I just got back from a South American journey that put about 3500 more clicks on my trusty Canon 5dmkII. The trip was a photographic gold mine, especially when we traveled into the beautiful Patagonian countryside of Argentina.

This photo series covers a small part of the trip where we visited Magellanic Penguins on an island just outside the port town of Ushuaia, the southernmost city on Earth that’s also known as the “end of the world.”

It’s not every day that you get up close and personal with wildlife, surrounded by thousands of penguins in their natural habitat. I never thought I would get the chance to experience this – our adventure seemed more National Geographic or ‘March of the Penguins’ than something I would do.

If you ever find yourself in the neighborhood, do yourself a favor and book a trip with PiraTour for a once in a lifetime experience. Make sure to bring a telephoto lens!

4 adults and 1 juvenile penguin on a rocky beach, near the Andes Mountains

Hundreds of Penguins on the Beach of Isla Martillo (Martillo Island) in Argentina

A Young Penguin looking out to the Andes Mountains from Isla Martillo

A Young Penguin Scratching with its leg

Adult Magellan Penguins have a black strip one their chest – this one is laying on the beach

A juvenile penguin stands tall over two sitting adults

Lost in a sea of sameness

Approximately 20 pairs of Gentoo Penguins also inhabit Martillo Island

A Magellanic Penguin stands in front of its nest \ burrow

An adult penguin cleans its wing using its beak

A Magellan penguin stands tall in the brush

A nesting pair of Magellanic Penguins

Penguin Love?

A penguin in front of tall grass

A Magellanic Penguin walks down a man made trail

This one waddles in front of me

Even though penguins are flightless, they are said to “swim” through the water at great speed

This Skua is one of the main predators of penguins – it eats their eggs

Geese also live on Martillo Island with the Penguins

Another image of the beach full of Magellanic Penguins

Humans get back on the boat while a penguins says goodbye

Penguin Island near Ushuaia, Argentina – PiraTour from Peter Tsai on Vimeo.

Penguins waddling and swimming on the beach

Penguin Waddle from Peter Tsai on Vimeo.

A Penguin waddling down a hill

Australia was an awesome place to visit! Apart from the beauty of Sydney, the people there genuinely did seem to enjoy their lives, there was lots to see, and the food wasn’t half bad at all. In fact, some of the best Thai food I’ve ever had (and I’ve been to Thailand) came out of some of the many ubiquitous Thai restaurants in the Sydney area.

Overall, I would reccomend Australia as a good place to visit for Americans who want to travel but who don’t want to get adventurous, as the food, language, and culture of Australia are all relatively similar to those of the USA. That’s not to say that there aren’t unique experiences to be had down under… where else in the world can you eat Kangaroo and emu, see the Sydney Opera house, come face to face with one of the world’s largeset crocodiles, and eat a pie from Harry’s Cafe De Wheels?

Enjoy and be on the lookout for another post on Australia!

Sydney Opera House at Dusk – Available as a Stock Image

Sydney Opera House Ferry

Sydney’s Harbour Bridge Tug during a Rainstorm

Bondi Beach Walk

Bondi Beach Walk – Waves Crashing

Bondi Beach Walk HDR

“Bondi Beach Rock Cliffs

Coogee Beach Walk

Manly Beach

Bondi Beach Graffiti

City Market in Sydney

Kangaroo at Sydney Wildlife World

Super Croc at Sydney Wildlife World – One of the Biggest in the World

Boyd’s Forest Dragon at Sydney Wildlife World

The Three Sisters Rock Formation – To get an idea of size, there is a man standing on a bridge on the left side of the photo

Flying through the Clouds

Sydney Monorail and a Couple in Love

Sydney Tower View

Sydney Fish Market

Sydney Fish Market

Balmain Bug at Sydney Fish Market. Tasted like a big crawfish

Lobster, Shrimp, and Oyster meal at Sydney Fish Market

Beef Pie with Mashed Potatoes, Mushed Peas, and Gravy

I made it down to historic Birmingham, Alabama a couple of weeks ago to attend a friend’s wedding. Having never been through the city before, I was surprised by the beauty of the architecture, public art, and parks in downtown Birmingham.

However, Birmingham has seen it’s share of hard times – like any other southern city, the nice parts of down are adjacent to more run down areas of the city. Downtown Birmingham was no exception but somehow there is a timeworn beauty to these older buildings.

Lichter’s Sign in Downtown Birmingham, Alabama

A faded wall mural sign for Uniforms in Downtown Birmingham

Birmingham Alabama downtown YWCA

Jefferson Courthouse in Birmingham, Alabama

Birmingham Art Museum

Birmingham Blazers Stadium and Mascot at University of Alabama Birmingham (UAB)

Memorial to Patriots at the Jefferson Courthouse in Birmingham, Alabama

Abandoned Gas Station

A James Drake statue depicting police Brutality at the Civil Rights Museum in Birmingham entitled “The Foot Soldier”

The Raymond Kasky Statue of 3 Ministers in Kelly Ingram Park (John Thomas Porter, Nelson H. Smith and A. D. King)

Lyric antique fire escape in downtown Birmingham

Architectural scroll detail at the Jefferson Courthouse

Old Style \ vintage blue Parking Meter in Birmingham, Alabama

New Ideal sign in Downtown Birmingham, Alabama

The historic 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham – this church was fire bombed during the civil rights movement

Civil Rights March Route Sign in Birmingham, Alabama

Oscar Wells Memorial – Birmingham Museum of Art

Police Attack Dog Sculpture at Kelly Ingram Park by James Drake entitled ‘POLICE AND DOG ATTACK’

“Firehosing of Demonstrators” by James Drake Sculpture of water cannons being turned on protesters next to the Civil Rights Museum at Kelly Ingram Park

Downtown Birmingham, Alabama urban decay

University of Alabama Birmingham (UAB) Campus sculpture – abstract dragon

A sculpture in Kelley Ingram Park of children behind bars by James Drake entitled “Children’s March”. The caption reads “I ain’t afraid of your jail”

Alabama Theater in downtown Birmingham

In an upscale suburb just outside of Kuala Lampur, something extraordinary happens every night. Just around sundown, a pack of wild monkeys descends from the jungle to meet crowds of dozens of people who are more than eager to feed them all sorts of tropical fruits.

The monkeys have been at this for a long time as they are all relatively tame and non aggressive. I even saw several of them eat straight out of peoples’ hands and cross the street casually in front of passing cars. Luckily for me, the monkeys are not camera shy at all.

As we were watching the monkeys, a local Chinese man told me that wild pigs would probably come down from the jungle within the next 30 minutes. Just 1 minute later, about 10 wild pigs appeared as if on cue. This event caused a flurry of excitement, as lookers on showered them with apples and grain and people jostled with each other to get a photo of the pigs on their camera phones.

Monkeys descend from the Jungle outside of Kuala Lampur

Monkeys really do like bananas, it’s not a false stereotype

A young monkey perches in a tree

A mother monkey carries child while eating a rambutan fruit

Mother and Child Monkeys eat Rambutan together

A juvenile monkey on Monkey Hill near Kuala Lampur, Malaysia grasps rambutan in his hand

Monkeys eat rambutan fruit directly from a man’s hand

An adult monkey eats a mango in the middle of the street with little regard for passing traffic

Wild pigs emerge from the jungle on Monkey Hill as onlookers take pictures

A woman attempts to feed wild pigs directly from her hand on Monkey Hill

Pigs are showered by grain thrown by enthusiastic observers

The pigs are more shy than the monkeys, they will not come very close to humans

Kuala Lampur, Malaysia – Monkey Hill from Peter Tsai on Vimeo.

I just got back from my first trip ever to Hawaii. The 2 week long adventure was amazing – Hawaii has to be one of the most naturally beautiful places in the world. There are so many things to photograph in a small area whether it’s gorgeous beaches, lush rain forests, delicious food, interesting people, or mountain landscapes.

It’s not just it’s natural beauty that draws people to the island. It has a wonderful warm climate which makes it’s water and waves lovely and inviting for swimmers and surfers. It’s the perfect place to come for a break because the people really do give you a huge welcome that will make you not want to leave.

There’s so much more than the beaches to Hawaii though. It is full of culture and has a great night-life. You will find something for everyone here, from bars, to lovely food, to great hotels where you can spend your evenings watching TV or playing about at www.foxybingo.com. I found myself wanting to do so much, that it was hard to find time to do it all.

No lie, it was hard to take a bad picture in Hawaii. Of course I had my Canon 5dmkII and all of the associated gear in tow to document the experience. Here is the first batch of photos from the trip (and a video!) Be on the lookout for more in the future!

Sulphur – y Fields Forever at Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island

Ferns in the rain forest on the Big Island

Pu’uhonua o Hōnaunau (Place Of Refuge) on the Big Island – these were holy sites in the past

Tiki statues at Pu’uhonua o Hōnaunau (Place Of Refuge)

Stand up paddle boarders on a black sand beach in Hawaii

Fishing on the pier at Ala Moana near Waikiki

Downtown Hilo Streets

The View of Honolulu and Diamond Head

USS Arizona Memorial shortly after the shootings at Ft Hood

Hawaiian Rainbow

The Royal Hawaiian AKA The Pink Hotel on Waikiki Beach

Eating Fire at a Polynesian Luau

Sea Turtle on the Beach from Peter Tsai on Vimeo.

Photos from my trip to Spain in 2004 – the country is beautiful although I had mixed feelings about the trip due to some drama and an attempted mugging where I had to fight off a gypsy who tried to steal my camera! I guess it’s all funny a few years later.

On the way from Paris to Madrid, I flew over this little town built around a church. Yep nothing like this in the States! I know that this image has the trendy “fake tilt shift” look to it, but no Photoshop trickery here – the blur is caused by the heat of the jet engine.

Perros Calientes! The Spanish take their translations literally here. If you are ever in Madrid I wouldn’t get these… I think the hot dogs are the best here in the US. Also, Gofres are belgian waffles w/ syrup on them.

The old meets the new in a street scene on the streets of Madrid.

Looking into one of the many courtyards of the Palacio Real, the Royal Palace of Spain.

The exterior of the Palacio Real in Madrid, Spain

The city wall of Toledo protects this old city

Christmas decorations and storefronts illuminate the night in Toledo, Spain.

A street performer dressed up as bull fighter stands perfectly still on the streets of Madrid (in front of a currency exchange).

A family looks through the window of a tapas bar in Madrid, Spain. I didn’t get to eat the calamari there, but the tapas in Madrid were all delicious (with the exception of the raw sardines – yuck!)

Taiwan is where both of my parents grew up, and these Taiwan photos are from my March, 2008 trip. This was my 4th time going back, and I had the privilege of travelling with both of my parents this time around.

Taiwan is a very interesting place to me. I have probably a hundred cousins and about 30 aunts and uncles living there, while back home I don’t have much extended family at all. It’s cool to be around so much family even though I don’t know them that well.

The culture is very different in Taiwan – I would say that Taiwan is a mixture of Chinese, Japanese, native Taiwanese cultures, and western influence.

Oh yea…. the food is amazing too (more posts on that later)

If you would like to purchase any of these images for stock, follow the hotlinks below:

Kaohsiung at night

Taiwan 101 (World’s Tallest Skyscraper) Tuned Mass Wind Damper – Stock Image

Speeding through Taipei on a Scooter

Dam outside of Taipei

Taiwan Temple Dragons

Kaohsiung Train Station

Taipei near National Taiwan University

Boats at Yilan

Shilin Night Market Arcade

Peikang at Night – next to Matsu Temple

View from Taipei 101 – Sun-Yat Sen Memorial

View from Taipei 101 – 3 Bridges

Praying at Matsu Temple

Traffic Hour near Taipei Main Station

Want to See More?