Beautiful children on a remote island on the Mekong River in Cambodia

Small hut on remote island on the Mekong River.

You never know where your next decent photo will come from.  While on a recent trip by boat up the Mekong from Cambodia to Laos, we passed this small hut on a remote island.  This part of the island was beautiful with crystal clear water and a beach of sorts.  Really didn’t it give it much mind as we were heading up the river to see a series of waterfalls that are hardly visited.

On the way back down the river, we were so dehydrated and exhausted by our visit to the falls that we decided to stop for  drinks and a bit to eat.  The hut was run by a young couple with three small chidren.  It really wasn’t much but it was shady and the ice-cold drinks hit the spot.  The kids were so photogenic that between big gulps of water and soda, I shoot off a few photos.  They acted like they had never seen a camera before so I spent some time shooting and then showing the photos to the kids.  This interaction became of source of  fun for them and me.  As it should be.

All photos were taken using either  a Nikon D700 with a Nikkor AFS 24-70mm f/2.8 zoom lens or a Nikon D300s with a Nikkor AFS 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 zoom lens.

Mom was tending the vegetables.

Serene smile.

Beautiful little girl.

Big brother.

Beachfront.

Photographing children at the beach – a day in tropical Thailand

Running for the water.

As I’ve posted before, the best photos of children are those full of action with children doing what they love to do, playing.  In addition to allowing you to capture energetic vibrant photos, play does keep them occupied so that the images are not stunted by wooden poses with fake smiles.  On the beach, try taking photos of your child splashing water.  And the closer the better.

Photographs at the beach bring up other issues such as safety of the child and keeping your camera dry and out of the water.  Before you consider pictures at the beach, think safety first.  Also,  you might consider one of those water-proof  “point and shoot” cameras that are available for several hundred dollars.

Photos taken with an “unwater-proof” Nikon D700 and Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 zoom lens.

Tropical paradise on Hong Island (Ko Hong) Thailand

Travel to Hong Island by long tail boat

Last week I had the opportunity to travel to Hong Island (or Ko Hong) for a bit of light kayaking, snorkeling and heavy duty fun.  We had signed on with Sea Kayak Krabi for their package that included three islands, a great lunch, and a circumnavigation of Hong Island.  All in all it was a lot of fun.  The kayaking did not require any technical skill and was void of any strenous paddling.  It was a pleasurable trip that I would recommend to anyone, including families with children.

Although the trip took place on a holiday, the island was visited by only 30 people while we were there.  Given the size of the beach, you had all the privacy one could desire.  And of course as you can see from the photos, the tropical waters were crystal clear.

Photos taken with a Nikon D700 and Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8mm zoom lens.

Ranger station

Long tail boats

Beautiful beach

Kayaking through the slot

More boats

Baan Chaweng Beach Resort – Koh Samui

Reception

Over the years I’ve stayed at a half dozen different hotels on Chaweng Beach.  Except for the Centara Hotel at Chaweng Beach, all the hotels have some flaws that I couldn’t see past so that I never went back.  The Centara is a very nice hotel however the large structure lacks the lush tropical feel.

This time I stayed at the Baan Chaweng Beach Resort and Spa.  I’d never stayed here before and the reservation was made based on a walk-through a couple of years ago.  Since then, they’ve added more rooms to their lush tropical grounds.

Let me say that there was nothing negative about my five day stay at this hotel.  The room, which was described as a “beachfront villa”, was near the beach and somewhat beachfront but I overlooked this hyperbole since the room was newly constructly and large.  The room was very comfortable.

Beachfront Villa

The interior

Although not shown here, the bathroom was immense probably, somewhere around 4 by 4 meters.  You didn’t have to worry about bumping into anything in that bathroom.

Very green

The vegetation was lush.  And the grounds  were impeccable.  Although the tropical feel is made to look somewhat wild, the beautiful grounds bore the signs of exceptional care.  It’s beauty made staying here even more enjoyable.

The pool area was somewhat small but you never felt like the pool was crowded.  Most of the guests migrated to the chaise lounge chairs on the beach and did not spend any time around the pool.

End to end

The beachfront was impeccable with very fine sand and clear water.  The water is shallow for quite a ways, even at high tide so it is quite safe for children.

All in a row

The restaurant

The only criticism I have of this resort is the service in the restaurant.  Some of the staff was very professional but too many of them was somewhat unfamiliar with the term “customer service”.  Sometimes breakfast was one steady attempt at getting their attention for more coffee or tea.  They just didn’t pay attention.  But that being said, overall this resort is highly recommended.

Pure sand and sun

Roaming Vietnam – Return of the “fun in the sun” girls at Nha Trang

Lounging around at Nha Trang

The beach at Nha Trang is very popular with Vietnamese and foreigners alike. Some more photos of the “fun in the sun” girls.  Check out my other posting for information re Nha Trang.

One and two, jump

Runnning hand in hand

We're not afraid of the sun