Ink

I love tattoos. Big time. Always a few ideas are tucked in the back of my mind for the next inking but when I came across the work of this gentleman I realized that I will have to fly my ass to Tahiti because tattoo artist Manu Farrarons' designs have left me in awe with the raw beauty & delicate elegance that they exude. His work is a contemporary echo and tribute to traditional Polynesian style

Flash Floods

One would never think that in a country associated with drought (landmass consisting 92 percent out of desert) that the streets would become a highway for ducks. I was told that before I arrived here in Jordan there was a flood that cornered my colleagues in the apartment and their escape route included the classical move of tying drapes and hanging them off the balcony.
Aqaba is surrounded by desert mountains and when the floodgates open up rivers of rainwater carve their way down to the Red Sea. So far I have not had the opportunity to canoe to work but the pictures below show that it will be a better option than driving when the tide comes.

Dirty Old Church

Everyday on my way to work I walk past the littered ruins of the oldest on-purpose built church in the world.
It might not be an impressive archaeological site to view but it tickles my pickle that these ancient abandoned remnants are in the midst of the city with nobody even sparing a glance when they stride by. Once in a while I see visitors arriving, looking bewildered as if they are thinking 'This is it?'

My father came for a visit and together we went to the Mamluk Fort and museum. We both are quintessential sight-seers and love history so we hit up the museum first where I was pleasantly surprised by finding out that the archaeology department of the University of Victoria aided in the excavations around Aqaba. Afterwards we found ourselves all alone in the fort with our guide, got to peek in the execution chamber and admired the old palm trunks that were embedded in the walls for reinforcements.

Aqaba the Town

It is a strange town. Camels in full regalia stroll the sidewalks with their mounted owners yelling 'Taxi!' to tourists whilst the real cabs honk at every foreigner on the street and try to avoid hitting the skinny Berber horses pulling the gaudy carriages (some with loud sound systems installed on the back of the buggy). At the promenade a giant Jordanian flag (162 m high) can be seen from Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Israel. The town of Eilat lies across the bay and I watched the fireworks at New Year's Eve happening there from an English pub here in Aqaba - It is that closely situated.
Liquor stores everywhere and giant Hummers pull up in front of them with Saudi men piling out and returning with plastic bags full of alcohol (fully understandable, those poor guys are a bit dry 30 miles south from here).

Snow and rain has plagued the northern locals and they tend to flock to Aqaba on the weekends, their only seaport city. Since it is a tax-free zone it is also the place for them to shop and many return back to Amman clutching cheap Chinese duvets with kitsch designs. I myself have inherited a worn blanket with Walt Disney's Aladdin decorating my bed, which goes remarkably well with my flannel Smurfs blanket that I brought with me from home.

Aqaba is known for...Bottles filled with sand (I know, it reminds me too of that period where housewives got crafty and thought it was a hip thing to do).
But let's face it, this is a desert country with sand in abundance so it only makes sense to sell it to the tourists. And it is a fun thing to watch, these men carefully filling bottles.

Cedar Pride

Every other dive I take clients to a shipwreck named 'Cedar Pride'. This 74 meter long wreck lies on her side with the deepest point around 25 meters. Formerly used as a Lebanese freighter she caught on fire and after a few years was purposely sunk in 1985 for recreational diving. Jordanian king Abdallah is an avid diver and played a major role in the whole sinking production.
She has been down there for almost thirty years now and is slowly but surely collecting a variety of marine life. Lush soft, hard and black corals are attached to her hull, deck and around the crow's nest. Guilded Pipefish, Nudibranchs, schools of fish, you name it and it has found a spot on the Cedar Pride. Imagine what she will look like in 50 years...

Curiosity Cabinet

Once upon a time I had a letterbak, a device that stems back to times as an organizational storage that every press business used to keep their individual letters & symbols in for pamphlet and paper printing. The Dutch tend to hang it on the wall and collect miniature ornaments to decorate it with. As a child I was of course completely taken in by collecting tiny treasures to fill every nook and cranny of my letter box...
I've often had this re-occurring urge again, but instead of collecting cute nicknacks I wish to create frozen moments of ideas and thoughts, welded together through the medium that instantly divides them simultaneously.

Unusual Aquatic Objects

In November 2012 I arrived for work in Aqaba, Jordan. My immersion in the Red Sea proved to be interesting due to the endemic species of coral and fish, some I have never encountered before.
Other unusual aspects included a M42 Duster Anti-Aircraft Vehicle (The Tank)

The tank itself was a bizarre sight underwater for the first time but after a few visits it has become more of a minor attraction underwater. It was sunk in 1999 by JREDS and functions as a spot for safety stops after visiting the Seven Sisters dive site.

Other daily aquatic encounters include a whole lotta trash. Human garbage ending up in our seas is a worldwide phenomenon and I am grateful and happy to participate with the current dive center that I am working with whom does regular clean up dives in accordance with the Dive Against Debris  movement.
 ...But then I see people litter the beach and streets, and I wonder... Perhaps preventative measures, such as local education, policies and compassion & care for the environment would be a more effective approach...

En Route

Mario Cravo Neto

I cannot believe it has been over three years since my all-time favorite photographer has ceased contributing his images to this world. Mario Cravo Neto's passion for detail, light and texture within the photography field remains unsurpassed and to this day no other has caught my eye in a similar fashion. Simply amazing.

If you wish to venture out on a limb and see what else he has in store please visit his website