Door Accent in the Forbidden City Beijing China

Posted on July 16th, 2015 by

Blessings of Wind

Each time I visit China, I am reminded of the blessings of the elements. Wind is most usually the element that occupies my thoughts. The air in China is something out another time. I have always had trouble deciding if it is America’s own industrial past or some dystopian version of the future. As we recovered our lung health, so too must the Chinese. The culture is wonderful and mesmerizing to be so hampered by environmental degradation. I am also thankful, despite the choking pollen, to come home to a part of the country that has moderately clean natural resources. Oh how previous these are and we have to fight to keep them clean and available for all people to use freely!

Door Accent in the Forbidden City Beijing China
Door Accent in the Forbidden City Beijing China

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Forbidden City Railing, Beijing China

Posted on July 13th, 2015 by

Sans Tourists

The Forbidden City in Beijing is PACKED with throngs of tourists. Despite this, there tends to be peak areas of concentration where the masses congregate in places as truly sprawling as The Forbidden City. Sometimes you are lucky (especially if you are early enough) to find open courtyards almost completely devoid of people! Always have you camera at ready, you never know when these opportunities will be disrupted by an ill placed tour group. I only had to remove about 5 people in photoshop for this shot and they were far off in the shot, making them really easy to remove.

Forbidden City Railing, Beijing China
Forbidden City Railing, Beijing China

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Instagram Fav’s January – April 2015

Posted on July 9th, 2015 by

Instagram Personal Favorites

I always assume everyone is already following me on Instagram, but from my follower count compared to my blog hit count that just isn’t the case! Please follow me on Instagram…seriously you will be the first to see travels AS they happen! Quite a bit, my Instagram feed is a sketch book of things to come on the blog! I really should put together a regular, scheduled Instagram post. I have further been thinking about starting to process some of my iPhone photos off the iPhone. I have always saved those strictly for processing on the phone, but I recently realized there are some really interesting shots on there!

The images below are from my travels between January and April of 2015 were shot on and processed on the iPhone. I didn’t ONLY use Instagram, but that is my general tool for uploading my iPhone travel works when I am traveling! Enjoy!

Embrace Travel Sydney

Super Trees Singapore

Light Show at the Marina Bay Sands Singapore

Water Lillies in Bali

Sake Barrels in Tokyo

The Imperial Palace Guard Tower Tokyo Japan

Stacked Red Rocks in Sedona Arizona

Garden in Marakech Morocco

Attic Graffiti in Morocco

A Girl Looking Off the Top of Sleeping Giant, Kauai

Posted on July 6th, 2015 by

Kauai the Beautiful

The hike to the top of Sleeping Giant (Nounou Mountain) in Kauai isn’t the most arduous hike, but the view at the end if rewarding, if you dare disobey the signs warning of the immanent fall to your death (always heed warning signs!). When I reached the Giant’s chin, there was a small group occupying the top. This girl stayed here looking out at the expanse of Kauai for a long time. I cant say I blame her. Kauai is one of the most beautiful places in the world, there is a beauty, a majesty in all of Hawaii that is palpable. That sub-current is one of the reason’s I think people get “caught” by the Hawaiian Islands and leave their lives on the mainland. The pull is just TOO powerful. I am constantly feeling that pull myself. Even though I know I should go other places (there are so many places to go), I time and time again am pulled to Hawaii, to sit, to stare out, to lose myself in wonder.

A Girl Looking Off the Top of Sleeping Giant, Kauai
A Girl Looking Off the Top of Sleeping Giant, Kauai

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Small Gold Leaf Covered Buddha in Thailand

Posted on July 2nd, 2015 by

Beautiful Offerings

Thailand is one of those places that tops my “The Most Foreign Places I Have Visited” list. I keep saying I think I need to give the country another chance. The more I travel the more I realize my travel style and comfort level tends to lend itself to more to the West. I particularly enjoy the history of Europe, not to mention its climate! Despite this, I firmly believe in testing my own boundaries and comforts. There is a beauty in Thailand unlike any other place on Earth. There is much to be learned here as well, both about the place and, I think, myself.

Small Gold Leaf Covered Buddha in Thailand
Small Gold Leaf Covered Buddha in Thailand

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Lion of Singapore

Posted on June 29th, 2015 by

Lion in the Urban Jungle

A quick photo for today, but one that I hope illustrates the importance of keeping a sharp eye out! If I was hurrying, I would have missed this statue of the Lion of Singapore enshrouded in the jungle-like fauna of The Garden by the Bay in Singapore. The lion is everywhere in Singapore, sometimes hiding even in plain sight!

Lion of Singapore
Lion of Singapore

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Rows of Golden Buddhas

Posted on June 25th, 2015 by

Further Feelings

I said the other day I wanted to bring photos to the blog that evoke the feeling of a place, rather than its plain reality. Wat Pho temple is another world…Thailand itself is another world. The heat and humidity are unlike other hot places I have visited. The weather adds a weight that I found extremely difficult to bear. Everything seems a bit more difficult moving in the powerful sun when its 90% humidity and over 90 degrees! Today’s photo is part of a hall of a large courtyard surrounded by these golden Buddha statues. It is quite interesting standing in the heat, complaining, while the enlightened ones sit calmly, cool as can be.

Rows of Golden Buddhas
Rows of Golden Buddhas

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Chinese Lanterns in Singapore

Posted on June 22nd, 2015 by

Little China

Everywhere I go there seems to be a Chinatown. I don’t know why I find this odd, but it always seems peculiar to me. This was generally (as everything is in Singapore) a very nice area, if not terribly touristy part of town. I hit very close to Chinese New Year and since there is a large Chinese population IN Singapore, there was color out in full force. These lanterns were one of the first things that caught my eye exiting the subway.

Chinese Lanterns in Singapore
Chinese Lanterns in Singapore

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Covered Bridge Vermont 1875, Kokomo, Indiana

Posted on June 18th, 2015 by

Interesting Sights

When I visit small towns for work, I generally check the internet and ask the locals about the “interesting” parts of their towns. Many places have something they can call their own…like Gaffney, South Carolina’s Peachoid (I SO want to visit this)!

When visiting a few small towns in Indiana, I was directed to a Kokomo’s Highland Park to the Vermont covered bridge. I wasn’t able to go until after dark (during work trips you have to work), but it lent an almost Sleepy Hollow feel to the whole scene!

Covered Bridge Vermont 1875, Kokomo, Indiana
Covered Bridge Vermont 1875, Kokomo, Indiana

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Buddha of Chains

Posted on June 15th, 2015 by

How Does it Feel

I walked into the Buddha Tooth Relic Shrine to find a sea of Buddha’s covering the walls. To say thousands of statues might be underestimating. Within all of the chaos, the chants, bells, people and prayers, this single Buddha stood out to me, a beacon. It was small, perhaps 8-12 inches, but nothing in the huge hall shone brighter. Perhaps a divine message.

My goal here is to bring you photos that evoke how a place felt. I try and recall back my mood and experience, the sights and smells, the passion, the pain. Most of the time I feel I fail utterly, this time…this time I pray you feel this statues power too.

Buddha of Chains
Buddha of Chains

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