6 Days in Bhutan

I am still finding it hard to explain our trip to Bhutan without overusing superlatives so I'll try my best. It was just wonderful. The scenery was the most beautiful, the people were beyond amazing, the weather was absolutely perfect and the race was incredibly tough but I'm so glad we did it! I will never forget this place and our time there. Once in a lifetime experience. 

My husband took this photo as we were flying into Bhutan. 

We went for a hike shortly after checking into the hotel. This photo is looking down on the town of Paro.

A few homes in Paro with a great mountain view. Only 7,000 people live in Paro and only 740,000 live in Bhutan.

The second day in Bhutan we drove to Punakha, about a 5 hour drive including a stop for lunch. The drive was pretty exciting going over the Dochula Pass. This photo is a farm in Punakha.

It was pretty hazy in the mornings. I wonder if it is just the weather is so cold and the sun is so strong and warm maybe there is a bit of fog? Maybe the wood burning stoves used in most homes adds to the haze as well. Still, it is beautiful.

Walking through the fields.

A few homes scattered on the hillside.

This is the view from our hotel in Punakha.

Another farm in Punakha.

Looking out the window of our hotel in Paro. Many of the roofs have these rocks and planks on them.

Shopping in Paro.

Shopping in Paro.

Shopping in Paro.

Punakha Dzong

Punakha Dzong

Punakha Dzong is still in use today, half government building and half monastery. 

We ended our trip with a hike up to Tigers Nest. Took us about 4 hours total to go up, tour the monastery and then climb back down. Our guide was super helpful and was able to explain everything. English has been taught in schools in Bhutan for some time now so his English was perfect in case you were wondering. We knew we would have an English speaking guide before we left but I did not realize most Bhutanese speak English so well. 

Some of the prayer flags that are hung all over Bhutan.

Happy Friday!!!

See ya next week!

Sorry everyone! I've landed in the most beautiful place in the world and I'm unable to form complete sentences without over using exclamation marks. Words cannot describe how wonderful Bhutan is!!!!!!!!!!! (See what I mean ?) To share this with the most amazing person in the world (hubby) is the best thing ever!!!!!!!!!!! Have a wonderful weekend and I'll post something fabulous next week. :)

View form our room in Paro, Bhutan.

View from our room in Punakha, Bhutan.

Happy Valentine's Day

One of the things I love about photography is playing with different editing software. It can totally change the look of the original photo. Here are some possibilities.

This is my original photo, no editing here.

This is the same flower, zoomed into one section of the petals, given a glamour glow filter and vignetting on the edges. Sort of romantic and dreamy.

Same flower with just the glamour glow effect.

The original photo above.

Added sepia and vignetting on the edges. 

Back to the original photo with an HDR effect. Not really liking it, the white flowers are showing some brown edges with HDR, too lifelike maybe. 

This effect is called Art Poster. Well named! 

Original photo.

This reminds me of the glass paper weights with the flowers in the middle. 

Original photo.

Made to look like an old photo. 

Happy Friday!!!

Framing and a Short Walk by the River

I went for a short walk along the Singapore River the other day. Short because I am almost done training for my half marathon and my legs sort of feel like they are ready to fall off :) The cooler-ish weather is gone and the heat is back so this also contributed to a short walk rather than a long walk. Still, better than most of the weather the USA is currently dealing with.

I found the cutest sculpture of three cats sitting by the river. I tried to include the gate as a frame for the cats. They are sort of out of the way and not super easy to spot.

This sculpture of kids jumping in the river to play and cool off is really lifelike. With the hot weather back I could almost join them.

On the other side of the river, the front view of the kids. There are a few more statues further down the river. They were made to depict scenes from the early days of Singapore when the river was where trade happened and kids played.

Framing is an interesting way to photograph a subject. It is done by drawing attention to the main subject of your photo by blocking other parts of the photo with something in the scene. Here are some of my best framing shots. I'll be working on this for the next few weeks as it is the Feb Nikon Club Photo Challenge.

A castle in Fussen. Great framing shot done by using part of the walkway to frame the back of the castle.

This is at one of the Fire Stations in Singapore by Fort Canning Park. The main subject is the people walking and they are framed by the red doors and interesting brick pattern on the building.

A building in Copenhagen. The doorway is framed nicely by another doorway.

And this is my favorite so far, hoping to top it soon. This is shot through a garbage can opening. Made for a nice frame of a street scene in the Bugis area of Singapore.

Happy Friday!!!