Through the Green Jungle

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I got off the bus and stared at the trail-head - a wooded damp trail threading into the forests; a low layer of fog and rain mired my visibility further. A convenient multilingual sign gave a helpful description of the significance of the pilgrimage, but nothing about the 16km to cover today, nor the terrain I had to go through, or what I would experience. But perhaps that was best left unsaid, as it allowed me to fully be surprised by every single turn of the trail, but every foggy vista, by every pass I submitted, by every creek and cascade I passed by, and by every temple I stood in awe of.

This was the nature of the Kumano Kodo trek, one of the most sacred pilgrimages in the Kii Peninsula in the Honshu island of Japan. I had decided to come here to escape the crowds of the Golden Week, where every resident of Japan seemed to be traveling everywhere. And I was glad I did, for I found peace and solace in quite misty forests of the trek.

This shot was taken at one such place halfway through the first day, where the mist became part of the wonderful verdant greenery that made this trek ever so special.

Nakahechicho
Wakayama Japan

Hobbiton in Black

One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,
One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them

The Lord of the Rings still manages to transport me to an ancient mythical land, replete with magical creatures, primeval woodlands, medieval villages, rustic landscapes and people with character. As much as I wanted such a place to be real, Middle Earth was far away, nothing but a figment of fiction that we create in our minds.

And that was why when I journeyed to Hobbiton, the movie-set-turned-tourist-attraction in Matamata in the North Island of New Zealand, I felt that figment of fiction had been partially realized. The village of Shire was just as one imagine, with circular hobbit holes adorned with beautiful flowering plants set up on the slopes of the rolling hillscape. I almost felt I could enter into Bag End and find Bilbo Baggins going on about his daily routine.

Here is one rendition of Shire on a rather cloudy day. The (fake) oak tree above Bag End formed an imposing backdrop to this impressive testament to set of Hobbiton and Lord of the Rings.

Hobbiton
Waikato, New Zealand

2017 in Review

2018 was an amazing year. Between traveling to seven amazing destinations around the world, completing my second graduate degree and settling down in the Pacific Northwest, this year has been a whirlwind of changes. Here is to hoping that 2018 will be as adventurous as the last for all of you.
From upper left, the locations are
1. Holiday lights in Cartagena, Colombia
2. The blue alleys of Chefchaouen, Morocco
3. The Torii way at Fushimi Inari temple in Kyoto, Japan
4. The Shah-i-Zinda mausoleum ensemble in Samarkhand, Uzbekistan
5. Summer Jailoos in Songkol, Kyrgyzstan
6. The unique rock formation sof Cappadocia, Turkey
7. The misty forests of British Colombia
8. Solar eclipse in Madras, OR
9. El Capitan at Guadalupe Mountains National Park, TX

Its never too late to get my 2018 Calendar. All proceeds go to NRDC and WildAid, two non-profits whose missions I wholly support.

Greys of the Pacific Northwest

It was one of those grey Pacific Northwest days, where the moisture-laden clouds from the Pacific blanket much of the landscape here. I had been hiking through a dense foggy temperate rainforest, hoping for a break and the clouds. But it wasn't until the very top did I break out of the clouds.

Up from that rocky vista point, I spied a beautiful amalgam of the rocky peaks floating above the clouds which had settled in the valleys below, permeating the dense carpet of conifers. The mesmerizing motion of the clouds put me in a trance on that rocky outcrop, and I let time go by despite the long day that was ahead of me. I closed in on one of the rocky slopes that showed the beautiful line of trees indulging the moisture-laden mist.

Garibaldi Provincial Park
BC Canada

Check out my 2018 Photography calendar. All proceeds from the purchase of this calendar go to NRDC and WildAid

The Greens of the Pacific Northwest

Barely 24hrs prior, I was slogging along an uneven ridge on the High Divide in Olympic National Park, with views of Mt Olympus on one side, and an amalgamation of green valleys and mountain ranges leading to the Pacific on the other side. The hot late summer day and the lack of shade made hauling a 35lb pack all the more excruciating, but the scenery more than made up for it.

But the very next day, I found myself in a green haven, hiking through lush vegetation down one of the valleys along a leafy trail that followed the gurgling sounds of a life-giving creek. Tall conifers shared the canopy with vine maples and broad-leaved oaks while the undergrowth was dense with idyllic ferns and vanilla leaves, with huckleberry shrub loaded with juicy ripe berries spread all over.

A few hours in, the sound of rushing water, far more intense than the gurgle, caught my attention. Following it through the undergrowth, I came across this beautiful cascade where the creek wound its way through a leafy canyon. Barely any light filtered through, leading to a soft and mellow scene. It was a welcome respite from the prior twos of hiking in unbearably hot weather.

See this life-size in my 2018 Calendar that you can purchase here. And for a limited time, save 5% using code LULUORDERS5

Olympic National Park
WA USA

Enthralled by Bamboo

Bamboo shoots as tall as skyscrapers, and not just a dozen or two, but a forest of thousands of towering bamboo all arching upwards and forming a canopy of vibrant green fronds that covered the sky. That was the stage at the beautiful Arashiyama Bamboo forest in the outskirts of Kyoto

I felt like a dwarf walking through this forest, enthralled by the hypnotic greenery. And even though I was never far from civilization, the low light and the ephemeral mist made the thicket far more mysterious and eerie. But the crowds thronging the pathway on that late spring day ensured that I would never be far away from people, which made capturing a shot of the greenery quite challenging

This one was a single image shot at F8, ISO 3200 at 1/8s

Arashiyama Bamboo Forest
Kyoto Japan

The Red Dragon

I remember this very special tree, with its gnarled trunk twisting and turning like veins on a human body and ending onto thousands of tiny leaves, donning its beautiful fall coat, appearing very many times on my photo-stream. Every time I came across it, I remember making a pledge to visit the place the following year; but those grand plans never came to fruition.

Until now.

The tree was a Japanese maple tree growing with the confines of the Japanese garden in Portland. And like any other maple tree, its takes on a different form in each of the seasons. But its fall coat is undoubtedly its most prettiest form - its leaves turn a deep red, contrasting beautifully with the moss on its trunk and the surrounding vegetation, a vibrant red dragon dancing in a lush green forest. I decided to squeeze in a day trip from Seattle just to capture this dancing beauty.

Naturally, a tree this popular comes with its own paparazzi (myself included). As the sun slowly crested the trees in the horizon on that late morning, I had to squeeze amidst the swarm of photographers, cameras and tripods to line my camera just right to capture the light filtering through the reddish brown fronds that were slightly past its prime, resulting in this image. I shot this at F18 (for the starburst effect), 1/2s and at ISO 200

Portland
OR USA

Memories of Fall

Vistas of endless fall foliage, miles and miles of roads lined with vibrant yellow and reds, and golden sunlight bursting through the fiery leaves - this was the scene that greet my fellow travelers and I as we made our way through the beautiful Upper Peninsula of Michigan exactly a year ago. I was wary of visiting this destination so late in its fall season, but our journey there was duly rewarded.

I came across this quiet spot while heading down a dusty road leading to the shores of Lake Huron. As we drove, the vegetation encroached closer and closer, encompassing the entire scene, until all that remained was a brown road threading through a mass of yellow. I was enthralled by the peaceful setting - vibrant foliage, fresh wilderness, a lonely forest with nobody around, and the calming sounds of the woodland on its last legs before a desolate winter.

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
MI USA

Eeking out life

Its hard up there in the fringes of a livable ecology. Cold climes, poor soils and rugged terrain make life hard for the flora of this alpine ecosystem. Compound that with a really short growing seasons and with mountain goats and picky humans eager to feed and feast, it is a miracle that this fragile community exists at all. And that is why it is important not to trample this delicate balance during the outdoor adventures in this place.

But more than exist, the vegetation here thrives; during my visit a month ago, I was surprised to see throngs of ripe huckleberry shrub, late blooming daisies and lupines and plenty other wildflowers compete for space in a land dominated by massive glaciated peaks, steep valleys and deep canyons.

Of course it is all under snow know, as proper winter begins in this beautiful alpine terrain. Here's to a generation of montane vegetation growing, budding, flowering, seeding, and setting the stage for the next generation 8 months away.

Mt Baker Snoqualmie National Forest
WA USA

A Forest visit

In the silence, I could hear every twig on my feet, every rustle on the leaf, every squawk by a squirrel, every flutter by a bird, and every beam of sunlight that scintillated through the trees. I stopped, hoping to capture silence, while a minute passed by, and then a few more. I lost track of time as I stood in awe of the dense forest with its mossy green trunks and lush vegetation covering every square inch all around.

It was a late morning in the heart of Olympics National Park, and I was making my way through a temperate rain-forest that is ubiquitous in the eastern lowlands of the park. The yellow sunlight (courtesy of a forest-fire somewhere) lent a warm quality to the green vegetation, making the foliage appear ever so photogenic. I scouted around for a few choice compositions, but the heavy pack and the fact that others in my group were waiting for me to catch up meant that I had to be quick about it. I finally lined up one composition with the sunlight peering through the trees for a starburst effect, which I captured at ISO 3200, 1/5s at F18

Olympic National Park
WA USA