First Things First

May 4th, 2011:

Landing back in Singapore from Borneo and a few hours later seeing my wife left me ecstatic. The weather was still abysmally hot, and the air conditioner in Felicia’s room was slowly sputtering to death with puffs of cold air, but we were back together. It rapidly dawned on us that we need a “Date Night” so we called and made reservations at Le Bistro, the small french cafe where Felicia and I said our vows almost two years ago.

We brought a camera, but left everything else that goes beep-beeoop in the car and enjoyed our fancy 3 course meal complete with complimentary champagne from the waiter who remembered serving us on our wedding day.

We spent two hours overeating, reminiscing and maintaining the newlywed attitude that we still feel for each other on a daily basis. It was a perfect evening, and just what was needed to rejuvenate us before we started our last hectic week of photoshoots and visiting friends and family in Singapore.

More to come, soon.

We found the “Thank You” note Felicia sent hanging on the wall in the hallway between the dining rooms.

700 Posts. Wow…

Day: 467

Bako, National, Park, Photography, Malaysia, Borneo, Kuching

My last day in Borneo, my shoulder is screaming with stiffness even after a day of rest in the hostel (where I took no pictures and sat around and watched movies all day, attempting to recuperate). Unwilling to waste another day to the pain, I drag myself out of bed at 6am to catch the high-tide ferry to Bako National Park to continue this blog where it started off, 700 posts and 5 years ago, on the road. I spent 6 hours hiking with a Dutch couple through the mangroves, rainforests and beaches, seeing amazing animals and scenery before retiring to a shaded bench for a afternoon siesta before the ferry (and tide) returned for me at 4pm.

Laying on a bench, damp with sweat and crossing that line between sleep and awareness I had a moment of self realization: I am a different man than I was 5 years ago. Then, it was me against the world and I would spend months alone without a moment’s hesitation, but now, with just 5 days of separation I miss her terribly. I can count a dozen time in the last few days I turned to her to ask a question or point out something cool, only to find her not there. Sometimes I can romanticize the time I spent traveling alone, and the adventure of it all, but now I know – I am no longer that person.

I have grown up, and my future is intertwined with her. Traveling, Working, Living, Loving. All of it.

Bako, National, Park, Photography, Malaysia, Borneo, Kuching

50 to Zero in 3 Seconds!

Day: 466

My day started off pretty normal for a day on the road. Wake up early, ride my Powerpuff Girl scooter 30 kilometers to the Sememggoh Wildlife Center to check out the semi-wild Orang Utans (it’s more like a natural refuge for confiscated pets and abandoned Orang Utans), then head off on a uber-sweaty jungle walk for a couple hours on the trail to Mt. Satubong. Happily wandering the jungles of Borneo without a care in the world, taking pictures all the way.

Around 3pm I was exhausted from hiking and headed back to my scooter for my 30 kilometer ride back to Kuching. I fired up my bike and started chugging along the two lane, tree lined road for a pleasant ride back to the hostel for a shower and nap. It had been a wonderful day and I expected to make it home with no problem.

Then it happened.

I was cruising at around 50MPH when a Malay woman pulled up next to me and frantically pointed at the side of the moped – I instantly figured something must be wrong and I glanced down to the right side of the bike (remember, we are driving on the left side of the road here). Lo and behold, the plastic muffler cover was dangling off the side of the bike, but within a second of realizing that, I felt the entire bike bounce in a pothole, I over corrected my handlebars and then I was being launched at full speed to the left side of the road.

Somewhere mid-flight I remembered my wife telling me to “be safe“, I thought about my lack of health insurance, I remembered the time I was hit by a car while on a bicycle and wondered how this was going to compare to that, and finally – just a second before crashing down – I wonder what the damage to the moped would cost me… I had a shockingly long time to think.

AND….Contact! I landed on my left shoulder and left knee going probably 50mph and the wind was completely knocked out of me. Fortunately, both I and the bike landed on the roadside grass. I lay there for a second and then immediately took inventory of all my limbs and was surprised that everything still worked, even if the muscles in my shoulder were screaming in agony, nothing was out of place or broken – just some bruises, stiff joints/muscles and grass burns on my knee and elbow. Roughly equivalent to the pain of a really bad snowboarding accident.

Then I looked at the scooter, and all that was wrong with it was a few paint scuffs and a broken brake handle – I figure I just lost myself the RM$100 (US$35) deposit, but everything was still working and rideable. Finally it dawned on me that my camera was still in my backpack strapped on my back during this ordeal, and I pulled it out to see if it fared as well as the bike and I. Fortunately it had, only then did it dawn on me what had just happened and how close to serious injury I had just came.

I slumped to the ground and took it all in. I sat there, dazed, and watched traffic go by. I snapped a couple pictures of the road (the last one in this blog post), and recollected my thoughts. After 20 minutes or so I gathered myself together, stood up (realizing how stiff I REALLY was), and got ready to finish the ride back to town.

I rode a little slower the entire way back…

The Orang Utans caused me no injury whatsoever, but I can’t say the same for my damaged motorcycle riding pride.

Moped-ing the Jungle

Day 465:

Borneo, Malaysia, Sarawak, Kuching, Travel, Photography, Photographer

Last night, after my noodles and beer, I met Dan from Connecticut who told me of his plan to rent a moped the next day and ride all over the region – and seeing how he had already figured out all the details about where, when, how much and I had no plans, I invited myself along. We got to the shop and the owner showed us what was available – he had either semi-automatic two-stroke bikes (no clutch, but still a foot shifter) for US$8/day or a full auto four-stroke for US$10/day. The only problem with the four-stroke bike was the giant Powerpuff Girl sticker on the front of the lime green bike.

Dan wanted to save a couple bucks so he went with the cheaper option, but I love the idea of more power for less work (I don’t have to shift!) and threw down the extra $2 for my Buttercup-emblazoned ride. We got on and it was then that Dan informed me he had never ridden a motorcycle of any type before and inquired about shifting… I gave him a quick primer and told him to go into the next roundabout and we’ll meet going the opposite direction on the same street… I turned the throttle of this beast and whipped into the roundabout coming out on the other side in a matter of seconds. And that was the last I saw of Dan.

I waited on the roadside for 10 minutes but he never showed and I had no way to get a hold of him. Finally I decided, to head into the jungle to the North without him and hoped we would catch up later. That never happened, but it didn’t stop me from enjoying the thrill of the road as the Powerpuffy little beast pushed it’s way up to 60+ MPH. I wandered through the untouristed sections of jungle and beach alone taking a few pictures and enjoying the perfect day.

That evening when I returned to the hostel (slightly sunburnt), I eventually caught up with Dan and he told me about his day, which ended up being very similar to mine. We made plans to meet up the next morning to ride out and see some Orang Utans at the nearby nature reserve and I spent the evening drinking a few cheap beers and indulging in some local food.

Borneo, Malaysia, Sarawak, Kuching, Travel, Photography, Photographer

Following the blood red trail markers through the dense jungle.

Borneo, Malaysia, Sarawak, Kuching, Travel, Photography, Photographer

Into Borneo

Day 464:

Getting around Southeast Asia using Singapore as a home base is awesomely quick. With just a $80 flight and a hour or so in the air, I can land in dozens of spectacular destinations around the region. Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia and Malaysia are all in this quick radius of Singapore. So when I found that Felicia and her mom were off on their own trip, I had an abundance of options on what I should do with the next few days. A quick look at cheap flights on Tiger Airways and a short email conversation with my friend Greg (who runs Borneo Travel), and I was set on Kuching in the southern part of Sarawak in Borneo.

My late afternoon flight ended up with us sitting for 30 minutes on the tarmac in line to take off, but we finally did and I arrive in Kuching just before sunset. I checked into my hostel (which can’t be highly enough recommended), and set out for some twilight wandering before it got too dark. The main part of town is relatively small on the shores of the Sarawak River and it only took an hour or so to get my bearings. I indulged in a bowl of noodles and a couple beers before heading back to the hostel to figure out to do with the next day.

Editors Note: For those of you new to this blog and wonder “Day: 464 of what?!?!” Waaayyy back in the day when Mom Says I’m Running Away got started it was primarily a travel blog, which I listed my days of adventure throughout the world by numbered days. So, even though it has more developed into a blog about my current wedding and photography work, I still am dedicated to continuing the travel traditions at the root of this blog.

Traveling Light and Alone

April 20, 2011:

Travel, Light, Camera, Gear

It’s been a long time since I have done a solo trip, even one as short as the next week will be. Felicia will be heading off for the next 6 days on a mother/daughter getaway to northern Malaysia, so I decided to head to the world’s oldest rainforest and third largest island – Borneo. It has that magical ring of adventure and was for a long time one of the last great unexplored land masses. Just imagining it bring images of Martin and Osa, machete in hand hacking their way through the tropical underbrush. Although I don’t expect my expedition to be quite that arduous (it’s not the 1930’s anymore), it should still be fun to check out a new place, with camera in hand.

Speaking of camera – I am going super light this time. A Canon 5D, 35mm f/1.4, 135mm f/2 and a f/1.4 extender (to help with any wildlife if I need more reach). No computer, no big zooms, and very few lens changes – just camera, a couple pairs of shorts and a pile of t-shirts stuffed in a small backpack. This means my blogs will be slow in coming and a little behind the actual events unfolding, but nonetheless I will attempt to maintain the suspense you have come to expect from Mom Says I’m Running Away.

Wish me well and I will keep the updates coming.

Carrie + Robert | Hollywood Hometown Reception

April 15, 2011:

Hollywood, Rooftop, Wedding, Reception, Kress, Lounge, Photography, Photography

Blog post by Felicia

One Saturday, we dressed up and headed out to the penthouse level of a club in the heart of Hollywood. It was the VIP level, an exclusive private event, and we were invited! Woooo hoooo!

Wait. Did we turn cool overnight? Not really. We’re still a couple of camera-toting nerds who fortunately were shooting Carrie & Robert’s hometown reception event. It was definitely not your usual wedding reception, and we had a great time photographing the event, especially with their friends from the entertainment industry who really know how to party!

Hollywood, Rooftop, Wedding, Reception, Kress, Lounge, Photography, Photography

Red Velvet Cake from Porto’s. If I didn’t have to pay our bills, I might not mind getting paid in cake. Mmmmmm…..

Hollywood, Rooftop, Wedding, Reception, Kress, Lounge, Photography, Photography

Carrie works for a major entertainment network, so of course, a live camera crew at the event wouldn’t be unexpected!

Hollywood, Rooftop, Wedding, Reception, Kress, Lounge, Photography, Photography

24hr Travel

April 14th, 2011:

LAX, Los Angeles, Travel, Photography, Photographer, Singapore

From the time we left our house in Burbank until we walked in the door of Felicia’s mothers house in Singapore it was slightly more than 24 hours. We spent 19 hours in the air and 5 hours sitting around airports trying to maintain a sense of dignity while exhaustion and travel grease built up on our faces. As I write this it is 1pm in Singapore, and I feel like sleeping the rest of the afternoon/night – which I actually was attempting to do, but couldn’t fall asleep and instead sat down at my computer to post a couple of pictures of our sojourn.

We’ve been here about a day now and Christina (Felicia’s mom) hasn’t stopped feeding me, it’s been Bee Hoon, Agar-agar, Lotus Leaf Dumplings, herbal soup (to help with jet lag)and Kaya toast for the last 24 hours. I can’t really complain, but I have a feeling that after this little getaway my wife and I will need a diet.

Anyhow, I am going to keep blogging while I am here – a mix of our international adventures and some more of the shoots from the last few busy weeks – so stay tuned. Now, I am going to try that nap again.

LAX, Los Angeles, Travel, Photography, Photographer, Singapore