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Feature Gallery: Luang Prabang, Laos - Part 1, Nov. 2006

Sabaai-dii!

Right after arriving in Bangkok, we immediately flew to Luang Prabang, Laos.  Bangkok has its cool points, but it’s basically the place I want to spend the least amount of time in.  When I was in Laos years before, I thought the whole time how much I wanted Kiki to see this beautiful country and experience the great hospitality of its people.  Not to mention the incredible food!  So this is where we started our honeymoon in South-East Asia.  Luang Prabang is truly a magical town; nestled in the center of Northern Laos, this world-heritage city boasts over 100 Buddhist Temples (or, Wats) in and around the town.  Luang Prabang is a laid back, but very traveler-accommodating place along the mighty Mekong River. There are many great guesthouses and restaurants as well as a night market that has the best shopping around!  In the center of town lies Mount Phousi, with Wat Phousi at the top.  I actually have a shot of it from the air and one from ground.  All photos and videos were taken with my Nokia N93 smart phone.

 

Luang Prabang, Laos - Part 1, Nov. 2006

Feature Gallery: Vang Vieng, Laos, Nov. 2006

Howdy!

 

After a brief stay in Luang Prabang, we headed off to Vang Vieng.  At least ten backpackers, including the four of us, loaded into our tiny mini-van and started on the seven hour or so ride though scenic northern Laos. The road was actually quite well-paved and the Laoasian countryside was breath-takingly beautiful.    I’ve included three of my friend Bev’s photos in this gallery as I think they best illustrate our bus ride.  Bev is a great photographer and has a wonderful eye for content (check out this photo, for example!).  We rolled into Vang Vieng in the late afternoon and wandered around looking for just the right place to stay; we finally found this out-of-the-way great guesthouse where  $15 dollars got us a super-clean, large room with a full bath (including hot water!), AC, cable TV (to plug my N93 into!), and this wonderful view from out balcony.  The next day, we went on an all day kayak excursion where we stopped and explored several caves along the way.  Vang Vieng is a laid-back, adventure-traveler’s dream-come-true, and I’m glad I got to share this special place with my new bride and our best friends!  All photos and videos were taken with my Nokia N93 smart phone.

 

Vang Vieng, Laos, Nov. 2006

 

Feature Gallery: Luang Prabang, Laos - Part 2, Nov. 2006

Hola!

Right after our wonderful journey to Vang Vieng, we returned to Luang Prabang to do a little last minute exploring of the surrounding region.   We traveled to the amazing Kuang Si Waterfalls and hiked to the top and later found a great swimming hole to cool off in.  We parted ways with Bev and Rolfe, who were headed for .  Kiki and I took a cruise up the mighty to check out the Pak Ou Caves.  is truly one of the most magical and beautiful places I’ve ever visited.  If you’re looking for a peaceful and remote haven, then I highly recommend traveling to this wonderful country (it’s easy on the wallet, too!). All photos and videos were taken with my Nokia N93 smart phone.

Luang Prabang, Laos - Part 2, Nov. 2006

Feature Gallery: The Turtle

Halo!

"The Turtle", or better known as Koh Tao, is the jewel of the.  It's a small island near Koh Samui, especially known for its great diving.  Kiki and I met up with Rolfe and Bev, who we had parted ways with in .  Everyone stayed at Sunset Buri Resort on Sairee Beach, very nice accommodations at a reasonable price.  Most of our time here was spent ATVing or snorkeling in and around the island.  We witnessed the weather go from perfect to "perfect storm" by the time we left for Koh Phi Phi.  Be sure to check out the WFT?!? item, "Jeep Disco" for a smile!  All photos and video were taken with my Nokia N93 smart phone.

Koh Tao, Thailand, Dec. 2006

Top 10 reasons why the N95 is better than the iPhone

I was talking to one of my friends today on-line and he mentioned that he might be buying an iPhone.  Being the huge advocate for Nokia smartphones that I am (and a N95 owner), I had to give him my opinion of why I think the Nokia N95 is such a better mobile device.  After I wrote a top 10 list, I thought it might be informative to others out there, so here's it is:

My personal top 10 reasons why the Nokia N95 is better than the Apple iPhone

• 5 MP camera
• DVD quality video recording
• GPS receiver with fully integrated maps
• It's friggin' unlocked!
• Expandable memory (they just came out with a 4 GB card!)
• Plays MP3s, AVIs, Mpegs, Mp4s
• VOIP built-in
• Universal Plug-N-Play
• Plugs into ANY TV (use any TV as a monitor; surf the net, view your photos and videos, ect.)
• Third party apps!!!

There's only one thing I can think of that the iPhone has over the N95:

• Cool touch-screen interface

Just wanted to pass on my two cents!!!

 

First Feature Gallery: The Beach

Sawasdee!

My first posted gallery contains phots and video taken durning my honeymoon with my beautiful wife, Kiki on the island of Koh Phi Phi in the Andaman Sea, Thailand.  Enjoy!

Craig

The Beach - Koh Phi Phi, Thailand, Dec. 2006

Start here...

Hello everyone (or, maybe no one!)!

My name is Craig and I've joined the VOX community for mainly two reasons:

1. I've really been looking for one, single place where I can display both my photography (and photos!) and videos.  I have been doing this on my MySpace site, but I can no longer tolerate the spam nor the id10ts! 
2. I have a Nokia N95 smartphone, which has VOX integration built in (nice marketing job, VOX).  This device has a 5 MP camera and takes DVD quality video.  I can literally shoot a photo or video, immediately upload it to my VOX account, and it's off my phone and on the web.  I can also do any other blogging-type task right from my N95!

I fancy myself somewhat of an amateur photographer, specifically a nature/travel photographer.  I have been on several travels to other countries and I've attempted to capture the "feel" of where ever I'm at, through the lens.  I will be recreating many of my galleries in the months to come, so stay tuned!

Cheers,

Craig

 

Bangkok, Thailand - Nov. '02