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

India 2012 (16-7-2012)

Ready for take-off

Almost anything I might need on the way to India has been packed, my ticket is confirmed and the boardingpass has been printed. Tuesday morning I will leave around 7:30 to Schiphol and I will be airborn at 11:30 on my flight KL871 to India (New Dehli).
The map below will give an estimate of the planned route.

CU,
Arjan

Urban Photo Collective – Out of Context – May 12, 2012

Another shoot with the UPC. Saturday morning we went to the Domsquare in Utrecht to shoot our pictures. Theme was "Out of Context" and we were asked to bring along some items to create our pictures.The items we brought along were our "Little people". You know the Playmobile, tin soldiers, a little buddha statue, etc., etc.
It is quite out of context when this stuff is put in front of your camera in the surroundings of the Dom church of Utrecht. You can see for yourself

 
Link: Out of Context


 
Have fun,
Arjan

Kyteman

Many of you probably never have heared of the artist named Kyteman.

Kyteman which is an alias of Colin Benders also performed under the names: Kyteman's Hiphop Orchestra, Kytecrash and The Kyteman Orchestra.

Here is the link to his website: http://kyteman.com/home. Google for Kyteman and you will find several links to his videos. Try to listen to the song: Sorry.

 

Have fun,

Arjan

 

 

Paradiso Amsterdam 27/4/2012 – Kyteman Orchestra

This is the review of a concert I attended on April 27,2012 at the Paradiso Concerthal in Amsterdam.

Live review: The Kyteman Orchestra in Paradiso, Amsterdam

20:30. Een rij voor de deur tot ver om de hoek, mensen die zich afvragen of ze op tijd binnen zullen zijn, iemand verkoopt een kaartje. Eenmaal binnen is het donker.Het beetje blauwe licht maakt dat je mensen op het podium ziet en de muziek begint. Nog steeds is het irritant donker, het podium staat vol, de muziek zwelt aan.
Met een enorme explosie van geluid, enorme trommels, blazers, violen en een basgitaar die heerlijk hard staat, baadt ineens iedereen in het licht en geluid. Het is Kyteman, met zijn orkest. Blazers links, strijkers rechts. Piano's, klavieren, synthesizers in het midden, drumstellen links en rechts. Op de balkonnen aan weerszijden een koor. De zaal is vol, mensen en geluid.
Onbevooroordeeld ging ik hiernaartoe, zonder hem vorig jaar gezien te hebben, zonder geluisterd te hebben naar hoe het klinkt op plaat. Bij de DWDD recordings een fragment meegekregen van iets wat niet geheel uit de verf kwam, om het zacht te zeggen, maar hier staan ze. Ze blazen me omver, en met mij de hele zaal.
Het is belachelijk mooi, klassieke stukken, de zware stem van de rapper-reus Pax en andere helden. Ze maken het met elkaar tot een mix van gangsterrap in opera-vorm uit de tijd van Bach. Waar je zegt dat Bach bombastisch is, kun je zeggen dat het Kytemans orkest gedoseerde TNT is.
Een groepje kletsende dames wordt door de hele zaal tot stilte gemaand tussen een nummer door.Veelal hoor je gewoon de klink van de tap als iedereen klaar is met het oorverdovende applaus.
Dit begint op een ode te lijken, maar dat geeft niet, want het was fantastisch. Een klokkenspel wat met 200+ aanslagen per minuut bediend wordt, twee drumstellen waar drie drummers op spelen, een grote trommel waarvan ik de naam niet weet die samen met een drumstel een heel diepe Drum´n Bass laat horen en een jam als toegift, wat wil je nog meer. Als je de kans ziet kaarten te bemachtigen, ga erheen! Verwacht niks, luister niet naar de plaat, het wordt je beloond.
Na dit project heeft Kyteman met zijn orkest rust in de tent, misschien een idee om eens te kijken naar "The Passion" en in een schouwburg gaan staan…?
Door Aart de Bruijn



Live: The Kyteman Orchestra

25 april 2012

Paradiso Amsterdam

UPC Urban Art (revisited)

Hi all,

 
This morning (15/4/2012) I had another photo excursion with the Urban Photo Collective. This time we went real Urban. The place to be visited was an old factory near Breukelen (a small city between Amsterdam and Utrecht). The factory was abandoned years ago and really very demolished. The place was closed and we had to climb over a fence to get in. Actually: entrance was prohibited.
You might think why should you go over there and what is there to see in such a ruined place. Well, it is rather famous about its Urban Art. Through the years various urban artists have left their grafity art inside the building and I rather must say it is really a pity that entrance is closed as it is really worthwile going there to see it.
A selection of my pictures is published on my website: http://urban.iamnotsimple.nl/#home

Have fun,
Arjan


ps: an overview of one of the walls in the factory (this is a stich of actual 5 pictures)