Category: Photo

Grand Teton | One Photo

Because sometimes, I just want to share photos that have a really special place in my heart or I’m really proud of, here and there, You’ll start seeing these published. I didn’t know how to do it for some time because honestly, I’m not very well off with website design, but I’ve decided to just do it the way I know. So here goes.

This is Grand Teton. The Tetons stole my heart probably even before I got there. I’ve wanted to feel and be the place for a long time, but never found the time to go there. And then, finally, I saw them for the first time – dusted with snow from the green fields of Idaho. Driving through Teton Pass on the slopes of Mt Glory in the darkness of early morning, the sun starting to come up when we stopped in Wilson, a strong wave of emotion swept over me once more.

The hike on which we got caught up in a thunderstorm. And the views after the rain stopped and the clouds lifted and revealed the mountains tops covered in fresh snow… That was the moment I knew I was lost, hopelessly. There was no coming back; the Tetons found their place in my heart that’s been waiting only for them and started to call it home…

by Pina Marek

(Photo) The Windy Night, The Morning of Wild Waves, The Green Turtles, And the Black Beach | Searching the Aloha

It was a bit windy at night. All right, it was a bit more windy than that. Woken up into the endless starry night sky, I realize that the thing that is pulling on my sleeping bag isn’t any animal but strong gusts of wind. Good thing I’m not sleeping in a tent – it would have probably given up on me and flown away by now.

I’m in the same spot as yesterday; on polished lava flow, only with my sleeping pad and sleeping bag. But apart from yesterday, it feels like everything, including myself, is going to get blown off the rock into the ocean. I make sure the sleeping pad is right under my body (being rarely glad that I’m the way I am and not one pound lighter so I’m not floating in the air by now), tighten the sleeping bag around my ears and watch the shining sky. It’s almost unbearably beautiful. I can’t believe how many stars there are, up and beyond what we can see and comprehend. My eyes get all teary – but that’s probably because of the strong wind.

I need to get some sleep before tomorrow (well, today) comes and so I turn my back towards the wind, close my eyes and let the sound of wild ocean sing me back to a bit uncanny sleep while my hair gets all wild, caught up in a play with the moving air (needless to say, it’s not easy to comb it in the morning).

♥

The morning comes quick and I’m woken up into the feeling of somebody’s feet moving somewhat nervously very near my head. I open my eyes to see a plump and very friendly looking Hawaiian man. It’s the same one I saw yesterday while watching the sunrise, he’s even wearing the same raincoat (even though I don’t know what for – there’s not one single cloud in the pink-blue sky)
“Morning,” I say.
“Morning,” he answers a bit startled and then continues: “Sorry I woke you up, I didn’t know if you were all right.”
“No, no, it’s fine, I didn’t expect to sleep so long.” A moment of quiet.
“Why did you sleep here?”
“I wanted to”
“Do you have no tent?”
“I do but it’s so beautiful outside, it would be a waste not to sleep under the open sky.”
I don’t think this young man understands exactly what I’m trying to say but he must get at least a part of it – after all, he came yesterday and today to watch the sunrise – and maybe he comes here every day. Who knows?

He walks away and I collect my stuff, put it in the car and go watch the ocean, the waves, and green turtles (!) before the heat drives me out again.

PHOTOS:

  1. The Life of a Wave I. (a time-lapse)

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2. The Life of a Wave II. (a time-lapse)

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3. Honu – The Hawaiian Green Sea Turtles (an endangered species of turtles, native to Hawai’i, up to 4 feet long and can weight over 300 pounds)

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4. The Palms, Sands, And Lava Flows of Punalu’u

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5. (Bonus) My ‘Bedroom’ And The View from My ‘Bed’

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Please, let me know how this way of showing photos works with you – is this good, or do you prefer to have the photos separately, one by one? Thank you so much for any kind of feedback!

Love,
Pina

The previous Searching-the-Aloha article is HERE.

You can connect with me on Facebook,  Instagram, and Twitter.

And have a day full of beautiful sights! 🙂

(Also, if you feel like it, you can follow my blog so you won’t miss any of the following Hawai’i articles!)

by Pina Marek

PHOTO: In The Name of Water | Yosemite May 2018

I take the gear from the shelf where all the pieces are patiently waiting for me, displayed neatly as if behind a front window of a store the exact same way I put them there a few weeks ago. I admit, I’m more gentle with my camping/backpacking gear than with my sole existence and entire life.

I find a place for each and every piece in the back of my car. Loading the boot makes me feel so excited that I have to start singing. In only a few days, I’ll be able to bring back my first report from Yosemite in the year of 2018!

♥

If I was able to sleep, I’d be woken up at half past two by the sharp beep-beep-beep of my alarm. But to be honest, sleep wasn’t really working for me – and what more, a few minutes before the alarm was supposed to go off, my friend Machi opened the door quietly and ‘woke me up’: “Pavuli-na… Pavuli-na? How do you get warm water in the shower?” And so I got up, turned the hot water on for her, brushed my teeth and started packing the last few necessities we needed for the weekend.

A quick shower and a breakfast later, a little bit after four in the morning, we were leaving our driveway and heading towards Yosemite.

LINKS TO ALL PHOTO LOCATIONS ARE BELOW THE GALLERY

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PHOTO LOCATIONS:
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  1. Half Dome from Half Dome View
  2. A mushroom in Crane Flat Campground
  3. Bridalveil Fall from Bridalveil Fall Viewing Point
  4. Yosemite Fall in the far away from John Muir Trail
  5. Vernal Fall and Merced River from the Vernal Fall Bridge
  6. Vernal Fall from the Mist Trail
  7. Merced River from the Vernal Falls Bridge
  8. A bear (!) from the top of Vernal Fall
  9. Merced River above the top of Vernal Fall
  10. Nevada Fall from below, Mist Trail
  11. Merced River from the top of Nevada Fall
  12. Merced River cañon from the top of Nevada Fall
  13. Drops of morning dew in Crane Flat Campground
  14. Yosemite Falls from Swinging Bridge
  15. Some ferns and sand nearby Yosemite Creek
  16. Half Dome from Cook’s Meadow
  17. Yosemite Falls from Lower Yosemite Fall Trail
  18. Some ferns and sand nearby Yosemite Creek
  19. A reflection in Merced River
  20. Yosemite Valley Chapel
  21. Falls on Tamarack and Cascade Creek from Big Oak Flat Road
  22. Big Oak Flat Road

You can find more posts from Yosemite HERE!

Connect with me on Facebook,  Instagram, and Twitter!

And have a spectacularly beautiful day 🙂

by Pina Marek

PHOTO: Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco

I had a Monday off – and what better way to spend a day-off morning than by getting up at a time that even most working people would call too-early and voluntarily traveling by BART at the most busy time, right?

Luckily, I got a ride to BART so I didn’t have to go through the hassle of trying to find a parking spot – which is practically an impossible task on workdays. To be able to at least partially ignore the mass of bodies pushing me against the door and therefore avoid a possible anxiety attack, I put some music on and close my eyes. If it looked weird, nobody was able to see my face anyway.

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The city is getting ready for the Chinese New Year and I could spot it as soon as I left the underground. In San Francisco, I found the right bus to get near the garden and soon enough I was marching around De Young Art Museum.

 

Getting a few quick sketches, I saw a group of people doing Tai Chi in the unusually quiet and un-crowded park in front of the Academy. The whole scene was somewhat soothing after the stress of the train.

♥

IMG_0097.JPGI made my way to the Japanese Tea Garden. On certain days, if you come before 10am, you don’t have to pay the entrance fee. Thanks to my early start (and suffering through the morning traffic and masses of people), I was here at nine sharp.

I walked through the garden in quiet, admiring all the attention to detail. If you have been around for long time enough, you can tell by now that I just love Japanese gardens. And if you didn’t know, you know it now.

Now, when I say “walked”, imagine something more like… Standing five minutes in one spot, staring at something, then moving two steps and repeating previous mentioned task. And so, don’t be surprised when I say…

After thirty minutes of “walking”, I was still pretty much in the same spot, near the gate, when a friendly-looking old guide asked me if I wanted to join the tour that was about to start.

I thought, why not, I wanted to know more about the place, about its history. After me, a few more people joined in and we were ready to go.

Now, I won’t write the history here, even though it was surely astonishing, especially the fates of people who lived here, who took care of the garden, landscaped it and gave it so much care and love; the Hagiwara family. Instead, I’ll give you my goodbye here and let you walk through the garden as I did after the tour. See you some next time!

PS: It’s a surprise to me too, but none of these pictures are post-edited, I wish I remembered how I did it.

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These scary guys you see are placed on gates to guard villages.

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Water and its flow has an important role in Japanese gardens.

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A moon bridge. Yes, you can really walk over it.

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For a long time, it was believed that there was only one statue of Buddha in this garden. Go see yourself if you can find the other one (hint; it’s really small and nearby a very steep stairs).

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by Pina Marek

PHOTO: Autumn Escape to Lake Tahoe

Born and raised in a country where all four seasons take turns, I missed autumn so badly when it was already almost November and everything here was just… still green, blooming, not really taking this beautiful season in consideration. And so it was quickly decided, one Saturday morning I got up when the sun was still sleeping and drove to Lake Tahoe.

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by Pina Marek

PHOTO: Winter in Boston

In February, I visited my friend in Boston. And I have never let you know about it! What a shame, right? Well, I hope you can forgive me – and here you have some pics from this historical city!

Huge thanks to May for showing me around!

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As you may know, Boston is known for its universities. MIT and Harward – yep, they are both here.

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As Boston is one of the “older” cities in the USA, you’ll find a lot of beautiful architecture.

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Probably the most photogenic house I saw the first day.

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Honestly, the whole city and people living there are kind of made for a lens.

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“You have to see the cemetery, I was told by my friend. And so, why not?

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China town. I had some Chinese pineapple pastry and it was the most delicious sweet pastry I’ve ever tasted!

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Boston Common park still kept some of its Christmas decor.

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Watching the sunset at the shore – few thousand miles behind that big puddle named Atlantic is my country!

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Welcome to Harward.

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And where else should I end my trip than in Mike’s Pastry, a well-known café right at the Harvard campus?

You can connect with me on Facebook,  Instagram, and Twitter!

If you are more into videos, you can watch my vlog from Boston HERE.

And have a nice day! 🙂

by Pina Marek