The Mayan Ruins of Tulum - Part 2

A barred access to one of the buildings undergoing restoration work.

The House of Columns, also known as The Great Palace, was one of the largest residential building in Tulum. Originally L-shaped, it later received an additional west wing.

The House of the Halach Uinic, to which a thatch awning has been added to help prevent further sun and water damage to the stucco figure beneath it.

The Castle was built over different periods, close to the edge of the cliff on the east side of the inner precinct.

The Mayan Ruins of Tulum - Part 1

I visited these ruins on a scorching hot morning, even though we got there very early... I'm sure I would have enjoyed the visit even more if the sky had been a little cloudy.

In spite of the heat and the lack of shade, I loved the site and I was delighted to see how well kept it is.

Orange and green all over

This is Villa 57, where I stayed during my vacation in Mexico. The Grand Bahia Principe Akumal has some of the best kept grounds I've ever seen at a big resort.

 Colourful and clean, the resort is quite pleasant to walk around in.

IXIM, the Mayan word for corn

IXIM (pronounced "ee-sheem") is the Mayan word for corn and it's also the name of this huge sculpture. It sits in the middle of the lobby of the Grand Bahia Principe Akumal is it really is quite impressive. The plaque at the foot of the sculpture reads:
"IXIM
This magnificent work of art represents man in his eternal communion with the elements, animals and plants, existing in harmony with nature. In the ancient cultures of Mexico, corn (maize) was considered a sacred plant, which symbolized the kindness of the universe toward man, in providing him with sustenance. The intent of "Ixim" is to awaken in the human beings an awareness of the fact that they are only cells of a living being called "Earth", which will only survive if it attains harmony.
Sculptor: Renato Dorfman
Year: 2001
Height: 9 meters (29.5 feet)
Weight: 15 metric tons (16.5 tons)"

Rainy morning

It was a rainy morning and we decided to go shopping for souvenirs. We hopped on one of the little carts that take people back and forth between the various stops inside the Grand Bahia Palace complex, and got out at "The Hacienda".

Sure enough, there was a downpour on the way and we didn't have to wait long to witness a rainshower of epic proportions! This photo was taken just a few minutes before we had to take cover - luckily, we were already almost done with our shopping of "truly Mexican recuerdos"... :)

Bye-bye, til tomorrow

This visitor at the beach of Grand Bahia Principe Akumal was anything but shy and it came and went as it pleased - which pleased the tourists immensely. They sometimes flew above our heads in groups of three or four and it never ceased to amaze me how such big birds managed that degree of gracefulness. Now I'm definitely a fan of pelicans :)

Time for a snack

This and a few other friendly pelicans became regular visitors at the beach of the Grand Bahia Principe resort. They flew low and right by us and never hesitated to get in the water just to freshen up or fish among the tourists. They didn't mind the many people who flocked (pun intended ;) towards them with all sorts of cameras in their hands, eager to record those funny moments and amazing creatures.

I can say that I am now a fan of pelicans because they don't seem to fear or even mind us :)

Making the most of each moment

Parasailing is always a big thing at the Caribbean resorts. I still haven't tried it but I sure was glad that I had my feet on the ground on this occasion, to be able to take this photo of the colours of the Mexican flag flying high in the stormy sky.

As the clouds go by...

Just chillin' and watching the sky :)

My kind of summer picture

I got back from the Riviera Maya about a week ago and I'm now starting to sort through the 200 or so photos I took during the week I spent there. So, expect a few more in the coming days...

This is one of the beaches of the Grand Bahia Principe Akumal resort where I stayed - a very beautiful and quiet beach, even more so underneath stormy skies.

Hide and seek...

Hollow world

Big city, shallow people... right? Wrong.

New York means none of that to me. What it means is busy people, people trying to look busy, busy people trying to look laid back - in short, it means life as it is everywhere. We're all the same, basically. Everything else you hear is just stereotype, good for a laugh.

Take Trump, for instance - the name (and the man) stands for big buildings, big money... right? Wrong, if you ask me. If you ask me, it stands for thinking big. And it also brings something else to my mind: that big shiny hollow globe at the entrance of the Trump International Hotel near Columbus Circle in Manhattan.

Trust me, it's quite a sight!

From any angle... :)

Damn, I miss that city... the atmosphere, the hustle and bustle of the streets, the sometimes eerie peace and quiet of Central Park, the unexpected patches of green of the many small parks scattered throughout the city... and, of course, the squirrels.

 This big city? I guess it means home to me :)

Peek-a-boo ;)

View from the castle on top of Montemor-o-Novo (Alentejo, Portugal).

Looking for what could make a good photo is a funny process...
Sometimes you have to look beyond the obvious - just as in life itself :)

Tags: Portugal, Alentejo, castle, landscape, photo, CarlaFrancisco, Canon, 40D

Is it smoke? Is it a cloud?...

It's a contrail.
Caught a glimpse of it from my window as I passed by... I hurriedly went for my camera (back in 2006).
Then, camera in hand, I took my time to really understand what it was... and tried to make the most of the late afternoon light, as the sun was going down.

Tags: photo, photography, blog, blogger, contrail, cloud, smoke, chimney, roof, sun, sunset, CarlaFrancisco

Vertigo

When I bought an ultra-wide angle lens for my 40D (the Canon EF-S 10-22mm), I took it to Sintra for a visit to the Regaleira Palace.

I ended up taking a lot of cool photos, one of which I'm including here (you can find more here - and I especially like this one).

I was also able to confirm that I'm a "wide-angle photography kind of person" :)

But that's another story...

The photo in this post shows the Initiation Well, a very mysterious place. I find it quite hypnotic and the descent really is an amazing experience... Sintra at its best!

Tags: palace, well, initiation, architecture, Sintra, Portugal, deep, descent, photo, photography, blog, wide-angle, Canon, EOS, 40D, CarlaFrancisco

Photography is my 6th sense

I know, I know – "Photography as a sense? What the hell is she talking about?!”

But that’s how I think of it. My 6^th sense (I know I must have one, right? - they say all women do…) has very little to do with ESP and such stuff… And then again, maybe it does. Let me explain…

My 6^th sense is made up of the heightened state of all my other senses… I use it to make photos. They may look like nothing special to you, but they speak volumes to me – each and every one of them. If I’m in the right mood, I can “see” photography… “touch” photography… “taste” photography… “hear” photography… and I can even “smell” photography (although sometimes I’m sure you’ll understand why I wish I couldn’t!)

Just try this:

1) Take your camera and turn it on

2) Place yourself in front of something you want to photograph… or just take a snapshot of ;)

3) Close your eyes

4) Feel the camera in your hands (you’d better know by heart where the shutter button is by now… ;)

5) Feel your lips with the tip of your tongue (somehow, I believe you’ll find this bit either very ridiculous or highly erotic… either way, it’ll tell you a lot about yourself!)

6) Listen carefully to your surroundings – if you try hard enough, and assuming you’re at home, you’ll be able to hear what’s going on in your neighbour’s bathroom – (quickly) filter that out and direct your attention to the world outside your window, for instance… even if traffic noise is all you get, I'm sure you'll thank me for the heads-up ;)

7) Now, forget all about your neighbour’s bathroom (I mean it!)… and take a deep breath

8) Hold your breath, focus on what you want to shoot (no, not your neighbour… the stuff you want to photograph), gather your now heightened senses (all 5 of them) and combine them into a 6^th sense… and breathe out as you press the shutter button.

Tell me, what did you get? If nothing else, a very different photo from the one you would have taken with your eyes wide open… not better, not worse – unique. And yours – a reflection of what you felt when you took it.

Well, I invite you to try this exercise and let me know what you came up with… I invite you to let me know what you felt during the fifth step of this exercise ;)

Keep chasing the light… I will catch you later – trust me, I will

Tags: sight, hearing, taste, touch, smell, photo, photography, blog, 6th sense, feeling, CarlaFrancisco

My contribution to the Cloud Appreciation Society

When I found out about The Cloud Appreciation Society, I knew I was not alone! No more thinking that I was the only one constantly with my nose up in the air, looking for clouds, storms... and basically just staring at the sky... ;)
These are four of my photos that The Cloud Appreciation Society as featured on their website (until now, because I've sent them a few more):

Frail contrail


Towering storm


Spaceship


Sunset cumulonimbus

And as long as I have a camera in my hands (which I hope I always will...), I'll keep looking up, searching for amazing skies to photograph. Me and my 40D make quite a team... ;)

Tags: sky, clouds, photography, photo, blog