Gray Line Wanderings Travel Blog

Gray Line Hop-on Hop-off Bus Cruises down one of Madrid's Wide Boulevards

A few weeks back, I had the chance to take a Hop-On, Hop-Off Tour in Madrid and write about for Gray Line. Cool, right? (To read my write up about the full tour, click the link: Hop-On, Hop-Off, Hop Into Madrid). However, by the time I wrote the piece, I was already in a rainy Moroccan mountain town typing from a touch screen phone, so I had to skimp on the pictures. But have no fear, the photo blog is here! Now to avoid showing you the Madrid photos you’ve probably seen 100x before, I decided to amp up the contrast to make the pictures more interesting:

Step #1: Pick up your tickets and hop on a bus outside of El Museo Nacional del Prado (or other location)

El Museo Nacional del Prado - Accessible via Banco de España and Atocha metro stops

Step #2: Select your language option on the audio tour… I know you speak at least one of these.

Step #3: Alright…. let's go!

Step #4: Enjoy the Ride Around Madrid!

What’s your favorite spot in Madrid? Tell us about it in the comments below! (Can’t see the comments? Click here for a link to the full story: Photo Blog: Color Saturated Highlights of Madrid)

Author at the Taj Mahal with Some New Friends

I’ve been traveling abroad for a year and haven’t seen my family for months, yet it seems like I’ve posed for more family photos than ever.

“How?” you might ask?

Well… excluding the family Christmas Card with my face Skyped in, my ‘family’ photos have been taken with other people’s families–Indian families, Thai families, Indonesian families. You name an Asian nationality and I probably have a family portrait. Not to mention the hundreds of shots with flirtatious youngsters, silly girls and enthusiastic old fellows.

Initially this phenomenon was amusing. While my friend and I scaled the stairs of Borobudur in Indonesia, we were accosted by a giggly group of school girls and asked for a photo. I thought it was just because my male companion was handsome, but soon, one photo turned into a photo shoot with every person in the place. By the end of the day, I found myself ducking behind ruins to catch a look at the temple without being pulled into a photograph.

Author at Borobodur

I suppose I was a little less surprised when the same thing continued to happen throughout Asia– at Bangkok’s Grand Palace, at Agra’s Taj Mahal, at the temples of Bagan in Myanmar. No matter how spectacular the background, it seemed like my American friends and I were the preferred subject of people’s photographs.

Author at Amber Fort

Closely zoomed shots of our faces cut off entire pillars or cropped out Buddha’s head or omitted the family’s youngest son. Arms were slung around our shoulders and handshakes were given simply for the photo opportunity. Within the snap of a shutter we had suddenly become the fictional “English friend” or “the Canadian girls that I hung out with” of the beholder for years to come.

I didn’t get it. Why would they want a picture of some random girls? Do they show to their friends? Frame them? Put them in family albums? Show their grandkids?

…

Today I was flipping through years of photos in my iPhoto library–through albums overflowing with memories of friends, places traveled and family gatherings. But then, there were also my “artsy photos”… photos of boys playing soccer in Ghana, the aged face of my fortune teller in Hong Kong, and fruit vendors dispensing mangoes in Jakarta. People going about their daily life and me capturing it with my DSLR to look at later on– in frames hanging on the walls to show my friends and grandkids (someday).

And for the first time, I realized how weird it must seem to the subjects of my photographs that I want a picture of them doing… well… nothing in particular.

After this realization, I don’t think I can resist it anymore. In fact, I think I owe it too all the photo happy tourists to offer up my smiling face for photos if they want it.

I guess I had it coming all along. So, here’s my travel photo pledge of good will: As long as I shoot, I consent to be shot. EVEN if it means I become the imaginary “American girlfriend” of a Punjabi man I hardly know.

Have any funny “family” photos from your trips abroad? Where were they? (Click here if you can’t see Facebook comments: Posing for Other People’s Family Photos)

Cloudy Sunset in Cabo Polonio, Uruguay - Photo by Author

Sometimes you just have to run away to the nearest beach. You know, get away from it all.

One of the best places in South America to do this is Cabo Polonio, Uruguay.

This bohemian, come-as-you-are hippy town is famous for it’s lack of electricity and subsequent amazing star gazing. During my recent vacation to Uruguay, I decided it was finally time for me to check this place out.

Located on a rocky point surrounded by Cabo Polonio National Park, this is not your average vacation destination.

The only way to get here is to take one of the 4 x 4 shuttles that run hourly through the sand dunes. I recommend sitting up front.

My ride

Wooohooo!

Cabo Polonio is simply amazing. Travelers come from all around South America to rent a rustic cabin on these special shores. The most common activity is relaxing, closely followed by beach exploring, sitting amongst candle light and playing the guitar.

Fishing Boats + The Sea = Lucky Me

Lighthouse, Cabo Polonio, Uruguay

When was the last time you got away from it all? Tell us your story in the comments below. (Click here if you can’t see the Facebook Comments below)

Sunset in Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica

Hold on to your hat, because I’m about to make a bold statement. ‘Costa Rica is home to the best sunsets in the world’. Don’t believe me? Well then check out these pictures I snapped on my last trip to Costa Rica.

To preface, my friend and I had just wrapped up an invigorating day of hiking and monkey-spotting in Manuel Antonio National Park. We decided to make our way over to the public beach in the heart of Manuel Antonio, with a cold Imperial (or 2) in hand, to catch the sunset. In my 33 years on Earth, and some 12,093 sunsets, this still goes down as one of the most awe-inspiring acts of nature that I’ve ever seen. We were so mesmerized that we stood on the beach, watching the evening surfers carry their boards in and out of the water under the purple sky, for over 2 hours.

Sunburned and Satisfied

Next time you’re in Costa Rica, allow Gray Line to show you around this amazing country.  Visit Tabacon Hot Springs in Arenal, zip line through the Monteverde Cloud Forest, or go white water rafting in Guanacaste.  The things to do in Costa Rica are as endless as the horizon!

Where do you think the best sunsets in the world are found? Share in the comments below! (click here if you can’t see Facebook comments)

“Sonja wake up, we’re going to be late!” Jory violently shook me from the best sleep I’d had since I arrived in India four days prior…

It was 5:30 am and we had one hour if we were lucky, to get through the gates to watch the sun rise behind the Taj Mahal. Everyone had expressed to us that this was the only way to experience it. They would swoon saying, “the lighting… THE LIGHTING!” I quickly threw some cold water on my face, collected my things, and ran out the door.

“Hola, Hola, Coca Cola!” greeted Omar, the rickshaw driver we had commissioned the day before. Amazed by his enthusiasm at such an early hour, we climbed in and relayed our desperate situation. The spicy, sweaty, floral scent of Agra attacked our senses as we flew through the eerily silent city. Dawn began to break and a sense of panic started to seep in, “what if we miss it?!”

Once we arrived we quickly bought our tickets, fought off beggars, peddlers, and even monkeys – only to discover we were not the only ones to have this stroke of genius. The line moved slowly as the horizon began to lighten. After being searched by four different guards, a precaution taken in thanks to the attacks in Mumbai a few months prior, we finally crossed the gates as the sun kissed the sky. There she stood white marble veiled in a pale pink glow, blushing, as if someone had drawn the curtains too soon. The water in the pool guiding you to the entrance blinked as the light hit the surface. We stood in awe, and being a hopeless romantic, I began to tear up, not only because of its striking beauty but because it was built as a monument of love. After a moment of standing in silence I looked over at Jory and was relieved to see that she was just as moved by the experience as I was.

“They were right” she whispered.

I smiled and responded “the lighting…!”

What travel experiences have you had where timing really was everything? Share with us in the comments below! (if you’re having trouble viewing Facebook comments, click here)

Midnight Sun | Iceland from SCIENTIFANTASTIC on Vimeo.

And why would you ever want to go there? Simply click on the four-minute movie above for your answer. If this video doesn’t make you want to instantly look up flights to Iceland, then check your pulse. Filmed during a period of 24 hours of sunlight, a.k.a. Midnight Sun, SCIENTIFANTASTIC captures exceptional images of black volcanic beaches, heaving geysers, ice blue lagoons and ever-moving glaciers. A visible organic wildness flows throughout this ferocious island’s scenery and geological forces ensure that this unruly terrain will always be ever-changing.

Main point: Iceland looks like the coolest place on earth (That’s my one and only cheesy ‘ice’ pun, promise).

By now you’re probably thinking “This place looks amazing, but when will I ever have a chance to go to Iceland?” How about on your next transatlantic flight? Icelandic Air offers competitive rates for flights between Europe and North America with options for stopovers or layovers in Reykjavik. For budget flights between Europe and Iceland, check out Iceland Express. Even if you just have several hours in Iceland, many tour companies offer transportation to or from the international airport.

When to go: Summer, specifically June through August. While there are things to do in Iceland all year-round, some tours and attractions are only available during the summer months for logistical reasons. The downside is that everyone else goes during this time and prices are higher.

What to see: The Golden Circle, Blue Lagoon, Reykjavik, Northern Lights and much more depending on the length of your itinerary.

What to pack: Warm clothes and your camera. Weather can change rapidly in Iceland, so pack smart!