Photography

Photo of the Week: Hiatus

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20161208_210800-ANIMATIONMilford Sound, New Zealand

Why, hello there! I’ve been gone for awhile, but I swear, I have a good reason.  We were road tripping around New Zealand in our campervan for 3 weeks driving from Auckland to Queenstown.  I am still sorting through my notes and photos, but can’t wait to share our experience with you guys. 

Every week, I’ll share a photo with you from my adventures around the world and at home.  Most of my photos have little or no post processing.  If you would like to see more, please click the Follow button.

Trip Report: Singapore and Kuala Lumpur

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Our travel story usually begins with a cheap flight, and this one is no different.  A year ago, we saw a huge sale for flights from NYC to Singapore over the Labor Day weekend for only $550 USD.  Since we hadn’t been to Singapore before, and the timing worked out, we jumped at this opportunity. Once we started planning the trip, and realized that Kuala Lumpur was only a hop and a skip away, it made sense to combine the trips. Continue reading →

Photo of the Week: Walled-City

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IMG_8359San Juan, Puerto Rico

San Juan is Puerto Rico’s capital and largest city, founded in 1509. Its convenient location on the Atlantic coast makes it one of the busiest harbors in the Caribbean. The charming city is full of colorful colonial architecture and massive fortresses that overlook the Atlantic ocean. The layered defenses of forts, ramparts, and cannons have guarded the walled city for centuries. 

Every week, I’ll share a photo with you from my adventures around the world and at home.  Most of my photos have little or no post processing.  If you would like to see more, please click the Follow button.

Day Trip from Kuala Lumpur: Batu Caves

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The magnificent Batu Caves are one of the most popular tourist attractions in Malaysia.  They are considered the most important Hindu temple outside of India, dedicated to Lord Murugan, a Hindu deity. Thousands of devotees and tourists from around the world make the pilgrimage to the caves each day, especially during the annual Hindu festival Thaipusam, that usually falls in late January/early February. The limestone forming the cathedral-like cave is said to be around 400 million years old. 

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6 Things to do in Kuala Lumpur

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Kuala Lumpur was added to our itinerary when we found out that it was only a short flight from Singapore.  It didn’t hurt that there are also frequent and cheap flights between the two cities.  We decided that a two day trip was just enough time to visit the Petronas Towers and to get a quick taste of the city.  Compared to the high-costs in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur is a great destination for budget travel, with cheap food and reasonably priced accommodations. Continue reading →

Photo of the Week: Contrast

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IMG_20140321_025820273_HDRDubai, UAE

During our long weekend trip to Dubai a few years ago, we stayed at Le Meridian Mina Seyahi, a beachfront resort located right in the heart of the city.  A few minutes of walking from our hotel room brought us to the crystal clear water of the Persian Gulf, where we could look straight through the water and see many tiny fishes.  Another interesting feature about the beach is the fact that you can look up behind you and see the skyscrapers of Dubai in the background.  This picture perfectly captured that contrast between the laid back beach vibes and the sleek tall buildings of the modern city nearby.

Every week, I’ll share a photo with you from my adventures around the world and at home.  Most of my photos have little or no post processing.  If you would like to see more, please click the Follow button.

Eating in Kuala Lumpur

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In Kuala Lumpur, we continued our eating streak, fitting in 4-5 meals a day. I’m not kidding. We started early in the morning each day, and we ate all the way until night, and repeat. It’s probably a good thing that KL is a big place and we got to walk around between meals to help digest the food.

When it comes to eating out, there is a great variety of cuisine in Kuala Lumpur, all for very affordable prices. The food reflects the ethnic mix of the local population with a vibrant mix of Malay, Chinese, and Indian with influences from across South East Asia. Malaysia is known for its love of rich flavors and generous use of spices and ingredients such as coconut milk, lemon grass, kaffir lime, tamarind, ginger and galangal. When it comes to spices, few foods illustrate this as well as the national dish – Laksa. Continue reading →

Photo of the Week: Nightscape

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IMG_6452Hong Kong, China

One of my favorite views of Hong Kong is from the top of Victoria Peak. The Peak, as it’s known locally, is the most popular tourist attraction in the city. From this vantage point, you can see the glittering panoramic view of the harbor, lit up by the surrounding skyscrapers. To get to the top you can either take the Peak Tram or a bus. The tram is more fun and a shorter direct trip to the top, but due to the high demand the wait to get on can take hours.  The bus is cheaper with less waiting, but the ride up the mountain can take about an hour.  Either option is not too appealing, but if it’s your first time in the city, this view is not to be missed.  

Every Monday of each week, I’ll share a photo with you from my adventures around the world and at home.  Most of my photos have little or no post processing.  If you would like to see more, please click the ‘Follow’ button.

Hotel Review: Marina Bay Sands

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During our frequent travels around the world, we have stayed at both low end and high end hotels.  Often, we tend to stick to either Starwood or Hilton properties where we have the status and points.  Once in a while however, we do venture out of our comfort zone and stay at new places.  When we started planning the Singapore trip, I knew right away that I wanted to stay at the Marina Bay Sands, the hotel with the famous pool on the roof.

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Photo of the Week: Eiffel Tower

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IMG_4299Paris, France

This photo, taken from the top of the Arc de Triomphe while looking down the tree-lined Avenue d’Léna with the Eiffel Tower in the distance perfectly epitomizes the city of Paris for me. The location of the monument at the center of the Place Charles de Gaulle, makes it the perfect lookout to admire this beautiful city.  From here you can see all the way down the Champs-Élysées as well as many other notable landmarks around the city.  The Arc de Triomphe was erected to honor all the soldiers who fought and died for France in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars.

Every Monday of each week, I’ll share a photo with you from my adventures around the world and at home.  Most of my photos have little or no post processing.  If you would like to see more, please click the ‘Follow’ button.