We all love those panoramic photos with breathtaking views, but it is often a struggle to get to the location to take those pictures. Whether hiking to the top of a large mountain, making your way up a steep set of stairs, or even climbing up a ladder it can be exhausting and even sometimes risky to get that perfect shot. There have been a few times when we have looked at a rickety ladder or seen a trail on the ledge of a cliff when we’ve decided that the shot “to die for” wasn’t literally worth the price. We definitely don’t want to be one of those people who inadvertently fell off of a cliff while taking a selfie of themselves. This week’s Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge is about Outdoor Ways to Move Up and Down. What lengths would you go to in order to get that memorable photograph.
Someone (Not Us) Rock Climbing in Garden of the GodsLooking Down at Death Road in BoliviaWe Walked this Twice in Heidelberg, GermanyStairs Leading Down to Gullfoss Falls in IcelandTrail Climbing Down to the Laguna in Quilotoa, EcuadorClimbing Stairs in the Alhambra Palace in Granada, SpainTower We Climbed to the Observation Deck above the Rainforest Canopy in the Amazon
There are times, when you travel to certain locations, when you realize how lucky you really are. Sure, on some trips you go to places with palaces and temples of gold that can make you dream of a pampered life. Like most people, we feel that we work hard and can often feel stressed and overwhelmed. Then, we go to a part of the world that doesn’t have all of the modern conveniences and see people truly toiling to make a living for themselves and their families. Seeing those people who work so hard and make so little for their efforts remind us that we are truly lucky. We do work long hours, often getting up before the sun comes up and working late in the day, but we aren’t going to fool ourselves into believing that work is as hard as some of the people we have seen in struggling countries. To do the kind of physical labor that they do with antiquated equipment in weather conditions that would drive most of us indoors is truly impressive. So, the next time that we complain about how tired we are or what a difficult day we’ve had, we will remind ourselves that if it weren’t for the luck of where we were born, we might be enduring difficult conditions just to eek out an existence for ourselves.
Herding Sheep in EcuadorWorking the FieldTrain Station Attendant in the Cold of RomaniaHand Weaving Silk in IndiaManually Clearing a Field in BoliviaDrying Coca Leaves in BoliviaLoading Truck in ChennaiFixing the Roof of Their HomeHard Work in the Heat
It is hard to describe to people the overall sensation of what it was like when we arrived in Chennai during our visit to India several years ago. With that many people living in one place, around 8.5 million people, the city is a always in constant motion with cars, motorcycles, rickshaws, trucks, and people seemingly going everywhere. It is also a city filled with colorful buildings and ornate temples, making it visually stunning to see. There is no escaping the constant noise of the city, most specifically the constant honking that can be heard 24 hours a day. Drivers in Chennai don’t honk out of frustration or anger with other drivers, but it is a form of communication to let other drivers know that they are passing, turning, or moving over. Since they don’t stay in the lanes of the roads, it is a hectic dance where they beep horns and swerve in and out of lanes as they make their way through the intense traffic. Another thing that hits you immediately as you exit the airport is the intense confluence of smells that fills the air. With all of the strong spices used in the cooking of Indian food, the combination of animals and people roaming the streets, and the lack of sanitation, it is an overwhelming experience.
Busy Side Street near the TempleColorful TempleBumper-to-Bumper TrafficSacred Cows on the Street
It is definitely something that truly can’t be described unless you have been exposed to someplace similar yourself. It took us two full days before the constant din, motion, aromas, and sense of truly being a outsider in a strange place reached a sense of normalcy. In many ways, it is amazing the way the mind is able to adapt itself under what would seem to be extreme changes in surroundings. We have been to many large cities around the world, but there is nothing that compares to the time that we spent in Chennai. To be clear, it is still one of our favorite places that we have visited, partially because it was so different than any place else. It is hard to imagine what it must be like for the citizens that live in that environment with such a prolific sensory experience on a daily basis and not just for a few short weeks.
Candles, Spices, and Other ShopsRickshaw in TrafficBull on the StreetBusy TempleDriving in Chennai
