Fund Your Life Overseas International Living Tips
June 16, 2016
Dear Fund Your Life Overseas International Living Tips
Beth has been to the Galapagos islands of Ecuador…hiked the Inca trail in Peru, explored the jungles of Corcovado in Costa Rica, and slept in a tent under the stars in the African Serengeti.
And photos she takes of her adventures have helped pay all the way…
Below Beth describes her most recent trip and how it works…
Shane Ormond
Managing Editor, Fund Your Life Overseas
Fund Your Life Overseas International Living Tips
How a Camera Pays for Exotic Adventures
By Beth Abrahams
I always loved photography. But it wasn’t until I got the secrets of turning photos into cash that I started making real money from my photographs.
With this valuable knowledge under my belt, I began to search for press trips that I might be invited to join (at no cost to me). That’s how I scored a visit to Borneo—a place I had always desperately wanted to visit.
Not scheduled to join the press tour for two days, I spent hours exploring the city of Kota Kinabalu, investigating the different neighborhoods, shopping at the markets along the water, and sampling new and exotic fruit. The pungent durian, an intimidating delicacy, is covered in a prickly porcupine armor you have to peel away before discovering the delicious white flesh inside. While the dark-purple mangosteen has a less intimidating shell and the flesh is equally as succulent.
Fund Your Life Overseas International Living Tips
I was there at the end of Ramadan, and the hotel where I stayed through a magnificent feast featuring the foods of all the Malaysian provinces. Individual booths were lavishly decorated to reflect the culture of each province with the food offered. Dried palm fronds surrounded bouquets of tiny orchids, carnivorous pitcher plants peeked out of undulating gourds and wooly coconut shells, and wild, painted masks were secured to bamboo poles.
The variety of food was astounding; row-upon-row of colorful sushi, fried and marinated fillets of fish, the traditional “laksa” soup (vermicelli noodles, spices, coconut milk, prawns, crab fingers, and curried chicken). And then there were the dessert tables laden with puddings, mousse, and French pastries. What a way to break their Ramadan fast!
In the morning, I rose at five to meet the fishing boats coming into port with their exotic offerings to be sold to local restaurants. My camera gave me entry into every nook and corner of the dock and I took full advantage of the opportunity.
I slipped and slid from one end of the dock to another shooting non-stop. The colors of the antiquated boats, weather-worn faces of the fishermen, their morning’s catch; what an unforgettable experience for a photographer. There were several species of grouper, in mottled camouflage patterns as well as a glowing coral, striped and speckled trout, sting rays and whip rays, shark and marlin, barracuda, octopus, mammoth crab and prawns, and Soon Hock—one of the five most expensive delicacies in Malaysia.
After two exhilarating days exploring on my own, I joined the press group and continued to discover Borneo.
Fund Your Life Overseas International Living Tips
Editor’s Note: You too can travel the world and have photography foot the bill. All you need is a camera, a sense of adventure and these insider tips and tricks. Learn the number-one secret behind top-selling photos and the 17 best places to sell your photos right here.
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