B is for Barbiere in Pitigliano, Tuscany - Los Angeles Travel Photographer

I love traveling in Italy.  Most of this amazing country has somehow resisted the influence of industrialization (and hence the outcome of "homogenization") and stayed adamant about its culture in food, social relationship and habits, in a way that I only remember in the country that I grew up in before it was bulldozed by capitalism.

This image was made when I was roaming the streets of Pitigliano in Tuscany (remember the town that grew out of rock?) at the best time of day (in my opinion) - after siesta time.  The whole town came out and the piazzas were filled with chatty men.  I poked my head into every door and window when my eyes were suddenly met with a scene that, in my mind, only exists in an old movie these days.  Time stayed still, no one was in a rush.  The present moment was all they cared about - be it the barber meticulously working on his client or the ones waiting...

Barber-Shop-in-Rock-City-of-Pitigliano-Grosseto-Tuscany-Italy-Copyright-Jean-Huang-Photography

You know you will hear more about Italy's old charm from me in the future. :-)

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Some Choose to Stay with the Passing of Time - Los Angeles Travel Photographer

I once heard myself blurted to someone "I like everything old".  It's funny how self-revelation can sometimes get ahead of realization by oneself.  

In the medieval town of Pisa, Italy, majority visitors cram the UNESCO World Heritage site of Piazza dei Miracoli (Field of Miracles in English).  Many even try to save the Torre (The Leaning Tower).  Yet, a few blocks away, we get to sink into the rhythm of an old town, and witness how locals go about their daily lives.  It is here that we ran into this gem, where time seems to not have much meaning to the one that creates beautiful crafts with his hands.  

An old man working in an old shop with his old craft... To me, that is a beautiful way of life. 

Orafo-Goldsmith-in-the-Medieval-Town-of-Pisa-Tuscany-Italy-Copyright-Jean-Huang-Photography

P.S. If you are interested in seeing how people "save the Leaning Tower", put a request in the comment below and I will share in the next post.

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Who Wants to Go Back to the Past? - Los Angeles Travel Photographer

This has been an opinion of mine for a long time:  We somehow got onto this train of modernization (let's make it a bullet train) that grabbed us by the swift.  Before we know it, we are in this foreign land that looks nothing like the place that we came from.  Well, it could be good, and it could be bad.  The problem is, while we are rushing in one direction, many want to take the other train heading back.

So many times, when I travel in foreign countries, I see things that remind me of the past.  And inevitably, that made me miss the "good old days".

This image was made when strolling the "old district" of Hanoi in Vietnam.  It amazes me that in this day and age, there's a barber shop right on the street, when all it takes is just a chair and a few tools in a box.  Really, life can be so simple.  And we manage to make it complex.

What do you miss about the past?  If there's a train to take you back, would you hop on it?  Would you go to the days when the pace was slower.  And in fact, when you drink coffee, it's beyond serving the purpose of keeping you going through stress (remember the word "leisure"?)?  Would you go back to the days when people actually talk to each other, face to face, and you receive hand-written notes in the mail?

If you haven't found this train, give me a call.  I don't know where it is either.  But I am the "middle-ground" where I do talk to my clients (not via text messages) and send hand-written notes. :-)

Barber Shop on the Street of Hanoi, Vietnam - ©Jean Huang Photography