I'm On Instagram!

I'm happy to revive my Instagram account - Not happy about how I came to have so much time on my hands (laid up with a broken collarbone), but Instagram has given me a chance to take a fresh look at many of my old images. They have rekindled forgotten memories, and I have to admit, fitting my images into the square format is a nice challenge.  Here are some images from my Everest expedition that are already on my Instagram account.  Follow me on Instagram (link on the right) for more!

It had been a cold, windy night. Pujung greets the sunrise above The First Step, 8500m on the North Ridge of Everest. #climbing #mountains #mountaineering #adventure #himalayas #neverstopexploring #panasonic #lumix #people #play #sports #everest #thenorthface #SeeForYourself

A photo posted by Ken Koh (@adventurenomad) on Dec 12, 2014 at 2:14am PST

Coined the 'Miracle Highway', the medial moraine creates an easy path through the giant ice pinnacles of the East Rongbuk Glacier on the way to Advance Basecamp, Mt. Everest. #adventure #climbing #mountains #mountaineering #people #play #sports #china #everest #expedition #neverstopexploring #SeeForYourself #nikon #nikonphoto_

A photo posted by Ken Koh (@adventurenomad) on Dec 12, 2014 at 1:47am PST

Mt Everest Basecamp at night, China. Everest is the big one in the middle of the picture. This is the view from outside my tent for a month while on expedition. #adventure #mountains #everest #climbing #night #hdr #himalayas #landscape #expedition #neverstopexploring #SeeForYourself #camping

A photo posted by Ken Koh (@adventurenomad) on Dec 12, 2014 at 1:58pm PST

There are few places in the world where a yak can freely roam the streets. Nyalam, Tibet. #adventure #travel #wanderlust #neverstopexploring #tibet #street #traveling #lumix

A photo posted by Ken Koh (@adventurenomad) on Dec 12, 2014 at 9:45pm PST

#blackandwhitechallenge

While out-of-action with a broken collarbone, I thought I'd go through some of my favorite images and rework them in black and white.

#blackandwhitechallenge Day 1/5. Taken in the Gobi Desert during a 250km ultra-marathon called the Gobi March in 2005. Our team of 3 was hot on the heels of Team USA, but we would eventually lose to them, finishing 2nd in a very small field. It was my job to be the team photographer, so the guys offered to lighten my load in order for me to run ahead, snap a few shots, and then run to catch up. - Taken with a Pentax Optio 43WR, 95mm (35mm equiv), f/9.3, 1/200, ISO50. 

#blackandwhitechallenge Day 2/5.  Joanne descending into the mist on the Via Feratta, Mt. Kinabalu, Borneo Malaysia. Jo is one of 5 amazing women who climbed Mt. Everest in 2009. At the invitation of Mountain Torq, we were allowed to climb freely on the Kinabalu Massif without the need of guides. Taken with a Panasonic Lumix LX3, 24mm equiv, f/4.0, 1/50, ISO80.

#blackandwhitechallenge Day 3/5. This amazing woman is my wife, Laura, during the inaugural Tour de Timor Mountain Bike Race in 2009. We were rookies and did not really know what we were doing. It was the first day of the 5-Day stage race, she finished dead last, and the medics sent her to the hospital in Bacau for what looked like heat exhaustion. She started the next day though, and finished the race strong. That was the start of her mountain bike career. Today, at nearly 50-years-old, she is Singapore's current XC Mountain Bike Champion. - Taken with a Panasonic Lumix LX3, 24mm equiv., f/4.5, 1/800, ISO80. 

#blackandwhitechallenge Day 4/5. Megagrit! - Pauline cranking out some Wall Ball Sit Ups with a broken foot at Crossfit Singapore. I'm inspired as I begin my own rehab for a broken collarbone. Taken with a Nikon D7000, 12-24mm at 12mm, f/4, 1/60, ISO1600.

#blackandwhitechallenge Day 5/5. Summit, Mt. Chola (6168m), China. This is one of my favourite shots in color, but the b&w contrast and vignette adds some drama to the dawn sky.  Taken with a Panasonic LX3 at 24mm equiv, f/2.8, 1/500, ISO80

Yes! I am Ironman!!!

I broke my collarbone into 3 pieces about three weeks ago.  It was a rock-climbing accident.  I was learning to ride a motorbike so that I could access a rock-climbing crag in Thailand, fell down and broke my collarbone... so to ease my battered ego, I'm chalking it up as a climbing accident;)

My Collarbone Broken in 3 Pieces :( Meh

I had surgery done about 2 weeks back and am on the road to recovery.  The procedure was pretty high-tech.  I had a stainless steel (recommended by the surgeon over titanium) plate inserted under my collarbone by keyhole surgery.  The plate was bent to conform to the shape of my collarbone, and inserted underneath so that I won't feel the plate when I'm carrying a backpack.

Stainless Steel Plate inserted under Collarbone

I had a couple of projects planned out, but that will have to wait til I'm stronger.  I've not been very active on Instagram, but I'm getting bored and looking for things to do, so I'm reviving my Instagram account and learning about hash tags.  Ho hum...