boats

Photo: Ladders in the river

August 30, 2011 By Jillian

Sumidero Canyon is a narrow gorge in Chiapas, Mexico. Formed around the same time as Arizona’s Grand Canyon, Sumidero is home to the Grijalva River and like the Grand Canyon is the center of a national park.

A popular tourist attraction, Sumidero canyon is best experienced via boat since caves and grottoes dot the inside of the canyon walls. This cave, known as Cueva de Colores has been decorated with various religious items, candles and flowers. In the dry season, the ladder sits on a small sandbar and locals come to pay their respects and make offerings. Cueva de Colores is only one of these caves along the route. The park also has look outs and hiking trails, if the water isn’t your thing. Definitely stay out of the water. In addition to various fish, there is also a significant population of American crocodiles.

The scenery is absolutely breath taking though. Chiapas is still densely vegetated, so despite many years of difficult political situations, the area still holds many natural wonders.

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 of the day series.

IF YOU GO: Mexico holidays have a little something for everyone. Chiapas is a bit more off the beaten path, but there are still plenty of creature comforts to be had. Sumidero Canyon is not too far from the famed Mayan ruins of Palenque, and make a great stop from San Cristobal de Las Casas, another popular site in Chiapas. The area is most popular with Mexican tourists, but each year more and more foreigners come through. It’s become a popular destination for rock climbers, spelunking, rappelling and mountain biking. Like anywhere else in the world, you should thoroughly check your equipment before you go!

Photo: Napping

August 17, 2011 By Jillian

According to the National Sleep Foundation 85 % of mammalian species are polyphasic sleepers, or nappers. Humans are in the minority, since our day is divided into only two periods, one awake, one asleep. Sleep is an important part of many cultures, take the Spanish siesta for example. While it drove us crazy in some countries, it was nice to take the break in the middle of the day and relax or unwind a bit.

These sea lions, on the coast of Peru, eschewed fishing for the afternoon and spent the time napping. I can’t say I can blame them! The rich diversity and quantity of marine life off the coast of Paracas, Peru is one of the reasons the sea lion colony exists in the first place. We spent some time snorkeling with sea lions in Mexico, who were a bit less interested in the siesta than their Peruvian counterparts.

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 of the day series.

Photo: Houseboats in Lamu

August 12, 2011 By Jillian

A house boat off of Kenya? Yes, please. The Indian Ocean is deceptively warm, but I wouldn’t mind living on one of these for a few weeks. When we traveled to Lamu, we were greeted by a time warp. The small island felt like a swahili trading post of centuries gone by. That was of course until we noticed all of the internet cafe and souvenir boutique signs. Nevertheless it was a great place to spend a few days. Nothing much to do but to relax, take in the slower pace of island life and enjoy the swahili culture.

I’d still rate it as one of my favorite places to go and relax in the world. Maybe it was the fact that we took two horrendous bus journeys and then a boat to get there, but Lamu felt like a secret island at the end of the road. A pot of gold at the end of a bumpy rainbow if you will. We were relieved to get there and even more happy to immediately feel included and welcomed by our neighbors (we stayed in a private home). The community was incredibly open and inviting and in nearly every shop we were warmly greeted and gratefully shown around. Maybe I should stop writing about it? I hope this place never changes.

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 of the day series.

IF YOU GO: Take time to explore the Lamu Museum and Lamu Archipelago by dhow. We took a day and went to Takwa Ruins, which was deserted and made for some very interesting photography. Be sure to watch the tides if you go to Takwa, we were caught having to walk between sandbars back to our boat. Island life is very appealing and there are more islands in the Lamu Archipelago that have hotels if you’re interested in exploring the area a bit more. There’s an airport on the coast, but flights to Lamu aren’t easy to book like corfu flights – they fill up quickly so reserve ahead.

Photo: A moment of calm

May 11, 2011 By Jillian

Quiet moments were few and far between in India, especially in Agra where we took this shot. Ferrying people from one side of the river to the other, the boatman swiftly guided one group after another across the water. For a moment in the crossing they appeared to be all alone in a vast wilderness.

I took this shot from the patio outside the Taj Mahal. The place was crowded and we were constantly being bumped and jostled by young men wanted to get closer to my sister, her coworker Julia, and I. This was the last thing I had to see before we went home and there was a sense of relief having visited that final checklist place. In that hot and humid moment I didn’t know how to feel and I looked out across the river and saw this boat. A moment of peace and clarity in the frenzied world that is India.

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 of the day series.

We spent just over two weeks in India, mostly in Mumbai (who could forget that experience?!), Delhi and Rishikesh – hardly any time to scratch the surface of this diverse and enormous country. Since it was the last place on our list and we were quickly running out of steam, we took flights to India instead of traveling overland. We just didn’t have the energy to cross Myanmar and Bangladesh, but we’ve heard good things about both places.

Photo: Ladders in the river

Photo: Napping

Photo: Houseboats in Lamu

Photo: A moment of calm

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