travel theme: ripples

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Oman, South Korea, travel theme

Monday, June 24:  Ailsa Where’s my backpack? of challenges us this week to come up with Ripples.  Here’s my first choice, from a pond on top of Jebel Akhdar, a pond full of croaking and mating frogs.

ripples in a frog-filled pond on Jebel Akhdar

Wadi Arbiyyin is one of the most peaceful spots I have found in Oman.  I’m sorry I never got to swim in this gently-rippling pond.

ripples in Wadi Arbiyyin

And this was taken on an island in South Korea, Geoje-si, on a windy day at a place called Windy Hill.  I love what a breeze does to a body of water and ornamental grasses.  (Inspired by being mrscarmichael: Travel Theme (Ripples))

ripples of water and ornamental grasses in Geoje-si, South Korea (inspired by mrs. carmichael)

travel theme: pathways

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Japan, Nepal, Oman, South Korea, travel theme, Turkey

Sunday, May 26:  Ailsa’s Travel Theme this week is Pathways.  I’ve seen many beautiful pathways in my travels around the world.

Path of Bamboo in Arashiyama, near Kyoto, Japan

path through Ihlara Canyon in Cappadocia, Turkey

path through Suncheon Bay Ecological Park in South Korea

snow-covered path through Gongju, South Korea

Many people use the aflaj in Oman as pathways. This one is at Wadi Bani Khalid in Oman.

Pathway of enlightenment ~ leading to a Buddhist temple in Pokhara, Nepal

a pathway along a farmer’s field in Pokhara, Nepal

pathway through Little Petra in Jordan

travel theme: the four elements

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travel theme

Sunday, May 19: Ailsa of Where’s my backpack? challenges us this week to come up with “an homage to earth, air, water and fire.”

For earth, what else can I post but the mountains of Oman?  Because they’re usually vegetation-free, they’re considered a geologist’s heaven.  Here are the mountains that make up the sides of Wadi Ghul.

the rock-solid earth at Wadi Ghul

One evening, at Dana Nature Reserve in Jordan, the air looked quite unstable and threatening.

Air at Dana Nature Reserve in Jordan

Water filled Santorini’s caldera after the volcano erupted some 3600 years ago at the height of the Minoan civilization.  This was the site of one of the largest volcanic eruptions in recorded history.   Now it is one of the most peaceful and serene places you can imagine, except for the tourists.

water ~ the Mediterranean at Santorini’s caldera

And fire has destructive power, but also provides much-needed warmth on a cold night in Kathmandu, Nepal.

fire at New Orleans Cafe in Kathmandu, Nepal

travel theme: beaches

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travel theme

Saturday, May 11: Ailsa’s Travel Theme for this week is Beaches. Here are some beaches I’ve encountered in my travels.

Let’s start at the beginning.  Here is the beach of my childhood, on the York River in Yorktown, Virginia.  I spent many of my teenage years hanging out with my friends on this beach.

Yorktown Beach with the York River Bridge in the background. This is my hometown.

In general, I prefer deserted, quiet, peaceful and unpopulated beaches, NOT beaches packed with people and umbrellas and chairs and tents and inner tubes like Guryongpo Beach near Pohang, South Korea or Patong Beach in Phuket, Thailand.  Most beaches in South Korea are crowded, as Korea is a tiny country with a huge population of 48 million people.  Haeundae Beach in Busan is nice enough in early April, when this picture was taken, but it’s usually quite crowded.

the crowded Guryongpo Beach near Pohang, South Korea

another crowded beach in Phuket, Thailand

Haeundae Beach in Busan, South Korea

It’s not so bad if the beach is set up with mostly EMPTY beach chairs and umbrellas, like this beach in Plakias, Crete, Greece.  At least it’s on the Mediterranean, and what could be better than that?

Plakias Beach, Crete, Greece

Plakias Beach in Crete, Greece

Sometimes it’s nice to hang out at a hotel beach, like this beach at Shangri-La Resort near Muscat, Oman. It has a huge pool and a lazy river, so you can dip in the fresh water and wash off the salt and sand from time to time.

Beach at the Shangri-la Resort near Muscat, Oman

Beach at the Shangri-la Resort near Muscat, Oman

Some beaches in Oman are quite deserted or are used mainly by fishermen.  Every time I’ve been to these beaches, they’ve been so extremely hot, I don’t find them enjoyable.  Some of the beaches are so deserted they’re used only by campers.

As Sifah Beach near Muscat, Oman

Omani fisherman at Al Musanaah Beach, Oman

Seashells on the beach at Al Musanaah in Oman

a deserted beach where people camp on the east coast of Oman

This beach on the Dead Sea in Jordan is quite small, and it’s really impossible to swim in the water because of the high salt content.  No matter what you do, you end up in a position like you are sitting in an armchair, with your arms, legs and head floating on the water’s surface.  Only your rear end sinks in the water.

beach at the Dead Sea in Jordan

Some beaches are just little strips of sand situated on a lake shore, like this beach at Lake Langano, Ethiopia.

a small beach at Lake Langano, Ethiopia

Luckily, there are some picture-perfect beaches like Sangju “Silver Sand” Beach in South Korea.

Sangju “Silver Sand” Beach in South Korea

Sangju “Silver Sand” Beach, South Korea

To see more beaches, check out Where’s my backpack? Travel Theme: Beaches.

travel theme: light

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Muscat, Nepal, Oman, Travel, travel theme

Saturday, April 27: Ailsa’s travel theme for this week (Where’s my backpack?) is light.  Here is light in its many manifestations.

Come forth into the light of things, let nature be your teacher. ~ William Wordsworth

Light over the Annapurna Range at sunrise in Pokhara, Nepal

Light in a cafe in Udaipur, India

Lantern at Kargeen, Muscat, Oman

Every moment of light and dark is a miracle. ~ Walt Whitman

Light at the mosque in Abu Dhabi, UAE

Lights in Mutrah Harbor, Muscat, Oman

Lights in the vending machines in Kyoto, Japan

Warmth and light in the New Orleans Cafe, Kathmandu, Nepal

Lanterns in Istanbul, Turkey

Lanterns in Istanbul, Turkey

Lanterns in Kyoto, Japan

Lantern at La Mer, Muscat, Oman

Qurum Beach, Muscat, Oman

Light in the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque

Give light, and the darkness will disappear of itself. ~ Desiderius Erasmus

travel theme: pale

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Oman, travel theme

Saturday, April 6: By happenstance, Ailsa of Where’s my backpack? came up with a counterpoint to the Weekly Photo Challenge of Color this week.  She challenges us to come up with photos highlighting Pale.  She writes: Bright and colorful photos can be show stoppers, but sometimes the palest of photographs can capture the imagination.

Pale grasses at Suncheon Bay, South Korea

pale star-like flowers on Jebel Akhdar

pale onion plants in Wekan, Oman

pale plant in Wekan, Oman

pale flowers in Wekan, Oman

impatiens in Bahla, Oman

travel theme: bridges

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Oman, Travel, travel theme

Saturday, February 23:  Ailsa’s travel theme for this week (Where’s my backpack?) is BRIDGES.

This weekend in our Thursday explorations of Oman, we came upon this bridge over some wetlands in Al Amerat.

A new bridge over the wetlands near Al Amerat

reflections of the bridge from the underside

wetlands and the other side of the bridge

travel theme: shadows

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travel theme

Saturday, February 2: Ailsa’s Travel Theme for this week is Shadows.  She writes: Today, February 2nd, groundhogs all around the US will be shuffling out of their burrows to predict the weather. Legend has it that if it is sunny and the groundhog sees his shadow, he will return to his burrow and there will be six more weeks of winter. If it is cloudy and no shadow appears, spring promises to be just around the corner. The most famous of these groundhogs is a dapper little fellow by the name of Punxsutawney Phil from Punxsutawney Pennsylvania, made famous by one of my favourite Bill Murray comedies, Groundhog Day (Where’s my backpack?).

To celebrate shadows on this Groundhog Day in my home country, here are two pictures of date palm shadows in Birkat al Mouz, Oman.

shadows of date palms next to the large falaj at Birkat al Mouz

shadows at angles from date palms

 

travel theme: multiples

Sunday, January 6:  The travel theme for this week, by way of Ailsa of Where’s my backpack?, is multiples. She challenges us to: Go forth and multiply find multiples to photograph.

This picture was taken just outside Camp Al Areesh Desert Camp in Sharqiya Sands in Oman.

multiples of camels near Sharqiya Sands

And at Mutrah souq, here is a display of kummar, the intricately embroidered cap worn by Omani men.

multiples of kummar…

travel theme: festive

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travel theme

Friday, December 21:  Well, today the world was supposed to end, but here we are, still alive and kicking.  That is certainly a cause for festivity.  Since I live in a Muslim country and there are no holiday festivities to speak of, and since it is hot here even now, I’m having a hard time getting into a festive holiday mood.  However, Ailsa of Where’s my backpack? challenges us to come up with some festive photos.

Wednesday evening, I was surprised to find some festive decorations in the Sahab Hotel on Jebel Akhdar.

Christmas at the Sahab

Santa dangles from a tree. 🙂

The last time I saw festive decorations for Christmas was in Seoul, South Korea, in December 2010.

Click on any of the images below to see a full-sized slide show.

Happy holidays, everyone!  I hope you have a festive holiday season! 🙂