Archives for February 2012

Photo: Walking Near Glaciers

February 29, 2012 By Danny

We were told that the hiking in Huaraz, Peru was amazing and so we gave it a go. We signed on for a Santa Cruz hiking trip through the Cordillera Blanca mountain range in town and once on the trail I suddenly found myself unable to eat any longer. I had some kind of stomach bug mixed altitude sickness, it wasn’t fun.

The first morning we began our hike toward the mountain pass and once over the pass I was completely whipped for energy. Some others had more in them and they went on to hike even further to take in the view while I continued back down the trail toward our next camp. As these guys hiked up the further slopes I was able to snap this amazing photo of one of our friends against the backdrop of an incredible glacier.

IF YOU GO: Everyone goes to Peru to hike to Macchu Picchu but we found Huaraz to be better hiking and fewer crowds. The big challenge here is that it is north of Lima rather than to the south like Cuzco.

To see more of our favorite photos from around the world check out our travel photo page. Let us know your favorites and we’ll include them in our photo series.

Photo: Uygur Child

February 27, 2012 By Danny

As we traveled the silk road we came from Kazakhstan through Xinjian Province in Western China. While there we found a people of very mixed culture. Sure, they look Asian but there are other features that are similar to the peoples of the middle east. The Uygur’s also wear hats such as the one on this child, not something traditionally chinese.

This kid here was being pulled on that bicycle by his father. He was very interested in the group of us westerners and his father was only too happy to help as the boy switched from waving to us and to ‘reading’ his upside down magazine. It was all very cute and the whole experience was one of many that endeared the Uygur people to us.

IF YOU GO: Beware of travel restrictions in Xinjian province. You will likely need to fly to Urumqi if you’re not up for the very, very long train ride from Eastern China or the 24 hour bus ride from Kazakhstan. The real reason we wanted to visit this region was the Mogao Grottos.

To see more of our favorite photos from around the world check out our travel photo page. Let us know your favorites and we’ll include them in our photo series.

Hanakapiai Falls of Kauai’i

February 24, 2012 By Danny

When we took our honeymoon to Hawaii we made it an absolute must to spend some time on the Island of Kauai’i. The reason for that is simple, it’s beautiful. This is the island that Hollywood often turns to when it needs a tropical shooting location and it’s no wonder why with its jungles and beautiful rivers.

We reached these falls after hiking for a few hours, first along the coast and then turning inland to follow the river to falls themselves. We hiked in our sandals and jumped right in the fresh and cold water and got to having as much fun as we could…then we quickly got out and dried off because that water was cold. Having now traveled the whole world and ‘seen it all’ I can safely say it’s days like these spent finding a hidden gem that makes travel special.

IF YOU GO: It’s easy to travel Kauai’i so long as you have a rental car to do it in. We just booked a stay for one of the many Hawaii hotels and drove clockwise and counterclockwise around the island. On one side of Kauai’i is a canyon and on the other side is this beautiful coast. If I did it again, I’d spend more time in Kauai’i and not even bother with that canyon….it’s filled with sawgrass!

To see more of our favorite photos from around the world check out our travel photo page. Let us know your favorites and we’ll include them in our photo series.

Photo:Paris – The Eiffel Tower

February 22, 2012 By Jillian

The Eiffel Tower is situated in Paris. It is also known as, quite popularly, the Iron lady. This tower is the tallest building in Paris. This tower has a height of 324m (1,063 feet). The Eiffel Tower is made of wrought iron and is one of the most recognizable monuments in the entire world. It has become the global face of Paris and France and a major tourist attraction for people around the world. It is the most visited monument among the paid monuments of the world.

Every year, tens of thousands of tourists come to Paris just to see the Eiffel tower. The Eiffel tower is a beautiful building from a photographer’s perspective and its positioning in the center of the city makes for a very picturesque setting. In this photograph we can see a distant view of the Eiffel Tower, with the tower in the backdrop of some fountains, which has made this photo very interesting and beautiful.

IF YOU GO: If you do get a chance to visit this beautiful example of human creativity and excellent architecture then you must try to experience the thrill of standing at the top of the Eiffel Tower and looking below from such an intimidating height. Plenty of apartments in Paris have views of the famous monument, you might want to choose based on view!

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Flickr user agaw.dilim via a creative commons license.

Mount Rushmore

February 20, 2012 By Danny

Our travel has taken us all over the world but one thing we need to do more of is get to know our own country. We’ve been to a number of states, mostly out east, but heading west is certainly on the agenda. In lieu of that for now we felt it appropriate to take pause this President’s Day and take a look at those men etched in Mt. Rushmore’s rock-face.

Mt Rushmore is one of those iconic places and this photo here captures it exactly as the memory holds it. Ironically this is not as it was intended it look. Budget cuts caused construction to stop once the faces of each of the four presidents were complete bu the initial plans were to construct each president from head to waist. Regardless, there are plenty of USA Tours out west and it’s up to you to find the right one for your budget!

IF YOU GO: The closest airport to the monument is Rapid City, SD but chances are you’ll be flying in somewhere else and be driving a long way to get to Mt. Rushmore. No doubt there is plenty to do out west so be sure to pick the vacation that works right for you and pack plenty of music for that long car ride.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Flickr user dean.franklin via a creative commons license.

Photo: Walking Near Glaciers

Photo: Uygur Child

Hanakapiai Falls of Kauai’i

Photo:Paris – The Eiffel Tower

Mount Rushmore

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