Summerland

Europe is a remarkable continent, where a 100km is a long distance and a 100 years is a short time, where kingdoms and civilizations have crafted a diverse set of cultures and communities, where haute couture in tourist hotspots stand shoulder to shoulder with quaint bucolic villages and picturesque countrysides, and where sensible urban design and vast expansive greenery are juxtaposed on one seamless landmass. Every trip to this continent rich in history and culture makes me giddy with joy in seeking out the hidden gems away from the tourist traps.

And I can't wait to go back again this summer, to seek out more of what this continent has to offer. Just like this peaceful meadow I found while exploring the Black Forest region of southern Germany.

Schwarzwald

Germany

Last of the Skagit

The tulip festival in Skagit certainly seems to have underestimated its popularity. Over the last few weekends, crowds have thronged the handful of accessible tulip farms of Skagit Valley, turning the highways into accident-prone death traps and access roads into immobile parking lots on weekends. Driving just a span of 15 miles on the way back, I encountered at least 3 accidents stalling traffic for miles.

As the season winds to a close, I hearken back to the start of the season, where a early morning trip to Skagit to see the early blooms proved far more memorable. I made my way at dawn along bucolic farmlands and sleepy homesteads mired in mist carried by the nearby Skagit river, and witnessed a beautiful sunrise by the blooming daffodils with the company of just a few photographers.

Skagit Valley

WA USA

Alone in the Forest

Two years ago, I found myself in Japan in the heart of its Golden Week, a week-long extravaganza of cramped train stations and buses, standing-room-only shinkansens, crowded parks and jam-packed restaurants. And I wanted to get away from it all.

And I found it on the lush greenery and rustic scenery in the Kumano Kodo, a multi-day trek through the verdant forests in the heart of the Kii peninsula of Japan. The moss-laden path wound its way through leafy glens and quaint villages, with views of beautiful cloudscapes and misty valleys. And along the way, tiny shrines, artfully preserved, welcomed weary travelers to seek solace and zen after tiring climbs.

One such shrine was this, set amidst towering eucalyptus and pine trees rising into the foggy landscape. It was an unforgettable journey set in a memorable destination.

Kumano Kodo

Kii Peninsula, Japan

It's a wonderful world

I love the mountains
I love the clear blue skies
I love the landscapes
I love when great whites fly
I love the whole world
And all its sights and sounds
…
Boom de yada, boom de yada
Boom de yada, boom de yada
…
Its a wonderful world out there, full of new surprises around every corner, and full of new adventures every day. And unless you go seek those adventures, you never get to experience the magic the world has to offer!

Songkol
Naryn Kyrgyzstan

One for the Earth

No day passes without news about the endless reckless pillage of the resources of the single planet that currently sustains life. And while that wanton destruction can be gut-wrenchingly painful, I am glad that we have set aside areas for protecting for the future generation. It requires a foresight for selflessness that is hard to find in a society that values short term gains over long term prudence. Let Earth day be a reminder to appreciate this clairvoyance and sense of conservation.

After all, we have but one Earth. Lets take one for the planet. Donate to your favorite earth-friendly non-profit, volunteer with your local charities, or do one little act that will help preserve the delicate balance of nature.

Sabrina Lake Basin

Bishop CA

Leave No Trace

As spring slowly transitions to summer, snow caps high in the Cascades will start to melt away and reveal beautiful alpine landscapes. And for a short span of 90 days, this fragile terrain will be host to not just thousands of eager hikers seeking out sublime vistas, but also delicate alpine flora and fauna, including feeble yet colorful plants that have to grow, bloom, pollinate, seed, and die in that short burst of summer, and hungry animals that have to fatten up for the next hibernation cycle.

So the next time you are exploring the high Cascades, remember to follow the Leave No Trace principles. This simple step will ensure that this natural beauty, such as this scene in Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, is preserved for generations to come.

Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest

WA USA

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The Season of Love

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While passionate lovers and marketing experts for large retail firms will claim that February is the month of love, for the vast majority of species on the planet, March and April, in the heart of the spring, truly represents the season of love. Millions of flowers from hundreds of plant species bloom in an extravaganza of colors hoping to attract pollinators, and pass on their gene to the future generations.

This visual spectacle, under the right weather conditions, can transform a dry and dusty landscape into drapery of contrasting colors; vast fields of yellow, pink, orange, purple and blue stretch on and onto the endless horizon of the vast desert landscape. While such displays were much more common in the past, changing weather conditions and human impact have definitely reduced the scale of such a tableau. Witnessing such a bloom can definitely make one marvel at nature's creation, and instill a sense of conservation.

Table Mountain State Ecological Reserve

CA USA

Fragility

It is a tragedy that has befallen this mighty building.

The Notre Dame captured my heart the very moment I saw pictures of it while looking at the Paris guidebooks. And when I visited this impressive piece of history 10 years ago, I couldn't contain my excitement.

Even from afar, the Notre Dame Cathedral is an imposing structure: two tall towers rising 70m above the mass of low-rise buildings that dominate the center of Paris, behind which the lie the cross of the 73m long nave and 46m wide transept, each rising 4 stories, and supported by the massive bulwarks of the flying buttresses. Even the spindly spire that collapsed was large from up-close.

It took 100 years to build, and it stood through 800 years of tumultuous history, through both the World Wars. And yet, even such a mighty structure can be fragile. I do hope they rebuild it to its former glory.

Paris

France

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In Search of Tulips

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Spring has arrived, but the Pacific Northwest hasn't been informed of it. Cold damp conditions continue to persist, and sunlight barely manages to peek out through the dense cloud cover. The long halcyon days of warm sunshine that took over a few weeks ago seems to have gone back to hibernation mode, a cue that up in the mountainous Northwest, cold unpredictable weather is always around the corner.

I went around in search of colorful tulip fields of Skagit Valley opening up their buds to the embracing grace of morning light, but that was not to be. The reversal of the weather fortunes seem to have delayed the opening by a few more days. This image from last year was what I was hoping to find this year, but I never made it.

Skagit County

WA USA

A Blue Oasis

I stepped away from the main thoroughfare of Chefchaouen, a long wide alley lined with shops selling tourist curios and colorful spices that wound its way through the dense hillside town. The alleys were crowded with early spring tourists and residents going about their daily routines, and I wanted to explore the more remote parts of this village. The blues continued on however, a never-ending fabric of paint that coated the city.

Chefchaouen was this magical oasis of blue in the brown dusty hill-slopes in north-eastern Morocco. The medina had gained its blue hues in the late 15th century as it received its first influx of Jewish migrants, and it stuck to this ever since. And the blues doesn't feel overwhelming, as the subtleties in the different shades of blue ensure that one alley looks different from the other. One would be hard-pressed to escape from the blue until you step out of the medina, but there are spots where the underlying brown bricks become visible, as it was in this narrow residential alleyway, complete with a tall ladder also painted blue.

Chefchaouen

Morocco