100 Travel Stories

The Queen of the Pacific: Hikawa Maru

I have just read your post, with great pleasure and interest! In 1953, my family and I boarded the Hikawa Maru in Seattle for the voyage to Yokohama as one of a group of other families, each of which had a Fulbright Scholar in attendance. In our case, it was my dad. My mother chronicled the experience, day by day in her diary, and again in letters sent to my grandparents in the states. My father did the same via camera.

In 2014 I returned to Japan and visited the ship in what was an emotional but fantastic experience. To my delight, my father’s Kodachrome slides of the ship’s interior could have been taken in 2014, so little had changed.

Thank you for your excellent post detailing the ship and its history. I’ve enjoyed it immensely.”

Ann Kennedy – “Haddock and Dill” – Images, recipes, observations and keepsakes from a life well-lived.

A morning stroll in the High Park, Toronto, with a small but mighty Ricoh GR III camera. Park photos and flowers close-up.
An Oasis of Tranquility in the Midst of the Big City Toronto: High Park (Part 2)
On the small Thai island of Koh Mak you may be just yourself on the beaches wandering for hours. But there is a strong reminder that we live on planet Earth: our human pollution, reaching even the most remote parts of our world.
Message in a Bottle
Close up nature photos from the South of Cuba, between the Carribean Sea and Sierra Maestra Mountains.
Close Up to Nature in Cuba

Worldwide Photo Walk – Bangkok

Part of Scott Kelby’s Worldwide Photo Walk, the Bangkok Photo Walk took place around the Hua Lamphong Train Station area of Bangkok, few years ago. The purpose of the walk was to document the life in the Soi’s of Bangkok and to enter the Scott Kelby’s competition.

Posted: May 5, 2021 by Ovi

Cherry Blossoms in High Park, Toronto

High Park and humans in lockdown. But Nature is untouched by the pandemic and flourish into beauty, every Spring, year after year. Humans can only watch and hope for better times.

Welcome to High Park, Toronto! Second year of pandemic. A big chunk of the park is surrounded by metal fences to avoid people crowding to watch the cherry blossoms. But there are a few lonely cherry trees that escaped the “lockdown”. And getting closer with a camera, can bring out the beauty and delicacy of the fragile cherry blossom flowers.

Posted: May 1, 2021 by Ovi

Elephants and Diwali in Nepal

A visit to Chitwan National Park elephant breeding centre

Updated post with photos. Part of the Indochina Tour.

After trekking in the Annapurna Mountains and relaxing in Pokhara, I joined the G Adventures in one-of-a-kind tour to Delhi, passing through Varanasi and Jaipur.

Our first stop was the Chitwan National Park (Nepal), UNESCO World Heritage Site. We visited the elephant breeding centre and as always, I broke free from the group and went in a village to take photos and talk with the villagers. The people in Nepal are very friendly and the children always ask for photos.

See more: Children of Nepal

Getting close to elephants is an unforgettable experience. Enjoy the photos.

Posted: April 17, 2021 by Ovi

Snapshots of Toronto in Black & White

One day trip, riding the subway from West Toronto to Downtown, and taking the ferryboat to Toronto Islands. Snapshots in black & white. It feels different, another way to look at our surroundings.

“Black and white is abstract; color is not. Looking at a black and white photograph, you are already looking at a strange world” – Joel Sternfeld

Posted: April 5, 2021 by Ovi

A Castle in the Sky: Himeji, Japan

Himeji Castle Photos

Years ago I arrived for the first time in Japan and immediately I fell in love with this beautiful country. The timing was perfect to see the cherry blossoms. There is just one window of opportunity, and planning the trip to coincide with the cherry blossoms season took time and luck.

The trip started in Tokyo and going south to Kyoto, Osaka and Hiroshima. Not far from Osaka is the Himeji Castle, UNESCO World Heritage site. Himeji is the largest castle in Japan. Built in 1333, it has 83 rooms and it resembles a bird taking flight. The castle is also known as “White Egret Castle” or “White Heron Castle” (Wikipedia).

At the time of the visit, I used a film camera, Leica C3. The photos are scanned images and post processed in Lightroom and Color Efex Pro. The images can tell a story, but you have to be there to really appreciate the beauty of this place.

Posted: March 28, 2021 by Ovi

Temples and Stupas in Kathmandu: Photos

A photographic journey from Kathmandu Durbar Square to the Monkey Temple, Boudha Stupa and Pashupatinath Temple.

Holy Places to Visit in Kathmandu

Kathmandu Durbar Square – the coronation place of the city’s kings of the past, a place of palaces, temples and courtyards. Now few buildings in the square collapsed due to the April 2015 earthquake.
“Monkey Temple” (Swayambhunath) – take the 365 steps stairway entrance to the temple, while encountering the “holly monkeys”.
Boudha Stupa (Boudhanath) – very beautiful, walk around the white dome on the second floor, in a clockwise direction, and spin the prayer wheels to accumulate wisdom and good Karma.
Pashupatinath Temple – surreal experience to walk close to the cremation places on the banks of the holly river Bagmatl, with many incinerations happening on the spot.

Posted: March 14, 2021 by Ovi

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