Pase del Niño is considered the largest parade in Latin America, depicting the journey of Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem. This year, it was estimated that 200,000 viewers watched from the sidewalks, rooftops and balconies, with as many as 50,000 participants. At the start of the day, there was a mass on the morning of […]
Dinosaurs!
Dear Friends Wishing everyone Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year. We’re back in Cuenca, Ecuador for the holidays and working on a new project during our retirement years. This post is a bit different from our normal blog posts, since it does not involve travel. Instead, this announces our new business venture — publishing […]
Nepal 1 – Katmandu and Chitwan National Park
After touring India, we looked at options to explore other countries in this region. We decided to explore Nepal, which was less than 2 hours away by air, direct from New Dehli to Katmandu, and the gateway to Bhutan. Our good friend Judy had spent a month in Katmandu decades ago and raved about her […]
India 13 – Sasan-Gir Wildlife Sanctuary in Gujarat
The wildlife sanctuary, San Gir, in Gir National Park in Gujarat is home to the last Asiatic Lions in the wild, with approximate 674 remaining as of March 2074. Less than 20% of the sanctuary is accessible to tourists, so many of the leopards and lions were still hidden deep in the jungle. There are […]
India 6 – Ranthambore Bengal Tiger
Seeing a Royal Bengal Tiger in the wild, a fantasy or reality? At the Ranthambore National Park Tiger Reserve near Jaipur, we spotted our first wild tiger by sheer luck and Mehmet’s lucky bangles. After three 3-hour game drives, we had all given up since the park closed in 30 minutes. Our guide got a […]
Bolivia 6 – Parade & Finale
The Republic of Bolivia was founded in 1825. Although Spanish is the official language, there are also 36 Indigenous languages that are officially recognized. The indigenous people felt they were being ignored by the country’s political leaders, and it is estimated there are between 40-70% of the 12 million population are indigenous and minorities. In […]
Bolivia 4 – Flamingos, Trains and Night Sky
When arranging our trip to Bolivia, we had two major photographic goals — the mirror scenes on the salt flats, and flamingos in the high desert lagoons. We never got the mirror images we envisioned, due to the current drought in Bolivia. Flamingos though, were a different matter! We have chased flamingos across many countries. […]
Peru – Lake Titicaca
Lake Titicaca is a UNESCO heritage site and is the highest navigable fresh water lake in the world at an elevation (12,507′). It is also the largest lake in South America, bordering Peru and Bolivia. There are an estimated 70 – 114 small floating islands, with the bulk scattered in the shallow depths of the […]
Peru – Arequipa
We have visited Peru on four occasions in the past, but never made it to Arequipa, Colca Canyon nor Lake Titicaca, so we decided to make that a destination this time. On our drive from Arequipa (a UNESCO heritage site dubbed the White City), we saw this flying saucer shaped cloud hovering near the Misti […]
Video – Living in Ecuador as an Expat
Since joining the Eyes of Hawaii photography club in Honolulu, several people were asking me about what it was like to live in Ecuador. Being a photography club, I decided the best way to explain it was by creating a slide show / video for them. In looking over our photographic resources from our living […]