Flowers

I blog to share pictures. Along with pictures, I add verbiage. But the premise of this blog is to share shots that I have taken at different places and at different times. Flowers have a way of bringing emotions. The colors bring out various moods. Happiness, sadness, smiles, anger, etc. When I see flowers, I want to take pictures of them to capture the moods. Can you guess what moods each of the above picture brings out?

Piranhas

When one says or thinks of Amazon, typically they are thinking of one of two things: anaconda and piranhas. No, we did not see anaconda's during our Peru 08 trip, but we did have the pleasure of seeing and catching plenty of Piranhas. By plenty, I mean five/six. I had the honor of catching the most piranha's among our group during our primitive fishing trip on the Amazon. A good ole' simple wooden pole and a line with some chicken wastes for bait, wah lah, piranha's tagged! These palm-sized creatures are the most misunderstood ones. Sure, they have teeth that could chew out some flesh, but not the way humans think. Its a myth that a school of piranha's can eat a human alive. If you had open wound/scabs, sure they can pick at it, but they are not the ferocious creatures they are portrayed to be. Quite misunderstood I would say.

Pictures included are of Amazon and piranhas caught during the Peru 08 trip. The same ones were fried for dinner. Yummy I must say. Bony fish with little flesh but a very tasty light fish.

Pondering moments

Kay thinks in her head, "What the frack does this Indian chick what? Is it not enough that she suckered me into this gruesome Inca trail hike? buzz off brown monkey!"

Oscar, the Inca trail troupe leader ponders, "How could I have forgotten the Auzzie/Brit (Kosta and Alice) in my 8 years as a trail guide? Now, how do I deal with the sick fellow New Yorker(Tyler)"

Amazon river sings a lullaby, "You pass me by each day and yet you don't really see me??"

Dzu thinks, "Now where is the Anaconda so I can take this amazing shot with my kick ass camera? Damn these mosquitoes, they love my Viet blood"

Dzu in his REM sleep "Lomos Soltado, Yum. Whats for dinner? Alpaca? Quinoa soup?"

Pictures say a thousand words! These are a few with my own interpretation of it.

Jumper

There are jumpers and there are JUMPERS. These people on these shots are PRO-JUMPERS! Can you spot the expert? Our friend Patrick Ballesteros (patty cakes) is well known for his verticals. Notice the vertical, his expression, and his poses. When it comes to taking jump shots, I am a newbie. Apparently there is a recipe that one must follow for a successful jump shot pictures. Here it is:

1. Count 1,2
2. Tallest person with the most vertical jumps at 2.5 (so they can hang longer)
3. Shortest person with the least vertical jumps at 2.9 (so they look like they are hanging long)
4. Count 3
5. Press the button and take the shot

After many trials, I finally nailed these shots. Pat adds that one needs to watch the display for everyone to be up in the air before the picture is taken. So its not all counting. Easier said than done. But I am darn well proud of these shots I took at various sites during our Peru 08 trip. Thanks Pat!

Aquaphobia vs Hydrophobia

I cant get a clear confirmation on which of the two words is the official definition of "fear of water". Both seems reasonable. http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=12279 claims that Aqua phobia is it but who is to say that this is really it?

Needless to say, I fear water. I once had a bad experience in Thailand which lead me to this state. Ok, I can't blame Thailand for all of it -- I blame Steven Spielberg for the movie "Jaws". Jokes aside, I really do fear water. I will not venture past my ankle when I go into the ocean. I tried overcoming it by trying River Kayaking but that just made it worse, especially when my kayak flipped and I had to roll it back upright (which by the way I did!). I swim now (only in a clear pool that I can see the bottom) but any style that requires my face to be beneath the water, I panic. That's pretty much every stroke.

Maybe it is not the fear of water but the fear of not knowing the depth of the water and what is inside of it.

I am sure that there are organisms in the ocean who feel the same way about land.

These amazing shots were taken in the Monterrey aquarium in Dec 07. Jelly fish are so therapeutic to look at. They swim in water like an angle dancing in the clouds. The second picture is my desktop wallpaper. Pretty!

The Canyon that is Grand

There is a reason why they call the Grand Canyon, "THE GRAND CANYON". Well, its a Canyon and it is Grand! Duh! During one of our family trips, my parents, brother, and I went to check out the Grand Canyon. We visited the South.Rim (drove from Vegas area thru interstate 8 east) and did not really get a chance to venture below. Having done more nature trips, I am now inclined to camp and hike in the Grand Canyon to really get a feel for its beauty. Something to do soon ...

Viva Italia!!

I said to myself my 30th Birthday that I would travel to one new country each year to explore the world. Additionally, I would try to visit most/all (new and old) the wonders of the world. Italy was one of the destinations! My favorite was Cinque Terre and Venice. Though Rome and Florence had plenty of history, I preferred the "not-so-city" feel of Cinque Terre and Venice. The hazy day in Venice provided splendid shots. People say that Italy charms and mesmerizes you. I agree. The food, the people, the smell, the culture, the history - I was tainted by it all. I will go back there again! Lets just say that after my trip to Italy, I can't seem to enjoy American-Italian food the same way again.

Before and After

Life in Anchorage, Alaska is, erm, lets say different. When I lived there during my teen years, I could not wait to get out of the treacherous state. There was no such thing as a party life (and if there were, I was too busy buried in engineering books to notice anything else), fashion statements (unless you call wearing sweat pants a bold statement), variety in ethnic foods (Chinese food does not count!), etc. It was snow 8 of the 12 months, 3 hours of daylight in winter and 23 hours of daylight in summer. -20F during winters, ding in your car, moose's strolling by your lawn, were just some of the norm. This is Before.

Now in my not-so-teen years, I want to go back to Anchorage, Alaska. Having desired and lived the life in the lower 48, the fascination for a fast-paced life is long gone and now I yearn to be close to my parents and nature. -20F does not seem cold (compared to the Santa Ana heat in San Diego) and I welcome the season's change after a long winter. I cant capture my true feelings in words, but that there is a sense of peace when one is in unison with nature. This is After.

All the above shots are of Cheney Lake, Anchorage, Alaska that I took during various season's/years. Cheney lake is walking distance from my parents place. These were taken before and after fall season. The color changes during the seasons are just spectacular. I have to complete this series with a shot of the lake during winter with the snow!

Shrooms

I have this fascination for shrooms, not the kind that people snort, but the ones that we humans devour and the ones that grow randomly all over the lawn and dead trees. These were taken during my walks around the neighborhood in Anchorage, Alaska.

Acrophobia

I fear heights. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acrophobia. I don't venture doing anything that involves height. It took me a long time to be ok with indoor rock climbing but even today, I cringe during the first few climbs.

Aug 25th, 2008, after our gruesome 16 mile hike thru the Narrows in Zion National Park, Utah, my friend Lito and I decided to do the 6 mile round-trip hike. We had plenty of energy left to do this hike. Infact, we were the only two who had the energy to do this. Its called the "Angel's landing". I figured after 16 miles of narrow, this cant be really that bad. Well, it was bad. First 2.5 miles was piece of cake (well, the elevation was a killer) but the last 0.5 miles was vertical up! We had to use chains to get past the narrow footpath. I started the few few steps and mentally blanked out. I could not do it. I said no. I was scared of dying. I am a klutz and it would take only one wrong footing before everything was over.

Two reason's gave me the motivation to climb it despite of my fears.

1. To conquer my fear of heights -- What better way to do it than to face it head on?

2. To have the bragging rights of having done it -- My better half did not complete this hike as there was a storm the day they hiked!

Lito, my fearless friend, gave me the courage. I asked him to walk ahead of me while I glued my eyes to watching his shoes as I climbed up. Scary but my eyes did not diverge from his gastrocnemius the whole way up! There were several people who did not make it up as they found it very dangerous. I was surprised that people were allowed to go on this dangerous hike. Really, a wrong footing would the end! Despite my fear, I pushed along! We made it to the top. What a sigh of relief!

Great view from the top but would I do it again? No thanks! Of course, I will always be able to proudly flaunt my accomplishment but that would be the extend of it.

I am now intrigued to do more hiking and see more of nature, especially, the national parks in the US!

I hiked the Narrows !?!

"16 mile hike thru the Narrows, no problemo!". That's me making this candid comment when my friend Lito first mentioned about an extended weekend trip to Zion National Park in Utah in August. I am a gym rat who constantly pushes myself to perform the best so "walking" 16 miles did not see out-of-reach. I mean, how hard can this be? Put on some shoes, apply some sunblock and start walking.

Being the newbie that I am to hiking, I did not really prepare for this trip until my better half explained what "Narrows" was all about. Flash floods, water boots, hiking poles. Huh??? Why would one need all this? Well, after I googled and learned more about this hike, I learned that the hike was thru the river bed for 16 miles and that flash floods are common on this route. Its the first time I had heard about "flash flood". People actually can die during flash floods? Now that caught my attention. Needless to say, and thanks to my better half, I equipped myself with the correct gear from REI and was better prepared.

August 24th, 2008, eight of us, namely Lito, Yipper, Alex, Thai, Matt, Jen, Amber, embarked on this remarkable hike through the Virgin river. We were lucky that the weather was co-operating with us and there was no signs of storms or flash floods. We started the hike from the top and slowly started descending the mountain and following the river at 7:30 am. I managed to NOT get my shoes wet for, erm, the first 2.5 hours but alas, that did not last too long. Lito coolly forgot to mention that the whole hike was through the river. Needless to say, my shoes were soaked at 9:30 am. BUT I am proud to admit that I was the last one to get the shoes wet! The best part of it was, I was wearing proper socks that left my feet warm and did not give blisters! Thanks boyfriend and REI!

The various terrain thru the hike was spectacular. For once my competitive side stayed in the back seat and I really took it easy while enjoying the view. Water levels rose as high as my waist but that is nothing compared to times when I heard that the water level can get to one's neck! I stopped many a times to take many pictures and capture the moment, carefully making sure that my camera was miles away from the water. Every time we came around to a switchback, I was curious to see what stored ahead of us. I cant seem to summarize my thoughts about my feelings as it simply will not do justice.

10 miles in, I hear people moan and groan. People are cursing! They want it to be over with. They are ready to strangle Lito. "Why did I sign up to do this hike??" sighed Tom! They all want it to be over with but Lito and I are different. I have more energy at mile 10 than mile 1. Why? Its nature and its energy. I absorb the energy of my surroundings. Something alcoholic about my surroundings -- I wanted more. While people were wishing for the end, I was yearning for more and letting it all soak in. 10 hours later, we were done! I still vividly remember the end and I was wishing for more. Sadistic or what?

It was definitely one of those memorable hikes I have ever done. Looking back, 16 mile seems like a lot but the truth was, it was not, especially the journey I endured to see nature at its raw. Would I do it again? Absolutely! The connection I felt with nature was incredible and it was the beginning of a new life for me -- a life of hiking!

Check out the following link that provides plethora of information on the actual hike. http://www.zionnational-park.com/zion-narrows.htm