The Hearts and Souls of Napoli, Italy - Los Angeles Travel Photographer

Quartieri Spagnoli (the Spanish Quarter), the area that’s said to be the most dangerous in Napoli. But it’s also the heart-and-soul of the city, according to others.

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We “survived” our first morning in Quartieri Spagnoli (see our last post). In the following week, we combed through narrow streets, checking out a plethora of palazzos, chiesas, and museo. While there are many things that we can look back in our photographs, what stayed with our mind and gives us a pretty smile once in a while is what happened when we were immersed in their daily life.

One time, a family had to share a piece of birthday cake with us when celebrating in a restaurant. Despite a full belly, we had no choice but to oblige.

Another time, a vendor grabbed us by the shoulder so we could have a photograph with him, and his fish.

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Oh, did I mention in the same restaurant where I was scolded for not being careful with my cell phone (see the post here)? It was our first meal in Italy and everything seemed new and interesting. While we were eyeing over the dish that two gentlemen had on their table, they had the waiter bring the exact dish for us. And to ensure that we tried their national beverage, we were treated to our first coppa di caffè in Italy after dinner.

Some say food leads to sense of happiness. I will certainly not argue with it. All this food that we were treated to in Italy may have contributed to this amore I feel towards it’s people. Maybe, the ubiquitous Virgin Mary that seems to be watching over us in every corner of the city has a hand in it as well?

Napoli maybe the first city that we visited in Italy. It was only the first of many that we would enjoy in the years to come and be surprisingly touched time and again by its people, the heart and soul of this beautiful country.

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Buon Giorno, Napoli - Los Angeles Travel Photographer

Napoli, the first city in our first trip to Italy. We had sort of read somewhere that it’s got a not-so-great reputation. On top of that, we were staying in THE infamous Quartieri Spagnoli (the Spanish Quarter).

As if it should be expected, we were scolded, in the midst of taking iPhone photography, for holding out our cell phone outside a restaurant while waiting to be seated for dinner.

So, when we stepped out at the crack of dawn to explore the next morning , I was a little apprehensive. Mind you, we could not speak a word of Italian, which makes getting ourselves out of trouble a little challenging.

So I thought.

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Funny thing, as we started walking, I discovered that I conveniently knew how to greet people in the morning.

So we “buon giorno”-ed our way through the narrow streets and into the morning market.

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We met a nice nonna that tried to point us the way to interesting places to visit, in a language that’s way too sophisticated for us. We also met interesting people like this one that took product delivery the vertical way.

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The whole morning, nothing but good things happened to us. It seemed that an angel was watching over us. In fact, as the hours stretched into days, the angel must have stayed with us.

Stay tuned, more on Napoli soon…

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What Is That Bird? - Los Angeles Travel Photographer

Spotting the ever-elusive birds in the rain forest of the Amazons is a daunting task, especially when vision was never claimed to be my strength. So, when this bird, in broad daylight, presents herself in front of me, I’d wipe my eyes first.

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It looks like she is dropping by from Jurassic Park to pay us a visit. I mean, who would give her babies a pair of claws on their wings?

So, what is that bird, you ask.

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Ummm, I’d be more interested in asking if she personally knows a dinosaur or two.

Isn’t it fun to be spending time with these odd birds?

I’d say, just as long as I have a real bed in this world to sleep on when the night falls.

Oh please, don’t say this sunset is other-worldly. I need to come back from the Cretaceous, remember?

Sunset-Pacaya-River-Amazon-Peru-Copyright-Jean-Huang-Photography

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