My Favourite Sunset

Posted on July 3, 2015 by juxxtapose

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

Posted on June 9, 2015 by juxxtapose

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?

Up Up and Away to the Scottish Highlands

Posted on September 8, 2014 by juxxtapose

In awe of Bla Bhein

Because we don’t drive, we booked two separate day tours to see more of the beautiful Scottish Highlands. Day tours are a great way to see the great outdoors if you are limited by your lack of a driver’s license.

We chose to based ourselves at Inverness, which was about 3.5hrs from Edinburgh by train. Inverness is a great base for exploring the Scottish Highlands, and so many tour operators offer tours leaving Inverness daily.

Anyways, we chose a tour to the beautiful Isle of Skye, and along the way we passed by the world-renown Loch Ness. No sightings of Nessie though. Loch Ness itself isn’t the most beautiful loch in Scotland, but it is conveniently positioned so tours do a brief stop along the way. After all, the famous Loch Ness monster is a tale well known to all. Along the way, our driver guide also told us stories of how photos claiming sightings of Nessie turned out to be doctored.

It was raining and was very windy on the day we went to the Isle of Skye. But the skies did stop for long-enough pockets of time for us to enjoy the views. They say in Scotland, if you don’t like the weather, just wait 5 minutes. I think there’s some truth in that.

And on the next day, we went up to John o’ Groats. The journey itself was stunning. We stopping for a short walk along the cliffs at Duncansby, and came soooo close to birds in their nesting place on the cliffs. Sheep were roaming the very pastures we were walking through.

We did want to catch some puffins though, but puffins, it seems, only come in to land to breed in June-July and then fly back out to sea for the rest of the year. We did manage to see the adorable hairy coos (highland cows) though. They were across the road from where we stopped for lunch, and while everyone else marveled at the incredible views from the restaurants, we ran across the road to coo at the coos.

The beauty of the Scottish Highlands is nearly indescribable. If you’re planning a trip to Scotland, don’t just stay where the cities are. Go see the great lochs, the rugged cliffs and the rolling pastures. It doesn’t matter where exactly you choose to go, because in this case, the journey is way better than the destination.