Rainy Strolling

It's a Thursday afternoon at the Shwedagon Temple in Yangon, Burma, and the skies have just opened up, drenching the devout with buckets of rain that even super strength umbrellas can't stop. But no one really minds, since they're strolling in one of the most ornate, colorful -- and for Buddhists, most sacred -- temples in the world.

Just Minutes From The Glitz

This little patch of developing suburban joy is situated east of Las Vegas, Nevada. It probably has a name, since it's far enough away to not be part of the city, but I just shot this from a plane, so don't hassle me, man.

It must be strange to live here, just far enough away from the big neon glitter of Vegas to not have to participate, yet close enough to sense its throbbing Hedonism. It looks like there's one big road, the rest are itty bitty little roads that have more tumbleweeds than cars.

Some gamblers who've had some moderate success at the tables might even keep a condo here, just so they can catch a breather from time to time. Y'know, to get away from the glitz.

Careful Dude, She Might Notice You're Staring

Wenyan had been watching the young lady selling trinkets in the little waterside market for weeks, but had yet to muster the courage to say hi. That wasn't unusual for Wenyan, because even though he'd already reached 34 years of age, he still hadn't... y'know. Why not? Because he basically had no game. Zero.

Wenyan is, however, very skilled in the art of staring. He's pictured here staring down at the pretty girl, completely unaware that this kind of behavior freaks girls out. And that this is true in China, and pretty much anywhere.

In fact, once Wenyan's friends told him that girls equate such behavior with freaky stalkers they hear about pretty much daily on the 11 o'clock news, he decided to take a different approach: He joined an online dating service.

But after a couple of weeks, Wenyan realized that his one true love was right there beneath the bridge. So he stopped staring, and started talking, and despite his lack of game, she ended up falling for him. I wonder, though, if she just wanted to get this freaky guy to stop staring at her from above?

Heidelberg Man's Old Stomping Grounds

This alley in the old town of Heidelberg, Germany, looks like a quiet, unassuming place where nothing much going on. OK, maybe that's true now. But between 400,000 and 500,000 years ago, a Neanderthal called Homo heidelbergensis, also known as "Heidelberg Man", roamed this region.

Heidelberg Man came to light in October 1907, when a worker digging a hole found a piece of fossilized jawbone in the dirt, which was later confirmed to be that of Homo heidelbergensis. That remained his name for several years, until one night, the ghost of Homo heidelbergensis visited a professor at Heidelberg University and begged him to petition for a name change.

These days, Heidelberg Man keeps a low profile. You might see him darting furtively between buildings at night, but he's had his time in the spotlight, and prefers to avoid it.

"Three More Trips To Go"

Anil and the boys had been hauling away dirt all afternoon in the 100 degree heat of a Calcutta summer, and by his estimates, they had about three more cartloads to go before the job would be finished.

It was dirty work (obviously), and after three months, Anil was getting sick of it. But with all the construction going on, piles of excavated dirt were appearing all over the city, and companies kept calling Anil and asking him to move it. At least the money wasn't bad... wait, actually, it was bad -- a paltry few rupees a day.

Anil was bored with the work, but he had a plan to save up and one day buy an air conditioned cart to haul away the loose dirt. "Yes, that would make the work a bit more bearable," Anil thought to himself. "Maybe I could even get these guys to push the cart, and I could read while they worked."

Car Stereos Are Way Too Loud Today

Well, there goes another one of those damn noisy cars again, with the vibrating bass that you can hear from 5 blocks away. Who needs to listen to their music that loud? I can't imagine that these kids are going to have any eardrums left by the time they're 30.

Why does everything these days seem to be trending toward louder, more obnoxious, and more annoying to us old folks? Are kids just trying to annoy the hell out of us? If so, it's working really well.

I'll tell you, if I ever get my hands on one of those young kids, I'll... well, I don't know what I'll do, but it'll be pretty bad.

I Am So Not Giving You A Ride

Oh, look, it's a tourist! Wow, you came all the way up here in the mountains -- must have been a bumpy trip. I hear those Land Rover seats are a real pain in the ass, no pun intended.

Wait, what's that? You've always wanted to ride a camel? Well, forget about it pal. Too bad.

First of all, I'm on break. Second, I don't give rides to tourists -- it's in my contract. Just ask my handler. He's the guy selling bags of pine cones, which happen to be my favorite food.

I'm not in the mood to go traipsing around the dunes with some brain dead idiot on my back taking photos, so he can show all his friends back home how cool Jammu & Kashmir was, and how he rode a camel.

Go ahead and buy me a bag of pine cones though -- I'll eat 'em right up. However, just be aware that your gesture will in no way help convince me to give you a ride. I might spit on you though -- hey, that'd be something to tell the guys about, wouldn't it?

The Godfather Of All Hangovers

Godfather is one of the few beers available in Jammu & Kashmir, the northern most state of India. And even if you don't like beer, it's so "super strong" and "high powered" that you won't notice what it tastes like after just a few sips.

Note that the label says this bottle was brewed in July 2004 and is 'good' until January 2005. Pretty short shelf life, huh -- wonder why that is?

It's unclear who the guy on the label is meant to be, but it looks like he's having a pretty good time, so I guess that's reassuring. However, after drinking a few bottles myself, I'd have to say that this guy might not be smiling the morning after.

"This Traffic Is Getting On My Nerves"

"This is ridiculous. I'm pretty used to being stuck in traffic jams in the Pahar Ganj district of Delhi, India, but today, it seems even busier than usual. What's really annoying is that no one has hired me in more than an hour!

Why is that, I wonder? Is there something wrong with my rickshaw? It's got a nice new seat, I just replaced it a couple of months ago. So what gives?

In any event, I've about had it with these people wandering aimlessly into the street right in front of me. I'm going to ring my bicycle bell so loudly at the next person who does that! Damn, I really need to find a new line of work.

Off The Wall

Hi, I'm an alleyway in Amsterdam, and I just got spray painted -- again -- by some young punks who stumbled out of a nearby coffee shop and decided to let loose with some mindless scribblings. And this cartoon face reflects my own feelings about the situation.

Now, I'm no crotchety old alley -- I actually like graffiti, provided it's tastefully executed and serves a purpose. But lately, all these kids can do is just write their names, or spray paint cartoon 'thought bubbles' with nothing meaningful inside them. And to me, that's just a reflection of the dumbing down of the global society that's all too apparent these days.

I remember back in the day, when I first came into being as an alleyway. Kids back then would spray paint their graffiti thoughtfully and carefully, and it always had a message. Never would you see some moron spray painting his name -- the other artists wouldn't allow it.

I remember one time many years ago, Vinny Van Gogh himself came down and painted an early rendition of 'The Starry Night' on one of my walls. That was cool. I wish the kids these days could bring that kind of passion to their work.

Ice Cream Related Tantrum

Zihao had been having a pretty good day for an 18 month old. He'd been on his best behavior, only throwing one tantrum earlier that day, which his mother admitted was way less intense than usual.

But around 2 p.m., as Zihao and his mom were strolling along The Bund in Shanghai, Zihao spotted an approaching ice cream vendor and demanded -- in a shrieking high pitched tone -- that his hunger for sweets be satisfied.

The problem was, he hadn't eaten lunch yet. His mom had fed Zihao a late breakfast, and they'd gone out immediately after his nap. So when the ice cream man came, Zihao's mom refused to buy him the frozen treasure he'd requested. Unsurprisingly, this led to an epic tantrum.

Watching The Procession Of Life

This golden Buddha isn't the biggest Buddha at the Sule Pagoda in Yangon, Myanmar. Actually, he's not even close. Last time I checked, he was 437th.

But no matter, because this golden Buddha has one of the best vantage points at the Sule Pagoda, which is situated right in the busy center of the city and gets a constant stream of foot traffic. From this position, the golden Buddha likes to sit and watch the people walking round the circular path of the temple, stopping sometimes to shower him with praise and devotion. Not bad work, if you can get it.

Dueing much of the year, at about 4 p.m. each afternoon, dark clouds gather above the city and the skies explode with torrential rain, lightning, and soul-gripping thunderclaps. But the golden Buddha is never phased by any of this. He likes to sit there and watch the chaos and take it all in, because it's all part of the deal.

And after some time, the rains stop, and the people come back, and the cycle begins again.

Labor Of Love

Baozhai, a 34 year old boat taxi driver, was one of the few women plying the waters of Zhou Zhuang, a small water village on the outskirts of Suzhou, China. That's because the local boat taxi ranks were, like many things in China, dominated by men, and that had been the case for hundreds of years.

As a child, Baozhai developed a borderline pathological interest in boats, and by age 16, had begun hanging out by the docks of the town looking for chances to work as a boat taxi driver. But the drivers laughed at her, and refused to give her a shot, even as they taught the tricks of the trade to local boys her age.

So Baizhai resolved to take matters into her own hands. One day, when a fisherman was on lunch break, she snuck onto his parked boat, cut the lines, and headed off to pick up some passengers. She figured she'd borrow the fisherman's boat, make a few passenger runs, and be back before he realized it was missing.

In the end, Baozhai ended up being faster than any of the other boat drivers, and she made a tidy sum in the 30 min the boat's owner was away. When he came back, Baozhai confessed to her misdeed and showed him the money. A huge smile crossed his face. It turned out that he was sick of the boat taxi trade and was looking to get out.

And that's how Baozhai became a taxi boat driver, doing what she loves best.

Dog Days Of Summer

Think summer is hot where you live? Try hanging out in Thailand in April, which is the hottest time of the year in the capital, Bangkok. Of course, the term 'summer' is a relative one in Thailand, where even in the cool season, temperatures are often in the low 90s F.

Chalermchai, a 38 year old factory worker who lives on the outskirts of Bangkok, seems to be enjoying the April heat (he's the guy passed out with his mouth open).

Not long after this photo was taken, some of Chalermchai's friends played a really nasty trick on him and spooned a bunch of Nescafe instant coffee into his mouth while he was still asleep. It took about 10 seconds for him to wake up, and for the next several minutes he spat and cursed and vowed to exact revenge.

Time To Go Home

At 18 months, Asha's patience was less than fully developed, you might say. So although she'd enjoyed riding on her father's shoulders the past few hours, taking in the sights of the street festival, Asha was starting to get a bit tired.

And when you're 18 months old, getting tired isn't a gradual process: It comes on like an approaching 747, only the effects can sometimes manifest themselves in louder fashion.

Fortunately, Asha's dad could sense the signs and knew it was time to start heading home for dinner, and then bedtime.

The Incomparable Starkness Of Trees

Why is it that everyone likes taking photos of trees? Part of it probably has to do with how the branches look like tentacles reaching out into the sky, reaching blindly into the unknown. Some people probably draw parallels between tree branches and the seemingly random twists and turns of life itself.

Or, maybe part of trees' allure to photographers is the way branches look like roads, and represent, in a symbolic way, all the infinite number of possibilities there are in everyday life. That could be it, too.

Generally speaking, dead trees, and trees that have shed their leaves for the winter, are way more photogenic and picturesque than live ones. That's another strange paradox related to trees.

You'd think that at their leafiest, trees would be perfect symbols of health and robustness, and they are, because without them, life would never have evolved beyond slimy lizards crawling out of the primordial oceans.

But somehow, the naked tree, framed against the sky, is far more of a poignant symbol.

Calling All Polar Bears

There's something about waking up and looking down from a position 40,000 feet above the west coast of Greenland, with a clear view of the entire landscape, that makes you realize how being in an airplane is very similar to space travel.

OK, maybe that's an exaggeration, since 747s can only fly between 8 and 9 miles above the Earth's surface, and the atmosphere extends to about 100 miles high. But this could just as easily be a view of Saturn's moon Titan, or Jupiter's moon Europa, both of which have been compared to Earth in terms of being rocky, icebound worlds that may have one day harbored life forms of some sort.



This is a photo taken about 20 minutes later, where we'd reached the end of Greenland's land mass and entered Baffin Bay, at about 62 degrees north latitude. That's not steam, it's where the warmer water is welling up beneath the ice and apparently creating breaks in the ice. The water here is probably around 30 degrees or so, and the cold air mass coming off Greenland, the world's largest island, is probably in the -30 to -40 range, which explains why this looks like a large hot tub.

I wonder if any members of any Polar Bear Clubs around the world have ever taken a dip in these waters?

What Are You Laughing At?

Max is a 3 year old herring with big eyes and funky teeth, and he's just been caught by some fisherman off the coast of China, and been brought to a fish market in Shanghai.

Max is still alive, which is surprising, as he's been out of water for over 2 hours. But Max comes from a long line of hearty fish, and he reckons he's still got a couple more hours before everything fades to black.

Max is actually pretending to be dead in this photo, and he's wearing that goofy smile in order to further that illusion. (Man, that Max sure does have some seriously funky teeth, he looks like a poster fish for the Invisalign company!

Max knows that if he even flinches or shows any sign of life, he'll be clubbed by one of the fish processing guys. And Max is saving the last bits of his strength so that he can be in a position to bite off one of his oppressors' fingers, or maybe 2 or 3 if he's lucky.

You see, Max was pretty happy before he got swept up in the fishermens' net. And while Max realizes that as a fish, he probably shouldn't be able to engage in any sort of cognitive analysis of his situation, he isn't ready to ditch his free will and become part of the food chain just yet. Unh-uh, not without a fight.

Max is a firm believer in the old saying, "He who laughs last laughs best", and I can almost hear him chuckling to himself as he prepares to relieve a fish processing guy of one of his fingers.

What's Behind The Door

Doors are kind of funny. Everyone's got 'em. Doors to your houses. Bathroom doors. Car doors. That Doors album that has been stored away collecting dust in your garage for the past 18 years. And, of course, the locked doors in some peoples' pathetically closed minds.

Some doors, when you look at them, seem to taunt you and dare you to wonder about what's on the other side. These doors seem to say, "Yeah, I know you want to know, and believe me, there is some really cool shit on the other side. But no, you can't see it. Now get out."

Other doors are more kindly and benevolent. These doors seem to say, "Don't worry about it, there's nothing interesting on the other side, you can come see for yourself if you want, but I don't want to get your hopes up."

Still other doors play somewhere in the middle, acting all coquettish in their attempts to catch the eye, but in the end, leaving it up to the viewer to imagine what's inside, and making no attempt to sway the viewer either way. In fact, these doors don't say anything at all, they just stand there silently, leaving the viewer to ponder their next move.

Merit Maker Or Bird Lover?

The concept of merit-making is a prevalent one in Buddhist societies, with the main idea being that if you do something nice for another living creature, that kindness will come back to you. Other cultures have different terms for it, and this concept can often be seen when people perform small, ritualistic acts of kindness for animals.

Yangon, the capital and largest city of Myanmar (also known as Rangoon, Burma), is a slightly dingy city with a subdued, melancholy air to it. This is surprising, because unlike other Asian cities, Yangon is full of greenery, with trees, bushes, and grass springing up just about everywhere you look.

Amidst the grime, citizens have to look for creative ways to brighten up their moods, and many have found that purchasing bird seed from roadside vendors and feeding the city's large pigeon population is one way to achieve this.



Pigeons aren't the most popular creatures in the world; in fact, they probably rank just a few notches above rats in the minds of most people, and they've even been referred to as 'rats with wings'. But that doesn't seem to matter to this woman, who appears deeply engrossed in her task of offering some small comfort to her winged friends. Is she making merit, or simply a bird lover?

It would actually be quite funny to see peoples' reaction if someone were to try this in downtown New York. Just imagine a New York cop's reaction to someone throwing birdseed to a gathering group of pigeons. It'd be something like "Whadya think you're doing, this ain't Disney World, now get the hell out of here!"

Moon Temple

Taking photos of the moon is mostly an exercise in futility, and a great example of how the human eye can catch sights far more crisply and accurately than any camera ever will.

Shooting the moon is even more difficult because the damn thing is 240,000 miles away and is moving quickly through space, which means it jumps around the camera viewfinder, especially if you're trying to zoom in on it. This squirrelishness suggests that maybe the moon doesn't want itself to be photographed, and prefers to retain an air of mystery.

This shot was taken just after sunset in Jaisalmer, India, a small city in the desert of western India that sits about 50 miles from the border with Pakistan, and can't be reached without a long, exhausting car or train ride. The moon was rising over this temple in the way it has for centuries, and as I aimed my camera, I could almost hear the moon taunting me and saying, "Yeah, go ahead, try and shoot me, but you KNOW the snapshot won't come close to depicting the actual scene."

And, if the moon saw this photo, it would probably shrug and say "Hey, not bad, but it doesn't even come close to capturing my sublime magnificence -- and you know it."

Taking A Breather

Tuesday morning started out pretty quietly for Sanjay, a 26 year old taxi driver in Calcutta, India. A few short range pickups, a trip to the airport, but otherwise, pretty quiet. But around noon, that changed in a big way.

As Sanjay pulled up to a market, he noticed a commotion just outside the entrance. Several people were assisting a young woman and leading her to the street. Sanjay immediately realized what was going on -- she was pregnant. Very pregnant, in fact, according to the people who were screaming and shouting into Sanjay's window and urging him to rush her to the hospital. The only problem was, the woman hadn't been loaded into the car yet.

Always cool under pressure, Sanjay got out and helped the woman into the car, and jumped behind the wheel. The nearest hospital was 25 minutes away, but Sanjay knew of a shortcut through a nearby series of alleys. And it was the right time of day -- no traffic.

The woman wailed as Sanjay's cab bumped and lurched its way through Calcutta's pothole scarred streets, and it was obvious she was in the later stages of labor. Just as her cries reached the level of screams, Sanjay pulled up to the emergency room entrance, and a group of nurses whisked the woman away to an operating room.

It was a pretty intense half hour, and afterward, Sanjay's heart was still racing. He decided to hang out and catch his breath before continuing his shift. "Never a dull moment in this line of work," Sanjay thought to himself, and chuckled.

San Francisco: Night And Day

The southern San Francisco skyline is a sweeping panorama of hotels, apartment buildings, bay views, and, on clear days, a glimpse of the mountains that frame Silicon Valley, some 50 miles away. It's a side of the city that's often overlooked because it lacks the high profile sights for which San Francisco is known, but the southern view crackles with its own energy and motion.

It's quite relaxing to spend a few hours watching planes approaching and departing from San Francisco International Airport, which is about 6 miles south of the city. The only drawback is the jealousy one feels as they think about the passengers on those planes, being ferried to exotic, faraway lands.

Don't Monkey With My Monkey

SITTING MONKEY: "How many times do I have to warn you? You know how tequila affects you, and frankly, you shouldn't have taken all those shots. I'm sorry you're in pain right now, but I have to say, you kind of deserve it!"

RECLINING MONKEY: "Wow, thanks, that's very helpful, I feel better already."

SITTING MONKEY: Well, you embarrassed the hell out of me last night, and I'm pretty pissed off about it. Do you remember wearing the lampshade? And doing that dumb little dance? I mean, come on, that's a trick from the 1950s, and not very original. People were laughing, but not laughing with you, but rather, AT you.

RECLINING MONKEY: Oh, please stop, my head is POUNDING, and you're making it worse.

SITTING MONKEY: Yeah, well I hope it pounds, maybe you'll think twice next time about getting into a tequila shot contest with the boys.

RECLINING MONKEY: There won't BE a next time -- I'm never drinking tequila again!

The Dancing Eyes Of Mischief

It was a favorite childhood game of Ping's: She'd ask someone to take her photo and then, at the last moment, run away giggling. And as a result, in the digital cameras of many of Ping's family and friends, there were partial images of her very similar to this one.

Ping was a big fan of the Peanuts comics, and she equated the photo game with the old football game in which Lucy would pull the ball away just as Charlie Brown was about to kick it. Ping didn't know what a football was, because they didn't play it in Thailand, but she did love the expression on Charlie Brown's face when he realized he'd been had, again.

Later, Ping would grow up to become a fashion model, and she learned very quickly that professional photographers didn't like to play this game. But from time to time, Ping would still giggle and run away during photo shoots, and photographers would sigh with resignation and wait for her to come back. They put up with her games because Ping was one of the most charismatic models in Thailand, with intangibles that quickly catapulted her to international fame.