San Fran, Vegas to L.A

The USA was surprisingly picturesque. Everything there seemed grander. Although I did only get to see L.A, San Francisco & Vegas. Their winters are harsh however, I mentally & physically prepared myself for the freezing so it wasn’t that bad. I stowed away on a 22 hour flight (one way, I know kill me right?) with a handful of girlfriends and we partied and shopped and had an amazing experience over there, what a 23 year old should experience when they go travelling. We met amazing people, walked until our feet were almost shredded away, drank, ate and got fat. We finally got to see a sunset by the beach (since I live in Sydney, the sun only ever rises on our beach fronts) at Venice beach which was spectacular. We zigzagged through their extremely talented buskers at Santa Monica.
Vegas was a whirlwind of shows, shopping and hangovers. I’ve never experienced anything like it. Everyone from all over the world was there just to have good clean (maybe not so clean) fun. We did the mistake of having our Grand Canyon helicopter ride on new years day (it wasn’t much our mistake as it was our tour assigning us with the worst time to fly) and ofcourse knowing me, I drank the most the night before and had the worst flying experience to this date. The poor german family next to me thought I was going to get sick all over them but luckily I just passed out.
San Fran was a delight (apparently they’ve never heard of their city called “San Fran” before). Everyone was extremely nice. It was uncanny. Especially after they heard our Australian accent they got all excited! (“Are you from England? Oh Sydney! Your accent is SOOooo cute!”) One taxi driver stopped the meter just to give us a little tour of the place we set out to (I think it may have been the Castro region). San Fran was very similar to Sydney but had a more elaborate terrain. Apparently it gets quite foggy there and they say “all the filo’s have put their rice cookers on” since there’s a huge filo (Filipino) community there. I thought that was hilarious.

First stop was L.A. My friends and I were lucky enough to have a local take us around by car. He drove us to Venice beach which boasts amazing sunsets... and it didn't fail to impress.

two people walking past me set a mood. To me they looked like 2 chess pieces fading away into the sunset ready for their next move.

Everyone gets ready to pack up and head off. although it looks quite warm, I was there in their winter and it was still a bit chilly around this hour.

I was walking towards iHop (international house of pancakes) and I saw this stunning flower in its full glory. The sun was creeping up and i thought the transparency looked quite appealing..

Next stop was vegas where we ended up on a helicopter hovering around the Grand Canyon.

just beside this cactus, there was actually a couple getting married! They flew in via helicopter. It was freezing, I don't know how the bride was able to survive the chill.

Last but not least was San Francisco. Tired bike rider reflecting on his thoughts.

Golden Gate Bridge.

My friend staring out at China Town in San Fran.

Lights up at the stores in union square.

The rest of these images are based on Alcatraz. Peering out of the chilling prison out towards the trees.

Alcatraz island in the background.

The January River... RIO!

I was craving for so long to visit Rio de Janeiro throughout my trip and Rio was the last stop on our itinerary. It was amazing. Exactly what the doctor ordered. (Well, literally since my mother's a doctor and she kind of ordered us the flight tickets to come on the trip to meet my brother's in-laws).

I was like a kid in a candy store. As soon as I landed, I was greeted by a very good looking Brazilian customs officer. geezz... I knew I was in for a treat already! I stepped out of the airport exhausted and mentally drained from the flights and then I laid eyes on Rio. It was completely different to what I was used to. The sights were breathtaking and exotic. There was a mountain next to a lake which was next to a city which was next to the beach. It was as if everything just sprouted out of the ground including the buildings. It was visually stimulating and I could already taste the culture, the history, the festivities, the food and the fun.

Throughout our stay in Rio, we got to: soak up the sun on Copacobana & Ipanema Beach (girl from Ipanema dadada I know how cool), go to a salsa club and see live bossa and salsa beats play, experience aggressive rain & boisterous storms, witness a Carnivale practice session alongside the beach, travel up the winding favela roads and make our way down a 3 hour tour through the favelas and interacting with the community where locals dare not to enter, do the typical sites such as Christ the redeemer & Sugar Loaf Mountains, and practice my Portugese (which I didn't do too badly). The funny thing I picked up on the way was since I was holding an SLR, I was asked a couple of times to take photos of local people. I don't know why, (usually brazilian guys) came up to me and requested to take a photo of them. Perhaps they thought I was a Japanese photojournalist reporting to the Japanese newspaper/magazine that I work for thus making them an instant star. I was always mistaken for a japanese there (not a bad guess since Brazil does have the highest population of Japanese people outside of Japan. Then again I can pass for every asian country but philippines).

Long story short, I absolutely loved Rio and will definitely return. I got the best tan (although someone did say I looked like an indian because I was so dark!) and went swimming every single day I was there (even when it rained) because the temperature of the water was sublime. It wasn't too cold like the sydney waters (I know I can be a bit of a princess sometimes). I also thought the Brazilian kids were amongst the most beautiful and lively kids I've encountered. They had the best colouring and features and they just had so much life and joy in them. It's amazing how much of an impression a place can have on you within a span of 7 days...

Brazilians splashing around on Copacobana Beach.

Child in his own little world

How talented they all were. Their passion for soccer(football) was intense (naturally). And did i I not say the Brazilians were gorgeous?

These super strong vendors walked around in the soaring heat carrying their body weight in merchandise & clothes all day.

On the Sugar Loaf Mountain as a child peers down mesmerised by the stunning view.

The Mermaid statue on the Sugar Loaf Mountain. I think I was too exhausted to read the caption.

My cousin was impressed by the sheer beauty Rio beaches and mountains had... until she pointed out the hot guy in the red shorts. He's the first thing I see in this image now. Not a great sound heard from the photo...

This image I captured while on the bus (in discretion). I see how bad the poverty is over there and I can't help but be affected. I think it's a good thing to be aware of these situations and how hard it is. I know it may sound strange but I actually realised how lucky I was in every aspect of my life. This trip enabled me to gain a deeper appreciation in everything. This homeless guy who could've easily been a model for some fashion campaign proves how hard life can be.

It may sound weird, but I find it a lot easier to capture kids than it is adults. I get an honesty and innocence from them that I can't achieve with adults. Their lack of self-consciousness is exactly what photographers crave for. Their ability to stay natural and even curious is an exciting thing to capture. Their sensitivity is dominant and their sound is pure. These are the face of Brazil...

The boys from the Favelas were using empty gasoline tins and other everyday tools they found and used them as percussion instruments busking around the corner. Their rhythm was upbeat and had a joyous hum to it matched with an infectious beat.

The favelas were filled with laughter and joy, children bustling around socialising and mingling with a genuine feel for community.

This child was so amused by the bubbles being blown around on Copacobana beach. His excitement was melting everyone's hearts.

This boy was part of the Percussion group in Rocinha Favelas.

This child was part of the Carnivale group that was rehearsing and encouraging everyone on the Copacobana strip to join in the singing and dancing while promoting their catchy tunes and rhythmic dancing. It was such a festive mood.

The rest are of the Rio landscapes...

Rocinha the largest favela in Rio de Janeiro.

Ipanema Beach Sunset.

Copacobana Beach Sunset

Bursting out of the tunnel.

Argentina hates me

So my mother, brother, his fiancé and I arrive in Buenos Aires and spend 4 days there. It was exciting and exhilarating at the same time, the continent I was looking forward to exploring my whole life. When I was a wee little man, I didn't want to be a doctor, or a lawyer, a pilot or a fireman. I (being the bizarre child I naturally was) wanted to a be a vulcanologist. Yes, you guessed it, I wanted to study volcanos (not vultures, I know you were thinking it). It was very much me in a way too. I look back at that and realised how much the volcano was a metaphor of how I was. They were dormant, and peaceful, slightly elegant and good to look from afar but give it time and it'll burst sporadically, making a scene, shaking the earth disturbing what's around it and engulfing its poor victims. (Ok, I'm not REALLY like that but there's aspects about me that's just random. I'm not a violent psycho on his path of destruction). I wanted to be a grown up who ventured into the unknown, who loved adventure and thrived on adrenaline. (This nostalgic moment actually has no significant relevance to my trip to South America. But I guess it explains a lot). My fondness for South America was matured through my History classes in highschool with such historical references such as the Aztecs and Incas. I found their civilisations compelling to say the least and I dreamt one day to go and explore that region. Unfortunately, I missed ALL those sights (believe it or not) due to the lack of time I could take off work. The priority of the holiday was moreso to meet my brother's fiancé's family who are Brazilian and live in Brazil (and explore Buenos Aires on the way). So I tried to make the most of the trip and tried to document the captivating, emotional, electric and addictive side of the mere places I got to see and considering how I enjoyed every second of my trip, I'll most likely plan a more elaborate trip to South America in the future.

This picture of a statue of an angel was taken in the Recoleta Cemetery where Eva Peron (Don't Cry for me Argentina) was buried. It's not her tomb per say but there was something haunting about this statue. The air was stagnant and still and the mood was quite somber in there (naturally).

My favourite part of the trip was listening to the musical conversation these buskers were presenting. They were charming us with their jazz repertoire and (naturally) I created a story for them. In my mind they were talented Argentinian music students who do this for a living to get them through University in hopes to become a famous musician somewhere, somehow. I was mesmerised by them once they played "Autumn Leaves" I was in love. It seemed, amidst the bumpy, busy crowd, that I was the only one in this market street that appreciated the three musicians. They enjoyed the attention as much as i enjoyed listening to them and photographing them.

This attractive tourist was holding on while we swirled around Buenos Aires like a bumble bee. He stood up to take pictures of the Caminitos and (because of my strangeness) I had a sudden urge to take a photo of his hand... don't ask me why. It just happened accidentally...