Junebug

Tien Shan

A narrow trail hugs the rugged hillside of the Tien Shan mountains while a thunderstorm approaches

Goreme Sunset

Sandstone hoodoos at sunset in Goreme, Turkey

Palouse Sunset

Windmills and wheat farms dominate this colorful sunset in Palouse

Eons ago, when I first stepped foot in the US after having lived in a tropical country close to the equator, I was astonished to find the sun shining brightly at 8pm. While many take the long halcyon summer days for granted in the Northern hemisphere, it was a bewildering surprise for me when 6am and 6pm used to mark the boundaries of day and night through the year.

Now, even after almost spending 4 summers in the Pacific Northwest, the 15 hour days still seem a shocker every time summer rolls around. However, for the most part, they make up for the short dreary days of winter. Furthermore, these long days are perfect for traveling, as you seemingly get more time to explore.

As I sit home-bound this June, here are a few memories from the past taken in the long halcyon summer days from around the world.

To the Mountains

Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home; that wildness is a necessity - John Muir

Two years ago, to the day, I found myself staring at the end of a long dirt road weaving by a gushing creek of ice-cold melt-water. Silver-capped mountains gleamed in the distance. My destination for that night was somewhere there, deep amidst the towering peaks in a beautiful valley pine forests, vast open meadows and lush green hills.

That excitement and giddiness of hauling all my clothing and gear up into the mountains apart, it made me wonder why I made the decision of heading to this mountainous heartland of Central Asia. I already knew the answer: I love being amidst the mountains. And that was why I was relocating back to the west coast after that trip, where mountains are not just a dot on a landscape, but a region with innumerable nooks and crannies waiting to be explored and photographed.

I could not think of a better place to enjoy my last few days in this amazing country, for in going to the mountains, I was going home.

Altyn Arashan

Kyrgyzstan

True Love

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The red I seek is not of a rose, but the red alpenglow of a snow-capped peak.
The rose I see is not of a Rosé, but of the pink hues reflecting in a gurgling mountain creek.
The green I seek is not of a lovely salad, but of the vibrant green alpine meadow
The love I seek is not of humankind, but of the great wild outdoors, of towering mountaintops, of glistening lakes, of dramatic glaciers, of lush forests, of unspoilt nature.

This is the love I seek every day, not just during heart day

What's your true love?

Altyn Arashan
Karakol Kyrgyzstan

Storm in the Arashan

It was easy to see why this resort village, the Altyn Arashan, situated at the heart of the Central Tien Shan mountains, was purported to have restorative powers. It was partly the breath-taking surroundings of this pastoral camp, and partly due to the smattering of natural hot-water springs fed by the mineral rich waters of the region. But for me, it was the setting that took my breath away

Dramatic mountain ranges hemmed in V-shaped canyons draped with a patchwork lush green meadows and pristine coniferous forests that crept up the steep slopes on either side. A rough tumbling mud-track paralleled a narrow river carrying gurgling glacial-melt down the mountains, along which lay many traditional yurts and rustic lodges. Hiking and climbing opportunities were abound in this region, with every peak and every valley presenting new adventures.

It was indeed so breathtaking that I chose to spend an extra day here (and would have spent more time here exploring the beautiful landscape were it not for other constraints). And once I got out, I longed to go back to this paradise. And as a farewell, the sky presented this beautiful thunderstorm cell lighting up during sunset. I used a graduated ND filter in this single-exposure image shot at F11 at ISO 200 for 1.3s

Altyn Arashan
Kyrgyzstan