Category Archives: Places

Our Truly Amazing TV Debut: Behind the Scenes

A few months ago, we got word through the Dhaka expat network that someone was looking for “foreigners” to play roles in a Bangladeshi television show. No acting experience or Bengali language experience required. It turns out that this “someone” … Continue reading

Posted in Bangladesh, Video Shooting, Editing and Production | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Holi in Bangladesh Part 2: the Ruined Roll

A bit of clicking around this site will reveal I’m a film photographer. And when I went to photograph the Holi celebration for my previous post, I took with me three rolls of film. Only two turned out as intended. … Continue reading

Posted in Bangladesh, film processing | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Holi in Bangladesh

For those of you familiar with the holiday Holi, it may come as a surprise to see a post about Holi, a Hindu holiday, in Bangladesh, a predominantly Muslim country. The number of Hindus in Bangladesh has declined significantly since … Continue reading

Posted in Bangladesh | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Hashing Out Old Dhaka

In my previous post, I shared impressions of Old Dhaka gained from an unscripted walk and a 30-minute ride on one of the small ferries. Recently, however, I had the opportunity to enjoy a completely different kind of tour of … Continue reading

Posted in Bangladesh | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Blog is Back: First Impressions of Dhaka, Bangladesh

Taking a break and going back to school for the last two years has been such a wonderful opportunity! But then again, writing, reading, doing photography, simply because I want to, and not because I’ve got an assignment due…well, I’ve … Continue reading

Posted in Bangladesh | Tagged , | 1 Comment

“Artisans” documentary series – final (?) episode

Some of you may have seen my “Artisan” series of mini-documentaries. The plan was to highlight different occupations in Madagascar’s informal sector that involve a specialized skill. Jobs that don’t really exist in the West, with detail that may even … Continue reading

Posted in Madagascar | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Every Day is a Surprise. Also, People are A$$h0Le5.

Life is funny. Some days you wake up and things are – meh – run of the mill, nothing to write home about. Other days you wake up and experience a day you never imagined. I’ve had three traffic accidents … Continue reading

Posted in Burundi, Random Thoughts, Observations and Weird Stuff | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

When Langtang Vanished

April 25, 2015. I was enjoying an idyllic vacation in Mauritius, swimming with the largest animals in the world. When we returned to the dock, my phone rang: how quickly could I get to Nepal? There had been an awful … Continue reading

Posted in Nepal | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Reunion Island: a Little (Volcanic) Piece of France in the Middle of the Indian Ocean

Living in Madagascar, people would sometimes ask, “Don’t you get island fever?” Of course, this never happened – given that it stretches the distance from New York City to the tip of Florida, it’s more like a small continent than … Continue reading

Posted in Other Places | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Onward to Mahajanga, Madagascar

In my previous post I talked about our meticulously planned trip to see all four islands of the Comoros archipelago, which was so rudely interrupted by political violence…and so we shifted to Mahajanga, on the west coast of Madagascar. I’ve … Continue reading

Posted in Aerial photography/videography, Madagascar | Tagged | Leave a comment

Episode 3 of “Artisans” Published!

Eons ago (ok, October last year) I posted the first episode in a series of mini-documentaries about jobs in the informal sector in Madagascar, about the traveling blacksmiths that wander through the city repairing umbrellas, plastic tubs, roofs… A couple … Continue reading

Posted in Madagascar | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Memories of Favorite Places: Ile aux Nattes, Madagascar

Off the eastern coast of the island of Madagascar stretches a 57-kilometer long by 5 kilometers wide island, covered mostly in green and dotted with thatched-roof villages. Ile Sainte-Marie (Saint Marie’s Island), or Nosy Boraha, as it is known in … Continue reading

Posted in Aerial photography/videography, Madagascar | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Introducing Kids in Madagascar to Photography: Results (3)

This is the third in series of posts in which I write about introducing kids to photography, using point-and-shoot film cameras from the 1980s and 90s, at the youth center, Le Cameleon, in Antananarivo, Madagascar. You can find previous posts in … Continue reading

Posted in Good Causes, Madagascar, Photography, general | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Introducing Kids in Madagascar to Photography: Results (2)

This is one of a short series of posts in which I write about introducing kids to photography, using point-and-shoot film cameras from the 1980s and 90s, at the youth center, Le Cameleon, in Antananarivo, Madagascar. You can find previous posts … Continue reading

Posted in Good Causes, Madagascar, Photography, general | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Introducing Kids in Madagascar to Photography: Results (1)

I wrote last time about the youth center, Le Cameleon, we crowdfunded and built in Antananarivo, Madagascar, and the project we organized to introduce a half dozen interested kids to photography, using point-and-shoot film cameras from the 1980s and 90s. … Continue reading

Posted in Good Causes, Madagascar, Photography, general | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Sharing our Passion: Kids in Madagascar Get a First Taste of Photography

A few years ago, I joined a couple of other folks with a passion for photography and an interest in doing something for the local community in Antananarivo, Madagascar. We collaborated to successfully crowdfund a small youth center that would … Continue reading

Posted in Good Causes, Madagascar, Photography | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Visit to Isalo National Park, Madagascar

Shortly before leaving Madagascar after having lived there for more than three years, I finally made it to Isalo National Park, which is one of the premier tourist destinations in country, and one I would have regretted missing out on. … Continue reading

Posted in Aerial photography/videography, Madagascar, Wildlife and Nature | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

One Last Trip – “Lemur Island”

Given today’s justifiable flak surrounding the keeping of pet lemurs or the existence of lemur “petting zoos” that rely on capturing lemurs from the wild, Madagascar’s “Lemur Island” (officially “Vakona Private Reserve”) near Andasibe-Mantadia National Park is seen by some … Continue reading

Posted in Madagascar, Wildlife and Nature | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Off the Beaten Path in Vatomandry, Madagascar

You could live in Madagascar – for as long as three years – and have trouble getting to see all of the on the beaten path things there are to see in that country–in fact, that’s what I just did, … Continue reading

Posted in Madagascar | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Locust Swarm in Madagascar

Shortly after arriving in Madagascar a few years ago, we watched the BBC’s Planet Earth II episode in which a film crew found it amazingly difficult to track down a swarm containing more than a billion of the tiny, destructive … Continue reading

Posted in Aerial photography/videography, Madagascar, Wildlife and Nature | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Rice Harvest in Antananarivo

After three years living in Antananarivo, you gradually stop noticing the things that you found so fascinating and unique about this city as a newcomer. Antananarivo is a city of 1.5 million people. It has a downtown – an older, … Continue reading

Posted in Madagascar | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Great News: Jerome is Learning English and Coding!

Way back in 2016 when I was still new to Madagascar, Anne and I saw an online notice that a crowdfunding initiative on the eastern coast of the country was looking for a photographer and a videographer to produce a … Continue reading

Posted in Good Causes, Madagascar | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Swimming with Whale Sharks in Madagascar

Check another item off the bucket list:  in November, we made it to Nosy Be to see the whale sharks – considered endangered by some – feeding on the plankton that “bloom” there the same time every year.  This capped … Continue reading

Posted in Madagascar, Wildlife and Nature | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

…but what’s there to do in southern Madagascar?

In our quest to see everything there is to see in Madagascar (for which, honestly speaking, there is simply not enough time, but we’re trying our absolute best!) we recently made our way to south Madagascar.  Specifically, we went to … Continue reading

Posted in Madagascar, Wildlife and Nature | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Whale Watching in Madagascar

Every June or July, thousands of humpback whales migrate thousands of miles north from Antarctica to have their young just off the coast of Madagascar. And finally we made it up in time to see them (September is best!) Not … Continue reading

Posted in Aerial photography/videography, Madagascar, Wildlife and Nature | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments