I can't believe it is October 1st and I am getting ready to check out of the fabulous Mandarin Oriental hotel in Macau and head back to Hong Kong to catch. Flight to Saigon!
My friend Ken from Miami came to visit, celebrate his birthday and we have decided to do one of his trips with him. So I am taking my Ken to Saigon since he has never been. I wanted to go there since the art scene is really cool and that is my next adventure! The website for our new gallery is up and running and still so far to go. www.gallery2014.com take a look, I will be home third week of October and start the construction of the gallery, I know I cannot get away from building something, I love construction. In the mean time we are traveling and looking for new artists. Best of all worlds!
After Saigon we go to Hong Kong for a few days and then we go back to Istanbul for Ken's partners meeting, I had just been there in June with Lauren and a time prior to that, it is all good, this will give me the chance to photograph a place I am already familiar with.
I am also busy with trying to fundraise for my golf tournament which is November 3rd! Hopefully a beautiful day to be out and play miniature golf with the family, if you have not signed up do it now!
www.hispanicunity.org. I will post photos tomorrow, have to use my IPad for some shots as I decided to leave my computer at home and give my back a break. Last night we went to the casino, smoky and yucky, I could not hold out for the big win, but I did manage to walk away on the plus side, such good fun.
Talk soon, be well and God bless, E
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Back in Hong Kong after two months away
Hard to believe that two months have passed since my horseback riding accident. Yesterday was my first full day back in Hong Kong and I was not feeling too great. On my last flight my sinuses were giving me hell and my back was aching, finally we made it to dreary Hong Kong, back to the doom and gloom. I decided to stay in yesterday, fearful of the pollution that I was seeing outside. So I took on one of my projects, to do a self portrait. What hard work to really look at yourself and shoot yourself for hours on end. At first it was, oh my God do I really have to do this, and by the end even though I was exhausted I had fun playing and looking at myself and all of my different faces. Today the sun came out and I hit the streets, I tried out my new camera and was not really satisfied with the photos, so tomorrow I will hit the pavement again! Tonight my friend Ken and his dad Jack arrive to spend a few days in HK and then we go to Macau to celebrate Ken's birthday, following that we go to Saigon for four days. My Ken has never been to Saigon, neither has the other Ken, so this should be fun. I must say I had mixed feelings coming back to this place that has made me so sick the past nine months, but it is nice to be in my own little bubble, do what I want and not really have to worry about the rest of the world. There is a certain heaviness of being home and having obligations, one does not realize, but they certainly take a toll on you. My husband set a retirement date and I know he is looking forward to his time to start having some fun. Unfortunately for him it is in September 2014 due to his many family obligations. I pray that time pass quickly for him. Here are a few photos of todays outing, I went out to find the zoo and got sidetracked. Oh well, there is always tomorrow. The crane is a beauty and it is the national bird of Uganda.
Sunday, September 9, 2012
Why do some humans abuse and take advantage of everything!
I find it really unbelievable that many people take advantage and abused everything that mother earth and the supreme being have created. I want to share this with you and hope that it raises some level of conciousness. We will soon be like many countries that are struggling for clean water, clean air and good soil. I am not sure why people feel the need to kill and destroy needlessly. This to me is heartbreaking when I see articles like this one below, or that the shark population is dying out because of Shark fin soup! Really? Below are some photos of one of my favorite animals, we can learn a lot by study and respecting these and all animals! A fantastic book (nonfiction) The Elephant Whisperer. A must read to gain a very small glimpse of these beautiful creatures.
Elephant Bloodbath: China’s Lust for Ivory Spurs Poaching Spree in Africa
In 2011, almost 40 tons of illegal ivory was seized worldwide—the equivalent of 4,000 dead elephants.
More and more elephants are being killed in Africa for their tusks, according to The New York Times. (Photo: VisionsofAmerica/Joe Sohm via Getty Images)
Elephants across Africa are currently caught in the middle of a massive slaughter as demand for luxury ivory goods skyrockets in countries such as China.
In recent months, dozens of dead elephants have been found in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, reports The New York Times. Often the meat from the elephants is left intact, but the tusks are stripped away, indicating that poachers are zeroing in on the valuable ivory.
Most of these shipments go to China—as much of 70 percent of the illegal ivory market—where elephant tusks are turned into ivory rings, chopsticks, cups and more.Conservation groups estimate that poachers are killing tens of thousands of elephants a year, the Times said, more than at any time in the last 20 years. Most of the illegal ivory seized in big shipments over the last few years comes from Kenya and Tanzania, according to a New York Times graphic.
As China’s middle class grows, more individuals can afford expensive ivory goods that they couldn’t before.
The price of ivory has grown to $1,000 per pound in the country, reported the Times. And 2011 was the biggest year on record for the amount of illegal ivory seized worldwide, with almost 40 tons—about 4,000 dead elephants.
Militaries and armed groups across Africa are also part of the hunt, smuggling tusks across borders and selling them to pay for weaponry. Poachers will wrap ivory in tinfoil, use chili peppers to throw off sniffer dogs, or conceal the valuable material in avocados—just a few of the many methods used to smuggle ivory out of Africa.
More and more animals are disappearing across the continent: elephant and rhino populations are quickly dwindling, respectively hunted for tusks and rhino horn—many in Asia believe the latter to be a cure for cancer.
“China is the epicenter of demand,” said Robert Hormats, a senior State Department official, to The New York Times. “Without the demand from China, this would all but dry up.”
Interested in learning more? Read the first installment of The New York Times’ series “The Price of Ivory” here.
What do you think should be done to reduce ivory poaching? Let us know in the comments.
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