This article was originally published in October 15, 2004 on the website sportshooter.com Some gramatical errors and typos were corrected in the version.
Definitely Not Lost In Translation
Robert Dall and Martin E. Garcia at El Tiempo Newspaper in Bogota
I had one special assignment this September, One I almost missed deadline for, One I barely took a photo during and one that was the closest to my heart.
Of all the places in the world to travel my first international exhibition would be Colombia and it chose me. I say that because as many great assignments happen it came out of left field, but proved to be the most rewarding trip I have taken.
Telling friends and family I asked to show my photography to Bogotá, Colombia, the usual jokes about kidnapping, drugs, and civil war came up, and to boot, I didn’t know a word of Spanish before I arrived.
As Bill Murray can a test to, I could have been lost in a society completely different in a language and custom I didn’t understand, But, I can say with a resounding furor, that my trip couldn’t have been farther from the truth.
It was almost the trip that started in disaster as I decided to use a travel agent instead of booking online and it almost put a death nail in my official opening.
I only had 23 minutes between terminals at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport to catch my flight. I begged and pleaded with any Air Canada employee that I needed on that flight and how my show opening was the next day.
Running through the terminal as fast as my feet and a bag full of gear could carry me I raced from one end to the other, and panic was setting in. 511, 512, 513, 514 where is my gate. . . . “Final boarding call, paging Mr.” . . . “Dall” I almost yelled and presented my ticket.
At that moment I knew the photo gods were looking at me kindly and wanted me to have a good trip.
Bogota, Colombia
I awoke in Bogotá, the next morning to find myself breathless, with the beauty of the mountains behind my hotel room and with the altitude of 2, 600 meters (approximately 8,500 feet) that would take me a few days to get used to.
The opening of my show was warmly received by a collection of ex-pats and Colombians. To fully capture the attention of the audience while talking about my experience of the north, and how to live in an igloo was an event full of bliss.
Colombian people, rich and poor, enjoy the arts like no other society I have seen yet. The National University where I was displaying my work stopped teaching classes for a week just to celebrate arts and culture.
Colombia doesn’t have a huge tourist trade and few people think of it as a place to visit due to the stereotypes mentioned above. It is still a dangerous place but I also had many people who helped me out, whether it was embassy staff, friends from the University or the girl who gave me a private tour at the Botero Museum to help get me home in one piece.
The welcoming nature of most of the people I met was amazing, many were surprised that I was chosen to come to their country to put on my first international show.
Most Colombian people will bend over backwards to show you their country is much more than drugs and civil war and regardless of whether I was walking around town as just another foreigner or as a visiting international artist, the people were just as friendly.
Robert Dall with students from the Semillas School outside his photography show at the University of Colombia
As I was touring the University with the co-coordinator of my show Diane Beltran I ran into a group of 40 children who were touring the museum. I stopped and gave them a tour full of actions and with the help of my friends at the museum who was translating.
Seeing those captive children asking so many questions, like what does snow taste like? I really knew why I came down. It wasn’t for me, nor to showcase Canada, but to captive people young and old, and to reach out to another and see that even without language you really can communicate without saying anything at all.
My second week was no less entertaining, I spend Monday and Tuesday at El Tiempo, Colombia’s National Newspaper, I heard rumours of Canon’s 1DS Mark II, but never did I think while in South America would I see one of Canon’s new line so shortly after its release in Photokina.
Canon Latin American was there showcasing their product to the Canadian-born Photo Editor Richard Emblin (and Black Star photographer) and his staff of a dozen locally based photographers who still use those black-lensed cameras.
The next day I was invited out by one of their photographers Martin E. Garcia. Where we travelled to La Vega, one hour south of Bogotá, to an ecological park and operating fish farm. We were treated to a trout even if it was moving day at the operator’s home. El Tiempo has some great photographers, they have a real passion for capturing the image and they are able to get into and out of some of the more conflict-riddled regions of the country with amazing ability. I hope Martin will join ss.com in my opinion he would be a welcomed addition.
I can also say that to all you Canucks out there we are well served by our Embassy staff and Foreign Affairs Canada who work long hours showcasing our country aboard and being more than helpful to this Canadian photographer.
If it wasn’t for ss.com this show would have also been a lot harder, the private galleries, made the construction of the show so easy for the likes of me. It made the visual communication with organizers half a world away simple. The message boards were full of advice about the city etc. But ss.com has been more than a place to store some images and get some quick information. I feel it has helped refine my style and made me search more for that one image. I truly couldn’t have done the show without this website.
I’d like to return to Colombia, with Spanish, and do a lot more photography with local NGOs there. It was great to see an amazingly diverse and culturally rich society. I also had a social network of enough friends and other photographers that my trip was never lost in translation.
This article was originally published in October 15, 2004 on the website sportshooter.com Some gramatical errors and typos were corrected in the version.
I have always been a patriot Canadian. For my birthday once I asked for a Canadian Flag. While we’re not perfect and we still have some work to do, I say we celebrate what we do have because when you think about it. It’s a lot!
During College, my best friend was and still is a very patriotic Canada naturally so am I. It wasn’t until we had hung out for a couple months and had more than a few beers that I realized just how patriot his was. Because it wasn’t a wear it on your sleeve type of patriotism.
So when I heard Canada was celebrating its 150 birthday. It hough visiting old friends and see some national historic sights would be a good idea.
So I called up my College Friends Amber Rider in Victoria and Scott Crabbe who lives in Jasper and told them to roll out the “red carpet” and expect a visit.
On Victoria Day long weekend… Go to Victoria.
The view from Fisguard Lighthouse from the grounds of Fort Rod Hill National Historic Site.
Seeing Victoria for the first time in 10 years was pretty awesome. I flew in from Vancouver to Victoria on Harbour Air, avoiding those dastardly ferry sailing waits and delays.
Amber, Fin and Robert at Fort Rod Hill and Fisgard Lighthouse in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
The Fort was originally built before World War one in 1878 to protect Esquimalt Harbour and CFB Esquimalt which is home to the Maritime Forces Pacific.
Fisguard Lighthouse in Victoria, BC
We then drove up the Island and took a stop in the wonderful town and murals of Chemainus. Something I hadn’t seen since childhood as well.
The Island is so close to Sechelt and the Sunshine Coast, but yet so far if you need to travel to it. Luckily I escaped the ferries again and was able to take Harbour Air from Nanaimo to Sechelt.
Stanley Park
Third Beach on a sunny day in Stanley Park. While the Park is a National Historic Site it is under the management of the Vancouver Parks Board and not Parks Canada.
Another college buddy Ernest who lives in Toronto came to Vancouver for a visit and we took a walk through Stanley Park in Vancouver with his family. I haven’t walked through Stanley Park in a number of years. It truly is an urban forest! We came out of Third Beach. While the Stanley Park is a National Historic Site it is under the management of the Vancouver Parks Board and not Parks Canada.
Sometimes all it takes is to be a tourist is in your own backyard.
The Great Canadian Road Trip
A gif of the flowing Athabasca River in Jasper National Park.
Getting to visit Scott would take more doing then it would Amber. But he is much further afield as well. In Jasper National Park. I was able to fly into Vancouver on Harbour Air and along with my flight I was able to get a deal on the car rental through them at Canada Place and I hit the road making stops for second breakfast in Hope. (Hobbit’s aren’t the only ones that know this is very Important for travelling)
A stop in Kamloops for gas and a few snacks for the road. (When did Kamloops get so hot?, oh right… it’s part desert!)
I turned north on the Yellowed Highway named after fur trader and explorer Pierre Bostonais who had streaks of yellow in his hair and was nicknamed Téte Jaune or Yellowhead.
Anyone who grew up in the 80’s knows this old Park Canada branding well. The beer inside was really decent as well. It was a hit with the locals for sure!
The Yellowhead is mostly a two-lane highway that twists and turns through the more northerly of the three main passes through the Rockies.
I made good time getting into to Jasper. My plan was to have a wiggle room day just in case of traffic or car trouble you never know.
I was staying with Scott Crabbe and family and he had some special Jasper Brewing Company Beer in the old school Parks Canada Colours waiting for me.
Next day we took off to the Jasper Skytram to drop off the company truck and do some biking down the hill and back to his house. What I thought was going to be a ride down the road was truly so much more. Scott had a single track route all planned out and we crossing a road and highway a couple times. True to form for Scott he always has an adventure up his sleeve. The scenery on this beautiful day was second to none and the exhilaration of the beauty of Canada’s National Parks kept me going.
The Jasper Tram climbs to the top of Whistlers Mountain with the town of Jasper, Alberta in the background.
The town of Jasper, Alberta in the Athabaskan Valley and headquarters to Jasper National Park.
Scott and I at the bottom of the Jasper Tram before we start an epic ride down hill to Jasper and Beer!
Rafters paddle down the Athabasca River in Jasper, Alberta.
Mountains surrounding the town of Jasper from the banks of the Athabasca River in Jasper National Park.
A bike and trailer decorated as a Beaver in the Canada Day parade held in Jasper, Alberta on the 150th birthday of Canada.
I spent Canada 150 birthday in a National Park with an old college friend and his family. I don’t think I could have picked a better place or had better weather.
On the road driving down Highway 93 The Icefields Parkway from Jasper to Banff, Alberta.
I left Jasper on July 2nd for the Ice Fields Parkway and Calgary. I was told by many, take your time on the parkway Calgary is closer than you think. With The Tragically Hip blasting from the stereo, I hit the road for some true Canadiana.
Thus I did. The race to get from A to B three days earlier was just a memory and taking it all in stopping where you want is all part of this journey.
Last time I did the parkway was the summer of 1985 I was eight years old and it rained and was cloudy the entire time. This time there was barely a cloud in the sky and I set the cruise control to 50km an hour and took it all in.
A panoramic view from the Big Bend Hill Lookout on Highway 93 the Icefields Parkway from Jasper National Park to Banff National Park in Canadian Rockies.Tourists walk up the path to the Athabasca Glacier at the Columbia Icefields in Jasper National Park.
Whenever there was a vehicle behind me I just pulled over let them pass. Don’t let the view pass you by. Take it all in. Your on this route for the journey, not the destination.
Reaching the Columbia Ice Fields I purchased a $7 ham and cheese sandwich. (When will I learn?) I skipped the Glacier Adventure Snow Coach at $85 per person and took a walk up the hill to see the receding Athabasca Glacier.
Sad to see the glacier getting so much smaller than when I remember it some 32 years ago. But that is our changing environment.
After a stop at Saskatchewan River Crossing for a coffee, as I didn’t want to mess with Banff or Lake Louise on Canada Day weekend, I hit the road non-stop to Calgary.
Gord and Gabby on some paddle boats on Bowness Lake in Calgary Alberta.
I visited Gord and Aleta and their 4 kids and they took me to Bowness Park which I had visited in the winter but never in the summer. The Park had been completely flooded in the 2013 flood. But the park was nicely remodelled and we took out the paddle boats and road the train and had a great day of fun.
Gord Chilling on his Pocket Couch in Calgary, Alberta.
Visiting with old friends is great, but getting beaten by a 5-year-old at go fish 4 times in a row is a humbling experience. I can’t wait for a rematch Gabby!
With an extra day of car rental and some Canadian History awaiting me just down the road, I said my goodbyes to Calgary and hit the road south on the road less travelled.
The Lancaster Bomber, impressive in size, small in creature comforts. Natan’s Bomber Command Museum is home to one of only 17 still standing. While it is no longer airworthy the engines still operate and are fired up every year.
Turtle Mountain the location of the Frank Slide in Frank, Alberta. The largest landslides in Canadian history. For scale, there is a mini-van for scale in the lower right corner.
I also stopped by the Nanton Candy Store to pick up a few goodies, it’s quite the store to see if you have a moment.
I arrived in the Crownest Pass community and stopped to see the town of Frank and one of the largest landslide in Canadian History. The amount of rock that was moved was impressive and hard to fathom. The Frank Slide Liquor Store is a bit of a hoot if you want to check it out as well.
The Columbia Brewing Company in Creston, British Columbia. Home to Kokanee Beer.
I filled up with the last of the cheap Alberta gas and hit the road for Creston, BC and the home of Kokanee and Columbia Brewery. While the Columbia Brewing Company only survives in name since it was purchased by Labatt’s in 1974, it still makes Kokanee on site and a sailing buddy of mine loves Kokanee so I had to check it out.
Beer vat in the Columbia Brewing Complex in Creston, British Columbia. Home to Kokanee Beer.
Next stop on this roadshow was Osoyoos. I didn’t realize how much further Route 3 was then the Trans-Canada. It’s only 253 kilometres longer. But it winds and wiggles along the US border and is a two-lane highway with a few passing lanes along the way. Road Trips are fun but sometimes you just need to put miles in. I use a combination of Podcasts and upbeat music to let the kilometres melt away.
Even with A/C and cold drink, a car is a hot place in the summer, so I had one goal for a hotel in Osoyoos. clean hotel with a Pool, nothing fancy… just a pool. Super 8 fit the bill and I spent the evening poolside. Last day of my road trip I wanted to leave Osoyoos and it’s 40C degree heat. But with the heat comes the fruit and with that comes fruit stands!
Being a good friend means…
As I left Osoyoos listening to some Dehli to Dublin to keep the upbeat tempo going. I came across some fruit stands in Keremeos and picked up some fresh fruit for my foodie loving cookbook authoring friend Rebecca Coleman.
I also got some cherries myself as they are a great snack food for the road.
I filled up again in Hope the round trip was almost over. I hadn’t seen the Crowness Pass since I was a kid!
Looking back on the epic Canadian Road Trip I was extremely lucky not to be affected by any of the forest fires that have hit a number of community I travelled through and my thoughts are certainly with them as they battle and rebuild.
On BC Day Long Weekend go to the birthplace of BC
National Historic Site Fort Langley modern entrance.
Completely by accident, I went to the Birthplace of the colony British Columbia, Fort Langley on BC Day Long Weekend. I had been wanting to go to Fort Langley for some time, but when my brother asked me to watch his dogs for the long weekend I said sure as long as I can go to Fort Langley in his car! A deal was stuck and off I went.
A re-enactor talks about her camp at the National Historic Site Fort Langley on the BC Day Long weekend.
Fort Langley was the birthplace of British Columbia as a British Colony, although BC Day as a holiday didn’t start until 1974 the colony signed into order on August 2, 1858. This was a pre-emptive move to forestall any drives for annexation of the land to the United States.
I had not been to Fort Langley since childhood and since it was BC Day long weekend there were a number of re-enactors had set up camps and volunteers giving talks about hunting, trapping and trading in 1840 through to its closure in 1886.
Gord a Volunteer gives a talk about rifles used during the period where Fort Langley was in its hay day.
I also checked and yes Fort Langley still takes my Hudson’s Bay Master Card. LOL.
Conclusion
We have a vast and varied and huge country and while we still have work today we should celebrate our achievements. Get out and enjoy our country you don’t need a 150 anniversary to do it, just the need to explore your own backyard.
If my writings have helped you out, you can buy me a coffee or a beer via paypal:
I recently traveled down to Seattle for a couple days and I had switch over my old iPhone 3GS so I could use on it on the US network without fear of major roaming charges. All links go there respective apps. But many apps are available for android as well. *The Chihuly exhibit is a HTML5 app. Featured photo courtesy of Jeremy Lim Used with Permission.
Google Maps or your favorite map application. Looking up anything using Google Maps is a good idea. Jon Jennings and Flynn O’Connor and I drove down to WordCamp Seattle and we used Google Maps to find my hotel and to keep us going in the right direction. Although Google did give us a funny Once in Seattle, I used it to walk to Speakers Dinner, the traffic was horrible and it was a beautiful night, the walk was far better then a cab. I also Found my cousin house in West Seattle, Almost everything… But when my roaming phone wasn’t connecting I went searching for a paper map and directions from local business owners which was less fruitful in not tourist area’s and I felt somewhat bothersome.
Using Seattle Transit is not foreign to me but schedules and stops change since I used it four years ago. But what made this trip special was that Transit App which recent became completely free in the App Store. I switched the location to Seattle and I was able to instantly find the transit listing using an App I already knew how to use. I Decided to take the bus from Downtown to the Seattle Center. Easy as pie… Seriously… I closed down the Chihuly Garden and Glass at 10:00pm and was on the next Monorail to Downtown then on a bus back to West Seattle in no time flat. Monday Night in Downtown Seattle many not be one place I want to hang out in. But the Transit app give me clear and concise directions to the bus stops. I don’t think a regular cab could have done better and certainly not for $4.50 in total.
Much like the Transit App all I had to do was switch the location of the app and I could find all the cars in the local radius… After a walking tour of Downtown Seattle. We were standing with in 200 feet of an available car. So I tried to rent the car so it could take me to the Seattle Central Public Library. I would need a US membership Card to Car2go and then I could use it in any America CIty and visa-versa. Nothing against the app It worked flawlessly and I am seriously considering getting a US Car2go membership as it seems to be growing.
Although Car2Go now has it’s own app. They didn’t when I first joined the service back in 2011. But the company listed Get2Car as an approved app. The Ge2Car app is reasonably priced at $1.99.
The Wikipedia App and for that matter there mobile website as well allowed me to research more about Dale Chihuly while I was waiting for the sun to go down at this his Garden and Glass Exhibit. Also according to wikipedia no one know who Elliott Bay is actually named after. Which makes sense because my walking tour guide didn’t know either. ( Side note: I highly suggest the Seattle 101 walking tour thanks Jake! )
If I liked something on Facebook I got a free goodie from this sweet shop. Ya I got a bit of sweet tooth… I don’t have Facebook App on my phone but after found my 1password I signed on got my free dark chocolate covered marshmallow and bam! Thanks one Password!
The Chihuly exhibit also had a free audio tour via a html5 mobile website (and provided free headphones so you didn’t use your speaker phone). The audio tour was really well done and gave more insight into the artist and it could only access via your smartphone. They included free wifi to access the web app so you didn’t waste your data. It was a slick interface and allowed complete choice for your immersive experience of the exhibit.
Conclusion
So after my first real trip to a somewhat foreign city these list of app made transportation easier and my time spent in the Emerald City much easier and more fulfilling. I made my way home via Amtrak Cascades train to Vancouver and I booked my ticket online and the included QR code was scanned from an email on my phone. No printer required!
Seattle I will certainly be back but not without my smart phone.
