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landscape

Showing 16 posts tagged landscape

Pink flamingos in a fairytale lake at Laguna Colorada, Bolivia

laguna colorada, bolivia

The stunning red Laguna Colorada high up in the Bolivian altiplano

In what must be a teenage girl’s ultimate fantasy, we came arrived at Laguna Colorada to be greeted by thousands of pink flamingos set amidst a pink and red lake within the Eduardo Avaroa Andean Fauna National Reserve in the Bolivian altiplano.

The morning sun had barely peeked up from the horizon, and the air was thin and cold, after all, we were over 4,200m (over 14,000 ft) above sea level. My lungs and brain was trying to make sense of the situation, wondering where all the delicious oxygen had gone. Huffing and puffing as I climbed the small ridge where the stunning sight of Laguna Colorada was revealed to me, I had a small wad of coca leaves stuffed up by the side of my mouth like a hamster. The Bolivian driver had offered them to us, claiming it will help with the altitude.

There was a mist rising from the surface of the lake, creating a rather ethereal scene, with the red waters, pink flamingos, stunning mountains behind and the clear blue sky. I am certain I will not forget this scene for a long while.

Hundreds of flamingos linger in the morning mist

The stunning and sparse Bolivian altiplano can only be traversed by 4x4s

I left my job as an advertising Creative Director in August 2012 to travel Africa and South America for a year with my wife, documenting these beautiful places with my Fuji X-Pro1. View the rest of my RTW adventures on Handcarry Only and follow me on my journey by subscribing/following/bookmarking.

A week in Cidade Maravilhosa, the Marvelous City of Rio de Janeiro

The district of Botafogo at twilight.

The cable car up to Pão de Açúcar, with Praia Vermelha in the foreground.

Home to the largest carnival in the world, the fabled Carnaval and set enviably amongst the stunning natural surrounds of Guanabara Bay, Rio de Janeiro is the most visited city in South America. The stomping ground of the rich and famous as well as the more budget constrained traveller, Rio was the next stop for us after São Paulo along the well worn tourist trail..

We prepared for our arrival in Rio by watching José Padilha’s Tropa de Elite (gang violence in Rio and the elite police squad tasked to combat them), City of God (gang violence in the Cicade de Deus suburb of Rio) and Rio, the animated feature. Not sure to expect drug lords with AK-47s ruling the streets and street kids toting handguns or colourful macaws singing and dancing along to a Samba beat when we arrived, we got off the bus with expectations for pretty much both ends of the spectrum.

I have to report that fortunately (unfortunately?) we saw neither, the few macaws that we saw at Jardim Botanico were gorged full on bananas and lazily preening themselves, they could hardly be bothered to fly, let alone sing and dance, and the kids we saw on the beach were more interested in selling us Caipirinhas than crack coccaine. We hear that things have been cleaned up significantly in recents times, ostensibly for the upcoming World Cup and Olympics and that favelas, traditionally the hotbed of crime, had mostly been ‘pacified’.

Caipirinhas for 5 reals on the beach anyone?

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Thoughts at the Edge of the World at Cape Agulhas

Its funny, the love affair we have with superlatives. Especially Singapore, perpetually striving to be the biggest, tallest, highest, busiest, largest in any public endeavour. Perhaps its our small island mentality and the constant need for relevance and to punch above our weight, superlatives define us.

So here we are, standing at the Southernmost tip of Africa, the wind lashing at our faces and jackets flapping about almost violently. The front had come in and the wind, merciless. The few visitors to the Cape fought valiantly against it, staggering at forty five degree angles and clutching on scarves and hoods that have suddenly becomes sails in the wind. Each crash of the waves on the rocky outcrops sent sprays in every direction. The rocks themselves stuck out at odd angles, looking rather menacing. They reminded me of the D-Day beach fortifications, the truth was probably not too far off, considering the huge number of shipwrecks recorded here throughout history, stormy seas, howling wind and jagged rocks do not make for a very safe passage for ships.

L’Agulhas is where the icy Benguela meets the warm Agulhas current, the meeting point of the Atlantic and Indian oceans. You were supposed to be able to see the line where the oceans meet but I have to be honest, between the wind, ocean spray and the crashing waves, we could barely stay still for long enough to make anything out. Perhaps on a calmer day.

agulhas landscape sea flowers

Spring flowers blooming and the waves beyond

The demise of many a ship

agulhas lighthouse

The Cape Agulhas Lighthouse is the second oldest lighthouse in South Africa and no doubt, a welcome sight for ship captains battling the mammoth waves off the Cape.

Cape Agulhas sign

I left my job as an advertising Creative Director in August 2012 to travel Africa and South America for a year with my wife, documenting these beautiful places with my Fuji X-Pro1. View the rest of my RTW adventures on Handcarry Only and follow me on my journey by subscribing/following/bookmarking.

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When you can’t pay it back, pay it forwards

(Above: View of Table Mountain Nature Reserve via Constantia Nek)

Its hard to imagine a better start to our trip than what we have experienced so far (2 weeks in). We have been literally showered with kindness from my South African friends since we set foot in Cape Town. We are very fortunate to have had the opportunity to delve below the first couple of layers in our exploration of the city.

I believe that a new place is always experienced in layers. The topmost layer being as a tourist insulated with money. Whilst organised airport transfers, gourmet meals and brand name international hotel chains take a lot of the uncertainty and inconvenience out of travel, it also robs the experience of its soul. Comfortable but predictable, convenient but sterile, luxurious but lacking character, within the 4 walls of the hotel room or the double glazed windows of the tour coach, one could just as well be in New York or Bangkok or Athens. The destination country exists mostly only as a view outside a window, not unlike a snapshot from a travel magazine.

We are privileged to have been offered an ‘inside view’ of the city, and by virtue of our (rather limited) budget, we have had to live a bit closer to the ground than usual. Far from being a limitation, having to make do with less forces one to be more resourceful, and the increased interaction with normal everyday people (not just service staff) is as enlightening as it is insightful. Despite having only been here for a short time, Cape Town already feels familiar, like an old friend one has not met for a while. From the little tips on everyday life, to the travel and security advice, to more practical concerns like having a roof over our heads and mobility, our friends have it covered. I am not sure how I will ever repay them for their kindness, hospitality and generosity, except to pledge that we will pay it forwards, to people we meet on the road and later in life, who might also be in a similar position. Afterall, it all comes out in the wash right?

We leave Cape Town in a few days to begin our month long drive around South Africa, before overlanding to Victoria Falls via Botswana.

Onward ho!

vineyards of constantia

The vineyards of Constantia

From Cape Point, looking back at the mainland

the waters of Cape Point

The waters surrounding Cape Point

Old lighthouse on Cape Point

The Cape of Good Hope

Beautiful twilight

Beautiful twilight drive along the coast

View the rest of my RTW adventures on Handcarry Only and follow me on my journey by subscribing/following/bookmarking.

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“I rule the world, and in my world, anything is possible”

(Above: Table Bay at sunset with Table Mountain behind)

The sun was low on the horizon, and the waves were crashing in Table Bay. Dotted all around like multi-coloured seagulls were dozens of kite surfers, weaving the waves amidst a shipwreck not more than a few hundred metres from shore, its rusted metal mast sticking out of the water in an awkward angle, its spine broken in two.

This wasn’t called the Cape of Storms for nothing.

From our perch on the second storey restaurant, the scene outside was rather sublime.

“Come on man, challenge yourself”, our South African friend Mielies said to the waiter, who till then, was adamant that the portions of the starters could not be adjusted to accomodate three instead of two. He looked clearly awkward.

“I rule the world, and in my world, anything is possible, make it happen”, she continued.

“I’ll speak to the kitchen and see what I can do”, the waiter mumbled apologetically before disappearing.

We looked out of the windows, the sun had crept a little lower in the horizon and some of the kite surfers were starting to get out of the water. Traffic ambled slowly by on the promenade, the drivers apparently in no rush to get anywhere, their arms hanging out of the door windows, their faces in the sea breeze.

Our starters arrived. The waiter grinning widely, said, “Enjoy!”

There were three skewers on the plate.

Mielies negotiating with waiter

Mielies negotiating with the waiter

View the rest of my RTW adventures on Handcarry Only and follow me on my journey by subscribing/following/bookmarking.

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In Cape Town without a Plan

(Above: View of Hout Bay from Chapman’s Peak)

We’re in uncharted territory, quite literally. After the past few months of frantic packing, selling, moving, farewells and yet more packing, we neglected to do any planning. As such, my ‘to do’ list ended just before the flight to Cape Town, after that, the page was empty. Bleary eyed from the 14 hour flight, we arrived to a glorious Sunday morning in Cape Town. My friend picking us up from the airport informed us that we were lucky to have this weather, and that it was raining cats, dogs and other assorted animals the past week. In my past visits to South Africa, every single day had been glorious like this, so as far as I was concerned, it was business as usual, weather-wise anyway. This time, my stay in Africa will be somewhat longer (2 months and 3 weeks to be precise) so I’m sure I will get to see some of that ‘dreadful weather’ that everyone was complaining about, but for now, there’s sunshine abound and I’ll happily take it.

Cape Town is a most multi-faceted place, driving around, I was at times reminded of Australia, with the hardy wind swept vegetation that lined the roads, and at other times, America, with its abundance of space, wide roads and malls in the outskirts, and at yet other times, England, with its lush greenery, beautiful cottages and houses in Constantia and tree lined country roads, but yet it always retained a certain African flavour throughout, be it in the form of guys approaching cars at stop lights trying to make a few rand telling you a joke, or the sometimes not so subtle electrified fences ringing the said beautiful houses. It is a place of contrasts, of turquoise bays and manicured gardens, of haves and have-nots, of sunshine and of rain. The presence of Table Mountain loomed large always, and is a frame of reference throughout Cape Town. Equally imposing and majestic, it formed the perfect backdrop of the city.

scarborough beach

Scarborough Beach

view of table mountain and lion's head from Signal Hill

View of Table Mountain and Lion’s Head from Signal Hill

kirstenbosch gardens

Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens

table mountain from kirstenbosch

Table Mountain looms large behind Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens

View the rest of my RTW adventures on Handcarry Only and follow me on my journey by subscribing/following/bookmarking.

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Eating, Praying and Living in Bali (Part 3)

View Part 1 of my Bali series, ‘Pray’ and Part 2, ‘Eat’.

LIFE

It is impossible to speak about Bali in the last few years without a more than passing association with Eat, Pray, Love - the literary phenomenon of lost, self discovery and ultimately, love from American author Elizabeth Gilbert. A tale of Elizabeth’s search for balance and self after a crushing divorce set her on a spiral of depression, her search takes her to Italy, which constitutes the culinary portion of the book title, India, where, holed up in an ashram in meditation, she discovers her inner spirituality, and finally, Bali, where she found love.

The book has been such a hit that ‘Eat Pray Love pilgrims’ have been visiting Bali, people coming from all over the world, drawn by the vivid descriptions painted by Gilbert, seeking their own versions of discovery. Not unlike the ‘Sound of Music tourist’ in Salzburg, skipping about in Mirabell Gardens and the famous gazebo, these Eat Pray Lovers roam about, clutching well-thumbed copies of the book, trying to identify places where the book (and later, film starring Julia Roberts) describes and to experience what Elizabeth Gilbert experienced during her time in Bali (primarily Ubud). And the local tourism infrastructure has cashed in, with drivers eager to point out places where iconic scenes were filmed, and where Julia Roberts stayed whilst in Bali (Four Seasons), and that Ketut the medicine man ‘is not the man he was since success came to him’.

old woman selling baskets ubud market

Old lady selling baskets and other rattan products at Ubud Market

ubud market

Ubud Market

eggs for sale

Eggs for sale

lady making offerings

Lady preparing offerings

hydrangeas in ubud market

Hydrangeas

fish for sale

Fish for sale

The book and film paint a very romanticised picture of Bali, which to be honest, is not too far away from the truth. I worry about falling into the western trap of romanticising poverty and ‘a simpler way of life’ when evidently, those at the ‘unromantic’ end of the equation have understandable desires for a television or a new moped and the other little luxuries development brings. An incredibly laid-back, spiritual and idyllic place (assuming you avoid the mayhem that is Kuta), our week in Ubud, Bali allowed us a glimpse at life in the slow lane, and it is intoxicating.

A bucolic utopia

A rice farmer’s best friend, ducks not only eat the pests that plague their crop, they also fertilise the soil with their droppings.

man on rice paddy

Bucolic paddy fields and fruit trees growing wild, children catching fish with little nets by the stream, chickens scratching on the ground for worms in generations-old traditional family compounds, it certainly makes our addiction to smart phones and tight schedules seem a bit bewildering.

Eating in Italy, Praying in India and Loving in Bali? I think that Elizabeth Gilbert could possibly have saved herself some time (and money on airfares and attendant fuel surcharges) by finding all three in Bali.

checking out the girl

Relaxing

cocoa pods growing on tree

Cocoa pods growing on the tree

cocoa pod and nutmeg

Cocoa pod and nutmeg

View the rest of my Bali Series or check out the rest of my photography on Handcarry Only.

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Eating, Praying and Living in Bali (Part 2)

View Part 1 of my Bali series, ‘Pray’

EAT

Now, I wouldn’t go so far as to call myself a glutton (ok, maybe I am, just a little), but food definitely excites me. Especially if it involves copious amounts of meat, preferably cooked over some kind of fire. Which is why the sublime BBQ ribs at Naughty Nuri’s Warung in Ubud is a match made in heaven for me. An open BBQ pit in front of the warung acts as their kitchen as well as a marketing tool for people passing by. The glorious smells and sight of slabs of ribs slow cooking over an open flame proves too much for many of the passers-by, which probably explains the popularity of Naughty Nuri’s. Admittedly, the price of the food is somewhat ‘expat’ and it does attract a sizable tourist/expat crowd, but I spotted a number of more middle class locals there as well. Opened by Isnuri Suryatmi and her American husband, Brian Kenny Aldinger, Nuri’s has a local yet international vibe to the place. I learnt of the mean Martinis being served there only after we left Bali so unfortunately did not try them, but we went back a couple of times for the succulent ribs, which are served in large slabs, and eaten in the dimly lit warung. I could barely make out what I was eating but it sure tasted good.

Nuri's buka

sauces on offer

At Nuri’s in Ubud

We also attended a cooking class conducted by Paon Bali, run by a husband and wife team of Puspa and Wayan, we were introduced to various produce on offer at Ubud market in the morning, before visiting a rice paddy to learn about rice cultivation (very hard work indeed) before adjourning to a traditional Balinese house to learn the basics of Balinese cooking (way fun). Lots of chopping, pounding, slicing, frying and tasting later, we were served the fruits of our labour. All in all, a highly recommended activity should you be in Ubud.

The rest of the trip was a blur of more fantastic food, temples, cycling, sunshine, and I could have sworn there were some monkeys in there somewhere too.

Puspa serving food

ginger and carrots and chopper

tempeh

Cooking at Paon Bali Cooking School

bananas

Fresh ingredients

cooking class

frying tempeh

Frying Tempeh

Puspa pounding paste

Puspa pounding the paste to make the Basic Sauce

paste for basic sauce

wayan fanning the satay

Wayan fanning the Satay on the hot coals

satay on the coals

Babi Guling at the famous Ibu Oka’s

Laksa at Uma Ubud

The quintessential Nasi Campur (Mixed rice)

View the rest of my Bali Series or check out the rest of my photography on Handcarry Only.

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Eating, Praying and Living in Bali (Part 1)

PRAY

The word ‘Bali’ typically evokes images of the beach, of pristine blue and turquoise water along stunning tropical beaches, swaying coconut trees in the tropical sunshine.

But there’s more to Bali than the beach.

Unlike many other beach destinations, I think the best bits of Bali are actually inland, away from the beach and the crowds. Spend a little time probing and exploring and Bali offers you a glimpse of her treasures, countless shrines and ancient temples, bucolic rice paddies and terraces on the hills, a laid back rustic pace of life and seemingly unending culinary treats.

rice terrace panorama

Whilst other tropical islands typically garner adjectives like ‘tropical paradise’, ‘sun-drenched’, ‘relaxing’, ‘luxury’, ‘laid back’, Bali has all that and adds ‘mysterious’, ‘spiritual’ and ‘magical’ to its list of superlatives. The ‘Land of a Thousand Temples’ is not completely accurate, there are actually tens of thousands of temples in Bali, more than houses in fact, a legacy of kingdoms past and human occupation since the Stone Age. Stepping into any of the temples is a journey back in time, moss covered stones and walls hint at the age of these structures, at once enigmatic and peaceful. One does not have to be a believer in the Balinese Hindu religion to appreciate the immense sense of calm these ancient structures offer. Where Angkor Wat in Cambodia impresses by its sheer scale, the temples or Puras in Bali does quite the opposite, they are often small, and tucked into every single corner of the volcanic island. Some of them almost feel like family shrines, intimate and cosy. Statues of hindu gods and goddesses adorn the walls, carved out of black volcanic rock.

doorway uma ubud

uma ubud greenery

view of the river

View of Ubud river from Uma Ubud

ubud palace

Ubud Palace

One of the more spectacular temples in Bali is the Pura Tirta Empul or Temple of the Holy Water. Its sacred spring, said the have curative properties, has drawn devotees for over a thousand years. Legend has it that the sacred spring was created by the God Indra. His forces poisoned by Mayadanawa, a cruel king and dark sorcerer, Indra stabbed the ground with his flag pole, creating an eternal wellspring, the spring water curing his men of their illnesses.

Current day devotees still continue this tradition of bathing in the sacred spring, to wash away bad spirits and physical ailments. In a large rectangular stone pool, fed by 12 fountains from the water of the spring, worshippers first make an offering at the temple, then climb into the pool to bathe and pray.

Whether actual healing takes place or it is merely a placebo effect, everyone certainly leaves with a slight spring (pun unintended) in their step, their troubles abluted.

tirta empul devotees washing