Saturday, April 6: The WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge is Color. Splashed on the walls of cities, in batches of flowers in gardens, in the doodles of students, and on the palettes of artists, color is everywhere: it may represent our mood, and it can affect our mood. In photography, you can use a spectrum of colors to bring a place to life, or focus on a single shade to make a bold statement. Conversely, you can shoot in black-and-white or remove color in editing mode for a different effect.
In a new post created specifically for this challenge, share a picture in which color takes center stage.
Click on any of the pictures below for a full-sized slide show.
Sweets in Istanbul, Turkey
Pokhara, Nepal
the flower market in Istanbul, Turkey
Yarn in Kathmandu, Nepal
Paintings by Omani students
Gloves in Kathmandu, Nepal
a colorful carriage buggy in Kathmandu, Nepal
Flowers in Crete, Greece
lamps in Istanbul, Turkey
Paper lanterns in Kathmandu, Nepal
more colorful boats in Pokhara, Nepal
Street art in Rethymno, Crete
delicate flowers on the University of Nizwa campus
Paintings of Oman
Flowers on the University of Nizwa campus
colorful boats in Pokhara, Nepal
Colorful doors and bedding in Kathmandu, Nepal
colorful socks in Kyoto, Japan
More paintings by Oman
Finally, in honor of South Korea, which is having a few problems with its bellicose northern neighbor right now, here are some colorful lanterns from a lantern festival in Seoul.
colorful lanterns at a lantern festival in Seoul, South Korea
Let’s hope everyone takes a deep breath and tries to diplomatically solve the problems between North and South Korea.
Katmandu, I’ll soon be touchin’ you And your strange bewilderin’ time Will hold me down
~ Cat Stevens: “Katmandu”
The day after my boys left Oman, on Saturday, January 12, the University finally announced that IF we worked REALLY hard invigilating final exams and marking papers during this week, we would get a semester break from January 17-25. I have been waiting for this announcement and was about to give up hope that we would get a break at all. I had researched 6 places I was thinking about going if we got a chance to escape: Sri Lanka, Prague, Kathmandu, Casablanca, Beirut and Zanzibar. When it came to decision time, Kathmandu had the best price, the shortest flight, and the promise of cool, but not freezing, weather. So, on Sunday, I booked a ticket to Nepal for 166 Omani Rials ($432). I fly out tomorrow at 12:45 p.m.
I recently read one of Pico Iyer’s travel essays from Video Night in Kathmandu: Nepal: The Quest Becomes a Trek, which, inspired me to visit Nepal, much as his Lady and the Monk inspired me to visit Kyoto, Japan in January 2011.
My colleague, Mona Lisa, spent several months in Nepal and loved it. She highly recommended the Kathmandu Guest House (Kathmandu Guest House), so I promptly arranged to stay there. I downloaded to my Kindle the Rough Guide to Nepal and Lonely Planet Nepal and started reading. I have not had time to do any planning, but Mona Lisa stocked me up with trekking essentials (which I’m not sure I’ll use since I don’t plan to do any long overnight treks), a city map, a walking stick, and miscellaneous other essentials. She also sent me the link to some Tibetan incantations, music that will soothe my soul in Kathmandu, music that she says I will hear everywhere on the capital’s streets, music that captures the soul of the place.
Another colleague, Zida, told me she hated Kathmandu because of the filth, pollution and chaos, but she highly recommended Pokhara, which she says is stunning. I think the Kathmandu Guest House will help me book a flight to Pokhara, home of Phewa Lake, Mt. Machhapuchhare and Annapurna.
I really have no plan and have no idea what to expect. But I hope to bring home many beautiful pictures!!
If you care to follow my trip to Nepal, please follow me on: catbird in south asia. I won’t be posting about my trip on this blog. 🙂
