Travel Photography - Pastoral + Mountainous Landscapes

 Whether I travel to far-afield locales or domestically, I often gravitate to non-urban environs. These are a few of my photographs that focus on some of my favorite subjects: sky, mountains and trees.

I derive a sense of comfort from nature.

Trails that thread through mountainous terrain into cozy villages and hamlets offer so many possibilities.

Unlike when I’m in most urban environs, when I’m traveling in the mountains, moody weather makes for a joyful experience.

The trees breathed energy into this bucolic scene that I wandered into.

Trees dominate my thoughts.

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South Africa In Pictures

Bicycling South Africa’s Western Cape with VBT Bicycling and Walking Vacations, I coursed through a land full of contrasts: rugged coastlines and arid fields; palatial wine estates and townships roiled by poverty; dramatic gorges and simple blooming gardens. As I rolled through steep hairpin turns, I came upon a family of baboons frolicking on the asphalt. Strolling along a seaside boardwalk gave me a close-up view of dozens of penguins whose feathers were ruffled from the wind. Other roadside finds included a wild ostrich that took a fancy to a cyclist who wasn’t in our group and decided to chase him at high speed along the highway. This was a journey that revolved around integrating all of the botanical, geological, agricultural and cultural phenomena that make up South Africa’s Western Cape. This short YouTube video slideshow provides a window into my adventure.

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Biking Ireland's Placid Western and Southern Coasts

Biking for several weeks from Galway down to Cork took me through a rugged land of moorelands and mountains, with plenty of vistas of tumbling seas and serene lakes. Sure, my cycling partner and I passed through cities laden with tourists. But we always managed to stay in touch with nature. These are some of my favorite stops on the trip:

1. The Burren
It's no wonder this remote landscape in County Clare is often likened to a moonscape. It's a waterless limestone expanse that's peppered with dolmens and other prehistoric ruins, and networked with caves. This land is said to have seemed so desolate to Oliver Cromwell when he launched his invasion of Ireland in the mid-1600s that he complained that there wasn't even any soil to bury a man, no tree to hang 'em, and no water to drawn 'em. Dramatic, yes. But it's certainly curious that, despite the stony surface, some fairly rare plants thrive here, including colorful bee orchid, Irish orchid, rock rose and spring gentian.

2. Connemara

 The luminous colors of the sky and sea in Connemara in County Galway have long inspired artists and writers, such as the painter Paul Henry and Tim Robinson who penned "Stones of Aran", and other books. With its swaths of sandy beaches, soaring cliffs and rolling hills -- as well as one of the most noteworthy features, the Twelve Pins, which are mini mountains, of sorts -- Connemara is a magical land that captures the attention of all who set foot on her shores and ramble about as I did. Though it may be the most visited locale in Connemara, Kylemore Abbey, a19th century estate which more than resembles a castle, is worth exploring more for the Victorian Walled Gardens than for anything else. Here I found meticulously landscaped grounds with greenhouses, blooming flowers, ferns and even herbs, fruits and vegetables that are used in some of the restaurant's dishes.

3. Killarney National Park

Sure, Killarney, in Ireland's southwest corner, is a key tourist spot. No wonder, considering the Ring of Kerry offers dramatic vistas of coves fringed with sand, rugged headlands and turbulent seascapes. But a few of Killarney's lakes that mirror different shades of blue are in the national park that's strung with several scenic nature trails. For example, the one mile Mossy Woods trails wanders along low cliffs with great views of Muckross Lake. Along the two mile Arthur Young's trail, you may spy the small Sika deer as you stroll through oak woodlands and past old copper mines.

4. Aran Islands

Visiting the Aran Islands is like stepping  through a time portal to another era. We took a very turbulent ferry ride from the mainland and landed on the largest of the three, Inishmore, where the locals can be found wearing traditional garb: the men dressed in homespun jackets and the women in long colorful wool skirts. On this stony isle, we biked through Kilronan, the island's main and vibrant fishing village, and headed to one of  Inishmore's most well-known features: Dun Aengus, a circular low stone-walled fort that sits several hundred feet above the sea. Scientists debate as to its age, but it may date from 4,000 BC. The island also offers some dramatic cliff walks that start from Kilronan and wander through a lone woodland to the clifftops where you have views of sandy Kilmurvery Beach.

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Witches' Water Park in Austria

 In the summer, we expect Austria to have a network of cable cars providing views of jagged spires, wildflower coated meadows, and slopes criss-crossed with hiking paths. But a Witches' Water Park? This had to be a joke. It turns out that Hexenwasser Hochsoll, which translates to Witches' Water, is set in Soll in the Tyrol province of Austria, under an hour from Innsbruck. You could think of it as an ultra soft adventure park where parents and kids can spend the afternoon or the day experiencing nature and the vitality of water. Clearly, this is unlike anything you might find in Orlando, Florida.



Hexenwasser is given this name because legend has it that witches, who were both revered and feared, had long lived in this land where the women practiced their healing arts. Now, in a bucolic mountain landscape, you can explore dozens of stations spaced along a 1,500-foot-long route where you'll have an intimate experience with the power and therapeutic properties of water. Kneipp treatments are pools where you either immerse your arms to stimulate your circulation, or tread water, which is said to benefit varicose veins.

You can give your feet a reflexology massage by walking across what's considered the longest -- a little over a mile long -- barefoot trail in Austria. Wander along shallow water channels and across various surfaces, including pebbles, grass, and pine bark, as a way to stimulate your feet and your body organs. There's plenty of barefoot walking at Hexenwasser, through pools, ponds and basins.

Try to schedule a visit on a warm, sunny day and remember to take towels and the kids may want bathing suits. Expect invigorating icy cold spring water.

But, aside from the water focus, the park also has an educational aspect, whether it's learning about bee behavior at the apiary, finding out how to bake bread in a stone oven, discover what a day in the life of a woodcutter would be like, and see if you can tell time using a sundial.
 
Unlike other waterparks, where you have to shell out a wad of cash, here if you decide not to take the cable car up, all the stations are free. The cable car also goes from mid-station to the summit of Hohe Salve peak that offers 360º views of the Tyrol's ragged peaks that pierce the sky.

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Morocco's Bird Watching Oasis

My trips don't always work out the way I'd like. Sometimes they work out better. Because of itinerary restrictions among the members of the group I was traveling with, I spent my brief time in Morocco based out of Agadir and not the High Atlas Mountains, as I would've preferred. But that didn't stop me from heading out into natural landscapes.

I hired a jeep and took off on a day trip with my guide, Mokhtar, through the Souss Valley, a fertile land in south Morocco where the country's Berber people reside, bound for Massa with its picturesque estuary.

On our journey, we passed donkeys carrying heavy loads and women dressed in colorful garb sitting astride horses with baskets filled with greens, sometimes they overflowed to such as extend that you could hardly see the donkey. We passed villages of red clay in an ever-changing scenery -- from lush verdancy dappled with bold wild flowers to crop fields, groves of citrus, olive and almond trees, and dense forests of Argania trees. (The oil from their nuts are used in many traditional dishes.)


As we traveled through the semi-desert, the buildings were the color of sand with doors painted in bold blue and green hues. We bumped off road on rutted, bone-rattling single track bound for Souss Massa National Park and its picturesque estuary that's surrounded by massive sand dunes and a tidal sandbar. The road got sandier as we bumped along towards the ocean. Finally, I strolled through sugar-fine golden sand delighting in the cool breezes. Then my guide told me that this area is more than a prime migratory bird zone. It's also said to be the beach where the whale disgorged the prophet Jonah.

This petite wetland with its reeds and grasses is considered Morocco's prime bird watching site. And it didn't disappoint, with an array of sightings: terns, gulls, herons, ibis, sand martins and marbled ducks, a threatened species. I kept my eyes focused skyward, wondering if I'd spot eagles, falcons or even some rarer birds. Given the natural beauty and the wealth of bird sightings, I wished I had a few days to spend here. But we had to head back to Agadir that evening.

We did have time for a late lunch of traditional Berber bread that was baked in a clay kiln and then piled high in shallow wicker baskets. We ate the warm bread with honey. Then I curled a piece around beef shish kebabs. I also scooped up the traditional Berber dish, tajine, that's served in a round clay pot with chicken, squash, potatoes, carrots and tomatoes.

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A Center of Iceland's Elf Activity

Half the fun of the East Fjords is getting there. Traveling with a guide from FA Travel, we drove on roads that wind through a desolate land where the marshes are riddled with bird watching possibilities, from loons to swans. At one point, we passed a curious solar- and wind-powered vending machine housed in a tiny green hut beside a covered picnic table. Before the road dropped to the sea, a prominent cross rose from beside the road, indicating the location where, in the 1300s, a local successfully battled Naddi, a half man, half beast who lived in the scree slope. All is certainly curious on the way to Borgarfjordur Eystris, which is said to be home to the largest number of elves and hidden people in Iceland.

Some of the best hikes in the country can be found in this area where trails course across deserted inlets to green valleys studded with turquoise lakes bordered by snow-crowned peaks and mountains streaked with pink and ochre colors from rhyolite rocks. The geological features are firmly rooted in the local lore. The king of the elves is said to live in the picturesque Door Mountains. On the outskirts of the town of Bakkagerdi, a rounded hill is supposed to be the dwelling place of the queen of the elves. A short drive away is Hafnarholmi, an islet with thousands of puffins.

Each day our biggest choice was deciding which hiking trail to tackle. One climbed to Brunavik, a quiet cove with a black sand beach and plenty of wildflowers on the way. Another meandered to Storurd, which literally means "big scree." This path led to a boulder-ridden meadow with a teal green glacial lake, perfect for a picnic. I dipped my feet into the icy waters, only for a moment and gazed at the calm waters in this peaceful setting where we didn't run into another hiker the rest of the day.

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