You could call this “Caught in the Act.”  I was roaming through Chiang Mai, Thailand, on a cloudy morning when the young monks at one of the city’s numerous wats were called to prayer.  As I started snapping through the carved archway this lad turned around.

I seem to have an affinity for urban monks. Maybe it’s how out of place, yet not out of place,  they seem.

Captured: January 31, 2008.

What’s better than one Lonely Planet book? Two, for the price of one. The preeminent publisher of travel tomes has extended its Lonely Planet Buy One Get One Free promotion until the end of October.

Christmas is coming, and Lonely Planet books are always great stocking stuffers. Hot off the press are best sellers such as the New Zealand and Mexico guides, and the new full color Hawaii guide.

A getaway to Koh Samui sound or a visit to the ancient Angkor Wat Temples in your future? All covered in the new Regional Encounter Guides. Melbourne, Rome, New York and Singapore all have shiny new Lonely Planet City Encounter Guides rolling off the presses.

Some “professional” travelers scoff at Lonely Planet guidebooks. They do so at their own peril. There is always one in my pack. There is no better packable resource. I recommend the Lonely Planet China Guidebooks, I use them often when planning excursions.

The Lonely Planet Buy One Get One Free promotion ends October 31st.

Dim sum and milk tea – A typical breakfast in China, on the go, on the street. One piece of culture I can’t adapt to: I’d rather have bacon and eggs, and, coffee and tea. Either. Or.

Captured: September 19, 2008.

This is my world at the moment, September 24, 2008:

A map of Typhoon Hagupit over south China

Yes, another Typhoon. I can’t complain, they canceled classes last evening because of the arrival of Typhoon Hagupit in Shenzhen. My team received an unexpected evening off. We were sitting at an outside cafe-esque establishment enjoying the wind and malty libations until the owner, fearing for the tent that covered the tables, closed up.

The Hong Kong Observatory issued the following warning:

Here is the latest Tropical Cyclone Bulletin issued by the Hong Kong Observatory.

The No. 8 Southeast Gale or Storm Signal is in force.

This means that winds with mean speeds of 63 kilometres per hour or more are expected from the southeast quarter.

At 3 a.m., Typhoon Hagupit was centred about 230 kilometres southwest of Hong Kong (near 21.1 degrees north 112.4 degrees east) and is forecast to move west or west-northwest at about 28 kilometres per hour heading towards the western coast of Guangdong.

Welcome, Mr/Ms Typhoon Hagupit. Please, stick around a few more hours (as long as you don’t bring much death and destruction). I could use a day off.

Ya, I haven’t posted a self-portrait in a while, a Saturday night ritual I engage in when extremely bored. I was bored last Saturday, hence the photo. Thanks for reminding me, Ron.

I hauled all my stuff to the roof and set up with a flashlight, thinking I would be relatively safe from interlopers. I was wrong. Just as I started to get the image I was after a random guy walks across the roof, at 9 pm on a Saturday night. What was he doing on the roof? I have no idea. It was obvious what I was doing: Engaging in vanity photography out of boredom. He decided to stay and watch.

I packed up, took my lovely Phottix Cleon Remote Shutter Release back to my apartment, and drank a can of Shandy (I can longer seem to stomach beer. Ya, call me a girl. I wish China had Beer Gift Baskets.)

Captured: September 23, 2008.

A popular tea stand on Stanley Street (the Street of Camera Shops), Central District, Hong Kong SAR. Getting a decent shot was difficult. There was always too many damn people in the way. I wasn’t brave enough to try the tea, it was the color of a mud puddle.

Capture: September 13, 2008.