The Backpacking Photographer Series

Ah, what you're describing here, is pretty much what I've been doing for the past 18 months, backpacker/travelling photography for the everyman. It hasn't really required half as much thought as you seem to have gone to the trouble of, but then photography does sort of take a backseat to travelling and whatever else for a few months at a time for me.

If you have any questions feel free to ask. In terms of security whilst travelling, I might be over in New Zealand rather than SEA, but regardless of (British thieving blood?) any factors I've had from place to place, I've had all my earthly belongings, which includes a Taylor guitar, laptop, camera gear and some pricey music gizmos, probably collectively valuing about 5 grand... left out in rooms on my bed, or under it, on the bedside table, on the floor, in unlocked dorm rooms of up to 12 people, all day, every day, for the past 18 months, and the only thing I've had stolen was a loaf of bread that I left in the kitchen and forgot about.

Being concerned about everything is all well and British and although I'm not saying it doesn't happen, it shouldn't really be at the forefront of your mind. Its hard to think of your camera gear getting lost or stolen or broken or probed by aliens, but whilst travelling you kind of get an epiphany about priorities and you understand that as long as you get the shots and get 'em safe, the equipment is replaceable. Criminals, wherever they are, shouldn't change that. :)
 
Anton17 said:
It hasn't really required half as much thought as you seem to have gone to the trouble of, but then photography does sort of take a backseat to travelling and whatever else for a few months at a time for me.

A lot of the stuff I have posted has been for the benefit of people who have not gone through the process of travelling before. You sound like an experienced traveler and if you are anything like me it starts to come naturally after a while on the road. Also I have been shooting a documentary film for the last 6 weeks and also shot work every single day for a month before so I have required a lot more gear than the normal traveler.

In terms of security whilst travelling, I might be over in New Zealand rather than SEA, but regardless of (British thieving blood?) any factors I've had from place to place, I've had all my earthly belongings, which includes a Taylor guitar, laptop, camera gear and some pricey music gizmos, probably collectively valuing about 5 grand... left out in rooms on my bed, or under it, on the bedside table, on the floor, in unlocked dorm rooms of up to 12 people, all day, every day, for the past 18 months, and the only thing I've had stolen was a loaf of bread that I left in the kitchen and forgot about.

You are either very lucky or New Zealand is very safe. S E Asia is no more dangerous or unsafe than the UK but I definitely wouldn't leave my out in the open, unlocked or in a room full of people without being there even at home. Also when I have work to shoot and small freelance jobs along the way I can't afford to loose gear or that's loosing a job/reputation. Despite all this I still wouldn't risk loosing my gear because I don't want the hassle of getting police reports, insurance etc to get my gear back.

Being concerned about everything is all well and British and although I'm not saying it doesn't happen, it shouldn't really be at the forefront of your mind. Its hard to think of your camera gear getting lost or stolen or broken or probed by aliens, but whilst travelling you kind of get an epiphany about priorities and you understand that as long as you get the shots and get 'em safe, the equipment is replaceable. Criminals, wherever they are, shouldn't change that. :)

I'm not sure where I have been concerned about 'everything' but surely locking your gear up if you leave it unattended, keeping your essential gear on you and using common sense is hardly going to stop you enjoying travelling. Maybe we have different priorities but when I am spending a few grand going traveling I don't want to have to spend a month of it chasing after insurance to get a replacement D7000 and 12-24 lens if I can help it. I understand your point about priorities, and whilst traveling photography is my priority so looking after my gear is, to me anyway, of utmost importance
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Just arrived into Luang Prabang after 24hrs of buses from Chiang Mai. Will hopefully get some posts up about Laos in the next 24 hrs. The city is beautiful mixture of French colonial architecture and Buddhist temples sat nicely on the banks of the Mekong. So far it looks great
 
jacob12_1993 said:
Hello everyone,

had the most amazing last few days down in the south east of Myanmar. Possibly one of the most diverse and troubled regions in terms of history. However as my prior experience of Myanmar was from the Thai border regions its exactly how I know it. The Karen and Mon people have hearts of gold and considering most live on less than $2 a day, they are forever trying to give you food etc.

I fly into Bangkok tomorrow morning where I will then travel to the border region to start my multimedia documentary project. I have 4-5 days before the schools go back, which is where I start, so it gives me a bit of time to get everything tested and try to arrange some interviews and access to the refugee camps and stuff that I have in mind, that weren't arranged at home for various reasons.

If anybody is considering visiting Myanmar I think they should definitely go for it. However you really do need to read up on the subject and consider the effects you have as a tourist. You should aim to maximize the amount you give back to the people of Myanmar as they are the ones who need it most. You should also try and spread the money so that it can benefit as many people as possible. Traveling by local transport, eating local food and staying at family run guesthouses are the ways to maximize the amount of money going to the real people of Myanmar.

Any travel you do is going to effectively fund the government in some way, however my view is that if you can spend $1000 and less than $100 of that goes to the government you will be giving $900 to a country where the average income per person is less than $450 a year.

However as a country it is possibly the most diverse in the world. It has over 108 different ethnic groups which all speak different languages, it has terrain ranging from the desert like regions of Bagan all the way up to the highest mountains in South East Asia in the north (part of the himalayas). It borders Thailand, Laos, China, Tibet, India, Bangladesh and maybe some more but my memory is shot haha. The food is also a collaboration of indian, chinese and thai with curries, rice, noodles, soups. It really is a massive cooking pot of various ethnicity and cultures.

1000% reccomended and I'm kind of sad i'm leaving in less than 20hours as I feel I have not truly experienced it fully and I have covered a hell of a lot in the last 28 days!
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I am going to Thailand this summer and I was thinking of going to Myanmar for a couple of weeks during my trip. How hard is it travelling around and what are visa requirements like?
 
dao said:
I am going to Thailand this summer and I was thinking of going to Myanmar for a couple of weeks during my trip. How hard is it travelling around and what are visa requirements like?
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Travelling is simple, everything can be arranged through your guest house. However standards are lower and costs are a little higher than Thailand but it much more authentic (aka no drunk westerners). Visa requirements are simple send the form to the London embassy and it will be back in a few days. Highly recommended!
 
Sounds like the trip is still going well!
I'm itching to return to SE Asia, Laos in particular.
Really enjoyed my time in Vientiane and LP last time!
 
v16ben said:
Sounds like the trip is still going well!
I'm itching to return to SE Asia, Laos in particular.
Really enjoyed my time in Vientiane and LP last time!
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I'm enjoying Laos, it has the small town feel everywhere which I really like. However the overland travel is horrendously uncomfortable haha. Due to being sick etc I seem to have lost nearly a week :thumbsdown: however I will hopefully be back at some point! When does your trip start again?
 
Phil Young said:
Jacob.

How long have you been travelling for now? I'd love to be able to.do what you're doing...but...funds :(
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I have been away for just over 12 weeks and have just under 8 left. The cost's are really not expensive (relative obviously) so far I have spent £1002 in 12 weeks. However I had about 4 weeks of minimal costs, so it's a little off. However I estimate 20 weeks away including flights will cost no more than £2700 :thumbs: That's taking in Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and Guangxi region of China
 
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jacob12_1993 said:
I have been away for just over 12 weeks and have just under 8 left. The cost's are really not expensive (relative obviously) so far I have spent £1002 in 12 weeks. However I had about 4 weeks of minimal costs, so it's a little off. However I estimate 20 weeks away including flights will cost no more than £2700 :thumbs: That's taking in Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and Guangxi region of China
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£1000 in 3 months?!...are you eating beetles and grass!? ... That's amazing. I'm well up for doing some travelling so would love to know what you spend your money on and how much you have to compromise!
 
Phil Young said:
£1000 in 3 months?!...are you eating beetles and grass!? ... That's amazing. I'm well up for doing some travelling so would love to know what you spend your money on and how much you have to compromise!
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Thailand is by far the cheapest place I have found so far. If you take a budget of $20-$30 (£12-20) a day that will cover for everywhere in SE Asia.

Breakdown:

£2/$3 for a Dormitory bed
£6-10/$10-15 Double room w/Private bathroom (sometimes breakfast/aircon too)
£1/$1.5 a Thai meal (fried rice, chicken rice with basil and chilli etc)
£3/$5 for a decent western meal
£0.30/$0.5 1.5L water
£1/$1.5 640ml Beer
£6/$10 8hr Bus

You can see how cheap it is and that's with no compromises fairly comfortable! :thumbs:
 
That budget makes me smile. I'm trying to save more here as I know it'll go much further when we get to SE Asia!

We leave August 26th until roughly Christmas time.

I agree about the laid-back small town feeling of Laos. Even Vientiane is like that. Probably one of my favourite capital cities I've visited for that reason!
 
Thanks Jacob. You're living the dream man, you, your camera, backpack, laying down you're own paths...it's great! One of my goals definitely.

To be honest, I just like the sound of the Thai meals for £1!!! Lol
 
v16ben said:
That budget makes me smile. I'm trying to save more here as I know it'll go much further when we get to SE Asia!

We leave August 26th until roughly Christmas time.

I agree about the laid-back small town feeling of Laos. Even Vientiane is like that. Probably one of my favourite capital cities I've visited for that reason!
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It definitely goes further, I stayed in a King sized bungalow in Vang Vieng with private bathroom, breakfast for less than $10 in the UK you can't even get a travel lodge under £20 a night!

Phil Young said:
Thanks Jacob. You're living the dream man, you, your camera, backpack, laying down you're own paths...it's great! One of my goals definitely.

To be honest, I just like the sound of the Thai meals for £1!!! Lol
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In my opinion if you want to do it just do it. I have so many friends who have said they will do it/they want to go travelling but most of them just talk about it and ever actually grab a flight and go. Long term travel requires a serious amount of sacrifices and the longer you leave it the bigger these sacrifices. Luckily for me being so young I have virtually zero commitments at home apart from university starting in September so I didn't have to sacrifice that much but I have met people who have sold their houses/cars etc to fund indefinite travel (I like my home comforts too much to do that though!)
The food is Thailand is incredible, so fast, quick and cheap even the grubby back road places produce brilliant food :thumbs:
 
Hey Jacob, great to hear and see you are enjoying all S.E Asia has to offer, I hope you haven't been caught up in too much rain as its monsoon season. Really enjoying following your travels and blog and remember when you get into Vietnam drop me a line and once out of the Mekong and HCMC head to Mui Ne , you wont be disappointed.

All the best and safe travels.

Grahame
 
By the way, don't Iphones have that tracking app so with a computer you can pin point where the phone is?
 
Grizu said:
Hey Jacob, great to hear and see you are enjoying all S.E Asia has to offer, I hope you haven't been caught up in too much rain as its monsoon season. Really enjoying following your travels and blog and remember when you get into Vietnam drop me a line and once out of the Mekong and HCMC head to Mui Ne , you wont be disappointed.

All the best and safe travels.

Grahame
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It's only just started raining in Laos the last day or so, it rained everyday when I was in Thailand, it's a bit hit and miss at the moment. I was actually planning my Vietnam route the other day and was trying to work out the best way to go from HCMC to Mui Ne to Hoi An without too much backtracking/time wasting. If you know the best way hit me up :thumbs:

Grizu said:
By the way, don't Iphones have that tracking app so with a computer you can pin point where the phone is?
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Yeah it does but the phone was showing as offline which means it has been reset, run out of battery or is out of range on the GPS :bang:
 
jacob12_1993 said:
In my opinion if you want to do it just do it. I have so many friends who have said they will do it/they want to go travelling but most of them just talk about it and ever actually grab a flight and go. Long term travel requires a serious amount of sacrifices and the longer you leave it the bigger these sacrifices. Luckily for me being so young I have virtually zero commitments at home apart from university starting in September so I didn't have to sacrifice that much but I have met people who have sold their houses/cars etc to fund indefinite travel (I like my home comforts too much to do that though!)
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Have to agree with this.
I know lots of people who say they want to travel, but all they do is talk, they never actually do it. A lot of Facebook updates/emails etc where people wish they were travelling again/at all/living abroad etc.

It isn't hard to do, just save up a little bit of cash and go for it. The biggest thing that stops people without (many) responsibilities is fear to be honest. Just do it :)
 
Finally reached Cambodia yesterday afternoon, a quick rest day in Kratie today before heading to Siem Reap tomorrow for 6 nights to explore Angkor *** and the surrounding villages. I have one or two posts to write and tie up the loose ends from Laos but for now here is my Cambodia Itinerary for the next fortnight: http://jacobjamesphotography.co.uk/2012/07/12/cambodia-itinerary/
 
Im in Siem Reap just now, heading to Phenom Penh probably tomorrow though (Visa expired). If you fancy a beer tonight (it is Saturday afterall) I'll drop you a PM with my details. Im onto Vietnam next then looping back through Laos, Thailand again and Burma before heading to Nepal and India.

I'll probably pass you at Angkor sunset tonight and not even notice... small world :lol:
 
Charlatan said:
Im in Siem Reap just now, heading to Phenom Penh probably tomorrow though (Visa expired). If you fancy a beer tonight (it is Saturday afterall) I'll drop you a PM with my details. Im onto Vietnam next then looping back through Laos, Thailand again and Burma before heading to Nepal and India.

I'll probably pass you at Angkor sunset tonight and not even notice... small world :lol:
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I've sent you an email mate :thumbs:
 
Really like these updates, Jacob. Angkor is a fantastic place and I can't wait to go back their now I'm really interested in photography and have decent equipment. Have you been to any of the "further out" temples and are there any temples (or any other places in Siem Reap) you'd recommend that aren't on the standard loop of temples?
 
v16ben said:
Really like these updates, Jacob. Angkor is a fantastic place and I can't wait to go back their now I'm really interested in photography and have decent equipment. Have you been to any of the "further out" temples and are there any temples (or any other places in Siem Reap) you'd recommend that aren't on the standard loop of temples?
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Thanks Ben!

You have to do Beng Mealea it cost about $30 in a tuk-tuk and $5 to get it but its worth it. It's like Ta Phrom with the trees growing out on the temple etc but a lot less touristy so you literally have to climb over the destroyed temple. Such good fun! Best temple in Angkor

I personally wouldn't bother with Banteay Srei, I went and it's really intricate but it's tiny and costs $25ish to get there.

Preah Vihear is meant to be good but you would need to camp out there because it is too far to do in one day really. Also there is fighting between Cambodian and Thai troops in the area so maybe best to give it a miss.

Other than that you should do all the 'grand circuit' temples around Siem Reap and don't miss Ta Phrom :thumbs:

Also a tip for Angkor ***, head there for sunrise one morning and then hang around to look at the temple. I near enough had the temple to myself as soon as the tour groups left around 6am. :D
 
I looked into Beng Mealea and think we'll make the effort to get out there. I think we'll do Banteay Srei as well for the temple, but also the landmine museum down there which we'd really like to visit.

Good tip for sticking around after sunrise. A simple thing, but I'd never thought of it :)
How early do you need to be there for sunrise? Awake at 4am, out there by 5am? Something like that.
 
v16ben said:
I looked into Beng Mealea and think we'll make the effort to get out there. I think we'll do Banteay Srei as well for the temple, but also the landmine museum down there which we'd really like to visit.

Good tip for sticking around after sunrise. A simple thing, but I'd never thought of it :)
How early do you need to be there for sunrise? Awake at 4am, out there by 5am? Something like that.
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Leave hotel by 5am and you will be fine :D Also don't do the Tonle Sap floating village, I have just come back from it and I have never felt so ripped off in my life. I am going to write something more detailed on my blog later but it is basically just a quick way to make them a lot of money. For instance trying to charge $60 for a bag of rice to donate to the floating school. $60 for a bag of rice! :gag:
 
Yep I'm thinking of taking the boat across the lake from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap, but the Tonle Sap floating village doesn't sound too great from reviews I've read. Liking the monks and sunset piece as well.
 
Yeah or the boat to Battambang from Siem Reap. I wish I had seen the reviews before hand, it was a sort of last minute decision that I regret massively, however sometimes in Asia you have to make these mistakes to learn from them. Glad you like the picture :thumbs:
 
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Yep I'm trying to decide which one to go for. Saying that, neither have to be booked far in advance so I'll probably ask around people who've done both/either when we are travelling closer to the time. Either one should be fun though I think.

Really enjoying your photos still, can't wait to be travelling now. 40 days to go! :)
 
v16ben said:
Yep I'm trying to decide which one to go for. Saying that, neither have to be booked far in advance so I'll probably ask around people who've done both/either when we are travelling closer to the time. Either one should be fun though I think.

Really enjoying your photos still, can't wait to be travelling now. 40 days to go! :)
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You have 40 days to start, I have 43 days until I am home :'( Glad you are enjoying the photos though :thumbs:
 
That is the problem with all trips like this I guess, you have to go home eventually. I'm coming to the end of a 2 year adventure living in Korea to start these travels before returning home though. I'm sure you'll have plenty of cool trips in the future too :)
 
v16ben said:
That is the problem with all trips like this I guess, you have to go home eventually. I'm coming to the end of a 2 year adventure living in Korea to start these travels before returning home though. I'm sure you'll have plenty of cool trips in the future too :)
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That's the worst part. Already mentioned to my family I will have about a two week re-acclimatisation period haha.:D

Yeah I pretty much have 5 weeks in Africa (Uganda or Kenya) down for next summer as a definate, then maybe a 4 week trip to Africa (Maybe Namibia) or Papua New Guinea before that and possibly a few weeks after in Africa too haha. Then I have some shorter trips to Europe hopefully as well. All the extra ones are money/logistics/timing dependent at the moment though :thinking:
 
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