Traveler’s invincibility. Vacationer’s bliss. I’ve heard it called several different things, but the idea is that when you travel or go on vacation, you’re so expecting to have a good time, that you tend to overlook certain dangers that, in “regular” life, would set off alarms. Because you’re on vacation though, Meh! YOLO!! Let me be the first to admit that I suffer from this, just as much as anyone. I don’t do completely stupid things… but this notion is ultimately how I ended up breaking my foot in Hong Kong because I thought it would be fun to enjoy the darkness of an unlit path… when I had TWO flashlights in my backpack. TWO! I could have lit up that pothole I stepped in like Time’s Square, but no, I was just out enjoying the evening and all the lights of the big city. What could go wrong?
I say all this to say, when we travel, I’m generally the one to go do something, try something, go somewhere (usually in search of a great photo), and give little thought to much else… unless its obvious danger. Then I’ll happily put the brakes on.
And then… there’s Jakarta. Whew man, I’m not going to lie, Jakarta was a little intimidating. Holly and I traveled there at the end of last year for my work, and were only there for a few days, but the two of us only ventured off the hotel property once by ourselves, and that was to go to a convenience store right next door. Highly unusual for the two of us. I should add though, that coming in to Jakarta, we knew there was a big protest planned for the end of the week. My coworker had told me that it was super normal (in fact, the businesses I met with all had protest contingency plans, much the way we might have a snow contingency plan) and not to worry, but when I spoke to locals, they all seemed concerned for me. Red flag. Then the hotel slid a note under our door advising us not to leave the property the day of the protest… aaaaand, I’m out. 🙂
Luckily the hotel we stayed at had really nice grounds and good food. This allowed me to get caught up on work before our vacation at the end of our time in Asia, AND creatively, it narrowed my view to literally what was out our window (we also lucked out with a decent view of the city). One morning when we got up I looked at the building across the way from us, and some men were washing the windows. I really liked how they broke up the repetitiveness of the lines of the building, and added a human element to an otherwise architectural scene. And so here it is. The one photo that I liked from Indonesia.
Maybe next time we’ll skip the city and just head to the beach. I hear those are nice! 🙂
–Dan Thompson
Jakarta
Fellow Photographers!
If you’re like me, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park has been the central focal point, or the backdrop for, some amazing photos and memories over the years. Due to the recent wildfires, lots of people that live in the communities surrounding the park have lost everything. This is OUR opportunity to give back to an area that has blessed us so richly. Steve Zigler, Bill Lea, and I have partnered with The Great Smoky Mountains Association (GSMA) to establish a fund specifically for the photography community to donate to wildfire relief. This money goes directly to the GSMA, which will disperse it to families in need there.