India 18 July 2014

Hi all,

After a smooth flight to Franfurt and Delhi I spend the day on a very relaxing way. I went to the golden temple of the sikhs in Delhi. Very similar to the golden temple of Amritsar, but never the less v er y relaxing and beautiful. Also in this temple freen meals are served to all people who want a meal. This time I was not invited to join :-) I was however invited to have look at the kitchen where the food was prepared. A friend of me of the fotoclub inspired me to make this time a serie of food. So the look into the kitchen was a very good start. Tomorrow we will leave Delhi and move on to the west.

Greetings,
Arjan

2014-03-22 Kinderdijk

It has been a long time since my last post on this blog. Making much more use of Facebook nowadays. Anyway after an inspiring lecture about landscape photography at the fotoclub, it was time to put the knowlegde learned into practice. So we went to Kinderdijk. A small village located south-east of Rotterdam and famous around the world for its windmills. Actually the location has been put on the UNESCO Heritage list. Therefor thousands of tourists from all over the world visit the location during the day, but in the evening at sunset not many people are around so you have plenty of time and space to set-up your gear.
The weather was perfect for a nice landscapepicture. A bit cloudy and dry. And also it was the first time I made use of a LEE filtersystem. I used for some of the pictures a LEE ND 0.3 greyfilter which creates a nice colour effect on water and clouds.

As usual my pictures are published on my site: Link



For those who are interested, this is the official tourist webpage of Kinderdijk with all the facts and figures:
+Kinderdijk

Have fun,
Arjan

Myanmar October/November 2013

Hi All,

Although I brought a tablet to Myanmar and internet access was much more avauilable then I thought, I did not manage to publish any messages through my tablet. Connections were slow and not very stable, so I left a few items on my facebook account (search for Arjan Benders to get connected) and did not bother anymore about my blog.
Now I am back for almost a week and working on my photo's as hard as I can.
The first 3 albums were published this afternoon.
1 album with portrets of children and people I met underway.
1 special album with pictures of women smoking heavy cigards :-)
And one urban album which I made during a walk around the hotel I stayed in at Yangon. Please mind: I slept in a rather luxurious hotel, but richdom and poverty are only a streetcorner away from each other in Yangon.

Please click here to see my pictures

Have fun,
Arjan

Myanmar

Hi all.

Tuesday October 29 at 10:30 CET I will be airborn for my trip to Myanmar. Although the Lonely Planet states that there are som internet cafes in the larger cities I do not expect to be online very much, but if possible I will post an item on my blog or on my facebook account.  (search for Arjan Benders).


CU soon,
Arjan

Amsterdamse Waterleidingduinen 2013/10/20

Today,  early in the morning, I visited with some friends the area of the Amsterdamse Waterleidingduinen. An area between the cities Zandvoort and Noordwijk along the North sea coastand about 3,400 hectares large.
The area is still used for providing the city of Amsterdam of its drinking water and one of the largest nature parks of The Netherlands. About 2000 deer are living in the park and its surroundings. Now in autumn the male deer are fighting for their herd of females. It goes along with a special noise (burling?).

Because of the early hour there was some morning mist which showed nature at its most beautiful hour. We made a walk from 8:00 till 10:00 and the deer couldn't be missed of course....

At my site I will show you a few of the pictures I made.
Amsterdamse Waterleidingduinen


Enjoy,
Arjan

UPC at an old car graveyard at Wassenaar

Hi all,

Saturday 31 August 2013 I went with the Urban Photo Collective to Wassenaar to visit an old car graveyard. When you drive around in your relatively new car you do not want to know that there is also another side of traffic, namely the one of accidents and waste to the environment. Old and broken cars in the Netherlands are mostly demolished and the parts are being sold and used again. Still a lot of waste is kept untill final destruction.

I made 2 series of photo's at the graveyard. A general one of parts waiting until being sold or destructed and one of the famous Mini Cooper which I found between the numerous old cars. Only 2 pictures in this serie are in full colour, the other ones are all B&W. Although I never owned a Mini myself could there be some nostaltic reason??

http://urban.iamnotsimple.nl/#!album-38

http://urban.iamnotsimple.nl/#!album-39

Enjoy,
Arjan

20130615 Summer Festival Rotterdam

Hi All,

Last Saturday I spent with some friend from the Fotoclub Almere at the Rotterdam Summer Carnival.
A long parade of music (most Carribbaen), dance, food and drinks.... and of course the BIG mama's.
Quite sunny day, which is rare these days, but also lots of wind which made it hard for the participants to keep there feathers up and in good shape.

As usual my pictures are publisehed at my website:

http://fca.iamnotsimple.nl/#!album-36

Have fun,
Arjan

2013-05-10 UPC - Be Good or Else......

Hi All,

Last Friday was a very special photo occasion. Together with the Urban Photo Collective I had the opportunity to visit an old jailhouse. The building, just recently abandoned, situated in Rotterdam opened its gates and we were free to go in and make our pictures. All the rooms in the building that were not locked were free to be entered and make our pictures. Only a few doors kept locked mainly because of security or safety reasons. However I had the time of my life, as how often do you get the chance to walk free throughout a jailhouse.

I stayed in for a few hours to make my pictures and honoustly I must admit I really was glad I could get out again. Walking through the building and watching all those doors, locks, long corridors and smelling the dank air I found it a very depressive environment and I do not envy those who are kept there for sometimes many years.

Anyway the serie of pictures I present at my site should give you an impression of what to see and to undergo when you have to go in……

http://urban.iamnotsimple.nl/#35.0

Usually I end my story by saying Enjoy or Have Fun, but I am not sure if that is the right expression in this case.

This time you have to find out all by yourself,

Arjan

UPC Amsterdam "Up Close" March 23, 2013

Hi all,

Saturday afternoon in Amsterdam with the Urban Photo Collective. A monthly event to go to a certain place and make your photo’s based on a theme set by the organisation. This month’s theme was Up Close. Location: the Botanical garden of Amsterdam. A good place to be as outside it felt like minus 10c, but once inside you had to take off your coat due to the tropical conditions.

I brought my 105mm f2.8 macro lens so I had the opportunity to get real close to the subjects. A photographer once told me that on every square meter you should be able to make at least 10 macro photos. Anyway I had a pleasant afternoon and as usual some of my pictures are published on my website.

http://urban.iamnotsimple.nl/#34.0

Have fun,

Arjan

Theatre Photography at the Kunstlinie Almere

Almere, 12 March 2013

Last Thursday we had the opportunity to make photo’s of some young dancers at a theatre of Almere. 4dancers of the balletschool showed us some modern and classic dances and really I had no idea that it was so hard to make a good photo.

First you have to deal with the moves which are not really familiar to me and then there is the light. During the modern dancing it was a red and blue light and I found it very hard to make some good pictures. The second part (classical ballet) the lights went white with a black background curtain. Much better to make a good picture.

          

Some more pictures you will find at my website: http://fca.iamnotsimple.nl/#home

Enjoy,

Arjan

Amsterdam, 27/10/2012, Urban Photo Collective - Overexposed

Halloween in Holland.

 
In Holland and Belgium more attention is paid to the Halloween party. Every year more of these are organized and many Halloween articles are sold by special shops. Lots of critics are exposed as many people think that it is discovered by commerce to have the customer spend more in the weak period between summer holidays and Sinterklaas (a typical Dutch celebration at 5th December). Also a lot of critics say that this celebration is symptomatic for the Americanization of the European society.

 
Nevertheless a Halloween parade was held in Amsterdam on Saturday 27th October and I went there with the Urban Photo Collective to make my pictures. Theme of this evening was Overexposed.
As usual my pictures are shown at my website: http://urban.iamnotsimple.nl/#30.0

Other pictures of this theme of UPC can be found on Flickr.com. You need to search for: UPC1012

Enjoy (and rember: all people are in disguise)
Arjan

Amsterdam, 2012-10-05 The Kyteman Orchestra

Hi All,

 
This evening I went to the Royal Theatre Carre at Amsterdam to see the Kyteman Orchestra. A band that usually plays at festivals and the so called pop temples (like Paradiso at Amsterdam). So now in one of the most famous theatres of Holland. I was really curious how it would turn out, as it is quite a difference to see a funky band play at a jazz festival or in a concert hall. And I really must say it was fantastic. As the audience was sitting, there was no noise of people talking, moving around or dancing around you. You really had a chance to listen to the music and then a good performence in a concerthall is really great.

 


The Kyteman Orchestra.

20120917 photo’s Hooghalen

Dear all,

 

The weekend of 8 and 9 September was the traditional opening of the season of the Fotoclub. This time we went to a village in the province Drenthe in the nortern part of The Netherlands and famous about its beautiful nature parks and stone graves (Hunebed in Dutch). The graves we did not visit, but nature by means of the moors and sand areas were full in scope. A new 105mm macro lens was much used tob ring some very nice close ups of spiderwebs and mushrooms.

http://fca.iamnotsimple.nl/#25.0

The second day of the weekend we spend at Noorderdierenpark (Zoo) at Emmen. A nice apportunity to make some close ups of the various animals. The zoo itself is a nice placet o be as fort his zoo is chosen to show the animals in their natural environment. So not much cages, but open fields in which the animals can free walk around.

Next mont the photocontest of the month has a special thenme:

Eye to eye to animals

I would say have a look and send in your votes J My personal favorit is the ostrich

http://fca.iamnotsimple.nl/#26.0

 

Enjoy,

Arjan

20120908 FCA weekend at Hooghalen

Hi All,

 

Last weekend we celebrated the traditional opening of the new season of the fotoclub. This year we went to a village named Hooghalen in the province Drenthe.

Very sunny and warm wheather, a blooming heather and a visit to the Zoo of Emmen. For the time being I just uploaded one picture, more will follow in the next few days, as I am still busy preparing my pictures of India for presentation at the web.

Just have a look and wonder who is watching who.

http://fca.iamnotsimple.nl/#25.0

 

CU,

Arjan

India Attari-Wagag border

Hi All,

In an earlier post I told you about the border ceremony of the closing of the border and the lowering of the flags of India and Pakistan at Attari-Wagah.
Monthy Python's Ministry of silly walks must have been inspired by this ceremony.   I found this movie on YouTube. Please watch and judge by yourself.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVLfibEp1Pk

Enjoy,
Arjan

India 2012 (20120810)

Hi All,

Actually I am writing this post on the 12th as I am already home now for 2 days. The last post I wrote in Manali and since then we visited McLeod Ganj, Amritsar and again Dehli.
If you think  McLeod Ganj? Have I ever heared of this town, I have to add that it is close to Dharamsala. As it is well known that the Dalai Lama lives in Dharamsala, I can now actually say that he does not! His Holy Temple is situated in McLeod Ganj, which is a very small village just a few miles besides Dharamsala. The Temple is not one of the nicest Bhudist temples I ever saw. A quite new building made out of concrete with two large halls where the meditation sessions are held.
The best comic I ever saw was the local policeman who managed to get the traffic completely stuck. And that in a village of only 5 streets. i managed to see it all while having a drink (a nice sweet lemon soda) on one of the roof terraces, so I had a good view of it all. A lot of noice (blowing hornes), yelling Indians and a policeman trying to arrange the traffic, but no one took notice of him.

Amritsar: The capital of the Sikh community with only a few highlights. The Golden Temple is the absolute highlight of the city. In a very hectic city this temple is an absolute oasis of peace and rest. The centre of the temple is the Hari Mandir, which is surrounded by water named Amrit Sarovar (Pool of Nectar). The Hari Mandir does have a golden roof in the shape of upside down lotus flower.
The temple is a lovely place to come to rest and enjoy the ceremonies.
In and around the temple you are constantly addressed by the Sikhs asking you where you are from and saying that you are most welcome in their temple.

 In the evening we went to a nearby city (Attari) to the Waga border, to watch the ceremony of lowering the flags of India and Pakistan.   I have seen many military ceremonies in my life, but I really do not know what to think of this one.
On both sides of the border platforms are build to watch the ceremony. On the Indian side a few thousand watchers (mostly Indian people), the Pakistani side could not be seen very well by me, but also a crowd was gathered.
During the time we had to wait for the ceremony on both sides of the border loud music was played. Probably patriotic songs. So it was a real lot of noice.
A local celebrety was agitating the public to get them dancing, singing and waving the Indian flag. If I did not know better I could be watching a football game with a fanatic crowd.
The ceremony itself took only about 15 minutes. A lot of marching, saluting and of course the lowering of the flags. Both the Indian and Pakistan flag are lowered at exactly the same time, the same speed, etc....

Dehli 8 and 9 August
By train we travelled from Amritsar to Dehli in about 6 hours. We travelled 2nd class so no hanging on doors or sitting on the rooftop :-)
In the afternoon I went to the Bahai Temple. A temple build in the shape of a huge Lotusflower ( http://www.shalusharma.com/lotus-temple-must-see-bahai-temple ).



The last day in Dehli I went on a bike tour through the old town.
From DehlibyCycle:

"The Shah Jahan Tour is DelhiByCycle’s classic recipe for an exhilarating glimpse into the life and times of the great Mughal Emperor, Shah Jahan and the 1500 acre expanse of his capital - Shahjahanabad. At the time of its construction in the 17th Century, it was arguably, the most prosperous and beautiful city in the world. Today, when you pass through its four hundred year old web of alleys held together with great big meshes of electric cables and infused with the smell of brewing tea and simmering breakfast curry, you see a mind boggling co-existence of the past and the future, competing for your attention. Emerging from this rainforest, thick with traditional architecture- typical of Shah Jahan’s time, you will find yourself in a Delhi of another time while you also see the Red Fort, Jama Masjid, the Spice Market and tranquil Civil Lines, the former British colonial area as a sharp contrast to hectic Old Delhi."

Took the nightflight back to Amsterdam where I arrived after a deep sleep at 06:00 in the morning. Got the weekend to rest before going back to work on Monday.

CU,
Arjan

India 2012 (03082012)

Hi all,

Boring day today. Cancelled a 5 hour walk through the woods because of the rain. Manali is well known because of the rains, but so far it rained only in the evening. Now almost the whole day. This morning i looked around in Old Manali and found a good place for breakfast where an excellent espresso was served. Stayed a long time over there. In the afternoon I spent some time reading and listening to some music on the balcony of my hotelroom.
Tomorrow morning we'll leave for Daramsala. No change to see the Dalai Lama as he is on a tour through Ladakh at the moment. Just missed him as a matter of speaking.
Learned on the news that in Holland some messages were about power downs in India. So far we hardly noticed that. Power over here goes down all the times, but most of the hotels have their own generator.

Going off for dinner now,
CU,
Arjan

India 2012 (020812)

Hi All,

It has been some since my last post, so here I go again. Right now I am in Manali and as to speak in the real world again. Yesterday when we arrived it was rainy, but right now the weather is fine although rain is expected every day around here.
The hikingg around Leh was fabulous. For five days we walked between  4 to 6 hours verey day through the mountains and it looked loike we were walking on the moon. Heavy mountains to climb and no vegetation at all.the route we walked:
Day 1: Basco to Likir (3500mtr). Bikir is a very little village at the beginning of the indus river and has a nice monastary to visit with a Buddha of 30 mtr. The walk was very heavy because of the temperature of about 40C and because we had to cross a desert, so we had no protection against the sun at all. In the evening I felt a little sick, probably because of the heat. At the end of the walk I had finished my complete storage of water for the day (5 liters)
Day 2 Likir to Yangtang (3600mtr)
We have 2 passes to cross today: the Pobe La (3550mtr) and the Charatse La (3630mtr). A walk of appr. 4 hours through beautiful colored mountains. At night the sky was really clear and I cannot imagine to have seen so much stars. Even the Galaxy (Melkweg) was very clear to see.
Day 3 Yangtang to Hemis Shuckpachan (3700mtr)
A heavy steep climb to the Sermanchan pass at 3750mtr. I get really used to the walking through the mountains and developed a steady slow step. Going up your own tempo and enjoy the surroundings.
Day 4 Hemis Shuckpachang to Themisgang (3200 mtr)
Although going down for the day we have to do the first pass at 3750 mtr (Lago Meptekpass). I am getting used to the altitude now and the walking goes smoothly. The surroundings keep amazing.
Day 5 Themisgang to Ulitokpo via Lamayuro.
The last day of the hike and a hard one. First a tough climb to the Bongbongpass (3650 mtr) and then a  slowly decent through a moonlike landscape to the mainroad where jeeps are waiting to take us to Ulitokpo.
In the evening we say goodbey to our crew who took care of building our camp every day, prepared oud good (vegatarian) meals and moved our lugage (by car). We had some drinks in the evening and gave them their tips. They all looked happy.

Then back to Leh for a day to have a shower and clean up from the hike.

Went to DakhTok to see the Buddhist festival. A day full of dances, music and a lot of local people who visited the festival. We stayed near the monastery at a campsite.
In the morning wed visited the second day of the festival. After lunch we left with our bus back to Leh.

In Leh we had to do some shopping as the next 2 days we are only on the road and it was not sure whether we would find a decent place to have lunch.

Leh to Sarchu (4100mtr)
The road is dusty and bad. It is a lot of driving today (10-12hrs) as we have to cross some very high passes.
1) TaglangLa (5350mtr), which is the 2nd highest pass in the world which can be driven by car.
2) Lachung La (50656)
You cannot imagine that all traffic have to go through this road to reach Leh. All goods (oil, food, etc) has to pass this bad road.
We sleep in a permanent campsite with luxury tents at 4100 mtr altitude. Around the campsite huge marmots live and are easy to see and also al lot of Edelweiss grows here. The Swiss would be jealous, because it is almost impossible not to step on it.

Sarchu to Keylong (3350 mtr)
A 6 hour drive. Still no vegetation accept some moss. The mountains are coloured from yellow till red and covered with snow.
An easy ride  with only one high pass (Baralacha 4880mtr).

Keylong to Manali (2050mtr)
First part of the trip goes all well. Good road and fast driving. After the pass the wheather turns and it is raining (first time during the trip). The road turns into a slippery way of mud. Driving goes slow and a few times traffic gets stuck as cars and trucks gets stuck in the mud. A lot of yelling and waiting, but this will always be solved. Costs some time :-)

And now 2 days in Manali. Went to a barbershop this morning to have a good shave. Feel like a babyskin again :-)

CU,
Arjan

India 27072012

Hi all,

After a five day tracking through the highlands I am back in Leh again.The last 5 days I spend walking through the " moonlandscape of Ladakh". Further details will follow as I have no notes with me right now.The tracking was absolute fabulous, wonderfull landscapes, good weather (sometimes even too hot too walk and climb, good vegetarian food and a fantastic crew too take care of us.
Tomorrow we leave for a festival at TakTok and we will spend a full day over there.
I will come back with more deatils later.

CU,
Arjan

India 2012 (20/07/2012)

Hi All,

18/7 Dehli
Flight to Dehli went smoothly and I arrived around 2:00 am in my hotel. Afeter a short and bloody hot night I made a city walk around the slopes of old Dehli with a guide from the Salaam Bakaar Trust. A trust which takes care of the streetchildren of Dehli. They give them a shelter and some education.
In the afternoon I hired a taxi with 3 other members of our group to do a quick tour through Dehli. In a rush we passed the Red Fort, The park where Ghandi was cremated, The India Gate, the houses of Parlement and made a visit to the Laksmi Nayaran Temple.

19/7 Leh
An early rise to catch the plane to Leh. Again a smooth flight and at the end it became claer why this flight only leaves when Leh is not cloudy. The pilot has to make a few hard turns between the mountains to reach the lane to land.
Earlier still on the airport in Dehli I learned from a local newspaper that it had been over 40C.

Grapped some lunch and walked into the city of Leh, which is very small and easy to walk around. Tried not to move to fast as Leh is situated at 3500mtrs altitude. You really have to get used to that. Little less air and if you move to fast your hart beates like hell.
Dinner in a garden restaurant where I had my first Thali. A vegetarian dish containing rice, several curries and bread. Delicious food.

20/7 Leh
Climbed up to the Palace of Leh where we had a look around. It was my first serious climb. A steel path going up for a few hundred meters. The palace was old  and is still being renovated, but you have a nice few over the city.
After the palace another climb to the high above the palace situated Gompa. Some king of monastary. A real nice building on top of the mountain with even better views and statues and wallpaintings.
For the afternoon some shopping for the trecking is planned and some further relaxing.
In Leh the weather is much more pleasant than in Dehli. It is around 25C and a few cloudes.

CU,
Arjan