mon ami Sandro!

Kota Kinabalu, BORNEO

This classic out take comes from a recon trip to Borneo with one of my best friends on the planet, the one and only Vittorio Alessandro Di Suvero... better known as Alex Di Suvero in his by-lines in the New York Times and the illustrious pages of National Geographic's Adventure magazine.

We met at an outback bar in the middle of Australia when we were both on assignment at the Eco-Challenge adventure race. I remember the barkeep wore a wife-beater t-shirt and running shorts barely covering the stump of one leg that was clearly taken by the local legend of a crocodile - the widow maker!

Here we were two Italian-American photojournalists on assignment at the Eco-Challenge Adventure race a good 8000 miles from home. At the time Alex was working out of Hong Kong where he lived abroad for eight years. I felt an instant brotherhood through our shared passion for adventure and respect for photography as an art form. Alex is one embodies all the best qualities of my ideal of an artist. Cosmopolitan, erudite, multi-lingual, ambitious and driven by an intellectual curiosity that is second to none... our friendship started right there and then.

Some years down the road Alex was selected to head the international team of shooters for the MSOQ (mild seven outdoor quest) and thank goodness he asked me to be a part of the team! The next three years Borneo became a big part of my continuing education in the best of action and adventure photography. In this respect, I owe Alex a debt of gratitude as a shooter and a friend.

In Malaysia the highest mountain in the territory is the 13,000 foot granite monolith, Kota Kinabalu. Alex and I climbed this beautiful sea-to-summit massive six times over the three years we shot this race. One of my favorite stories of this wild and exotic part of the world is climbing this bloody mountain with Alex.

As you may know - Borneo is a land of extremes. Extreme scorching equatorial temperature, torrential rains, rotten jungles and gigantic natural phenomenon, (i.e., the worlds biggest flower). At one point on our slog up the trail to the top Alex was buzzed by a creature that was so large he gave me a heads up to 'look out'!

Being a clever boy... I said - 'that thing is so big it should have a set of license plates!'

This buzzing hybrid part C130 troop transport and part giant wasp like the size of a sparrow stopped flying past us - did a complete 180 U-turn and zoomed right to the back of my hand and bit the hell out of it! ... the hand swelled up like a balloon and I was sick as a dog for days!

Always the astute observer, Alex pointed out that at the very moment I had disrespected the nature - the huge bug took offense and changed directions to pay me back. It was a perfect example of what being a smart-ass will do for your karma... he was of course, quite right.

It was a lesson that still reminds me of what my Grandma Di Zinno used to admonish us boys with ... "if you got nothing nice to say - don't say anything at all!"

Merci beaucoupes mon frere Alex!

sushi, ju-jitsu and brasil

400 - 0

There are so very few chances in this life to actually meet the people you most admire. When the auspicious occasion presents itself you just have to absolutely go for it. Late one Saturday night not too long ago I found myself standing on a sidewalk in Santa Monica with my two brilliant friends Sean and Joel at a Sushi bar on Wilshire.

Then it happened - he came out of the shadows.

The dark silhouette of a figure coming towards me. I just knew it was him. The same way an animal recognizes the unique arc of his own predator -- with a slight sense of rising alarm and in slow motion. It was none other than MMA Ju-Jitsu legend Rickson Gracie! Of course, I was quite taken aback at first since this was the last place on earth I had expected to see 'the MAN.' As he glided by I smiled and bowed my head gently and he gave me a wink. . . the kind that self-possessed celebrities do when they know with a confident glance they have been recognized and understand in a nanosecond that you won't be 'one of those' fans who is going to be a nuisance.

As I explained that Rickson (pronounced like Hick-son) had just passed us by, Sean and Joel (whom I love like brothers) just didn't get why I was so thrilled see this living legend. The fact of the matter was that I had just finished watching his definitive documentary on dvd and he was really at the forefront of my mind. The point I tried to make to my young palawans was how important it was to show respect to the special ones while we have the chance -- and not wait until the opportunity passes by.

So, after our dinner I found just the right time to go unobtrusively up to this undefeated *(400 wins and ZERO losses) World Champ and introduce myself. It was a dream like chance to be able to appreciate the man in person even for just a fleeting moment. Gracie, to his lasting credit received the attention with all the class of the hero he has been to me so many times over in the last two decades. We spoke briefly about our mutual affection for three-time world champ Brazilian Grand Prix driver Ayrton Senna, and his interest in photography and Brasil. . . and then I took my leave quite pleased that once more I had kept the personal bargain with myself to recognize one of my personal heroes - person to person.

obrigado,

dz