cathedral

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Responsibility in the Outdoors

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We seek the great outdoors not to escape life, but for life not to escape us...

As the nations start opening up, there is a yearning in all of us to escape to the great outdoors, and gain a little bit of sanity that we may have lost over the last few weeks. But as you do spread out to wilderness areas all over, make sure you enjoy the outdoors responsibly. WTA, one of my favorite outdoor stewards, has compiled a helpful list here:

  1. While passing people on trail, give space to others, and give way to the opposite direction

  2. Pack in and pack out: trailheads are likely not serviced so avoid using the restrooms if you can. And if you really need to attend nature's calls, carry a small shovel and be prepared

  3. Leave no trace: take only memories and leave only footprints

  4. Avoid crowded trailheads: there is more of the outdoors to explore.

  5. And if you are sick, please stay away from where people might congregate

When I traveled around in Germany a few years earlier, I was struck by how quickly I could get from the busy urban areas to the beautiful outdoors. Having that balance of nature and nurture certainly improves mental well-being, and increases appreciation of what life is all about.

Germany

Down but not out

You can cut all the flowers but you cannot keep Spring from coming.

It has been a tumultuous week in the world with two major mass shooting incidents in either corners of the world, New Zealand and Netherlands.

New Zealand has been one of my favorite countries to travel to. To have such a tragedy befall it, especially in Christchurch which has already seen so much pain, is disheartening.

But if I know anything, it is that the Kiwis have some of the strongest hearts and minds. And while their spirits might be down momentarily, I am sure they'll rise up to the occasion, coming together as a community and society, unifying in their collective wisdom. I do wish the best for them, and hope they emerge stronger than before.

They may be down, but their spring will come again.

Lake Tekapo

Canterbury New Zealand

Perched in the Clouds

It was an atmospheric day when I went about on the numerous ferries that plied between a trifecta of villages in Lago Como, a jewel of a lake set amidst the foothills of the Italian Alps. Being part of the trans-alpine route, the shorelines have been dotted with human civilization for generations. Villages with cobblestone streets and red-tile roofed slopes surrounding ancient chapels have now transpired to quaint tourist towns replete with restaurants faring local cuisines and souvenirs selling the ubiquitous magnets of this region, promising imagery quite unlike what I was witnessing.

The pristine blues that is the highlight of this lake was now a murky grey: brooding grey waters under a dull grey sky. The beauty of this lake, while dulled, was still spectacular. For from behind these quaint villages rose steep cliffs rising up to the grey clouds. Fog drifted in and about, smothering the chalky white limestone cliffs. A lonely chapel appeared in a clearing, clinging to the cliffs, an odd sight amidst the rugged and dramatic terrain. I watched this as the ferry slowly drifted away, the scene slowly fading to nothingness as the fog moved in once again.

Menaggio
Lombardy Italy

 

 

Holy Light

I have been duly impressed by the awe-inspiring cathedrals of continental Europe, with their dazzling architecture inside and out, their intricate inlays, beautiful frescoes and colorful stained-glass windows, and had been hard-pressed to find something equivalent on the other side of the Atlantic. That held true until I visited the beautiful Notre Dame of Montreal.
Ornate documentation and vibrant colors add life to a rectangular floorplan lacking a nave and transept, while complex woodwork in the pulpit and the altar showcase the creative strengths the original designer. It was a memorable experience to wander around the peaceful cathedral, admiring the showmanship of its creators.

Montreal
QC, Canada

Adventures in Travel

Wandering through the narrow and crooked cobblestone streets of a old city, with the Gothic architecture of the cathedral playing hide-and-seek with my camera, I began to wonder what is it that drives me to travel, and in search of new adventures. And after a lot of introspection, I realized that, it is not the popularity of the destination that draws me out there, but rather the journey I hope to have there.

I experienced this time and again, from the 4-day hike through the Colombian rain-forests in Parque Tayrona, to exploring hidden valleys and mountaintops in the Black Forest of Germany, and navigating the innumerable fjords in Westfjords of Iceland. As well as in the crooked cobblestone streets of Strasbourg, with the Gothic architecture of the cathedral playing hide-and-seek with my camera.

Strasbourg
France