potw - danshui

Danshui is popular attraction for tourists in Taiwan. The area is know for their open air food stalls and riverside parks. We visited in an attempt to capture a Taiwanese sunset and check out the sights. This photo was taken just after the sun dipped below the horizon and it cast beautiful light streaks up in the air. I had just captured a time lapse video and stuck around a little longer to snap a few photos. To see the rest of our photos from Taiwan, click here.

One Day On Earth

Taiwanese Independence from Jon Carr on Vimeo.

A few weeks ago, I talked about filming some activities on 10/10/10 for the One Day On Earth project. Annie and I were in Taiwan at that time and this day coincided with the Taiwanese independence day. I have compiled the footage and submitted it for consideration for the time capsule video. While this is quite different from my normal video posts, I thought I would share it for everyone to see. The following video contains some short clips from the days highlights.

what happened while you were gone?

As Annie and I come to terms with being back in America, my good friend Ryan sent over a list of some of the things we missed while we were gone. I enjoyed it and thought I would pass it on. It's skewed toward Michigan, since that is where I am from and where Ryan currently lives. Ryan's wife's name is Lisa.

• Hurt Locker wins the Oscar, Sandra Bullock wins the Oscar and Razzie for best actress in same year.
• For some reason Betty White (the only living Golden Girl) is the new "it" girl.
• They're building a mosque next to Ground Zero which is causing a big stir.
• Obama's still trying to get the health care bill through (he's got a low approval rating, Palin in 2012? Let's hope not).
• Our house isn't worth what I paid for it :) No one's house is worth what they paid for it.

Click to read more ...

potw - luzhou

One of our final events in Taiwan was the Luzhou temple celebration on October 25, 2010. The surrounding cities brought their deity costumes and held an all day procession through the streets of Luzhou. The event brought out the community as people honored Chinese historical figures and Taiwanese politicians. We were able to capture some wonderful photos and video of this annual event. Here is a full description in the daily details section. 

travel tips - 60 days out

1. Investigate passport visa requirements.

Many countries offer visa on arrival or you can easily apply for a visa at an embassy but it is always better to check your's and the visiting countries’ official government website before leaving for the most current information.

We originally hadn’t planned on visiting China but then decided to look into while we were in Taiwan. Because there wasn’t an embassy in Taiwan we would have had to send our passports back to the states costing us about $300 USD each according to one travel agency. If we looked into it before we left the States we probably would have applied for a visa entry into China.

2. Check passport expiration date.

Your passport must be valid for at least six months past the last day of trip. You will not be allowed entry into a country otherwise.

Click to read more ...

coming to america

As Neil Diamond famously sang, "On the boats and on the planes (or trains). They're coming to America. Never looking back again. They're coming to America."

After nearly eight months and eleven countries, it's time to go home. We are up against the holidays and out of money and while both Annie and I have mixed feelings about returning, we have agreed on one thing. It will be really nice to see friends and family again. 

We currently have tickets on Malaysia Airlines to return on November 1st to LAX. While this date isn't set in stone, it is beginning to look more like a reality.

We have many things planned upcoming for the blog including finishing our Travel Tip Series as well as several video recaps. I am even considering making a movie from all the video footage I have shot during the trip. 

We are sad to see this journey coming to an end but looking forward to catching up with everyone.

taiwanese independence

10/10/10 turned out to be a pretty epic day for us in Taiwan and we decided to include a portion of our daily details post on the main page. 

5am wake up call. Big day. October 10, 2010 better known as 10/10/10. This day was the 99th Independence Day for Taiwan that happened to coincide with a large filming project I was undertaking. The project is called One Day On Earth and it is basically a video time capsule in which thousands of filmmakers are contributing footage from every country on the planet that will be compiled into a major motion picture and released on 11/11/11. The goal is to document one day on earth from as many perspectives as possible. The independence celebration was a natural subject matter and after some incredible preparation from Annie’s sister, Grace, and brother-in-law, Arnold, we were well on our way to a successful day. 

Our first stop was determined by the parade route in downtown Taipei. We decided on a location that we thought would be the best possible vantage point but knew things would be hectic and so an early departure was a necessity. The main portion of the procession was blocked off to foot traffic and you needed special clearance to enter. We didn’t have that clearance and so we set up shop right at the edge of the restricted zone and were in location by 6am. The parade would begin shortly after 11am. The next five hours were spent jockeying for position with the aggressive Taiwanese and the conditions were far from ideal. 

To read about the entire day click here.

potw - hoi an

We just wrapped up a fantastic month in Vietnam and are now in Taiwan. I uploaded the photos from Vietnam here. This photo was taken in one of our favorite towns, Hoi An. I woke up early on our final morning and took several photos along the river. This old lady flagged me over to take her picture and promptly asked me for a dollar when I was done. 

travel tips - useful websites

1. The Unconventional Guides.

The Unconventional Guides provides tips on discount airfares and the pros and cons of purchasing round the world airfare. The author, Chris Guillebeau, has traveled to more than 100 countries and offers insight on traveling for all budgets.

2. ITA Software.

ITA is an airline search engine without the annoying pop-up ads. It is a simple interface and combines different airlines to provide the lowest price. If you are flexible with your dates you can browse prices for a month to find the most competitive pricing. You can’t book directly with the website so you’ll need to go to the specific airline for booking. 

Click to read more ...

potw - sapa

Things have been a little quiet over here at the UL as Annie and I have been recovering from head colds in Vietnam. Last week we had an amazing visit to Sapa, that you can read about here. This photo was taken as we did some trekking just outside a H'mong village. Red Zhao villagers were working hard to get Annie to buy some of their local wears while I snuck away to snap this shot of two local boys keeping an eye on their water buffalo. I liked the colors of their umbrellas that offered an interesting contrast to the green and golden rice fields. Sapa was one of the most beautiful places we have visited on our trip.