From Mokhotlong to Durban, South Africa

Day 116:  Jay and I slept pretty deeply last night as the Lesotho air was cool.  We woke up in plenty of time to get to breakfast in the dining area by 7:30 am.  We had a filling breakfast.  We ordered our eggs as omelets and they must've had at least three eggs each.  The bread was also homemade and deliciously dense.  All the other normal breakfast staples including orange juice and yoghurt were available for Mo and us. 

 

The second day of our itinerary was open to what we wanted to do.  Horseback riding was a suggestion but neither Jay nor I have ever spent much time on the backs of animals.  I've heard that horses can sense the situation and occasionally misbehave.  Anyway, we politely declined that option.

We settled on an additional morning drive to the the land and area around that part of Lesotho.  It was fascinating to visit the site of a huge dam project.  It seems as if South Africa is in need of a commodity that Lesotho can provide: fresh, pure water!  So, the Chinese are under contract to build dams and the related infrastructure.  South Africa will pay the bills and then and purchase a copious supply of water.

  360 Degree Image - Use your mouse or finger to explore it.

We took the jeep up a mountain with a telephone cell tower.  It overlooked the entire area and we could see the posts indicating the eventual water level of the future lake.

We then headed back to Sani Pass to repeat the trail but by going down today.  It was delightfully relaxing seeing the mountains and life along the roads we travelled.  We scheduled to again have lunch at the restaurant at the top of the pass.

 

We stopped again nearer the South African border to look in on a local village.  Mo knows places where he met community members willing to give local, cultural insights.  We loved trying the large loaf of local bread baked in the center of a bungalow firepit.  They use cow dung as fuel here because of the lack of wood kindling.  We gave the woman a little donation but declined the whole loaf thinking her husband and others could use it more than us.

 

The trip down the pass was slow.  The trail was in poor condition.  But we made it back to Underberg, South Africa by 3:00 pm.

The highway back to Durban seemed long even though we made excellent time on the highway which is currently being expanded.  We were home before 6:00.  Opps, I mean were were back at our Airbnb before 6:00.  We really do like having the chance to "LIVE" in many places during our winters away from Canada.

A Photosphere

Day 96 - It was around 5:00 pm and we were waiting for rain when I tried making a photosphere.  No precipitation has started yet.

When we got here in November it was unseasonably wet but we've had very little in the last two weeks. The weather forecast gave a possibility of rain right now. 

If it doesn't come, nothing is showing on the long-range forecast for another week.

 

Photospheres Should Be Easier to Share

Day 10 - I've been playing with Google 360° Photospheres for years. Even after all this time, the standard is not common nor is it easy to share the results from my current phone. I tried two practice shots. This one is alongside the driveway toward the front of the house in Minuwangoda.

   

This one is in the very backyard. It's near the water well and the old shed.

360° Photosphere at Girahandu Temple

Day 78 - On last week's road trip to the east coast, we stopped at several ancient Buddhist sites. After a night near Trincomalee, we headed to Girahandu in the morning. There was a 200-step hike up a hill.  Wild deer roamed the site.

 

Once in a while. I remember to try and take a photosphere.  Shooting one takes a bit of patience as I must point my Pixel 5 in every direction to complete the capture.  I'd definitely be interested in a custom device to take instantaneous ones.  During my most recent research, I was never able to find anything suitable.

See Ya 'round!

Today, I remembered to attempt a 360° photosphere when we visited the park on the other side of the river. The SkyBridge is one side and the iconic Pattullo Bridge on the other. Eventually, this picture will be historical as the construction of the replacement for the Pattullo is finally underway. We have lived in New Westminster for 25 years this summer and there's always been talk about the need to replace the unsafe, narrow structure. The new bridge will be built a bit upriver on the other side of the existing span for trains.

 

This prompted me to see if I could collect some of my attempts over the years in shooting photospheres. For years Google phones have included the option with the camera app. I used to occasionally remember to try taking these types of images but it is not easy nor is the task very forgiving. One has to turn around in a complete circle and shoot at every angle. Crowded places don't work well either as you'll end up with ghost images and abberations such as legs without a body. Google initially saved them under Google photos, but later moved a bunch to Google Maps. Still, I seem to have about half that I'd taken. 

It seems as though the last time I tried with a hacked version of Google camera on my OnePlus 6. This was taken last year in Kuala Lumpur at the Thean Hou Temple.

 

I have rounded up a total of only 21 so far. Like all of my images, they've ended up on Flickr now. If you are viewing in a normal browser, you should be able to mouse around to see the whole scene. Clicking a photosphere will show the original image on the Flickr website.

Three Pillars and 360°

When facing the buildings, our place is on the right on the 10th floor.
The weather was great for a Saturday. I recall times when rainy and cloudy days seemed to come for every weekend and then the good weather would return for weekdays.

It was nice all day but I didn't take any photo when shopping in the morning or during the afternoon. So, I just ducked out front at 6:45 PM to try taking a 360° image. Our fountain used to look like the gushing water from a broken water main. A few summers ago, after a renovation, a pleasant film of water runs over three pillars.

Got to Experiment More with 360°

Day 59 - I hadn't tried taking a 360° image for a long time. In fact, I wondered if I had the necessary camera app on my current phone. Then, I remembered that the Google Street View app, itself, allows one to take VR-ready photos. That company wants so badly for us to upload our images to Google Maps! In fact, the way it is designed, it's hard *not* to press the upload button.

Taking a shot is dizzying as one has to line up the dots to ensure the phone has all the data needed for the complete picture. After, I downloaded the raw image and wondered what would happen if I uploaded it to Flickr. It took a second to load but I was able to mouse the image around. So next, I've embedded it here. It seems to work in Firefox on our Win10 travel machine. Other results may vary.

The image was just a test shot without perfect stitching. It's damned hard to line up objects, especially when they're relatively close to the lens. However, I guess I'll keep it. As we'll be leaving our studio apartment in Bali on Monday, keeping this photo, although it's not perfect, seems a no-brainer. I've swum in this pool for nearly two months now.

Christmas Eve Afternoon

When the 360° Photo Sphere option was first introduced to the Google Camera app years ago, I was keen to try it. The app has improved. Yet honestly, Google continues to make a real mess out of viewing and sharing them. When I upload one to Google Photos, I guess I can link inside Google+. Why? Also, for outdoor scenery shots there used to be a way to add directly to a Google page of Street View which was later abandoned. Now, I can see that the half dozen or so images I put up there, do show up as my contribution on Google Maps but the method for adding new ones seems very cumbersome and vague. Perhaps this is why I never really bothered to experiment much with creating new ones.

I did notice a few new examples where Facebook friends added photos that I could rotate. I figured it was worth looking up adding 360 degree photo spheres there. Sure enough, they can be added now. Sharing seems to require the use of the entire URL but at least it is possible and easy to figure out. Unfortunately, I cannot embed from Facebook into a blog entry. Adding a new shot taken today requires the runaround using Flickr AND Google Photos. You have to click the sill image to open a new page. How convoluted!


I love using our pool between 2:30 and 3:30 PM. There is hardly ever a soul there at this time. The setting sun shines on the hot tub and south end of the swimming pool. I took this today while standing in the middle.

Just 100,000

I'm pretty good at making sure I upload regular photos to my Flickr account. As proof, I've got over 18,000 images sitting on their servers at the moment. This resource has become the main collection point for the images of my life. I can go there to see a picture of my late grandmothers, or the time Jay and I were admiring the view from the Eiffel Tower. It is comforting to know there's a single place I can go to both upload and search.

However, I did experiment with Google's Photo Spheres a few times. Anyone can use the Google camera app to take a quite-immersive 360° panorama. I kick myself at hardly ever remembering to take more. Three specific ones have been viewed a lot. In fact, I got an email from Google this morning. Click on it to see the three, very well-viewed spheres created during the winter of 2014 which we spent in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

Others' Photo Spheres - Day 111

I often look around on Google's Street View when researching or recalling an area. In fact, I recently checked out the location of a pub near the town where I grew up. I had heard the name of it but the area looks so vastly different that I could not remember what used to be there when I was in high school. I've asked those in the area for a little help. Street View is a great part of travel planning. Even before making a hotel reservation in an area we've not stayed, I often check to see the area "first hand".

I noticed a bad habit of mine though. I frequently turn off the bottom photo bar when in Google Maps as I want the image to take up all of the computer screen. I forget that when doing so, I miss the chance to see photo spheres by ordinary people which have been accepted by Google.

THIS IMAGE WAS LOST WHEN THE GOOGLE+ FEATURES WERE SHUTTERED.

Views: Christmas Day 2014 by Dennis Sylvester Hurd

The one above was taken at the Cultural Center on the River Cuale Island. I took it at the end of December. There are plenty more taken around Puerto Vallarta. I just found this one of where the pedestrian bridge crosses the northern branch of the river. The bottom of the walkway was about 20 meters from the area of the image above. The fairly new structure allows one to cross the river without needing to walk all the way to the north-bound bridge for vehicles.

Views: Gringo Gulch Pedestrian Bridge by Paco Ojeda

I really must remember to always see what photo sphere others may have uploaded.

Only 15 Minutes Away - Day 85

From our balcony, we can look over the Romantic Zone, across the river, and to the hill behind the Centro area. There are a number of communication towers up there. The closest one has two radars that rotate only on days cruise ships are visiting Puerto Vallarta. This is a photo I slapped on Facebook this morning to annoy my cousin in snow-buried Maine.


No floating hotels were in today, but I decided to hike up that hill. I crossed our section of town on Aguacate Street, then over the suspension bridge to the Cultural Center on the River Cuale Island. Next, I climbed the relatively new pedestrian walkway linking Gringo Gulch.

From there, I climbed up a random network of stairways to the area in upper image. It is a 360 degree photo sphere. The other three are simply photographs from the same area. (Enlarge the sphere by selecting the 'View on Google Maps' option at the top left of the image.) I had my headphones and watched the bay for a while as I listened to a number of tunes, a mixed bag. I walked down a different route.




Oh, and in the afternoon, we went to see 30 Shades of Grey. Yes, I know this is in very small font size as I'm not shouting about it.

More Practice Required - Day 8

Okay, not so hot. Well, the weather in Puerto Vallarta was about 30C (86F). Yet, this Photo Sphere didn't turn out great.

This image was lost when Google+ features were shuttered.

Views: Near Rivera Cuale and Malecon by Dennis Sylvester Hurd

Make this image full screen and take a look in every direction.
I don't feel bad. I will have plenty of time to practice and find a few perfect locations. We are here until the end of April. There must not be many close objects like railings and no moving people for these attempts at 360 degrees. I am not sure if that will preclude any good images from the malecon or not. Chill, I'll keep it in mind whenever I'm when out.

Far Less Flat; Far More Engaging

Oh, yeah! I remembered to take just several "photo spheres" during the recent month away.

I need to consider creating them more often. It does take a while to point the phone in every different direction. It is also terribly hard doing so when there are many people around as any movement within the duration of capturing can result in abnormalities. For example, it looks as though I unsuccessfully played the magician's trick of sawing Jay in half somewhere in this one. (Enlarge to full-screen and mouse around the scene.)

Views: Al Haram, Giza, Egypt by Dennis Sylvester Hurd

Still, Google Photo Spheres are fun ways of remembering a place. I will try to upload more of these even when not travelling to exotic places. See the ones which I've uploaded on this page at Google Maps.

Not Near Perfect

We often hear that practice makes perfect, but in this case I'm not so sure.

I know that on the upcoming vacation I want to try my hand at making photo spheres. If I end up with any I like I will be able to post them on my Google Photo Sphere Page.

I ran down to a public area behind my building to try see if I could improve my shots. I do know it is best to stand at least a few meters away from any close object. I had plenty of time and created two to see whether I should hold my phone horizontally or vertically. It seemed to be a toss up.

Even when these don't come out perfectly, they are still fun! They give a slightly more accurate feeling of a place over a standard photo. The biggest problem is that it is a very involved, and therefore, conspicuous procedure.

Flat or Spherical?

When the pedestrian access over the rail tracks is completed, I'm sure I'll end up in the Westminster Pier Park far more often. As it is, I need to walk down to Begbie Street and proceed through the empty quay parking lots. Getting there today was a treat regardless, due to the fact the sun was out.

I'll give you two views of my destination. The first is a standard photo. It doesn't look much different than dozens I've taken before. Under that, I shall embed another try at a Google Photo Sphere. (If you don't see in the entry, you can click on the link provided.)

Inside a Bubble

I corrected final examinations this morning and turned in my grades electronically. It took a bit of time. From the window, I noticed how sunny today was compared to recent days. Therefore, I knew I needed to walk a bit this afternoon. I had saved some stale bread for the resident ducks in the park by City Hall. Getting there is only two blocks but it's almost straight up from my building. (All right, that is obvious hyperbole.) Luckily I didn't have too much bread as I only saw four ducks to feed!


I noticed that Google has launched a new, camera app for any Android phone. I used to feel unique in trying to make photo spheres as doing so only worked from new Nexus devices. I had experimented creating several with both my Nexus 5 and 7. Today, I tried a new one with the app. It doesn't seem much different, but perhaps it'll be more stable.

To see Tipperary Park in New Westminster, BC, click on the image above. Once it has loaded, you can mouse or arrow around within the 360 degree photo. You can see why I enjoyed my walk despite the lack of ducks.

New Westminster Quay in February

Earlier this morning, I had been looking for photo spheres shot by ordinary people. They are a great way of getting the feel of a potential place to visit on a vacation. We already have air tickets that will allow us time to visit the only remaining site of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Thousands of 360 degree photos can be found on Google's expanding Street View site.

Views: Pyramids of Giza by Andrey Ilyin

I thought it might be an idea to make use of today's sun to go make one myself. I usually wear a jacket in February, but today I had to put on a thick coat. When it's clear like this in the winter it usually signals cold Artic air rather than a warm storm out of the Pacific tropics. I walked down to the New Westminster Quay and then on to Westminster Pier Park. "Practice makes perfect," I always tell my students. I definitely need more practice making photo spheres.

Views: The NewWest Quay in February by Dennis Sylvester Hurd

Ice is Nice (in Moderation)

We've now had three days where the temperature hasn't gotten over freezing. I wondered if this meant that the pond water in Tipperary Park was hard enough walk on. I had to walk halfway up the hill to see that it had. I don't know what the ducks, normal resident here, do or where they go on a day like this!

Click on the small the photo sphere icon in
the center of this image. The resulting photo
will take a few moment to load. After, you will
be able to 'mouse around' the 360-degree photo.

Thankfully!

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving Weekend! 

It seems as if we are in for at least 10 days of nice weather while this high-pressure system sits atop the region. Tomorrow is a free day for most everybody. That's a reason to be thankful. 

We're heading to have a turkey meal with friends in Richmond later today. I'll add a new photo hereafter we get back home.

Stepping Stones

Although I did try creating a new Photo Sphere at the BCIT Burnaby Campus on Monday, the weather still hasn't been suitable for many other tries. I didn't try at school today, but in the late afternoon the rain finally let up. It has done little except rain for the last four days and this is really putting a crimp in my new interest in Photo Sphereing.

I walked up Fourth Street and crossed Royal Avenue. Next to the New Westminster City Hall there's a small park area. I love Tipperary Park and have mentioned it here dozens of times. There's an uncovered portion of a stream that runs through it. I stood on one of the stepping stones at about 4:45 pm and created the following 360 degree image.



I'm still in learning mode. Once I get a lot better, making a new one probably will not merit a whole blog entry. Click on the image above to go to a new page. Once you see the flat photo, click on it to load the interactive image.