What amazed me even more was that I failed to see an accident my entire trip.

Next time I go, I should either rent a motorbike or helicopter...

Ho Chi Minh City... more motorbikes than people

View from the New World Hotel in Ho Chi Minh City... great view, but just a bit noisy. 

May 8, 2011

Motorbike life in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Vietnam is a very interesting place... great food, interesting culture, warm climate, an massive amounts of motorbikes. It's difficult to describe the motorbike scene there... something you need to see in person to fully comprehend. Not many Vietnamese people own cars or trucks. Therefore, if you need to transport something, you throw it onto your bike. I saw people transporting everything from mirrors to propane tanks to families of 4 to groceries to chickens to giant tires (as shown above). The drivers of the motorbikes definitely have mad skills.

Bonus video below:

April 14, 2011

View from the lovely (and brand new) Pearl Hotel in Zhaoqing, China.

The entire city is basically brand new. Everything you see below did not exist 1 year ago (including the hotel room I stayed in). It's amazing how fast cities are built in China. Now over 4 million people call Zhaoqing home... and it's expected to grow even larger within the next few years. You can't see it in this picture, but there is construction everywhere... which is creating a layer of dust that covers everything not moving.

I liked this picture because it represented the hustle and bustle of the new city: bright neon lights, cars/motorbikes cruising the streets, people walking around the common area. It seemed to fit the mood quite well.

December 21, 2010

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam... where every man, woman, and child are required to have motorbikes. This photo was taken very early in the day on Sunday. Had I taken a photo in the same location a few hours later, you would have seen 1000s of motorbikes.