Wednesday, August 26, 2009

7 Views - Bringing together travelers, photography and philanthrophy



Photograph courtesy of Rishi Oswal.

Photograph courtesy of Rishi Oswal.

Photograph courtesy of Rishi Oswal.

Photograph courtesy of Rishi Oswal.

Photograph courtesy of Aaron Zukoski.

Photograph courtesy of Aaron Zukoski.

Photograph courtesy of Aaron Zukoski.

Photograph courtesy of Aaron Zukoski.

Photograph courtesy of Lisa Howard.

Photograph courtesy of Lisa Howard.

Photograph courtesy of Lisa Howard.

Photograph courtesy of Lisa Howard.

Photograph courtesy of Joshua Rapp.

Photograph courtesy of Joshua Rapp.

Photograph courtesy of Joshua Rapp.

Photograph courtesy of Joshua Rapp.

Photograph courtesy of Brian Kelleher.

Photograph courtesy of Brian Kelleher

Photograph courtesy of Brian Kelleher

Photograph courtesy of Brian Kelleher

Photograph courtesy of Wei Hu

Photograph courtesy of Wei Hu

Photograph courtesy of Wei Hu

Photograph courtesy of Wei Hu

Photograph courtesy of Tom Robinson

Photograph courtesy of Tom Robinson

Photograph courtesy of Tom Robinson

Photograph courtesy of Tom Robinson
Amigos...

The movement of prayer flags at Thorung la Pass, Nepal to the deep blue lake at Atitlan, Guatemala to wandering monks in Angkor Wat, Cambodia to punk concerts in New York, New York...this exhibit has the unique spirit of photography and adventure. Moody, inspiring, thought provoking, breath taking, energetic, vibrant and chilling are some of the words that I've heard when showing the samples for the "7 Views, 7 Travelers: Photos from Around The World" exhibit. The idea of this exhibit is to bring together 7 photographers and showcase their unique way in viewing the world that we live in today. I met each of these passionate characters on my 17 month around the world trip. None of them have met but each of them share 3 things in common: a special way of viewing the world through the camera lens, a love of travel and the desire to use their talent to give back to a greater cause.
I hope you can all make it out to the "7 Views" Photo exhibit benefit and auction on Saturday, September 19th from noon-6pm at 111 Minna Art Gallery in San Francisco, CA. The event is going to feature 7 amateur photographers and their photos from around the world. On hand will also be two live bands, a poetry reading, a special talk from the beneficiary, Plan USA, and a few stories from yours truly. The event is FREE with a suggested donations at the door, 21 and up and open to the public. At the end of the day all the photographs will be auctioned off with all proceeds going towards Plan USA and a school construction project for children living in poverty in Jalapa, Guatemala. Come on out to check out some inspiring photos or hear some cool beats on 111 Minna's awesome sound system or come out to simply show your support for the kids of Guatemala.
Above I have included 28 samples of the 49 photos that will be available for auction at the event. I finally received the last of the photos and this is the first time that I have put the samples together in one post. Over the past 2 months I have been collecting the photos from the photographers. Our photographers are scattered around the world and are in places like New Zealand, China, Australia and the UK. This truly international exhibit is a showcase of their amazing work. A special thanks goes out to all the photographers that have been kind enough to donate their amazing photography.
The Last Hill Before Home is an all volunteer project whose mission is to bring a solution to the problems that children face who live in poverty in Central America. The goal of the project is to raise $15,000 for a school construction project for a small community near the town of Jalapa, Guatemala. The school will provide the 400+ children of the community a safe and clean place to learn. The school will also provide a place for the children of the community to attend high school for the first time. With this safe learning environment the children of Jalapa will be able to open up doors of self-growth, optimism and opportunity.

This event will mark an end to this grassroots project that started back in November of 2008. Initially, I wanted to do an inspirational event that would bring attention and awareness to this cause. So, on January 19th, 2009 I decided to ride a bike from Panama City, Panama to San Francisco, CA. The entire ride crossed 8 countries, spaned over 3,500 miles and took 3 months and 7 days to complete. The ride finished on April 25th, 2009 when I crossed the Golden Gate Bridge and rolled back into San Francisco. The ride is over and this "7 Views" event is the finally of this truly amazing project. I hope you can all make it out!
For more information on the photographers you can check them out here...
Rishi Oswal
Wei Hu
Lisa Howard
Tom Robinson
Joshua Rapp
Brian Kelleher
For more information about the event and to R.S.V.P.
Peace, Power and Pedal
Aaron

Monday, August 17, 2009

111 Minna

I just went onto 111 Minna's webpage because I was going to send their link to a friend. I noticed that 111 Minna has a calender of event on their main page. Well I also noticed that September 19th had a link on it. Guess what came up...

Check it...
http://www.111minnagallery.com/?m=20090919&cat=3

I'm going to have to thank Risa for this...THANKS RISA!

Risa has been working on our press release information and she is getting the word out. Lookin Good!

Aaron

Saturday, August 15, 2009

Kickin it with Mike

Mike and I are headed out to the cituy to pass out some flyers for the event!

Nice car bro!

Aaron

Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Hovclick.com

Check out this killer Popup by Hovclick.

My buddy Blake added a Popup to my blog. On the popup itself we added the flyer to the event PLUS a link to the facebook event page. Now when one of my thousands of readers (hahahahah) go to the blog they'll be be (hopefully) directed to the event page.

Thanks for the help on this Blake!

www.hovclick.com

Peace, Power and Pedal

Aaron


Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Orukusaki

Alfredo 'Orukusaki' and I are hard at work setting up our entertainment lineup for the exhibit at 111 Minna. Alfredo has a ton of contacts into the entertainment indusrty in San Francisco and he is putting together a dope lineup for the show.



For the show at 111 Minna he's got two hip-hop DJks, 3 solo musical live performances AND a live band. Alfredo will also be throwing down some of his own lyrics on a 15 to 20 minute set at the show itself.



This is going to be an awesome party. Save the date folks Saturday, September 19th from noon to 6pm.



Check out Alfredo's web page here...



www. Orukusaki.com



After working on the lineup for an hour or two at his cool and hip pad on Haight street in San Francisco we hit up a small trendy bar called Laszlo in The Mission to meet the DJ's that will be spoinnng at 111 Minna. Its was a fun night filled with rice and veggies at Fredo's pad and Red Stripes at Laszlo.



Thanks for the help on This Orukusaki!!!



Peace, Power and Pedal



Aaron





Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Thursday, August 13, 2009

The photographer's...

Hola Amigos!

I hope this email reaches you all in good spirits. I just wanted to take a quick moment to thank you all for you amazing photographs for the 7 Views photo exhibit benefit and auction. It has been an absolute pleasure to see all of your amazing photography. Now that I have all 7 of your photo's I thought it would be a good time to make a proper intro. Below you will find the names of the photographers with web pages and facebook links. If you got a second you should check out each others web pages. This event is going to be amazing and I can't even begin to thank you all for your amazing donations. Its all going to such a great cause and together were going to raise the remaining $4,000 to build this school for the 400 children who live on $2 a day in Guatemala.

Tom Robinson

I met Tom on a slow boat ride on the Mekong river in Laos. Tom and his girlfriend Verity were doing an around the world trip and we were able to spend a few days sightseeing and taking some cool photos together in Northern Laos. Tom and His girlfriend live in London, UK.

http://www.tomrobinsonphotography.com/




Joshua Rapp

My Cousin! My cousin and I had an opportunity to do some travelling together in Germany, Austria, Prague and Slovakia last summer. I think the best time we had together was discovering the beer halls in Bratislava or taking his dog, Adonis, for walks in Munich's main parks. He needs to get a website up ASAP! He's got some great black and white pics from Korea to Germany to small towns in the good ol USA! Josh is a meteorologist for the US Air force and he has just moved to Seoul, Korea.



Wei Hu

Where in the world is Wei??? I met Wei in a cool ass Riad in Morocco. We kicked it a few times in between side trips to the coast or hiking in the Atlas mountain range. Wei was also on an around the world trip. Originally Wei is from Kansas, USA and he pursued his dream to travel around the world. I think Wei is somewhere in Vietnam but his current plans are to set up shop in Shanghai, China before heading back home.

http://www.whereiswei.com/

Brian Kelleher

Brian brings a unique perspective to the show. He has submitted 7 black and white pictures of punk shows from various places. Its a great addition. I can't wait to see the descriptions! Brian and I met in Pai Thailand. Pai is a cool little town in Northern Thailand. Days we spent lounging around by the small river and checking out the various food stalls in this cool little town. Brian, from Ireland, is somewhere in the Australian outback at the moment trying to wait out the economic crises! Good luck!

http://www.gravelbox.net/

Lisa Howard

I also met Lisa in Pai. Lisa, the only woman in our group, brings an exceptional viewpoint to the exhibit. Her pictures are amazing and her passion for adventure and travel really come through on her work. We spend long evenings in Pai trying to get the perfect shot of the bamboo bridge across the river. Lisa, from Australia, is spending some time in New Zealand doing exceptional work for the environment! thanks for the addition Lisa...we appreciate it! Lisa and her partner in crime, Adam, have an amazing web page. Check it out!

http://www.rataphotography.co.nz/

Rishi Oswal

Rishi and I spent a few days hanging out in a small ashram in the state of Kerela, India. He's photo's from his travels in India are passionate and inspiring. He shoots weddings to pay the bills but his love for photography is expressed is in his work. He currently lives in LA but he says he plans on moving to San Francisco soon. Alright...another travel buddy in the Bay! He's also going to try to make the show in September.

http://www.rishio.com/

Aaron Zukoski

My pictures are quite up to yours...you all know my story!

www.lasthillbeforehome.blogspot.com



Cheers!

Aaron

Monday, August 10, 2009

Wei Hu pics a Hella Tight!







Photo's Coutesy of Wei Hu. All rights reserved.
Wei! Wow man! Amazing photo's. Thank you for sending these to me. I really do appreciate it. Where in the heck was that last one taken? Mars? Seriously..that photo is breath taking.
Take a look at Wei's blog here...
I met Wei in a cool hostel in Morocco. We hared a few laughs, traded some stories from back home and showed off our travel photo's. Wei and I were both on "around the orld" trips but going in opposite directions. At this present time I think he has decided to push back his return to Kansas and is currently living in China. Good choice buddy! Keep going! hahahah!
Thanks for the addition brother!
Aaron



Why??????

This picture was taken somewhere in the country side in Panama sometime in January of 09. Here I am chilling with my bike Caesar. Riding a bike from Panama City, Panama to San Francisco wasn't a part of the plan when I left home back in November of 07.

Why did I take off and travel?
Why did I ride my bike 3,500 miles across Central America?
Why am I holding yet another event?

The simple answer...I guess...is because I was looking for a change. I was looking for inspiration. I was looking for a challenge.

The reaction- I found all of those things and now I want to give back. I want to help. I want to give the same opportunity that I have recieved to others. I want to at least provide an option to people who may not have that luxury. I set out to do something and now...I feel so close to making that happen.

I've told my story before on this blog but I think I'm going to tell it again...

Back in September of 2007 my life was going along at it's usual pace. I was the Director of Sales and Partner of a small real estate boutique in San Francisco. We were doing real estate finance. The market was starting to slow and some banks even started to go under. My business partner and I had hit some sucess but times were getting harder. We lost a bit of money, had to lay off some people and calculated that it was going to get worse before it got better. The writing was on the wall...the market was going to hell! On top of that, personally, I was losing interest and wasn't finding any motivation or inspiration in the work that I was doing.

I needed a change...

I decided to mix it up a bit. I saw an opportunity and so I decided to take it. I had a personal dream which was to "give it all up" and "travel the world". My job was winding down and I eventually found myself on the phone with American Airlines booking a one year open ended flight around the world.

The plan was to go to South East Asia, India, Eatern Europe, Northern Africa and finally Macchu Pichu in South America before heading back home to San Francisco. I got rid of my apartment, sold my car, put my stuff back into the attic at Mom's house in Oakland and took off. It was an amazing experience just to simplfy my life to a back pack. And then just after a going away party in San Francisco I found myself in the back seat of my buddies car headed for SFO International airport.

The journey itself was amazing. I had the best Vietnamese sandwich of my life from a street stall in Hoi Ann, Vietnam, I studied yoga in an Ashram in Kerela, India, I walked across Spain on the Camino de Santiago, I studied Spanish in a small school in Santiago de Chile. I met people from all corners of this amazing planet. I shared stories from San Francisco and heard others from villages in Nepla to shops in Marrakesh. The trip was everything I wanted it to be and more.

I chose to go to these countries for a few reasons. For one, these regions of the planet were cheap! I had to be on some kind of budget if I wasn't going to work for a year. But also because these places are developing countries and they don't speak English. I wanted to go to places like India, laos and Bolivia because they would provide a challenge. I hoped to see things from a different prospective...I wanted a different view of the world. And...I got it. It was an amazing learning experience.

At times it was very difficult...

In Mumbai my life was changed forever.

I went to Mumbai because my good friend Reggie wanted to meet me there. A few days before arriving in Mumbai my friend Reggie emailed me and the subject was "I need a vacation". He said that he wanted to meet me in Mumbai. At the time I was somewhere in the middle of India checking out this national park that I heard a lot about. So the plan for me was to go see the Taj in Agra, Head to Delhi for a night and fly to Mumbai. I got into Bollywood a few days before Reggie and I decided to check the town out. I think Reggie's motivation for meeting me in India was for 2 reasons. One, he did need a vacation and two he wanted to hang with a friend who was feeling a bit of home sickness. Just the week before I got Reggie's email I posted a blog about being home sick and a bit depressed.

So here I was in Mumbai. I was going to do a bit of sightseeing and I wanted to kind of figure out the city before my yupish friend Reggie arrived. HAHAHAH! I wanted to make sure things went smoothly for my buddy. My hotel was right in the middle of Mumbai near all the tourist attractions like The Taj Hotel, Victoria train station and the docks where you launch off to go to Elephant Island. I was walking down a main street coming back from a cool ex pat hang out. I was walking down the street when I noticed off to my left a wide gap between two massive buildings. I noticed two kids running through a hole in the fence. Sometype of advertisment slapped onto a board was hiding the hole in the fence but as the advertisment flapped in the wind I noticed a giant slum behind it. You can see these slums when flying into the city and you heard all sorts of stories about the things that happen there. This make shift town within a town was massive and sprawling all the way back to the next block. But, the sight of this slum wasn't the image that stuck with me. As I continued to walk down the street I noticed a women sitting by the hole in the fence. She was sitting crossed legged, in a torn and dirty purple and gold sari. Shes was filthy dirty and had a desperate look on her face. She sat crossed legged and with one hand she was holding out her hand begging for change. In her other hand, sprawld out across her lap, was her child. The babies arm's were hanging to the side with the head back and eyes rolled deeply back. The baby looked as if it were dead.

At that moment I felt completely helpless...completely powerless. I was a stranger in a strange land and I had no idea what to do. I felt like a coward when I walked away...but what was I supposed to do?

The image of that woman sittting there in her purple sari stayed with me as I continued my travels. I look back from time to time in my personal journal and I notice that I mention how I felt about that day. I can remember how I traveled through this beautiful world how I felt a growing urge to help and give back. I felt powerless and I hated it. As I traveled I wanted to do something...anything..to give back. But what?

After about a year from the time I left San Francisco I found myself in South America. I can remember the day when I was in Buenos Aires, Argentina when my plane left for Peru. I was two weeks away from going home but I knew that it wasn't my time to get back. So, I didn't get on the plane instead I traveled through Argentine and finally made my way to Santiago. It was there in Santiago that I decided to do somehting to give back. My first idea was to volunteer in an orphange somewhere in Latin America. I had met many people that did this all over the world and their stories and photos were very inspiring. I can speciafically remember trekking through Morocco with my great buddy James. He told me a ton of stories about his time volunteering with children in an orphange in Nepla. His black and white photos from his time there were amazing. Eventually, I did some research and found that most of the placements cost money up front and per month. In most cases that money was sent off to a third party or a broker somewhere in the US, England or wherever. That didn't sit well with me.

Eventually I decided to use my time, money and resources and create my own grassroots charitable project. I found Plan USA and I believed that their mission of finding solutions for children in developing countries fit with my own mission. To raise money and awareness for this cause I would do an inspirational event. I would ride a bike from Panama City, Panama to San Francisco, CA and make special stops at Plan offices and to Plan sponsored communties to learn about the problems and issues but more importantly the solutions in regards to children living in poverty. The ride would span 3,500 miles and cross 8 countries including El Salvador which is one of the most dangerou countries in the world. Hopefully by doing this I would be able to draw attention to a cause that I truly believed in. Maybe a few people would listen to a guy that had never been on a rode bike before talk about raising money for kids in Central America.

The goal specifically is to raise $15,000 for a school construction project in a small community near Jalapa, Guatemala. The money would build 2 new classrooms for the 400+ children of the community. The school would provide a space for the children to help realize their dream of a better education. Hopefully this would provide the community an opportunity to help lift themselves out of poverty.

I was even able to make a special stop to this community in Guatemala. The people put on a great show and celebration for the stranger. I was most impressed by a little kid of the community who came up and talked to his fellow classmates. He was wearing a blue plaid shirt with a big ol belt buckle and cowboy boots. He told his classmates to live each day to its fullest, to work hard and to study. He was very courageous!

The bike ride was one of the hardest and most challenging things I have ever done. The first day of the ride was 35 kilometers. I'll never forget the ride out of Panama City on the nic named "Cobra Road". It took around 4 hours to go the 35 kilometes. By the ened of the trip I was racking up 160 kilometer days. I even rode from La Paz, Baja, Mexico to San Diego, California in 12 days. Thats 900 miles in 12 days of pain, push, agongy, and pure beauty. This planet is truly an amazing place. Again...it was the most challenging thig I have ever done...physically, emotionally and spiritually but in the end it was one of the most rewarding projects I have ever completed.

On April 25th I crossed the Golden Gate Bridge. It was an amazing experience and something that I will never forget. By the time April 26th rolled around the Last Hill Team raised about $11,000. When I say Team I mean all the friends that volunteered their time and energy to help out with the cause. Like Cyn Garcia who drew up a press release, or Mike Ward who met me in Panama and supported me every step or Erin Alonso who helped throw the party in SF or my good college buddy Evan Thomas who threw another fundraiser in LA. And so many more people!

Now as I write this and reflect back I can see the goal. It's within reach!

Were throwing one last event in San Francisco. A one day special photography exhibit benefit and auction at 111 Minna Gallery on Saturday, September 19th from noon to 6pm. The photography on auction is a collection of 7 photographers who I met on my travels around the world. There work is beautiful, inspiring and thought provoking. By no means are we professionals (or maybe I should speak for myself) but we are passionate about photography and we all care about the cause.

I feel so lucky I can't even begin to explain. I have been extremely fortuante in my life. I have a loving family, supportive friends and have been raised in the beautiful San Francisco Bay Area. Mostly I have had the opportunity to attend school and I've had the opportunity to get a proper education. traveling has made me appreciate all the beautiful things in life especially opportunities likes these. Travelling has taught me that life is fragile and that there is a totally different reality out there.

I'm doing this because I want to give the same opportunity of education to these children. I'm doing this to hopefully inspire others to help make a positive change in this beautiful and amazing planet that we live in. I'm doing this for the woman in the purple sari who was sitting on the street in Mumbai but I'm also doing this because I wanted to see if a dream can become possible. What I have seen, what I have learned and what I believe is that making a change, having a dream and persuing it with hard work and passion can bring opporunity to those who need it most.

The Last Hill Team is throwing one last event because it is a follow through on a promise made back in January of 09. I made a promise and set a goal of $15,000 to go to building a school for the children of Jalapa, Guatemala. With bit of luck and a ton of hard work we hope to raise the remaining money needed to see this project to the end. If you are reading this I hope you can make it out to the final event of the Last Hill project. It's going to be fun, entertaining and hopefully inspiring.

Peace, Power and Pedal

Aaron

7 Views fundraiser



Amigos...

Please join the Last Hill Before Home crew on Saturday, September 19th from noon to 6pm at 111 Minna Gallery in San Francisco. The fundraiser event is an international photography exhibit benefit and auction featuring 7 travelers and there amazing photography. The event will also include a poetry reading, cocktail bar and live musical performance. The goal of the event is to raise $4,000 that will go to a school construction project in Jalapa, Guatemala. This particular community is in dire need of a school for the 400+ children. All funds are administered by Plan USA and the school will provide a safe place for the children of Jalapa to learn, grow and realize their dreams of a better future.
We have some exciting news...All the photographers have submitted their photography for the event. You can check out some of their sample work on our facebook event page. The photography is moody, exciting, thought provoking and inspiring. The facebook page also has a ton of information including links to other related articles and organizations.
I hope to see you all there!
Peace, Power and Pedal
Aaron

Rishi..well done brother...








Photos courtesy of Rishi Oswal...all rights reserved.
Rishi!!! Thanks for the photographs brother! I really appreciate it.
Rishi Oswal is our latest and last addition to the "7 Views" photography exhibit benefit and auction. His photography is moody, inspirational and breath taking. My favorite photo is the one at the top. Where is that? I can't wait to get the stories behind these pictures. Rishi has spent a lot of time in India and his photo's from the sub continent are amazing. This is going to be a great addition to the event. On top of that...Rishi told me that he is planning to make the event. So cool! It's going to be great to have at least one other photographer there.
i first met Rishi in an Ashram in the state of Kereal in India. Kerela is on the Southern tip of the country at is covered in greenery and an interesting network of beautiful water ways. It was a great place to spent 2 weeks detoxing in a place like that. Rishi and I actually had the same dorm room in the Ashram. He was studying yoga and on his way out. Luckily we were able to hang out for a few afternoons together. He put together this amazing slide show for the ashram. Check out his website here...
Thanks for the addition Rishi!
Aaron


Scary news

Some scary stuff is happening in Guatemala these days. Check out this article if you have a minute or two. I saw this in my cousins Time Magazine this week. After reading this article I come to realize how importnant it is to help provide people, especially children, an opportunity for a better education. We have to take care of our future and it seems these days that there is so many problems when it comes to politics especially when political matters end in violence.

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1909604,00.html

Aaron