Tag Archives: travel
Why I Might Not Use CouchSurfing Again - Meet My New Brother Felipe
“Couchsurfing? No, I don’t thnk I will use that” I hear that a lot. And for a good reason. It is hard to want to trust a stranger to your home, or a trust a stranger you have never meet and stay with them for a time. How do you know they won’t do something bad or steal your items? Couchsurfing can be very scary. I can tell you that after my first time using Couchsurfing I don’t want to use it again.
What is Couchsurfing?
What is Couchsurfing? Well, it is a website designed to meet people around the world. It has groups where you can discuss with people with similar interests online. It has events where you can meet up with people that share you desires and interests. But the most powerful part is that people can open up their house/room/couch to a stranger and show them their life and culture and in return learn more about someone else’s life and culture.
My First Experience
I have always feared using Couchsurfing, it just did not seem like the right thing for me. But I was running out of money while staying in Bogota. I needed a place to stay, but even more so I did not want to stay in a hostel as I would be around other travelers rather than a local. My friend mentioned how much fun she had meeting and hosting people through Couchsurfing and that I should give it a try. I also have another friend who happens to be ambassador for her region and I hear the great stories she has of people she has hosted. With all these positive things people had to say about Couchsurfing it was time for me to dive right on in, eyes closed, unaware what might happen.
Finding Someone
After scouring through mounds and mounds of profiles I submitted a request to 5 different people who seemed like they were interesting people. One really stood out, he did not have a lot of references, just one… the thing that is said about this person “He is always smiling”. That was the person I wanted to stay with and learn more about. His name Felipe.
The Rejection and Acceptance
One by one each person proceeded to tell me that they did not have space available, were out of town, and one by one my heart started to sink and feel heavy. The pound of my heart could be felt as my disappointment set. Four people had said they were not available for host me at the time for the three week period. Felipe was the last person on my list. His response finally came with and I started to read it, my heart started to sink a bit more. The words “I do not have a room available…” were the first set of words I saw. At that point I did not want to read on. I was glad that I did though. The email continued “…until Monday, where I have a guest who is already staying with me.” I had accepted his invitation and so I booked a place to stay for the 5 days wait after I landed in Bogotá, Colombia.
Day 1
After those eventful filled five days we meet in the region of Suba in Bogota, an area I was used to as I had stayed there 2 years before. In my email requesting a place to stay I had mentioned that I was an excellent cook and enjoyed cooking. For the first night, I wanted to prove what I had said. We headed to the store and picked up the ingredients needed to create an Indian curry and combined the ingredients to create a steaming hot turmeric stained food that is very common in Inida. As we ate, we had some beers and moved our mouths and tongues as we conversed all night long. I don’t remember what our conversation was about, but it must have been a good conversation as we did not get some sleep until almost 1 am. It was starting to become a good connection. The connection kept getting stronger and stronger over the next few days, especially when the weekend came. How so you ask?
The Family
That next weekend we headed to Tunja where I was taken in as family. First we meet up with his cousins, two Colombians who lived in Brazil. The two were also on the same route, we shared a car ride with them. The car ride was a bonding experience with his family.
As I arrived to a square house on the corner of an intersection of Tunja I was given a room to stay. I got to meet his sisters and felt like I was starting of become part of the family. We had lunch, a vegan meal, which was fantastic since I am a vegetarian. I got to converse with his sisters as well as his father, who spoke very little English. I was shown around the town of Tunja personally by his father and I got take part of family activities. It was like I was having another family in a different land than my own. And from this I was learning what it meant to be in a Colombian family. We headed back to Bogotá and I thanked Felipe for the wonderful weekend.
Our Time
While in Bogotá I got introduce Felipe of what I know of Bogotá from the 6 times I have visited. We got to know the nightlife of Bogotá as it was now the week of my birthday. A week hard to remember and hard to forget. It was basically partying just about every night, not one night ending before 2 am. It made it hard for me to do my work, but the memories made (if I could remember them), were amazing. We both had a great time meeting new friends.
Why I Don’t Want To Use Couch Surfing Again
Felipe called me his brother, and I considered him to be my brother. And because of this experience, I may never want to do Couch Surfing again. It will be impossible to try to out do this experience. I can’t imagine a better host and a better connection than what I had for three weeks. It is hard to imagine that Couch Surfing can better than this experience. I fear that it can’t get any better than my time with Felipe. I meet a new a family member that I never knew I had and a strong connection to his family. I learned a lot from Felipe, and what it really means to be in a family. It is hard to forget what I learned in those three weeks (especially never to take a shot called Kill Me). I want to reach this article out to him and say thank you. I also want to thank Couch Surfing for making this happen.
Who knows, perhaps someday I will Couch Surf again, but that person has to be very special, or perhaps I will leap blindly like I did the first time using Couch Surfing. It is hard to get past that fear.
What do you think of CouchSurfing? Tell us Perhaps you have questions? We want to hear those stories. Leave a comment below, send me a tweet on twitter, or post on my facebook. Heck even send us a message. Let me know so I can help. Happy travels 
Goodbye Canon, Hello Olympus OMD E-M5 - Switch to Mirror-less for Travel Photography
The heat beats down on me through the blue heavenly skies above me as I climb. I climb up the mountain slowly with many steps to go to reach 400 meters above sea level. It is 90 degrees outside and the humidity is 85%. One step is fine, but as they add up the weight starts to get to me. My friend Jessa says to me “Come on Erick, lets keep going” as she climbs the stairs with ease. We are climbing the mountain to Hanginan, Maasin in Southern Leyte, Philippines. Each step becomes heavier and heavier… I am being literal here. You see, I am carrying ALL of my camera gear and it is weighing me down. You know that feeling? 2 bodies, 3 lenses, filters, tripod, a strobe, trigger, other gadgets and some food all in one backpack? At this point I am ready… I am tired of it. It is time for something different. It is time… for a new camera system.
For about 5 months now I have NOT been shooting with my Canon system setup. I used to run around with a 60D and 7D set up. The 7D stopped functioning due to water damage so I fell to exclusively using my 60D as my back up. The 60D then stopped working as I was testing it for a photo shoot I was going to do in Colombia. I was desperate to get a replacement camera. I was looking at the newly released 6D, but then I thinking back to the wonderful time I was having when climbing the mountain in Maasin. Maybe it was time to make that switch I had thought of back then. I had always toyed with the idea going to a mirror-less camera system. Mirror-less you ask? Why would a professional photographer want to downgrade?
The mirror-less systems are smaller and much lighter. Also very cheap and the quality is amazing. It is perfect for a travel photographer. I find it to be more of an upgrade than a downgrade.
OMD E-M5 Silver
The Choice? Olympus OMD
I did a lot of research after my experience in Philippines in late 2011. I had felt I had armed myself to make a well informed decision. The mirror-less camera I decided to choose was the Olympus OMD E-M5. Why did I choose this camera? Well I won’t lie, I chose it because it looked like an old film camera. I also chose it for the fact that it received the award of Camera of the Year in 2012 by DPReview. I also chose it because the camera is using a Micro Four Thirds system. Olympus and Panasonic have both embraced the Micro Four Thirds system and it’s benefits, which means that you could use either brand of lens. Sigma and other lens companies have also designed lenses for this system as well.
The Weight and Size
The weight and size was the largest factor though. Hands down the weight of the Olympus OMD is way smaller than my 7D and 60D. The 7D weighs 29 oz., the 60D 27 oz. and the OMD 15 oz. making it nearly half as light as the 7D. My favorite lens for the Canon system was a Canon 24-70mm ƒ/2.8 which weighed 34 oz. For my OMD the 17mm ƒ/1.8 and 45mm ƒ/1.8 both weigh just over 8 oz. combined.
Because the weight is less and there is smaller parts it is easier to carry. I used to carry a backpack to carry the gear around for photography. The backpack would be packed with 2 lenses, the body (with lens), blower, strobe, remote, battery charger, 4 filters, remote, lens pen, other gizmos and gadgets and snacks..
Now I can carry small bag with a body, 2 lenses, remote, 8 filters, flash, strobe, lens pen, diabetes testing kit, and snacks. Almost the same amount of items in one smaller bag.
Cost
The size of lenses are smaller making it very affordable as well. The manufactures can make a good quality lens with less parts needed to be able to create cheaper lenses. The whole system costed me a total of $2800, which is the cost of a body, 17mm ƒ/1.8 lens, 45mm ƒ/1.8 lens, remote flash, remote trigger, 2 polarizing filters, 2 warmth filters, 2 UV filters, 2 ND filters. As for my Canon system I have easily have paid $3500-$4000 (although I already had lenses).
There is a drawback on some of the pricing. Some of the OMD accessories are expensive. An example is the battery grip I purchased was $299, which in my opinion is kind of steep, but almost worth the price. For $39 the remote cable release is kind of lacking for the price that it costs.
The Drawbacks
So the only difference between a mirror-less camera and most DSLRs is the that the DSLR has a mirror and prism to preview your photo before taking the shot. I know I am using a micro 4/3 system which is a lot smaller sensor. The biggest argument of this is that smaller sensors have an issue with noise. I would have to say that is not the case with this camera. First shoot I shot with it was in the morning trying to do some long exposures and set my ISO to 2000 thinking I set it to 200. The results are amazing. Here are some examples from that shoot.
The other drawback people talk about is the Bokeh of a micro 4/3 system. I would have to say that is a drawback. But to most people who are not professional photographers, they can not tell and a good photographer can make bokeh happen (naturally). Here is an example of some bokeh taken with the OMD EM-5.
The other drawback is the crop factor, which can be an advantage. The crop factor of a micro 4/3 system is 2.0x. That turns a 45mm lens into a 90mm equivalent for a 35mm. For those who want a better zoom, like most travel photographers this is great. For those who need wide angles, this could be a drawback.
Not a Professional Camera
“The OMD is small and does not feel like a professional camera…” Yeah, that is what someone told me. They were a professional photographer by the way. “…it feels like a toy.” That is a very common perception that a lot of professional photographers have when seeing the camera. Bigger is better? Not really.
The camera is a tool. A good photographer still needs to know lighting, tonal value, composition and color. A lot of photographers believe if that they do not have a BIG camera they coud not be perceived as a professional. I was kind of worried about this myself as I had a photo shoot in Colombia. The model was more relaxed as there was not giant lens in her face the whole time. The shoot was more natural and we see each others as equals.
When I was shooting with OMD in the streets people asked me if I was with the press. Everyday people do not know the difference between a DSL and Mirror-less, they just see a camera. On another note the fact that it is smaller is also great because it a lot of times I can take it into places where they ban DSLR. I was able to take my camera into the Explorer Park in Medellin when they banned DSLRs. I got in fine with my OMD E-M5
Even Trey Ratcliff of Stuck in Customs has switched to a Mirror-less camera system from a Nikon system. The Mirror-less system is perfect for some one like Trey and I who are both travel photographers and need to travel light.
Conclusion
So what do I have to say about the OMD E-M5? Well, I love it. I know why it has gotten camera of the year. It has amazing quality, great features (which I have not spoken fully of) and extremely light and small. It the perfect companion for a travel photographer. A more in depth review of the OMD E-M5 will come in the future.
What camera do you use when you are on vacation or travelin? Do you love your Panasonic point and shoot? Do you carry your DSLR or perhaps you stand by your trusty iPhone? I know I do. Let me know what you prefer. Leave a message below, send me a tweet on twitter, or post on my facebook. Heck even send us a message. Let me know, we want to share it with others.
P.S.This is not a sponsored post. I paid everything out of my own pocket, Olympus did not sponsor me. I also am not being paid by Olympus to promote this camera. I am doing it to better inform those out there.
Tips: Things Learned Traveling In Argentina
“Ugh! What is that on my boot?” “Wasn’t I here already?” “Did you say 18 hours on a bus?” We tend to learn things the best the hard way, which is by experience. Learning by experience tends to allow us to grow a bit more. What was learned in Argentina? Here are some tips about traveling Argentina, or just traveling in general but was discovered when traveling Argentina:
- “Cagar en el Calle!” Yes, the grammar is incorrect, but the alliteration was more fun. Watch where you step. It seems that dogs like to poop just about everywhere in the streets of Buenos Aires, and the owners do not like to clean up after their dogs. While looking up and around at the amazing architecture, make sure not to step into a smelly accident.
- Argentina is HUGE. Two weeks are enough to see Buenos Aires, Iguazu Falls and Rosario and Colonia del Sacramento, but forget about Patagonia, the Pampas, the beaches, Fue de Tierra, Bariloche and the lakes, Salta… and much more. Looks like another booking to Argentina is required… Not like that is a bad thing.
- A shifty man leans against the wall in his white collared shirt and black slacks. Casually he announces “Cambio?” as tourist pass by in the heart of Centro Buenos Aires. I am not advocating doing something illegal, but there is an advantage for having American Dollars, you can exchange them for hefty amount of money in your favor. The regular exchange rate for American dollars is 4.7 and most “cambios” would exchange for 4.2 at the airport. Black market or “Blue Dollar” was more like 6.1 per a dollar. There are places online that can allow for money transfers to your account for a better exchange rate and no need to worry about walking into dark alleys or shifty buildings.
- Pizza is amazing. Some of the best pizza I have EVER eaten had been in Argentina. There is a huge Italian influence in Argentina and the cooking is hugely influenced. Pizza here is great, although not Italian thin crust, it has a great taste. It is always fresh and best of all you can enjoy it at midnight when you have a made case of the… hunger.
- Good luck being vegetarian, actually not really. When you say are vegetarian or “Yo soy vegetariano” they look at you with a weird stare. Argentina is known for being a haven for meat lovers. Most when asking for something vegetarian they will offer a salad. Look at the menu closely, there are actually a lot of vegetarian options.
- Buenos Aires is the hub. If you want to go anywhere, you have to go to Buenos Aires first. If you are in Puerto del Iguazu and want to get to Bariloche, you still have to travel south to Buenos Aires then westward to Bariloche rather than straight westward to Bariloche. It is a great way to rack up frequent traveler points…
- Don’t be afraid of a bus system. The bus system is rather comfortable, actually more comfortable than most first class air flights when taking long travels. With reclining chairs that turn into beds. That 18 hours bus ride to Iguazu does not seem so bad now.
- Don’t do anything the day you are set to leave, like taking a day trip an hour north to Tigre. If so, expect the chance of missing your flight in the 3.5 hours of traffic from downtown Buenos Aires to Ezeiza Airport. On a good note, it is a great way of extending your stay an extra day.
- Expect slow service. Service in Argentina is slow, but for a reason. The idea is just to enjoy your time. When you order something to eat, expect to have a good amount of time to talk to your lunch/dinner mate, because getting that check may take 30 minutes just to get to you.
Ever have some interesting experiences that you would like to share when in Argentina? Perhaps just some tips? Or maybe you have some experiences on traveling in general. Let us know in the comments below or tell us on twitter and Facebook. Or just stalk us on our feeds.