Caribana ’10 seems a bit more secure …

 5 - Toronto  2 Responses »
Jul 312010
 

If you think that having pods of 10 cops on every street corner downtown is more security, then Toronto Caribana ’10 must be one of the safest places in Earth. I mean seriously, it is one thing to have security, it is entirely another thing to have group of 10 cops “eyeing down” every group of black males that are walking on the streets.

Last night, while driving through downtown Toronto to see the madness that engulfs the city on the start of the August long weekend – I was amazed at the overall police presence in downtown Toronto. I’ve never seen so many cops on each corner of the sidewalk or riding bikes or or horses or on top of buildings with sniper rifles (ok, the last part I made up).

I’ve also come to the realization that I truly hate being in Toronto for Caribana weekend – not because I hate Caribana – I mean why should I … a small island of 1.2 million people gave rise to this festival here – I don’t care what Jamaicans, Bajans or Guyanese have to say – Caribana is a Trini/Caribbean thing! I dislike Caribana because I don’t like when any festival overruns the city and causes me inconvenience (although I love being in any other city for their festivals – I’m good like that), hence I’ve disliked the following things in the city:

Back to the cops … yet another reason to avoid the Caribana madness … although I always wonder why the Pride parade never seems to see this type of overwhelming police presence.

 Posted by rishiray at 7:00 am  Tagged with: , , , , ,

Travel photography cliches …

 2010, 3 - Food - Toys - Tech, 4 - Consulting Lifestyle  6 Responses »
Jul 272010
 

Travel photography tends to be a lot easier, if you have an eye for space, vista and colours. That being said, I generally hate looking at other people’s travel photos, especially if they are not really travelers because the photos typically border on the mundane, boring and regurgitated shots that everyone else seems to take. I have a couple personal guidelines that I use when taking travel shots, that have prevented from always falling into the boring travel photo shot trap. I’m not perfect but since I do get a number of compliments on my eye for travel shots, I thought I would list my tips to avoid travel photo disasters

  1. Stay out of the picture
    I can’t repeat this enough. You know what you look like … you see your tired ugly, mug everyday … your friends know what you look like, they know what your tired, ugly mug looks like – why spoil a  lovely view point or great shot by injecting yourself into it?  Travelers are cliche in their photography because they have an overwhelming urge to insert themselves into the landscape, perhaps to prove that they were really there, and they looked good…

    Do you need to prove that you actually went to <insert location>, by standing in some god awful pose with your hands up or some forced smile at the aforemention location. People seem to like the shots I take, because I’m never in them.

    My gut and pose ruined a perfectly good picture here

  2. If you are in the picture, please stand to the side
    It’s not a portrait shot. If you are in the middle of an icefield in Greenland, your picture is a snapshot of the icefield not you with an icefield behind you. Standing to the side also gives your subject more of the frame and in some instances, the perspective of you on the side will actually enhance the picture.

  3. Taking pictures of other people taking pictures is always cool
    It tells a story and frames the other person in the shot without making them the focal point of the shot.

  4. Contrast and colour is always great
    Photos are meant as snapshots of time, location and memory. Taking snapshots of things that you can see everyday is never interesting, however taking a snapshot of an everyday travel scene infused with a specific time of day event or color is always a talking point

  5. When you’re in the shot, have a picture of something memorable.
    This should be a no-brainer tip, but I’ve seen too many pictures of people just standing around when there is all this goodness and wonder around them. For instance, how many more tired pictures of Niagara Falls can I look at without thinking “Holy crap … couldn’t you at least make a funky pose or something?”

    Of course, holding a sting ray, always makes a good picture!!

  6. Be original
    Another no-brainer tip. Going to the Leaning Tower of Pisa and doing the same tired shots, using perspective to make it appear that you are holding the tower up is tired, boring, contrived and over done. Why have the same shots that everyone else has?

    You then end up looking like these morons…

  7. Good food shots while traveling are always awesome.
    Note the use of the word “Good”. Learning how to use light, angle and perspective in taking a good food shot is a skill that takes practice and time. Food shots are great because they elicit discussion, especially if someone has never eaten <insert cuisine> food from that country.

    For instance, I took a picture of plate in Brazil at Casa de Feijoada and I remember getting about 20+ compliments from friends and other people on that particular shot because it made them go research the word “Feijoada” and “Casa de Feijoada”.

  8. You can only fix, what you measure; so compile a list of “Cheese” and try not to repeat it.I have a personal list of “cheese”, that I keep in mind when I am taking a shot. We’ve done it time and time again … I have been guilty on numerous times of a cliche pic – the difference is that I tend to bury my cheese among 1000′s of pictures.

    Cheesy photo clichés: sunsets, beaches, famous road signs, the couple standing on the beach at sunset, villagers, famous sites, children in the village, people working the rice fields or some other field, cafes, people kissing on park benches, and water fountains.

    Background: Landmark/Sunset/Hillside
    Foreground: Me or someone else standing with their arms up, “OMG!” face with mouth wide open, sometimes jumping. It’s past cheesy, it’s like soft cheese. The Camembert/brie/feta of photos.

 Posted by rishiray at 8:36 am  Tagged with: , , , , , ,

Only in Toronto, can you …

 5 - Toronto  No Responses »
Jul 262010
 

leave your house at 2pm on a July Sunday and in the next three hours, do a mini World tour consisting of the following activities:

  1. Pass through the Beaches Jazz Festival and get inundated by the crowds
  2. Snacking on some Steak & Potato, Veggie and Tandoori Chicken Samosas at Sultan of Samosas.
  3. Head down to Harbourfront Center to check out the crowds and the people coming back from Center Island
  4. Then attempt to grab chocolates at Soma in the Distillery District. Doesn’t matter that we failed at this, but that we passed through the district
  5. Finally grab some Hakka food (Manchurian Mixed Fried Rice, Kan Shue Green Beans and Extra Spicy Chili Chicken) at Federicks in Scarborough

Although Montreal will always remain my first love of Canadian cities, Toronto is finally getting some love from me – it only takes access to a car and about 8 years – but it mostly hinges on the car. Toronto is a city that you really need a car to find the best food around – Montreal is compact and lovely but comes in second to the Asian food you can get in Toronto.

 Posted by rishiray at 1:59 pm  Tagged with: ,

La Fortuna Waterfalls : Arenal (Cataratas La Fortuna)

 2010, Costa Rica  No Responses »
Jul 172010
 

Waterfalls are always a good time … if not for the swimming and the pictures you can take while at the waterfalls, usually the process is somewhat painless, some stiff walking and you’re there in no time. The La Fortuna Waterfall is no different and offers a nice little adventure and some wonderful scenery. The waterfall is located about 5 1/2 kilometers from the town, hidden in a lush green environment. The fall has a drops about 70-75 meters and is located at the base of the dormant Cerro Chato Volcano.

The 70-meter ribbon of water falls into a great swimming hole, surrounded by lush tropical forest, protected by the local conservation project.

A couple notes about seeing La Fortuna waterfall

  • There is no way down without going down the couple 100 steps. Since there is no way down without the steps, it also means that there is no way up without the steps. The steps are brutal and tiring, it easily takes about 15-20 mins of straight climbing to make your way out and if it you’re going to the falls at the end of the day, then you will have to contend with the dim lighting typical inside a rainforest canopy. If you have asthma, then that uphill climb is absolutely terrible.
  • Go in the early morning, when you have the daytime light to guide you. The later you go to La Fortuna, the higher the probability of sheer panic. If you go to the waterfall after 4pm, then it’s almost not worth your time going down, since you will have very little time to explore.
  • Take some water sandals or water shoes – you will need them.
  • Take a waterproof camera with you -
  • There is a very strong undertow - that actually pulls you towards the plunge pool, so be very careful about swimming close to the waterfall.

A couple video clips of La Fortuna … it is a long way down there, so take all the time you need to shoot pictures and take video – no matter how annoying you might to be to the locals. 

My personal thoughts were that there was a lot of organization and thought put into making the waterfall an attraction – big parking lot, a place to pay your entrance fee, a little shop where you can buy cold drinks. When you get down to the waterfall, you can go swimming to the left away from the force of the falls.

On the way back up we noticed a little vista area that allows you to look down at the falls without hiking all the way down.

How to get there: The La Fortuna Waterfall is located about 6 km from the center of town on an unpaved uphill road. Take a taxi from the center of town and it’ll run about $4 to get there and the same to get back. The entrance fees are $10, which is a bit steep, but you are a tourist and your money does go to keeping the area clean and pristine.  Do not attempt to walk there as you will get lost and it is about three hours walking – completely not worth your time if you are on a time crunch.

La Fortuna Waterfalls

  • rishiray's photo
  • rishiray's photo
  • rishiray's photo
  • rishiray's photo
  • rishiray's photo

View photos at SmugMug

 Posted by rishiray at 12:01 am  Tagged with: , , , , , ,

Hot Springs in Arenal

 2010, Costa Rica  No Responses »
Jul 162010
 

The hot springs around Arenal are definitely one of the highlights of going to Arenal. We spent a couple hours at Baldi’s … The Baldi Hot Springs are easily the most expansive hot spring facilities in the Arenal Volcano area. There are many different walking paths and gardens, and there is a combination of large and small pools with cascading waterfalls. They’re located a short way from La Fortuna (less than 10 minutes by car), was definitely quite the fun excursion. It cost $25 per person for entry, plus drinks/food.

It is made up of 20-plus pools of differering temperatures, from 93 to 150+ degrees!  Since there are so many pools you can be with a lot of people in the main pools or find a secluded little spot for yourself or a small group. This is not Tabacon so don’t expect luxury (Tabacon is also at least triple the price). But the springs itself are great, very relaxing, some with waterfalls falling down on you.

The only negative was that the food/drinks was really expensive. Cocktails are $10; beers are $6; sodas $5. You can give your credit card before you get in the water and get a tab. The buffet restaurant was $9 but the food was not at all appealing – in fact looking at it, I think it looked pretty disgusting actually.

We didn’t stay in hotel or ate at the buffet … the service was poor, but if you walk up to the bars … you can walk and demand your drinks :)  

I would recommend Baldi to those looking for the experience of hot springs and a variety of pools, but not to those who need a luxurious environment.

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