Despite Cuba’s archaic, exceedingly slow and pricey internet services I managed to share a few shots on Instagram of this gorgeous colorful country. Here are some of my favorites that live, breathe and feel the amazing photographic moments of a week in Cuba.
A morning walk in Old Havana
One of the true joys of going on a people-to-people tour in Cuba was the fascinating look inside the real life and culture of Cubans. Our first cultural visit occurred on the very day we arrived in Havana after a charter flight from Miami that morning. We were met at the airport by our fabulous, charismatic Cuban guide Abel, and taken to see the work and community art of Cuba’s most celebrated ceramic artist, José Rodriguez Fuster, at his outdoor ceramic fantasyland “Fusterlandia”.
A step inside “Fusterlandia” is like taking a walk inside a Disneyland of art. The entire community surrounding José Fuster’s studio and home is decorated in Fuster’s unique style of mixing painting and ceramic and it is utterly surreal.
“Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky”.- Rabindranath Tagore
It has been one of the coldest January’s on record and we have been housebound again. As I look outside my windows at the pure white snow, I long for color. I dream of spring when the world comes to life again and the earth is reminding us of the beauty of life. The virgin green foliage, the violet lilacs, the buttery yellow daffodils. I know, I’m dreaming as spring is still a long ways away. So instead, I thought I’d create some color to inspire my mind and bring you some life.
Although I’m tired of white, I can never tire of a beautiful white flower like this one in Honduras.
This week’s photo challenge is one of my absolute favorites: Juxtaposition. As a traveler, we often see juxtaposition wherever we look. Contrasting and even sometimes confusing images appear that make us open our minds and think. In fact, juxtaposition is a great way of teaching us about the world around us and how other cultures are similar and different than our own.
Following is a compilation of some of my most favorite intriguing images I’ve captured that have lead me to question and ponder on the meaning.
India
Men Washing
Selling flower in the slum
“Better keep yourself clean and bright. You are the window through which you must see the world.” – George Bernard Shaw
Like doors, I find windows to be a fascinating photography subject. While doors can be rather mysterious making one wonder what exists behind them, windows offer a glimpse occasionally into another world. Here is a look at some of my favorite windows I’ve photographed around the world.
Peru
There is no one place on earth more magical in the eyes of a child than Disney’s Magical Kingdom. Awash in a fantasy land of every princess, prince and famous Disney character and ride awaits a place that proudly earns the phrase “Where all your dreams come true”.
As an avid normally off the beaten path kind of traveler, Disney World is not exactly on the list. It is very crowded, very expensive and over the top. Yet, as we are passing through Orlando on our way South for a family cruise it was now or never.
I will be honest in admitting that I still remember my favorite rides from over 30 years ago when we drove all the way from Minnesota in our station wagon to Florida. So yes it must be true that in the eyes of a child Disney is pure, simple magic and one of a kind.
This post was inspired by the Weekly Photo Challenge: One. To see more entries click here.
“In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks.” — John Muir
One of the best things about hiking is the community of people that you meet. Many of the trips are unforgettable not only due to the gorgeous scenery but to the amazing companions you meet along the way. Talking to people from different backgrounds is what makes life more interesting and there is no better way to build a friendship and a community than by taking a hike together. Here are some of my favorite communities I’ve met through the various journeys I’ve taken along the way. Each person I’ve met has impacted me with laughter, joy, compassion and storytelling.
Argentina:
We met a wonderful couple from Italy on their honeymoon at Los Glaciares National Park in Argentina. Here we are at the end of a spectacular day hiking returning to El Chalten, a tiny outpost in the middle of nowhere.
Nepal:
We spent two weeks trekking with our two Nepalese guides. Lots of laughs along the way and good times at night playing cards over an ice cold beer. So many memories of this special time we shared together.
Walking along the Annapurna Trail with a local Monk.
The Machu Picchu hiking group at “The Bar in the Clouds”
Our entire group indulged in probably too many Cusquenas on the last day of our trek along the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. Yet we had a fabulous time for our last night together. I can’t think of any other bar in the world with a view as amazing and special as this one!
France:
During a six day trek throughout Vanoise National Park we were never short of meeting new friends along the way. Evenings were always the most fun!
Picnic lunch
China:
And how could I ever forget this photo? I had just reached the top of the Great Wall of China and this fun-loving group of Chinese girls invited me as the alien blond intruder to be in their photo with them! How could I refuse?
Guatemala:
Then there was the early morning climb up the sacred Santa Maria Volcano where the local Mayans go to pray. A huge community of them were on the top chanting and picnicking watching the neighboring volcano erupt into steam.
This post was inspired by the Weekly Photo Challenge: Community. To view more entries, click here.
I found some remaining pictures from my recent visit to the Sonoran desert of Arizona. Every night, the sunsets are magical and unique. It is my most favorite time of day and so insanely peaceful that all my worries seem to fade away with each brilliant ray of light and color splashed across the sky.
“The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science”. – Albert Einstein
“When you focus on the goodness in your lives, you create more of it.” – Oprah Winfrey
“Don’t wait for the last judgment – it takes place every day.” – Albert Camus
And finally the last drops of light disappear beyond the horizon…
Last May I had the honor of traveling to India for the second time within a three year time span and was delighted by the unexpected views from the street. Anyone who has ever been to India knows what I am saying when I attest there is no place quite like it on earth. A massive sea of humanity lies within its many cities and streets for those who are willing to unravel it and take it all in, of course using the third eye.
I find India to be one of the most fascinating places on earth and hope to someday go back and see the countryside, villages and of course the mountains. There is something purely magical about India which takes you by surprise. Here are a few of my favorite unexpected views from the streets of Delhi, all taken last May during my social good blogging trip to India with Mom Bloggers for Social Good.
Open your heart. Open your mind. Open your soul and breathe in the unexpectedness of what you will find as everyday life across the streets of Delhi.
Women living on the streets outside the US Embassy
Perhaps one of the most spectacular marvels of Mother Nature I’ve ever witnessed is the majestic Perito Moreno Glacier in Patagonia, Argentina. Spanning an area of 250 square kilometers/97 square miles and 30 km/19 miles in length, the sheer magnitude of this massive piece of layered ice is incomprehensible.
Ice trekking on the Perito Moreno Glacier was one of my highlights to a trip to Southern Patagonia in 2009. Take a peak for yourself and see the immense beauty and power of Argentina’s premier glacier.
“The question is not what you look at, but what you see”. – Henry David Thoreau
This post was inspired by the Weekly Photo Challenge: Layers. To view more entries click here.
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Scotch on the 400-year-old Rocks
In honor of our fading fall colors and Halloween, I thought I’d put together a post honoring all the beautiful orange colors I’ve seen around the world. Often I’m tempted to take pictures of blue and green hues as I love capturing landscapes. But what about orange? Orange can be quite a lovely, warm color and can also be sometimes found in the most unexpected places.
Here is a look at some of the fabulous orange hues I’ve seen through my travels. If you feel inspired by orange, feel free to share a post of your favorites as well and link back here. I will also tweet them out with the hashtag #orangearoundtheworld.
An Arizona sunset.
One of the highlights of my recent trip to Virginia was a visit to the National Geographic headquarters and museum in Washington DC. I have adored National Geographic since I was a child and used to page through the yellow-bordered issues with ravish and delight, dreaming about faraway places, cultures, people and animals. National Geographic was my lifeline into the magic of the world and continues to be so even today.
As a National Geographic Kids Insider (a brand Ambassador who promotes everything amazing National Geographic has to offer), I wanted to get an intimate look behind the scenes of this 125-year-old multi-dimensional non-profit organization that is one part global publisher, another part leader in exploration, conservation and education, and last part a travel company, all packaged within the yellow National Geographic border.
The National Geographic Society has been inspiring people to care about the planet since 1888. It is one of the largest nonprofit scientific and educational institutions in the world. Its interests include geography, archaeology and natural science, and the promotion of environmental and historical conservation.
I honestly had no idea that National Geographic did so incredibly much until I got to see for myself during my tour of their three-building headquarters in the heart of Washington DC.
By far, the most inspiring part of my tour was a visit to the National Geographic Museum where I saw two exhibits, one celebrating National Geographic’s 125 years called “A New Age of Exploration” and the other called “Women of Vision: National Geographic’s Photographers on Assignment”, an exhibit dedicated to honoring women photojournalists. Both were impressive however the “Women of Vision” exhibit was phenomenal and made a powerful impact on me.
