Luxury Travel Review
Waterproof Ortlieb camera case is a winner
Ortlieb Aqua Cam waterproof camera case
Photos courtesy of Ortlieb USA
For the past year we have taken the Ortlieb Aqua Cam waterproof camera case with harness straps on travels near and far. It has gone with us to California, France, the Caribbean, and Africa; to urban, suburban, and safari destinations – even a rain forest – and performed admirably.
Our medium case (6.7 x 8.7 inches) has 275 cubic inches of space and weighs 15.2 ounces. It is waterproof and dustproof. We took it into the bush where we were enveloped in clouds of dust on a number of ocassions and rained on more times that we care to remember.
We like the Quickseal closure and Roll ‘n Snap feature. Although the manufacturer says you can use the Roll ‘n Snap strap to carry the case, we find it is prone to snapping open unexpectedly when we do that. The adjustable padded shoulder is comfortable. The interior pads are easy to adjust and protect the camera from bumps and bruises. After all the trips its been on its none the worse for wear.
The harness has been especially practical on game viewing outings, during bumpy drives, and long walks in the bush and rain forest. It stablelizes the camera case and leaves our hands free to shoot pictures or lean on a walking stick.
Founded in 1982, Ortlieb produces and distributes waterproof outdoor equipment, in particular panniers, office bags, backpacks, messenger bags, drybags and stuffsacks, motorcycle packs, camera bags, document bags and map cases, water-bags and water-sacks, folding bowls, first-aid-kits, money belts, valuable bags and mobile phone cases.
Ortlieb uses predominantly tear and abrasion resistant nylon, polyester and Cordura fabrics and PU-foils. Their waterproof products are exclusively manufactured at their production site in Heilsbronn, Germany using a high-frequency welding procedure.
They supply national specialty retailers in the bike, outdoor, trekking and expedition, motorcycle and paddlesport markets. Ortlieb also exports from their production site in Germany into 22 countries with authorized distributors. The largest export countries are Switzerland, the Benelux, United Kingdom and Japan as well as the U.S. with their own subsidiary.
La Jolla’s Azul offers dining with an ocean view
Ahi tuna dish at Azul in La Jolla
We recently visited La Jolla in the San Diego area and discovered Azul, a sea facing restaurant with tasty and colorful dishes and a stunning view of the Pacific. Pictured above is one of the many dishes served with artistic flair, the California Ahi Tuna Tartare made with sashimi-grade tuna, Napa cabbage, toasted almonds, wasabi tobiko and soy-ginger vinaigrette. Click here to read more about Azul.
Digital photography book chock full of useful tips and tricks
The Digital Photography Book cover
The Digital Photography Book: The Step-by-Step Secrets For How to Make Your Photos Look Like the Pros (Peachpit Press, $19.99) by Scott Kelby offers a useful series of one-page vignettes organized by category. It is a quick read and helpful tool for photographers wishing to address specific challenges like taking sunset or wildlife photos, landscape, forest or people shots, etc. It’s designed in a series of approximately 200 short articles particularly handy for someone who already is familiar with digital photography. It is written in an easy to read style with minimum technical jargon, practical advice and a sense of humour.
According to Kelby, The Digital Photography Book is all about “sharing the pro’s secrets about how to get dramatically better-looking photos every time without having to learn all the technical things about photography or your digital camera.”
Author Scott Kelby
“It’s not the camera that makes a shot professional, it’s the user,” Kelby said. “The pros know the tricks to get great results no matter what kind of camera they use. You don’t need to learn all the technical things about your camera; you just need to learn to take better photos.”
Scott Kelby is editor and publisher of Photoshop User magazine, editor-in-chief of Nikon’s Software User magazine, and publisher of Layers magazine, the how-to magazine for everything Adobe. Scott is president and co-founder of the National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP) and president of the software training, education, and publishing firm KW Media Group.
Scott is a photographer, designer, and an award-winning author of more than 30 books, including The Photoshop Book for Digital Photographers, Photoshop Down & Dirty Tricks, Photoshop Classic Effects and is series editor for the “Killer Tips” books series from New Rider publishing.
Discovering Tobago’s tourism treasures
Villa de Lena at dusk and ocean view from Being villa
Find out what our travel writers discovered during a recent visit to the island of Tobago, part of Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean. To learn about the two luxury villas, attractions and dining out options they liked visit our Tobago pages.
Tree-climbing lions of Chindeni
Tree-climbing lions of Chindeni
One of our team members recently returned from the South Luangwa Valley National Park, a ruggedly beautiful 3500-square-mile Eden of savannah and forest wedged in the north-eastern corner of Zambia. The park is recognized by experts as having one of the highest game densities in Africa. According to locals, the now famous Zambian walking safari was pioneered there over half a century ago. The tradition is upheld to this day by a few of the most reputed safari operators in the country. Josette King from the Simon & Baker Travel Review recently visited some of the intimate luxury camps, including Kuyenda, Chimalandu and Chindeni, strategically located along the Luangwa River and its tributaries, and discovered outstanding game viewing.
When she arrived, she settled in her luxury tent raised on a wooden deck overlooking a permanent lagoon at Chindeni, with expectations of abundant wildlife. What she couldn’t have anticipated was a sight so unusual that it startled even James Chabbuka, the group’s seasoned and otherwise unflappable guide. During the group’s first late afternoon excursion near the camp, they came across a pride of lions sprawled high in the branches of a huge winter thorn tree. They were obviously enjoying their nap in the refreshing breeze of the tree tops! Visit these pages and the Simon & Baker Travel Review soon for more about the wonders of South Luangwa Valley walking safaris, including the tree-climbing lions of Chindeni. Click here to read other articles on Zambia.
Africa book offers mesmerizing photography tour
Africa
Self taught photographer Michael Poliza captures the heart and the mind with his amazing collection of colorful animal and panomaric views of the wilderness in Africa (teNeues), a coffee table book. Four years of bush excursions in Southern and Eastern Africa are reflected in the 408-page book with nearly as many photos.
Weighing in at about 12 pounds it’s an oversize (11.5 by 14.5 inches, 29 x 37 cms) hefty tome with page after page of magnificent photos. Each photo occupies a page, sometimes two (photos broken in half by the binding made us wish for an even larger canvas). Even so, the animals and scenery seem to burst beyond the borders of the book transporting the reader to the bush.
Anyone who has taken wildlife photos can guess at the months of time and effort such a book might have cost. Poliza worked with a Canon digital camera and refrained from altering the photos beyond the usual “dark room” processes. It is hard to imagine the patience, passion, dedication and sheer determination it took to capture the images.
Poliza started as a child actor on German TV, then founded several highly successful IT ventures in the U.S. and Germany. He now focuses mainly on filming and photography, including work for the Discovery Channel. He spends much time in Cape Town, South Africa.
Africa includes text in English, German, French, Spanish and Italian and summary descriptions of each shot with a thumbnail photo of the picture to identify the subject and location where it was taken. At € 98, $ 125, £ 70, Can $180, and SFR 158 it’s a steal for the lover of art, Africa, photography and nature. We look forward to his next project.
