Argentina, Chile & Brazil ?

Your more weird than me. That says a lot.

Home improvements, serious hard work, Sympathy.

Today we ate at Azafran, a wonderful restaurant on a busy main street in Mendoza. Along with several other couples, we sat outside to enjoy the mild day. And wouldn’t you know it, a great street photo op jumped at me. Consistent with my earlier posts about the problem of snatch ‘n grabs on the streets, I was able to document the typical precautions taken by the locals:

Yesterday we toured the Valle de Uco wine region and I got to use my new a6500 a lot (it’s FAST!). As we left the van at tour’s end, our guide told my wife to leave her jewelry (a simple silver bracelet and earrings) in the hotel safe and me to do the same with my larger camera if we went into town. We’re on our way back to Santiago tomorrow for 3 more nights, and the RX100 will be fine.

This is a serious problem that both angers me and has me scratching my head. I managed to shoot about 2000 pics in the last 9 days, so it can be done - but there’s something radically wrong with a world this contentious.

there’s something radically wrong with a world this contentious.

I think of many places I enjoyed in years gone bye that are no longer safe and that I would no longer visit. My loss and theirs as well, since none of my dollars will reach their economy. It is nearing the point where the only safety is that which we can provide for ourselves. Unfortunate, especially as one ages.

ou"r guide told my wife to leave her jewelry (a simple silver bracelet and earrings) in the hotel safe and me to do the same with my larger camera if we went into town" Otis.

Best visit Cuba...if you can get over the commie thing.

My guide told me we were perfectly safe anywhere.

This proved to be the case. Who needs hassle when you are spending hard earnt money on a holiday..

I think of many places I enjoyed in years gone bye that are no longer safe and that I would no longer visit. My loss and theirs as well, since none of my dollars will reach their economy. It is nearing the point where the only safety is that which we can provide for ourselves. Unfortunate, especially as one ages.

The (relatively good news is that I found a fabulous travel jacket called the “Correspondent” that was apparently designed for and originally sold by National Geographic. It has enough well designed pockets inside & out to take, conceal and secure wallet, smaller camera, both mobile phone and small tablet (my iPad Mini swims in its space until I secure the retaining strap), batteries, glasses, passports, cables, money and the sleeves that cleverly zip off to make it a vest.

It’s made pretty well, water resistant, comfortable, reinforced to make carrying all that stuff fairly comfortable, and it’s machine washable. I’ve been wearing it every day in 90+ heat, and it’s perfect for street photographers especially in climates like the Andes or the desert where it’s 90 all day and 50 at night. I got mine from the current maker (Weekender, as I recall).

“Best visit Cuba...if you can get over the commie thing”? Huh? How’d you decide that we have a “commie thing”????

We love Ho Chi Minh City and have had a great time there (although FWIW only about 4% of the population of the country belongs to the party). Uniformed federal officers are quite visible in many parts of the city, but pickpockets run rampant there. Still, I took almost 3000 pics there in 12 days last year and there was no concern about camera snatching. I do keep it close to my chest & am pretty stealthy - but that 18-200 lens is harder to conceal than a large firearm.......

We were booked on a Cuba trip (a medical mission) that would have left the US within days of the first loosening of restrictions a few years ago, but the trip was canceled a few weeks before to see how the new regulations would change things. I retired from surgery and plan to go now as an ordinary tourist.

Thanks all for the valuable info. I'd hoped to have posted some of my street photos back here by now but I'm still exceptionally far behind on editing. Actually haven't even gotten close to finishing selecting what to edit!

Here are some of my son's photos (not technically street, but...) from Buenos Aires: Buenos Dias, Buenos Aires