We spent hours exploring every inch of the U.S.S. Liberty as well as the neighboring sites of Coral Garden and the Drop-Off. We sat at 25 meters waiting next to small cleaning stations where eels and fish allowed themselves to be cleaned by half a dozen species of cleaner shrimp.

We experimented with ISO, flash output, shutter and aperture settings, and custom white balance to see what would produce the best pictures. And gradually we got better. Underwater photography isn’t easy especially with the limited equipment we carry with us. Staying still underwater while focusing on something that is half an inch long requires some serious effort. Despite the challenges, we have produced our first complete underwater pictorial. Even Jacques Cousteau had to start out somewhere.

From the futuristic Petronas twin towers to the stunning reefs of Sipidan, the colonial backstreets of Malacca and Penang to the wildlife of the great Kinabatangan River, Malaysia truly deserves the cliched title of “the land of contrasts.”

As we move on to the remote Indonesian state of Kalimantan in southern Borneo, we have put together another pictorial to capture just a bit of the visual overload in Magnificent Malaysia.

Fortunately, Thomas and I had the opportunity to return and take some time to explore Penang’s amazing cultural and natural heritage. It takes time to appreciate the depth of Penang. No place more deserves the title of World Heritage Site. For that reason, I’ve put together a pictorial to share Penang’s treasures with everyone.

To celebrate the year of the rabbit, Penang’s massive Kek Lok Si, the largest Chinese temple in Malaysia, has been decked out with 12,000 red and yellow Chinese lanterns as well as over 250,000 decorative bulbs. In addition to the temple, the newly constructed super-pagoda built to house Kek Lok Si’s 30 meter (100 ft) Kuan Yin statue is also being lit up each night. The twinkling complex sitting high above historical Georgetown gives a whole new meaning to the term “Buddhist enlightenment.”

As we soar off into the sunset, we thought we should take one last look back at our home away from home, Bangkok. Although the city may have a rather questionable reputation for some, we love Bangkok with its glistening temples, markets full of street food, funky back-alleys, super-glam malls crowded with trendy teens, spontaneous street concerts, crazy weekend events, mammoth Buddhas, and festivals, festivals, festivals.

To celebrate our home in Southeast Asia, we’ve finally put together a pictorial of Thailand’s bustling capital.

Many visitors come to our site and focus on the blog postings – which we highly appreciate. However, those who only click into the blog may not realize that more than 60% of our traffic is actually people exploring our photography. So if you have not had a look yet, take a peek at our Pictorials Page.

Quite literally some of the fastest moving people on the planet, it is a miracle that I could get anyone to stand still long enough to capture them on film. That said, the chaotic frenzy known as Vietnam also has a serene side. Both extremes work to create a photographer’s paradise – check out our take on the country in our latest pictorial here.

We’ve moved up into the incredibly picturesque northern highlands of Vietnam to visit the hill tribe markets in Can Cau and Bac Ha. Our motorbike trip out to Can Cau through the fantasy karst scenery was a bit of a muddy mess due to recent landslides and ongoing road construction. But in the end, the markets were well worth the effort as you can see in our most recent pictorial on the extraordinary Flower Hmong, one of the most colorful tribes in Asia.

Amazing underwater treasures, beautiful jungles, deserted white-sand beaches, stunning landscapes, and some of the friendliest people in the world make it a hard country to leave. To recall our terrific time here, we’ve put together a Philippines pictorial of some of the highlights.

I could babble on yet again about emerald bays and mystical karst islands, but they say a picture is worth a thousand words, and for Palawan, that’s twice as true. So to share this wondrous region, I could either write a small book or present you with our latest pictorial.

Island hopping is THE reason to come to El Nido. For days, we’ve been exploring the stunning scenery of the Bacuit Archipelago, which, like Coron Island, certainly qualifies as one of the world’s most beautiful locations. More insane karst geology, endless turquoise and emerald waters, and perfect beaches everywhere. Does scenery get any better than Palawan? If it does, let us know where.

Angkor is overwhelming – as expected. At $60 for the week pass, this just might be the most expensive monument we’ve ever visited. Perhaps, it’s almost worth it. As you can see from the pictures above, we’ve had a blast exploring the area with Lisa and Garrett as well as Beverly, who arrived later. For those of you who dream of visiting Angkor Wat, book your flights as soon as possible – this place is going to get busier and busier until it one day drowns under the weight of its own popularity. That hasn’t happened yet, but it will.

We’ve gotten several emails asking for more photos of Myanmar. Of course, a country as visually stunning as this begs for a full pictorial, so here it is …