Blog Guy, I see you’re Mister Travel Blogger these days. What’s the hot new trend in leisure travel?

These days, lots of readers come to me and say, “Bob, we’re tired of staying in luxury hotels when we travel. We would prefer to experience what it’s like to be a small rodent.”

Really? You get that a lot?

All the time. So I tell them about “Hamster’s Villa,” over there in France, where for $148 you can sleep in the 18th century caretaker’s room designed to give the impression of living in a hamster’s cage, complete with a six-foot wheel to run in.

You just run and that wheel goes around and you don’t get anywhere?

Exactly. So what do you do, stranger?

I’m an office worker. You know, cubicle, conference calls, spreadsheets, the usual.

Cool. So then the Hamster Villa would be a real change of pace for you, huh?

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French architect Frederic Tabary poses inside the “Hamster’s Villa”, imagined and conceived by Tabary together with architect Yann Falquerho, in Nantes, France, November 8, 2009. For 99 euros ($148) a night, guests can sleep in the 18th century caretaker’s room designed to give the impression of living in a hamster’s cage, complete with a wheel to run in. REUTERS/Stephane Mahe

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Blog Guy, I’m about to graduate from college in December, and I could use some career advice. I know you’re great at that.

Well, it depends on what you studied, of course. We need doctors, teachers, engineers….

I majored in creative writing and film studies.

Oh. Have you considered the carwash?

Yeah, but I have only a B-minus average, so the better carwashes won’t even look at me.

Not to worry. There’s always the carwash in Afghanistan, as you can see in these photos. Plenty of new business, too, since the average car in Kabul lasts four and a half minutes.

Awesome! Thanks for the advice! Say, why are these pictures in black and white, anyway?

I believe they ARE in color, but that’s just how color looks in Afghanistan.

Thanks, I can’t wait… You want rust-proofing too, sir?

Afghan carwash slideshow

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Above: Workers clean a car along Qabri Gora Road in Kabul, November 2, 2009. With Kabul’s busy and dusty roads, business is always assured at the carwash.

Below: A customer (R) waits while his car is being washed.

REUTERS photos by Jerry Lampen

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Blog Guy, I know you sometimes set up fantasy photos and video shots for your readers. Any money left in your 2009 budget for that stuff?

Yeah, maybe $200,000 or so. That’s a lot. What do you want to see?

I’m a forklift freak. I’ve always wondered how it would look if a really inept forklift driver destroyed a whole warehouse full of booze. I mean, I want it REALLY action-packed!

Hmmm. I know a guy in Russia who can set that up, but we’ve only got one shot at it. In your fantasy, what color is the forklift?

Yellow. For sure.

Can the bottles just have colored water in them?

No chance. It has to be booze or it won’t be realistic.

And all the bottles cave in on the forklift driver? That means I’ll need a stunt guy. This is really gonna cost.

Okay, here it is. I hope you love it, because it wiped out the whole rest of my budget. Enjoy.

Wow, I can’t wait! I’m gonna turn the sound all the way up - it’ll be AWESOME!

Er… You wanted sound?

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Hi, Blog Guy, it’s me! That aspiring photojournalist you’ve been mentoring. I’m back!

Oh good. And after I shaved my head and pierced my lip so you wouldn’t recognize me. What now?

Well, I’ve been reading a lot about the need for transparency in journalism, and I’m wondering how that applies to my work as a photographer?

Mainly it means you should shoot a lot of photos through glass. Window washers are a demographic we’re going after in a big way.

Is there really an audience for this stuff?

Sure. It must be huge, judging from the number of window-cleaning-through-glass shots on our photo file.

I hate to get pushy this early in my career, but I don’t think I want to shoot this sort of material. What’s a polite way to tell my editor?

Just say, “I don’t do windows.”

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Top combo: A worker cleans the glass roof of a tunnel linking a building to a subway station in Chongqing municipality, China, October 28, 2009. REUTERS/Stringer

A worker cleans the window of an office building in Taiyuan, Shanxi province, China, October 25, 2009. REUTERS/Stringer

Lower combo: Assorted window-washing shots, REUTERS photos

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