South America Photo Diary: Cusco

Most people pass through Cusco in order to get to Machu Picchu. Obviously this means that Cusco is often not the ‘highlight’ of one’s journey. Being perpetually overshadowed by its world-famous Incan counterpart, few realise how wonderfully charming this city actually is.

Cusco’s main plaza | Photo credit: Juxxtapose

Crooked rows of buildings, narrow cobbled streets, surrounded by hillsides dotted with trees and more quaint houses. Cusco is definitely THE place to acclimatise in. It’s awfully tiring to be climbing through ruins at high oxygen-deprived altitudes. Literally breath-taking. But the slow-paced vibe in Cusco relaxes and prepares you for the journey ahead.

Memories on Display

I am a firm believer that photographs are moments captured on paper. Every photo holds a memory or a story. Countless are the times when it has taken me an extra second to recall the memory behind an old photo. Without the photo, would that memory be otherwise lost in my sub-conscious sea of thoughts?

While I have multiple external hard disk drives containing systematically labelled folders of photos in digital storage (a back-up for my back-up), I also like to have as many photos as I can printed and displayed. There is only so much surface and wall space for picture frames before your house starts looking like a cluttered mess. There has to be alternatives.

My most recent solution involved trying to be innovative in my crocheting (goodbye scarfs and hats), magnets, and making use of the fridge as an additional surface for display wonderful memories. Also, the hubs moved into a new office and wanted to have some photos up on his whiteboard (I picked ‘manly’ colours for him to counter the doily frills).

These magnetic crochet doily frames are the solution to your kitchen’s photo needs is right here. I wasn’t able to decide which colours looked the best so I ended up making a whole bunch of them in different colours and putting them up on Etsy. Only 4 of them are up for now, but I actually had these made in 10 different colours –sheepish grin-. Oh, the woes of not being able to make up your mind!

My Favourite Sunset

I have decided that my favourite sunsets are the African ones.

Sunset at Camps Bay | Photo credit: Juxxtapose

Africans seem big on sunsets. I say this because (1) there’s always a sunset cruise or a walk to see the sunset, (2) there were many people watching the sunset together with us at the Camps Bay beach (even a film crew), and (3) our local tour guide in Cape Town was obsessed with taking photos of sunsets in his own country.

Sunset at Knysna (Western Head) | Photo credit: Juxxtapose

It’s not hard to understand why. Not when every time we saw a sunset in Africa, it looked like a different one. Sometimes the sun went hiding behind a never-ending horizon, while sometimes it slip below the silhouette of trees. Sometimes it was dressed in fiery reds and oranges, while sometimes it adorned gentle purples and pinks.

Just fiery red ball | Photo credit: Juxxtapose

In some instances, one cannot help but think of the red sunset in The Lion King:

Fiery red sunset (tree included) | Credits: Disney’s The Lion King

I think it’s time to up my photography game. Maybe then, I will be able to capture the sunsets as stunningly as they are in real life. And also, perhaps it’ll look more like the animated version.

Sunset on a cruise along Chobe River | Photo credit: Juxxtapose

Sunset back at Chobe Safari Lodge | Photo credit: Juxxtapose

Watching the sun go down in Africa always marked the end of yet another amazing day and held the promise of another after a good night’s rest. It’s always about the feels, isn’t it?

Setting sun at Okavango Delta | Photo credit: Juxxtapose

What the Cape teaches you about Life

It’s really something when you see places you’ve only read of in books in real life. The Cape of Good Hope is one such place for me.

There is a common misconception that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern-most tip of Africa. I was one of those with this misconception. In fact, I didn’t even know that Cape Point and Cape of Good Hope were two different places. While the Cape of Good Hope is at the most south-western edge of Africa, Cape Point is the point that is at the very tip of Cape Peninsula, and at the opening to False Bay.

Looking out to the Cape of Good Hope from Cape Point | Photo credit: Juxxtapose

False Bay was so named because it stretches so far inland that it fools sailors into thinking they have arrived at the western coast of the African continent. We drove along the coast of False Bay, past Muizenberg and Simon’s Town, on the way to Cape Peninsula. It was like driving through the perfect coastal vacation.

Rugged shores at the Cape of Good Hope | Photo credit: Juxxtapose

One of my favourite photos of that day out is definitely this one above. This was taken behind the ever so ‘famous’ signboards bearing the latitude, longitude and name – Cape of Good Hope. The number of tourists scrambling for a photo at the signboard was insane to say the least (though not as crazy as the ones at the Wall Street bull). Don’t they know that this photo of unspoilt beauty is that one they should be rushing for?

The winds were pretty strong here so we made sure to balance on these uneven rocks well before even entertaining thoughts of taking pictures. But our balancing act was definitely more than worthwhile. We took our time breathing in the fresh air blowing from (probably) Antarctica, mesmerised by the jagged edges created by the rocks, undisturbed by the crowds, before making our way back to the frantic tourists, still trying to get their individual shots with the man-made signboard.

Is this how we are in our daily lives – too busy with what we think is important, or what everyone else says is important, to notice the truly valuable and beautiful things in our lives?

Revisiting the world through my own lens

At the top of NYC looking out | Photo credit: Juxxtapose

Every now and then, I look at my digital photo archives of wonderful places I’ve visited abroad, and I long once again to revisit these places – to soak up the feels, eat the food, and be a part of the culture. I tell myself that I will surely revisit those places if I get the chance to.

I have said before that I am more inclined to see new places (as opposed to revisiting places I’ve been to before) while I can, since time and money are limited. Yet, I am starting to miss the places I’ve been to, and so I think I’m starting to understand one of the reasons people like to revisit holiday destinations. I get the strongest urges when I look at my old photographs.

Credit: http://www.diyphotography.com.au/?p=39

Because your own photos capture moments according to how you see them, they bring with them specific and personal memories associated with the place. Looking at said photos remind you of that particular moment the photos was snapped – something that no one else can experience but you.

Free Stuff: iPhone 6 Wallpapers

I’ve taken to creating my own iPhone 6 wallpapers (although I have not upgraded my phone. Soon, I hope). Thought I’d share some of them with you as well. These pictures were taken during our own travels. It’s always fun to dig up and browse through old photographs because it’s almost like traveling back in time to those days.

Sparkling Pangong Lake

NYC from above

Dreamy day in Paris

They are free for download for personal use but not for commercial use. And if you do share them on your own pages, it would be nice to get a mention. Thank you and enjoy! (:

Joy in the Ordinary

Simplicity at its best is snuggling up in my crochet slip-ons, indulging in Ahmedabad’s best strawberry ice cream (straight from the tub, no less), and reading the latest issue of Travel + Leisure.

Photo credit: Juxxtapose

P.S the leftie is not as pretty as its right counterpart because it was part of my learning process.

Every Photograph Tells A Story

Photo credit: Juxxtapose

Just as flaws make each person unique, imperfect photographs tell their own story.

I know you can hardly see anything in this photo. You may be able to make out the faint outline of the coast, and a little blob of land off the said coast. But it wasn’t the camera that got it wrong. In fact, this might have been even more than what we could see with our naked eyes at that time. We still took this shot anyway. Because of the story behind the shot.

It was a typical summer day in Cork, the wet kind, not the sunny kind. We went on the trip out to the Ring of Kerry, and in the morning, the weather was still dry despite the gathering dark clouds. After lunch though, the rain started coming down. Our driver could barely see the road in front of him, although he claimed it wasn’t the worst weather he had driven in. We were on a coastal road without the luxury of the coastal views. Many people in the tour group started to nod off because there was just nothing to see. The road was narrow, only allowing for the width of 2 vehicles, one in each direction. We came to a part of the road where it widened into what looked like a parking lot at the edge of the slope. Our driver pulled his bus into the lot, stopped, and asked if anyone wanted to go down for a look. I’m guessing that was a planned viewpoint as part of the tour we were on. Nobody moved. ‘No, nobody?’, he asked again. I scrambled to get up. It was raining, and the views are mostly occluded by the mist from the rain. But wasn’t that part of the experience?

The hubs and I prepared our jackets and scarfs, positioned our cameras so that it would get as little rain as possible, and bravely stepped off the bus. When the rain hit me, it felt light and cool, like the face mist you spray on your faces to refresh yourself. My initial thought was, ‘Hey it isn’t really raining, it’s just mist!’ Okay, but I was wrong. It was raining and it was cold. Against the strong wind, we trudged toward the edge of the parking lot (where we took the photo above) and we stared down at what looked like nothing but mist. The wind was so strong that we were careful not to stand too near the edge in case we got blown off. When we eventually turned back, we saw that a few other ‘brave souls’ had decided to venture off the bus too. And despite being wet and cold, we all had silly grins on our faces, as though we were doing something cheeky and novel.

I’m glad we decided to just go for it, even though, logically, there was no point because there were no grand views (which was probably what the other passengers thought). Because now we get to keep this little experience and memory with us.

And this is the story this ‘flawed’ photograph tells.

Throwback: Delphi, Greece

Photo credit: Juxxtapose

The Temple of Athena is the most photographed site in Delphi, Greece. Yet, in terms of it’s significance in ancient times, it was of less importance when compared to the other ruins in Delphi. Delphi itself, however, was considered to be the centre of the known world, the place where heaven and earth meet.

One of the other more significant structure was the Temple of Apollos. Though, its ruins are not as photogenic as this one above, it’s significance lay in the belief that there was once an Oracle who would dispense advice to the people who came. Of the people who had sought wise words from the Oracle, Socrates was one of them.

Even if you’re not a fan of ruins, Delphi was a welcomed retreat for us during our Greece holiday last year. We were just starting to recover from our food poisoning episode and so the long bus ride from Athens was worrying. However, when we got to the little town of Delphi, it felt like it was just what we needed to rest up for the rest of our trip.

We checked into our room for the night, and went out to take a stroll before dinner. Although, we weren’t really looking forward to dinner because our appetites were still down from the food poisoning. The town itself is really small and there’s not as much to see as there is to feel. We eventually decided on a place for dinner, mainly because its alfresco tables had stunning views of the mountains and valleys. The food was good too, and this was despite my lousy appetite. The experience was calming and relaxing, and we didn’t even walk through the ruins before we decided that we liked the place.

Photographs

It was strange. I was just staring at the photos hanging on my wall, thinking about which wedding photo I would like to have passed down to my future children and their children and so on. Wondering which photo alone fully captures the essence of that day.

And then it happened. It suddenly struck me that my children would probably not feel the same sentiments I have to my truckload of photos. Photos with my friends, photos from travels, etc. They might still keep my wedding photos for keepsake and of course, family photos. But what would my picture of, say, the Great Wall of China mean to them? Probably not much, definitely not as much as when I look at the photo myself.

Then I wondered what they would do with my digital truckload of photos when I die. What is the point of keeping photos if no one looks at them, when the photographer herself is no longer around to enjoy them herself?

To me, photos are attempts to capture moments and memories. A third party looking at a photo will never understand it as fully as the person who was taking the photo. Memories can never fully be shared with someone who wasn’t there. And just as memories disappear along with a person who has passed on, the photos will also no longer serve its purpose, unless there were others present in that captured moment.

Instead, I hope that through my photos, they see the world as I saw it. That they are inspired to live the life they want. That the smiles of my friends, whom they may not have met, show them the blessings of good friendships. And that they too will be encouraged to build their own memories, and in tow, their own truckload of photos.