Today was a beautiful summer day in The Hague. What do you do on such a day?
You leave your house...
And take a tram...
Heading for the beach...
Where you do some outdoor activity...
Or chill out in a club, eating mussels and listening to live music...
And you do it all in great company!
Earlier this year we had a plan to go to Loango natural park in Gabon. We were all set and on time to catch our plane at Libreville airport around 6am in the morning. Unfortunately, there was a labor strike at the Port Gentil airport that day. We had seen several labor actions the weeks and months before. We live in Libreville and I had been stuck in airports and in traffic several times before due to that or fuel shortages. Well, today when taking my parents on a trip into Gabon it happened again. After considering our options we took the taxi to the old harbor in centre ville, where you can take the ferry. Nine hours later we were checked in and waiting for our departure. This was the start of a very adventurous trip. It would take another thirty hours before we would reach Loango. But what a pretty departure it was.
I call it the blue room - the waiting area next to the dock where the ferry would depart from, some hours later. We were early, and all sorts of people arrived, and it filled up.
Early arrival. Fuji X-T1, 18mm, f/4, 1/60sec, ISO800
One of the first arrivals for the ferry. He walks with his ticket in his hand toward the opening on the quay side, but the boat hasn't even arrived yet. This is the VIP room, and soon it is packed with people and street vendors. From the empty blue room he will step onto the great blue, a few hours later.
Making an entrance, Fuji X-T1, 18mm, f/4, 1/60sec, ISO2500
This proud woman arrived in the waiting hall as if expected by all. The blue room was already impressing me, with natural light from a window high up. Then she came through the door in contrasting color and I was able to capture it in a fleeting moment.
The blue wall, Fuji X-T1, 18mm, f/2.8, 1/60sec, ISO1250
Three is a crowd, Fuji X-T1, 18mm, f/4, 1/60sec, ISO1600
The room eventually filled up and we were in great company. Missing the plane gave us a great experience. The next day would provide much more adventure. In fact, if you don't mind surprises - "change of plan" - then this trip was going to be a blast!
My dad patiently waiting in the VIP room
I'm embracing the idea of Richard Hurst (richardhurstphotography.co.uk) to make a "macro a day...to keep the doctor away". Photography is a medium with many ways to pass on a visual impression. One of its most powerful features is to frame a subject, leaving out its environment. It gives immense focus, that can capture the viewer because (s)he never saw it like that. Or (s)he can connect as if meeting the subject intimately. Having said that, macro is an extreme form of this "framing", and therefore a powerful way to experience photography.
The other thing I like about macro is that is commands you to slow down and focus on something really small. Instead of taking it all in (great vista, many impressions), you pay attention to a detail, and I find that calms me down. I think that's where the doctor-reference comes from.
The other good thing about macro is that you can do it anywhere. You can do it with your phone and capture the details around you.
So here's my first entry below. It is the corner of my chess board which I bought in Mexico in 2002. It's a Spanish Conquistdor carved out of bone (I forgot which kind..). I took it with my Fuji X-T1 with the 60mm f/2.4mm macro lens. It's not a very popular lens, but it is very capable, very sharp all the way open. I hope you like it. Soon to follow more...
Conquistador, Fuji X-T1, 60mm, f/2.4, 1/180sec, 800ISO
Recovered wooden table, Fuji X-T1, 60mm, f/3.6, 1/210sec, ISO800
How to get back home if the tidal current is too strong to go up against: wait it out (theoretically some 3 hours) or try anyway? Read what I did later on.
When I travel I like to do new things if possible. Travel in itself is exhilarating, doing something new makes it even greater. whilst I am a paddle boarder for 1 year now, and fully addicted, I haven't yet SUP'ed in Miami, so here we go.
Miami has got lots of water to go round and quite some tour operators offering it. However, I found the rates of $60 per 1-2hrs and the focus on courses or beginners not matching my plans to explore around, so I bought another inflatable board, or iSUP. It will be a great addition to my current board and now my wife can join me back home! It is bag nr.3 I will have to take on the place, which concerns me a bit. I guess that's what you get when you live in Africa (I'm also bringing an engine part back from Europe that is impossible to find in Africa, to fix my SUV that's been standing idle since February this year...).
My launching spot at the marina at Intercoastal Yacht Club, Sunny Isles Beach (board on the left)
Two days later I had had my Starboard Astro Touring 12.6' iSUP delivered, thanks to Paddleboard Specialists from Wisconsin (!) for the great advise and delivery and Walk on Water Fitness in Miami for the replacement part for the pump. The marina at the back seemed like the best launch spot. That way I'd just walk down and launch. Leave it there inflated with my bicycle lock. Launching required some acrobatics to get down from the baord walk to the water, without any stairs. Getting back up proved even greater challenge... First time I ended up hanging on my hands from the side of the board walk above the water, trying to pull the board back under me with my ancle leach rope. That's when I found out that the water in marina's isn't that clean...I always wondered what they do with these onboard toilets, now I know!
The paddling was better. taking in the vista's of your surrounding while standing on the water and being able to paddle anywhere is just marvelous. This is why I love SUP! Watch the video at the end to get an impression.
I paddled down south toward Bal Harbour, visited the mangrove, saw 3 Manatees swiming with me and popping out their heads to check me out. I ended up on the 'sand bar' in the middle of the bay, near the sea entrance. The bar is formed by strong tidal currents that pull in white beach sand through the sea entrance when the tide drops. it's about a 100 square meters where you can walk or sit in the water, and boaters, kayakers and paddle boarders gather here in the afternoons to chill. I saw a white spotted eagle ray swim next to me. I ordered a hot dog from the food boat that visits here. I was making conversation with some locals about SUP and GoPro gear. I tell you: this place is reason enough to buy a boat or start SUP'ing if you're in Miami!
Bal Harbour sand bar in the morning before the crowd arrives
Sand bar a bit later, food boat (hot dog!) arrived, and some others
Exploring is going further each time, so I decided to paddle out through the sea entrance and up north along the coast to the Sunny Isles Pier. Nice distance but the increasing wind from the sea meant paddling one side and correcting course all the way, which my knees didn't quite appreciate. After an iced cofee at the pier it was time to paddle back.
Sipping my iced-coffee at the Sunny Isles Pier in Miami
Meeting up with the family at the beach didn't work out so I got back around noon at the sea entrance. I had checked the tidal chart in the morning, high tide was 10.30 am so at this time the current would be increasing toward its peak. I could see the white caps of the current going out for some 500 meters into the sea; no way that I would make it against that. Should I wait it out? I walked up along the channel and found that under the bridge it widened and created a wake current that could take me back in. I went back to pick up my board and jump-launched off the quay, some 2 meters. I quicly stood up to paddle and avoid the quay wall on one side and the strong seaward current on the other. I now had to paddle through the entrance of the funnel where there were strong current changes. I tried 2 times standing up and got thrown off and drifted toward the centre of the current and outward to sea. I quickly shortened the paddle and sat-paddled back tot he wake. I decided to sit-paddle through the funnel and it worked. The current was strong and I had to paddle really hard to make any distance. Finally I managed, the current dropped with distance and I was back in the bay, on my way home. I overcame a new challenge and learned a new skill. Sport is great!!!
During my visit to The Hague last week I was telling everyone in the office what a great place this is in the summer. There's no place better. The weather was nice all week as we could see through the office windows. Then finally, it is weekend and this happens: strongest July storm since recordable history!
This week the summer weather is only for those who have holiday. If you are still working, forget it. The weekend will be miserable. As miserable as ever recorded. We managed to weather the storm in our favorite chinese restaurant in the Netherlands in the Fred. Watching passer-by's risk their live on the street while slurping a freshly made wonton soup and equisite dim sum. This cook should get a Michelin-star!
After an espresso in the Paagman bookstore I ventured out into the street, walking toward the harbor, and captured the changed street sight with my X-T1 camera using a 14mm wide angle lens (21mm in 35film-equivalent) .
