Long Day

The Great Escape

Follow Me

A Whole Blue World

Darwin's View

Blue-Footed Beauty

So... I am back from my trip to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands. The region is truly inspiring and the Ecuadorian people are wonderfully kind and so hospitable. They are on the US dollar there which made life quite easy and even their electricity is the same voltage as in the States.

The Galapagos is an awe-inducing archipelago located about 600 miles from mainland Ecuador. It's amazing to be in a place you have studied in school and that helped form one of the most groundbreaking scientific theories in history.

The main draw of the Galapagos is its wide variety of plants and animals that are endemic to the island chain. The blue-footed boobie seen in these pictures is not exclusive to the Galapagos but they are omnipresent. These gorgeous creatures are noted for their striking, aquamarine webbed feet.

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Coastal Calm

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Bicyclette sur Seine

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Fetch

Surfing CA

Endless Summer

I took this picture as my brother threw my little cousin into a pool, just as his toes touched the water. The photograph almost looks fake because for some strange reason, if you click on the image and enlarge it, the water is still even though his foot has already penetrated the top. Regardless, I loved the moment and I thought the color of the water looked so vibrant and alive.

I Want to Rock With You

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Rocky Shore

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Where the Day Breaks

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Standing Still

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An Outside Perspective

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The Arenal region of Costa Rica is a popular destination especially for foreigners. Drawn to the area by its active volcano, Arenal is also a place where you can go on some great hikes and sit and unwind in natural hot springs. The hot springs pictures I will not be posting on this blog... those pictures are probably for a different type of blog all together.

But the picture that does make this blog is one I took during a simple hike near the Arenal Volcano. It is of La Fortuna waterfall. I was with several other people, one of whom jumped right into the powerful waters. I'm sad to say I was not as brave but I used the time to go exploring. I walked down and around a bunch of rocks, away from where everyone else was taking pictures and climbed up even more rocks. That's the perspective I tried to capture in this image.

What I loved about being at the waterfall was how lush and green the foliage was, how powerful the force of the water was, how harsh the volcanic rock looked and how seemingly well they all blended together.

For my other Costa Rica post, click here.

Ship Aground

I shot this photo in Marin County, California on the way to the beautiful Point Reyes. I have no idea what the story is with this boat but I loved the image. Click on it to make it larger and see the details.

Twin Islands

The Mokulua Islands, or the "Mokes", are located off the windward coast of Oahu, Hawaii. Many people think when you look at the two islands together, they look like a woman with her head tilted back with her knees sticking out of the water. They really are an impressive sight.

I took these three photographs on different days and during different months. It's hard to believe but the colors in the images are as they were on those days, I didn't tinker with any of them. It is amazing to see how the same subject can look so different. To see the details, you can click on them to make them larger.






Moku lua means "two islands" in Hawaiian but the frequently photographed pair are more commonly referred to as the "twin islands." The larger island on the left is Moku Nui and the smaller, Moku Iki. The Mokes are about a mile and a half away if you launch a kayak or jump on a surfboard from the gorgeous Lanikai beach in Kailua. I got to Moku Nui by kayak. What I remember the most about it was if you walked around to the open ocean side, the water was incredibly powerful. The surf would hit the rocks and water would go flying high into the air. It was intriguing and yet frightening at the same time because I remember thinking I could get sucked out into the ocean at any time.

If you want to see my other images from Hawaii, click here or here.

Bondi Beach

Bondi Beach is one of Australia's most popular places to visit and is perhaps the country's most famous of its many beaches. If you're relying on public transportation, as I was, it takes a little while for you to get there but once you're there, Bondi is a beautiful sight. Some of the interest I think comes from actually being at such an iconic place but the water is wonderful and it's a nice change of pace compared to some parts of Sydney.

Bondi gets criticized for being too touristy. When I went, it was closer to sunset, and most of the people there were local. Bondi wasn't as crowded as Manly Beach but the color of the water was not as striking either. The surf on one end is really powerful and too dangerous for a swim which I didn't know until I visited. The street that runs parallel to it is lined with housing, shops, bars and restaurants. If you're relying on public transportation to get there, make sure you carve out time to get there and back because it took me about 45 minutes, each way, on the bus.

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For more information about Bondi Beach, click here. If you're interested in my other post about Australia, then click here.

Ocean Approaching

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