luis_curran

On a 5D: 24-105 - 16-35 II - 70-300mm DO IS USM

Works for me - I travel quite a bit.

Mary, another travel agent in China which is reasonable and have always given me great service is Wild China. Ask for Martina Li.

They will be able to design a private tour for you or tour with a larger group. Personally, I prefer the private tour as I am then able to 'call the shots' a bit better than if I were with a large group.

Whatever you do, have a super trip and enjoy!

Luis

www.pbase.com/lcurran

"If you send a mail home, dont say anything bad about China as it wont get anywhere.Part of the Google- China contract.John Hughes"

Utter rubbish! I have three mail accounts between here (Beijing) and the rest of the world and I have never experienced any censorship whatsoever. And I've been living here for the past fifteen years.

It's these types of comments from occasional travellers which give others the distorted impressions of life in China. I realize that life is not the same here as in the west and, yes, it is a totalitarian state, but to make statements such as the above is disingenuous at best.

Other comments from the OP regarding Tibet fall into this category.

I don't think the 'switch' box response adequately answers Aditya's question: what technique(s) did you use to convert the colour images into B&W?

I would be interested to know this as well.

Thank you.

I would second many of the responses above.

As a traveller in developing countries for the past 15-20 years, I have found that the most inconspicuous way of carrying your gear is with a non-distinct nylon backpack which I picked up in Vietnam. Within that pack I've placed a Domke F6 insert to hold my camera (5D with 24-105 lens) and 70-300 DO and 16-35 II lenses. As well, the pack takes all the other 'stuff' one usually carries (no notebook, however; I take an Epson 4000 with me which does me well) including a 430EX flash unit. I'm also able to carry some personal items such as a jacket/sweater/book/ on the top portion of the pack. And, unbelievably, it's not that big at all.

I find that a backpack is useful especially if you're going to be doing a lot of walking. It is also safer than a shoulder bag which are tempting to thieves flashing by on their scooters and grabbing the bag off your shoulder. If you have a backpack on with both straps on your shoulders, this mitigates the temptation.

I also try and always follow Paul Theroux's advice when traveling: 'Wander aimlessly and grin like a dog'. That'll get you everywhere!

Good luck and have fun!

Luis Curran

www.pbase.com/lcurran