Landscapes

The Morning After

The thunderstorm had reverberated through the yurt that stormy night. And high up in the windswept plateau at 3000m in the heart of the Tien Shan mountains, the sheepskin rugs outside the yurt had been the only protection against the raging weather. I had forced myself to sleep in the thin air of these mighty mountains that ran along the spine of Kyrgyzstan.

After that restless sleep, I had hoped that the morning sky would be more forgiving. And when I had stepped out, the sky had redeemed itself. The sun had just cleared the eastern horizon, and the overcast weather from the prior evening was replaced with a clear sky dotted with puffy clouds. Across the deep blue lake, the snow-capped peaks rose to meet the fleeting clouds. In the distance, I spotted a row of yurts belonging to another tourist camp nestled at the base of the hills.

I watched as the light slowly transitioned from hues of deep pink to bright orange, and life slowly started seeping into the tourist camp I was staying in. Soon, it would be time for breakfast, and it would be time to step away from the freezing cold and pack my gear. But I didn't want that moment to arrive.

Songkol

Kyrgyzstan

The Mountains are Calling

The mountains are calling, and I must go…

It is summer again, and it is time once again to go explore the alpine mountains, time to take a stroll on country lanes into the refreshing woods, time to wander into charming mountain villages and grab a refreshing drink, time to lose oneself in nature…

Austria

Glacial Designs

“Travel changes you. As you move through this life and this world you change things slightly, you leave marks behind, however small. And in return, life—and travel—leaves marks on you.”

- Anthony Bourdain

Iceland certainly left its mark on me. Witnessing the raw power of earth's forces transform the landscape before my very eyes, from glaciers gouging vast canyons, waterfalls cutting through the soft earth, laval flows creating new land, and rivers, lakes and oceans shaping the harsh terrain all around, was an indelible experience.

I hope to see this magic once again

Skaftafell National Park

Iceland

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Old World Germany

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Historic town centers, spellbinding castles, placid countryside and a rich cultural heritage were the upsides of visiting a country not particularly known as a tourist destination or as a foodie haven. One of the most underrated tourist destinations proved to be one of my most memorable trips.

Germany (Various)

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The Longest Day

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The longest day.jpg

I chose to spend the longest day of 2017 exploring the multitude of canyons that dissect the pockmarked terrain of Cappadocia. It was an ambitious though, but reality proved to be a tougher opponent, as navigation here was an exercise in frustration. Having been used to well-marked trails with plenty of maps typically, I was forced to rely on faded trail signs, blurry satellite view images and pure gut instinct to navigate multiple unnamed forks and deep slot canyons. The amount of backtracking easily added an hour to my meanderings in that area.

But there was nothing to complain about - I had an amazingly long day hiking through breath-taking scenery, visiting dozens of centuries-old historical ruins, and consuming plenty of delicious local treats.

After all, exploration is the essence of human spirit.

Happy Solstice Day

Goreme

Turkey

Life of a driftwood

It was a lonely piece of driftwood that I spotted on the smooth sandy shores of Shi Shi beach a few weeks ago. It's life probably began as a tree deep in the temperate rainforests along the wet coastline of the Pacific Northwest.

The deluge of water from a strong summer storm would have probably yanked away the tree, or probably it's branch, and carried it down its rocky cascades leaving it somewhere in the Pacific. It would have floated for months on the turbulent foamy waters, with time slowly hewing away all the leaves and rough branches, leaving behind a gnarly yet smooth piece of driftwood. It would have taken another storm, or few, for it to finally get deposited on this beach in the high tide, never to be disturbed from its final grave. That is, until humans moved it around for photographic pleasure to this very location.

Olympic National Park

WA USA

A Maze of Hoodoos

After a mere four hours of sleep, I trudged myself on that freezing morning to the knife's edge at Inspiration point. The dawn skies were still dark, save for a sliver of light on the eastern horizon. Below me, the vast amphitheater of hoodoos were cold and pale, awaiting the morning light.

And as the sun broke through the clouds, the warm light lit the amphitheater aglow. The steep slopes down below were a bright orange, while the maze of hoodoos turned a deep red from the afterglow. It was a scene I could not take my eyes off.

Bryce Canyon National Park

UT USA

To the Mountains

To the mountains.jpg

Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home; that wildness is a necessity - John Muir

Two years ago, to the day, I found myself staring at the end of a long dirt road weaving by a gushing creek of ice-cold melt-water. Silver-capped mountains gleamed in the distance. My destination for that night was somewhere there, deep amidst the towering peaks in a beautiful valley pine forests, vast open meadows and lush green hills.

That excitement and giddiness of hauling all my clothing and gear up into the mountains apart, it made me wonder why I made the decision of heading to this mountainous heartland of Central Asia. I already knew the answer: I love being amidst the mountains. And that was why I was relocating back to the west coast after that trip, where mountains are not just a dot on a landscape, but a region with innumerable nooks and crannies waiting to be explored and photographed.

I could not think of a better place to enjoy my last few days in this amazing country, for in going to the mountains, I was going home.

Altyn Arashan

Kyrgyzstan

Delights of Bryce

Seven years ago, I had stepped foot in a fairytale. Tall red hoodoos in impossible shapes and crimson shades towered over the trail and every turn in the corner brought out even more mystical shapes. The vibrant red and orange landscape was peppered with deep green pine trees somehow surviving in this orchre terrain. It was like walking through nature's recreation of a medina, complete with tiny alleyways lined towering houses painted in an coat of orange.

Climbing out of the aptly named peekaboo canyon, I got to look upon this fairytale land, a land which impressed upon me how water can act in mysterious ways.

Bryce Canyon National Park

UT USA

The Unspoilt Coast - Part II

From the distance, I could see rock formations lining the shore. As I got closer, I realized that these were sea stacks. These tall formations, capped by a few pine trees, stood stoically out in the middle of the bay, sentinels guarding the pristine beach through the hardiest of storms.

At one point, they wold have been connected to the mountainous coastline, but the erosive power of water would have slowly scoured these fingers of earth until all that remained were a few sea stacks. In a few hundred years, they will most likely crumble away as new ones form from the land slowly giving away to the powerful ocean.

For now, they remain out there in the hundreds and thousands, waiting for the day of their timely demise.

Olympic national Park

WA USA