Category Archives: Travel

ROME – ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?

“When in Ro—” I don’t even want to say it.

Scrolling down, you’re expecting what—some pictures of the Coliseum, maybe some dude in a trojan outfit, spaghetti, a chariot maybe? The Pope? GOD?! Dim the lights, watch out for pick-pockets—it’s time to go Rome, Italy.

Did you know: The Coliseum was originally called the Flavian Amphitheater because it was built during the Flavian Dynasty, not because it was built by Flavor Flav. They were testing out this new thing called concrete. When the foreman asked, “Do you know how long this is gonna hold up for?” the head construction guy was like, “I dunno, but could you stop whipping me? Trying to mix concrete here and I don’t have eye protection.”

 

Did you know: Once the popes began running the show, they began looting the Coliseum of its materials, including metal and stone, to build their own shindigs like the Vatican. Some of these materials were important to the Coliseum’s structural integrity, leaving giant holes in the walls resulting in sections collapsing. Most of the ancient Roman buildings suffered the same fate, leaving only a few standing columns of what were once enormous buildings.

 

Did you know: The word “Arena” comes from the Latin word for “Sand”. The floor of the coliseum where the gladiators fought was made up of sand to absorb the large amount of “bodily liquids” spilled during the events. Gross.


 

Did you know: The dome of St. Peter’s Basilica was worked on by Michelangelo up until 6 days before he died. Not only that, the dude had major arthritis and he was still laying down bricks. The dome was finished after his death, and It is known by some as the greatest creation of the Renaissance. 

 

Did you know: Photos are not allowed inside the Sistine Chapel, and if you take one… well, nothing happens except you get yelled at. I don’t like being yelled at, so I didn’t take one. But here’s the Map Room inside the Vatican. 

 

Did you know: The Pantheon is one of the most well preserved temples in Rome and was converted into a church. Among the dead dudes inside is Raphael. Yes, that Raphael. The front of the Pantheon reads, “Marcus Agrippa, son of Lucius, consul for the third time, built this.” Way to pee on it, Marcus. You can’t tell from the front, but there is a giant dome inside which it is famed for, and is the largest unsupported dome in the world. The hole in the middle is the oculus, pointing straight to the heavens. The floor of the Pantheon is also warped slightly, so that rain water would fall to the sides. Pretty smart for not having SolidWorks software.

 

Did you know: Nobody knows who invented Gelato or how it came about.

 

Did you know: Vespas and small cars are very common throughout the streets of Italy. My guess is because the side streets and alleyways are all cobblestone, narrow, and no real pedestrian walkways. To have a car is to not care about scratches, dings, and side-swiped mirrors. 

 

Did you know: If you throw a coin into the Trevi Fountain, this will guarantee that you will some day visit Rome again. Also, if you don’t throw that coin, you can spend it on a croissant and still return to Rome because DON’T TELL ME WHAT TO DO WITH MY MONEY.

Visitor Tip: Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps are very popular (free) tourist attractions within a 10-minute walk of eachother. Use jet lag to your advantage and go at 630a.m. (not during daylight savings time) and take a shot that looks like you’re there on a not-so-crowded night (above two vs next two).

 

Did you know: Rome is full of white- and pink-stone everything. I can’t even afford kitchen counter tops. 

 

Rome was fascinating. You can’t help but imagine yourself walking around in some drop cloth tied loosely by a rope belt, wearing sandals, and for some reason holding a small goat. If you can just be there in that moment, in Rome, history comes alive.

I believe that anyone who visits this place can walk away with a deeper understanding of themselves. For me, I felt that connection with Michelangelo’s art. When they asked him to paint the Sistine Chapel he was like, “Dude, I’m a sculptor.” He somehow learned how to mix paint, create color, and painted the most well-known ceiling the world, with one of the most recognized paintings in the world. Some people look up and admire it for what it is. I admire what it is, and the insanity that came with it: endless nights of thought, the revisions, the experimentations and failures, the passion to turn a client’s lame 12-image proposal to 175. I saw him climbing down from the however-many-hundred-foot ceiling, looking up and going “Damn it, the nose is too big!” and climbing back up to redo it. So is the life of the true artist: multi-disciplined, imaginative, never settling for a client’s lame 12-image proposal. I don’t know, maybe he did it in one go, or maybe he looked up and said “bleh, screw it.”. All I know is that he died in 1564, and 453 years later he’s still got it. Still got it.

 

#WHENINROMEDOASTHEROMANSDO. Ok that was it. There it is. Ciao.

There are No Kangaroos in Austria

If you’d ask me where I’d want to go on this planet, I don’t think Austria would’ve been top 10. Probably not even top 50. To be honest, I knew it existed but had no idea what was there. Little did I know that The Sound of Music was filmed there, and our favorite governor, Arnold Schwarzy, is from there. Over five days I was able to tour Salzburg, Vienna, and Graz, Austria.

I must say, the rail system there is incredible. It takes about 3 hours to travel from Salzburg to Vienna, roughly 200 miles. In California, it takes 5 hours to go from LA to SLO about 200 miles. Get it together, California. Don’t even get me started on the public trans once you’re in the city.

Salzburg is where most of the following pictures are from as I thought it to be the most scenic and capture the country side of Austria—my kinda photos. These were actually shot mostly from The Sound of Music tour! Following those are pictures of Vienna and its palace, the Schonbrunn. Enjoy!


ALASKA, THE FINAL FRONTIER

This whole time I thought it was space, but according to the state of Alaska, it is the final frontier. Huh. Does that mean I’m done traveling? AM I AT THE END!? I sure hope not, I’m just getting warmed up! Literally, I’m thawing from Alaska.

Before this trip, most of the places I had been to were major cities or tropical areas. Alaska was different in so many ways—in so many good, fantastic, awesome ways. There wasn’t much snow, I didn’t see any polar bears, but I did see a Yeti. Either that or it was a very pale old man.

From what I saw, most of Alaska remains untamed and wild, but more importantly, respected. There is an abundance of wildlife, protected forests, and completely uninhabited territories with the exception of a few care takers who live without running water. Alaska unexpectedly brought me back to nature in a way I did not expect. Though jokingly for old folks, Alaska is filled with rugged terrain and excursions fit for everyone to enjoy.

Check out some snaps from my latest trek to the 49th state starring: Jenny!
rlp-alaska_90916-001
Luckily no bandits boarded our train. This old school railroad took us from Anchorage to Seward, a 4.5 hour ride through the Alaskan wilderness.

rlp-alaska_90916-003

rlp-alaska_90916-002

rlp-alaska_90916-004

rlp-alaska_90916-005

rlp-alaska_90916-006

rlp-alaska_90916-009
The Hubbard Glacier, one of the few glaciers still advancing.

rlp-alaska_90916-011

rlp-alaska_90916-014

rlp-alaska_90916-012

rlp-alaska_90916-013
During the off season, sled dogs train at Musher’s Camps pulling wheel-mounted carriages through soil.

rlp-alaska_90916-010
To the naked eye, the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) can look like a mere cloud of mist moving about the sky. Very fortunate to have captured this on a moving vessel.  ISO 1600 / 24MM / F2.8 / 4 sec

rlp-alaska_90916-015

rlp-alaska_90916-016
According to the guides, Orcas appear about 5-10% of the time. With the lack of rain, addition of sunshine, and a pod of Orcas, it was a lucky day.

rlp-alaska_90916-007

rlp-alaska_90916-003-2
To get your endorphins going for this next set (shot with iPhone), imagine yourself exiting a canoe after a brief trip through fog and mist. You are now standing among scattered, ocean polished rocks and you can hear the rushing water that feeds the river you just traversed. As you walk along, you look up, you can see trees for miles. You can smell the greens. Entire snow-capped mountains covered with them. The crisp 50ºF air fills your lungs with a chill, but it is refreshing.

rlp-alaska_90916-001-2
Mist beads up on your face as you step through knee deep puddles of 20º water, but thankfully you have your rain boots on. As you step closer to the frozen palace, its scale becomes more and more apparent, until suddenly you are subject to its majesty.

rlp-alaska_90916-002-2
An entire mountainside of ice towering over you as it spews water from an opening at the foot. Standing 100 yards away is time itself, frozen into magnificent hues of blue and white. You look down and realize you’re standing on the glacier itself; frozen solid and covered with soil.

img_0626
Welcome to the Davidson Glacier.

rlp-alaska_90916-017
Learning about the art of glass blowing—not a native thing to AK, but an experience that made our trip special none the less.

rlp-alaska_90916-019

rlp-alaska_90916-020

rlp-alaska_90916-021

rlp-alaska_90916-022
Alaska was good to us.

rlp-alaska_90916-023

rlp-alaska_90916-024
Hanging out in Vancouver before our flight back to LAX. Taking in as much green as possible before hitting the concrete jungle.