Vagabond

Today's challenge was to photograph an interpretation of my favourite indulgence or guilty pleasure.

I've been bitten by the travel bug. Not a nibble or nip but a chomp! I'm full of wanderlust and while I have had the opportunity to travel a little here and there, I'm ready to make travelling not a hobby but rather make it my lifestyle. Inspired by the television show "Departures" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93Bl4zDenjg&feature=player_embedded) seeing the world and experiencing all it has to offer is the number one thing on my bucket list of things to do before I die. I love learning about cultures, religions and way of life and want to experience it first hand. I'd love to be able to experience the ruins of Sigiriya in Sri Lanka or endure the harsh temperatures of Russia in the winter (I'm sure the vodka would keep me warm) or hike through the Amazon rainforest or soak up the warm sun on the beaches of Rio De Janeiro in Brazil. Other places I'd love to see: Vietnam, Indonesia, Mongolia, Australia, New Zealand, Madagascar, India, Chile, The Antarctic and Korea (both North and South).

Now if I could only find a pair of pants with pockets deep enough to hold all the money I'd need to accomplish this dream and I'd be all set!

Mags.

Ornamental Orchids

Today's challenge was to make a photograph with soft light and to try to almost totally eliminate shadows on the subject.

I recently travelled to Costa Rica where I fell in love with the lush vegetation. Costa Rica has an astonishing number of plants, and people are drawn from all over the world to see the beautiful flowers that grow there. Of special interest to many are the numerous variety of Orchids. In fact, the National flower, Cattleya Skinneri (known locally as the "guaria morada" ), is a species of Orchid. 

The best time of the year for orchids in Costa Rica in the wild is just as the rainy season is starting up with the first scant rains. Many of the orchids in nature are triggered into their blooming cycle at that time. There are more than 1300 recognized species of orchids in Costa Rica. Some are small, some large, many are quite showy. Many have amazing scents or perfumes, along with a few that smell truly unpleasant. If you ever have the opportunity to visit Costa Rica, bring your nose along. You will be intrigued at the variety of odors the various orchid species can emit.

I purchased this unique hand-carved vase made of Mango wood in the small town of Lafortuna. Sadly, I couldn't bring a REAL orchid back with me so I just placed a "faux" one in the vase until a nice real one can be found.

Mags.

Pura Vida!

August 1, 2010

From the minute we were picked up at the airport, until the minute we were dropped off, "Pura Vida" was an expression we were taught and used on a daily basis several times a day. 

Pura vida literally means "pure life", but the meaning is closer to "full of life", "purified life", "this is living!", "going great", or "cool!" It can be used both as a greeting and a farewell, to express satisfaction, or to politely express indifference when describing something. The phrase has become widely known; this highly flexible statement has been used by many Costa Ricans since 1956. Some foreigners view the phrase as an expression of a leisurely lifestyle, of disregard for time, and of wanton friendliness. However, Costa Ricans use the phrase to express a philosophy of strong community, perseverance, resilience in overcoming difficulties with good spirits, enjoying life slowly, and celebrating good fortune of magnitudes small and large alike. 

As our plane took off from the tiny airport, I looked down with sadness as I left the beauty behind. I thought of this expression and what it meant. As I prepare myself for reality, I know the daily stresses of life will soon rear it's ugly little head again. With perseverance, a positive attitude and learning to relax and enjoy life more, I hope to adopt this phrase and incorporate it into my daily life......

PURA VIDA!

Mags.

Turquoise Jewel

July 31, 2010

On our final night in Costa Rica, I had the opportunity to shoot a photo of the pool at night. I loved the way the lights shine in the pool making the pool water seem jewel-like and magical in the dark.

Mags.

Monkey Business

July 30, 2010

Another early morning, another full day of adventure. This time, we went to Palo Verde National park where we took a boat ride along the Tempisque River, which borders the 45, 000 acre park, and flows into the Gulf of Nicoya. The Gulf is a habitat that encompasses fresh and brackish waters, surrounded by a mixed deciduous forest, gallery forest and golden brown savannahs. 

It was during our boat travels that we came across many different species of birds, iguanas, lizards and monkeys. While the Howler monkey's are cute and make unique noises, I fell in love with the White Faced Capuchin monkeys. However, I don't believe this alpha male fell in love with us.....he became quite aggravated and started throwing branches and leaves at us until we decided to move along. Cranky pants? Perhaps he was annoyed because we disturbed him during his mid-day nap. Nonetheless, he was adorable and I wanted to take him home with me........

Mags.

Thrills, Chills and Spills........

July 29, 2010

Today was another 5:45 a.m. start as we prepared to head off and partake in the "Mega Combo" adventure. We were driven to the Buena Vista resort about three hours away from our resort. At just over 2460 feet (750 metres) above sea level, this property is close to the Rincon de la Vieja volcano and provided a breathtaking view of todays adventures.

We started off zip lining through the transitional forest, with 12 stations and a hanging bridge. Once completed, we hiked through the forest to get to the top of a 1400 foot water slide down the side of a mountain. After lunch, we rode horses an hour through the forest up and down some pretty steep hills and ended the day at a Spa where we sweated in a steam room, caked ourselves in volcanic mud, showered to wash it off and relaxed in the mineral hot spring pools in the middle of the forest....whew....what an exhausting day!

Mags.

Tamarindo Treasures

July 28, 2010

Today was my birthday and as per usual, it rained buckets. But I didn't let that stop my fun! Guy surprised me with some champagne and chocolate covered strawberries in the afternoon and later on that night, a birthday cake complete with the staff singing "Happy Birthday" in spanish......

In the afternoon, I took a quick (but bumpy) cab ride into Tamarindo to peruse the shops for some unique finds. Sadly, every shop seemed to carry the same tacky souvenirs but I did quite enjoy the character and colours of the shops and enjoyed watching all the barefoot surfers stroll around town with their surf boards in tow.... I wanted to take a stroll on the beach in hopes of capturing one of the infamous sunsets, unfortunately, the rain came pouring down and dusk had started to come and as we were warned, walking along the beach in Tamarindo at night wasn't the safest thing to do....All in all, I enjoyed the sights, smells and sounds that the small town had to offer.......

Mags.

Arenal Adventure

July 27, 2010

Today started off bright and early at 5:45 am ( I thought I could sleep in on my vacation?) as we were picked up at 6:30 a.m. by our tour guide who was going to take us on an adventure that would include visiting a volcano, hiking through the rain forest and relaxing at a hot springs. 

It was difficult to choose a picture for today as there were so many great ones taken. I chose this one since it's a unique one..... Unique in the sense that it is very rare to see the top of the volcano. Usually, it's covered in clouds but thanks to the heavy downpour we experienced while hiking in the rainforest, the clouds were pushed away for a few moments and we were able to capture some great shots. 

Located in Costa Rica's northwestern area, in the province of Alajuela, the Arenal volcano is considered to be a young volcano and is the most active one in the country. It's also unique in the sense that it has two craters....the one on the left side is the older crater of the two and isn't as active as the one on the right, thus lush vegetation is able to be grown on one side. On the right hand side, we can see that it remains very rocky . A few minutes after this photo was taken, the clouds rolled in and covered the volcano top again.

Mags.

Bold and Bodacious

July 26, 2010

What do I love most about Costa Rica? There are many things , but one of the things that tops my list are the pops of colours found amongst the lush green foliage. I'm not sure what the name of this colourful beauty is called but I loved the tiny multi-coloured blooms that make up this flower.

Mags.

Mary Iguana

July 25, 2010

We got up early to explore the resort and walk along the rocky beach. The weather was beautiful (hot and HUMID) and the sun was shining brightly. Guy became rock lobster red after being out a half hour or so in the sun (Costa Rica is only 9 degrees away from the equator and the sun is a scorcher!) so we decided to take it easy in the afternoon and hang out poolside under the shade of the palapas. As I drifted into a little afternoon siesta, I was startled by a little scream. A woman was running past my chaise freaking out in spanish. I sat up to see what all the commotion was all about. And there she was.....sunning herself in the sun, Mary Iguana was out in all her glory as if to say "Here I am! Take some photos of me!" I'm not sure if she is really a she or a he, but, the iguana seemed to really like having her photo taken......

Mags.

And We're Off..........

July 24, 2010

The long awaited day has finally arrived........time to leave on vacation! This shot was taken as we were sitting at the gate watching our plane arriving to take us to Costa Rica! The beginning of the trip started off a bit tumultuous. As we were getting ready to leave, the pilot informed us that one of the engines wasn't working and couldn't be fixed. They towed us back to the gate, unloaded our luggage and sent us to a gate at the opposite end of the terminal to board another flight. After an hour and a half delay, we were on a new plane and on our way!

Just over 5 hours later, we touched down in Liberia, Costa Rica. As we stood in line at customs, we could spot the luggage going around on the carousel. Mine, however, was pulled off the carousel and I noticed that my suitcase was wide open with clothes strewn on the floor. What a fantastic way to start the voyage!

Mags.

The Glass City

Yesterday, I travelled to the Big Bad City to meet a few friends for dinner and drinks. Anyone who knows me knows I love the city. I love the concrete jungle, the hustle and bustle of people, the constant activities that have the city buzzing. I love trying out the swanky restaurants, peering into the unique boutiques and watching all the weirdos go by. This is the view from my friend's office window and shows a great depiction of all the glass used in the office towers, condos and hotels that make up this fantastic city. I love how the mirrored building reflects other buildings in the surrounding area.

 

Mags.

Hidden In Suburbia

After not having a lot of photo opportunities yesterday, I was dying to get out today and shoot pics with some new toys I recently picked up. I wasn't motivated by anything around me so I took a trip to Loafers Lake for a walk around. It's sad that I've never experienced this little gem of a park hidden in the suburban city I live in. Although the weather was hot, hazy and humid, we spent a good hour and a half walking the trails and I managed to capture some great shots. It was hard to decide which one to use. This conservation area was quite green in colour and I've vowed to return in the fall when the leaves are changing colour. This shot was captured in a marshy section of the lake. I was getting eaten by mosquitos (which I'm sure I'll pay for dearly later); however, thought it was a good shot with the reflection of the trees from the other side of the lake.

Mags.

Countdown.............

MAY 6, 2010

What started off as a cool, rainy and crappy day turned out to be a decent day as Guy and I went out shopping for camera accessories and priced out some new "toys" to add to our collection. After leaving one store, I heard the roar of an airplane and looked up only to see the underside of a gianormous plane directly overhead of us. Since I had "the good camera" with us, we decided to go to an abandoned parking lot a little closer to the airport directly in the flight path of the incoming flights.

While waiting for the planes to approach, I would wonder where these flights were coming from and what adventures the passangers would have to tell. Traveling has always been one of my favourite pastimes and flying (especially to my destination) has always been one of the highlights of my trips.

Hmmmmmm, 47 days, 18 hours and 30 minutes before we embark on our next far-away adventure.....but hey.....who's counting?!?

Mags.

Tribal Treasures

MAY 4, 2010

Willy The Wine Stopper is a treasured holiday  trinket that was passed down to me by my grandparents (well, actually, truth be told, I took it from their liquor cabinet after they had passed away in 2004).    It's a simple token that reminds me of them and their love to travel (I secretly think this is where I get my  wanderlust from).   Intricately detailed, this little guy  is originally from Hawaii and, if  I am reading the carving on the backside correctly, appears to have been brought over into Canada in 1992.  It wards any evil spirits away with it's scary/constipated look chiseled on his face while protecting the contents of my decanted red wine.

Mags.