1. Southeast Asia

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I once took a university course on Doing Business in the Asia-Pacific Rim. We learned about the economies and cultural practices of many southeast Asian countries, including Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. Of all those places, I’ve only ever visited Thailand. Although I lived in China for 11 years, the rest of Asia is still a mystery to me. I would love to see the landscape and culture there one day. I’m also slightly concerned that I won’t get there before commercialization and industrialization ruin its beauty.

2. Turkey & Israel

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These 2 countries weren’t always on my radar – prior to visiting Europe, my travel scope wasn’t nearly as big as it is now. I also can’t quite remember when these places caught my eye, but as more of my friends visit and bring back stories, I’m intrigued by the ancient worlds of Eurasia and the Middle East. I think visiting these countries together would be a great trip; if I get the chance I’d also like to add Croatia to this journey.

3. Russia

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My grandpa used to be a Russian translator for the Chinese government; he attended many diplomatic meetings and often travelled to Russia for work. When I was little, he used to tell me about the amazing architecture in Russia and the country’s many traditions. I would love to visit Moscow and St. Petersburg one day and see the place for myself.

If you’ve been to any of these items on my wish list, I’d love to hear your impression. What’s on your list of places you’re dying to visit??

When time is not on your side, it’s sometimes better to enjoy a few places than exhausting yourself to hit up several sights and not spending much time at any of them. I limited myself to just 3 activities in San Diego. The first of which was the only thing I knew about the city prior to my visit – San Diego Sea World. The other 2 items were the USS Midway (plus the harbor around it), and the Coronado Ferry Landing across the water.

Although my time there was short, I thoroughly enjoyed the city. San Diego is a beautiful place; I found it much cleaner than LA, with less noise pollution and crowds. I highly recommend it for a weekend trip with the family.

I ended the day by visiting a family friend’s place for dinner, little did I know they lived in a luxurious home in Rancho Santa Fe. Visiting their house was like sightseeing in itself – I only wish I had my camera with me.

One of my favourite things about California – palm trees!Taking off the next morning, just as the sun was rising. Goodbye San Diego!

Although the crowds were dying down in January, the beaches were far from empty – there were still surfers chasing waves, people tanning on the beach, children playing in the water, and joggers exercising on the boardwalk. Having grown up in Vancouver, I love outdoor cities where people live active lifestyles – LA was right up my alley.

Venice CanalFrom the Santa Monica PierMalibu beachLeaving Malibu

I have been getting a lot of questions about what gear I use. In reality, it’s probably a lot more basic than what some people thought. Great gear is always nice, but I do believe the photographer creates the vision behind an image.

All my photos prior to March 2011 (including all my Europe photos so far) were shot with a Nikon D40. It is now discontinued but it’s similar to the Canon Rebel. I bought it in 2006; it isn’t a professional camera but it did the job for me at the time. Now I shoot with the Nikon D700 and I love it – it’s such a big improvement from the D40. I haven’t considered upgrading my camera further since the D700 is perfect for what I need right now. I also know some professional photographers who swear by it as their main camera so it has a lot of credibility in my eyes.

As for lenses, I only have 2 – a 24-120mm that was paired up with the camera as its kit lens when I purchased the D700 body, and a 50mm that I use for portraits. I mostly shoot with the 24-120mm if I’m traveling, and will switch to the 50mm if I’m photographing portraits or find myself shooting in low light conditions.

I would love to have a telephoto lens and a wide-angle lens as well, but I’m a student and travelling is expensive, so I have to juggle the cost of every equipment with its benefits. My best advice for gear is to figure out what type of photography you’ll be doing (landscape vs. fashion vs. street photography vs. other), research the best equipment for the job, and make smart investments.

Camera:

Nikon D700

Lens:

Nikon 50mm f/1.8
Nikon 24-120mm f/3.5

On January 1st of this year, I found myself doing exactly just that – going to Los Angeles with my mother for a 5-day vacation. For the entire week, we followed a very loose schedule, visited typical touristy sights, slept late and woke up even later. It was the first time in about 2 years that I went on a relaxing vacation instead of some sort of cultural excursion or outdoor adventure. Having gotten used to exhaustingly long days of travelling, I initially thought I’d be pretty bored just lounging around, but the trip actually reminded me of how nice it is to be a tourist sometimes and forget about chasing sunsets and getting that perfect shot.

We began our first day in LA at Griffith Observatory, with a perfect view of downtown LA and the Hollywood sign. Then, we did just about what everybody does when visiting LA – we toured Universal Studios in Hollywood. The rest of the day was spent looking at all the names on the Walk of Fame, watching the Muppets in a theatre on Hollywood Boulevard, and driving back to the hotel through the last bit of sunlight on Sunset Boulevard.

As far as interesting places go, LA does not have the same cultural appeal for me as Europe or Asia; and as far as traveling goes, I haven’t had a trip as slow as this one for a long time. But I can’t complain. After all, I got to spend quality time traveling with my mother, something I haven’t done in years, and I got to kick off the new year doing what I love to do – discovering new places.

Here’s to a brand new start – Happy New Year!

Hollywood Sign from Griffith ObservatoryThe view from Griffith ObservatoryThe view from Griffith ObservatoryDowntown LA‘Johnny Depp’ and Monks, among other busy tourists, on the Walk of FameSunset Boulevard

I share his sentiment, only without the craziness of Sheldon.

Train is my favourite method of travel. It’s more spacious than car, faster than boat, and you don’t have to arrive hours ahead of time to clear security and customs. Not to mention the stations are often located in city centres as opposed to remote airports.

I remember taking the train through China with my parents when I was a kid – the stations were dirty, the trains were dirtier. The rides were bumpy and if we ever took an overnight train, my parents would spend most of their time worried about their belongings being stolen. Thankfully, train travel has come a long way since then. Now, most railways are well-connected and the train cabins are well-furnished. These days I look forward to train travel as a treat.

My love for traveling by train was one of the many things I discovered in Europe. During my 8 months there, I purchased a 2 month Eurail pass and used it every chance I could. Taking the train allowed me to enjoy the scenery whenever I travelled. The crowds at the stations and the whistling of the trains also added a nostalgic touch of industrialism to my time abroad. In fact, I love train travel so much that I have a Train Travel Bucket List. One of the many things on that list is to take “the Canadian” from Toronto to Vancouver, traveling through Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Edmonton, and Jasper along the way. This train ride is perfect for me since I’ve been splitting my time between Toronto and Vancouver for the last 2 years.

I highly recommend train travel to anyone who wants to indulge in a comfortable and relaxing travel experience. Now I’m hoping we can indulge in some dialogue, what is your preferred method of travel and why?