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Had a great time this past weekend at Night On Broadway in DTLA. The historic theaters along Broadway opened their doors to the public and offered free entertainment (drinks extra). I took upon the opportunity to capture photos of these rarely seen venues. This is the opulent LA Theatre where Charlie Chaplin would premier his movies way back in the day. I could sit here for hours just admiring all the artwork and fine detail. Creative people rule!!!.
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 The most magical view of Los Angeles is from atop the Griffith Observatory. I captured this shot way back in 2012 on a rare cloudy evening in LA. I haven’t been up there in a while but I think it’s time to pay a visit. I miss the magic.
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 On my only day in Salvador da Bahia, Brazil the rain was pouring down. So I did something I hadn’t done in years. I went to church. This baroque church is the Igreja Nossa Senhora Do Carmo in Pelourinho. From the outside, this small church is not very impressive, but inside it glimmers full of gold.
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Amei esse artigo We get some pretty nice sunsets in Southern California but every now and then we get a spectacular, out-of-this-world sunset. Last Wednesday, Jan. 7, was one of those days. I was very fortunate to witness as Helios hauled his Sun Chariot across the sky over Manhattan Beach.
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It is said that traveling to Cuba transports you back in time. That is very true. Especially if you visit the town of Trinidad with its cobblestone streets and centuries old architecture. A wooden carriage with horse is still a very common method of transportation. I walked around all day just soaking in the history but this gentleman didn’t have time for that. He was in quite a hurry. Maybe he was trying to avoid the rush hour.
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If there is one thing Rio de Janeiro is known for is its many famous beaches. Ipanema Beach is full of the beautiful people, Leblon Beach is where the rich kids hang out and Copacabana is full of tourists. My personal favorite is Praia Vermelha with it’s scenic views of Sugarloaf Mountain, calm waters, light crowds, and girls on standup paddle boards. It’s the prettiest praia. Click photo for a big surprise
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Even without clouds, the sunsets in Southern California sure are pretty. It helps if your at the beach and there is a colorful amusement park right on the water. Just relax and soak in the colors. Click photo for a big surprise
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This is where Hemingway lived when he arrived in Havana back in 1939. His room is still as he left it. He lived there for 7 years but stayed in Cuba for 21 years. Must have been some pretty good mojitos. Click photo for a big surprise
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I hung out with a bunch of cool Los Angeles photographers a few years ago and we went out to photograph the LA skyline from the downtown rooftops. The evening fog was rolling in right after sunset. That’s when the colors in the sky and the lights in the city began to explode. Click photo for a big surprise
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Hey, I was wondering if you could tell me which building exactly you got on to get to this view? Hi Brandon, In my last post, I shared Part One of my expedition through the Yucatan jungles of Mexico with a group of explorers who are huge aficionados of Maya ruins. As I mentioned in the post, our goal was to retrace and locate some of the Mayan ruins that were documented by the French explorer Michel Peissel in his 1963 book The Lost World of Quintana Roo. Many of the sites in his book have probably not been visited, or much less been photographed in decades. Click photo for a big surprise
Let me tell you a little about how we arrived at this amazing structure way down in the mangroves of Sian Ka’an. First take a flight to Cancun International Airport. Then drive about 2 hours south to Tulum and then take another 2 hr drive down the dusty jungle road to Sian Ka’an (4×4 vehicle recommended). There you will have to take a 3hr boat ride deep into the mangroves of Bahia del Espiritu Santo. You will traverse the dense mangrove all the while trying to avoid getting smacked around by the prickly branches. Suddenly you will come upon a spectacular site that seems like straight out of a Hollywood movie. Built upon a small clearing within the mangroves is this Mayan temple simply known as Tupak. I find it really hard to comprehend how the Mayans were able to built it at this site. It is still in very good condition. As with many other Maya sites, there are multiple red-handed prints throughout the front and interior. We also found many bats that had taken up residence inside. Atop is a small rectangular structure that probably served as a beacon. We spent quite a while exploring and taking photos. After the long trek to get here, we were in no rush to leave. Click photo for a big surprise
Front view of Tupak in the mangroves. Yes, I had to step way back in the water to get this shot. Click photo for a big surprise
As we were speeding through the bay, our boat suddenly began to slow down. Our guide peaked over and immediately jumped out. Turns out that at a certain time of the day, the tide recedes and he has to manually guide the boat to higher tide. All the while, he has to be on the lookout for crocodiles. Yep, I waited inside the boat. Click photo for a big surprise
Check out this spectacular view of the Sian Ka’an mangroves from atop Tupak. Click photo for a big surprise
Meet explorer extraordinaire Dr. Peter Thornquist. Here he is posing at the site known as San Miguel de Ruz way down in the Sian Ka’an Biosphere. Dr. Thornquist actually retraced many of Michel Peissel’s routes way back in 1973! I had a great time learning from him and witnessing his passion for Mayan history and culture. Plus, he speaks fluent Spanish and is an aficionado of fine cigars. I can hang out with him anytime. Click photo for a big surprise
This is Kaa’Peechen – The Sunken Temple. Somewhere in the middle of the bay, where there is no GPS signal, stands this unique Mayan temple. It actually sits atop a base with steps leading up to the entrance. The amateur archeologist in me concluded that at one time, Mayan people were able to climb up the temple to the top level, which is all that is visible now. Mind blown!!! The whole team was pretty excited about finding this structure. We all went for a swim and took some cool photos posing alongside the structure. Click photo for a big surprise
Kaa’Peechen – The Sunken Temple. Check out the little fishies. Click photo for a big surprise
Up and down the Yucatan peninsula, you will find Mayan structures, pyramids and temples pretty much everywhere you go. This pyramid is actually visible from the main highway between Playa del Carmen and Tulum. Good thing it was not torn down when the highway was expanded. It’s been known to happen. Click photo for a big surprise
Spectacular view of the clear blue Caribbean from an abandoned structure in Tulum. This location is not the popular tourist filled site that you have to pay to access. Nope, this site is hidden among the rocks overlooking the beach. Click photo for a big surprise
While Tancah rises among the trees, I was being eaten alive by fire ants. All for the sake of adventure. Click photo for a big surprise
Click photo for a big surprise
Right in the middle of the town of Akumal is this solitary structure. Nestled among a residential neighborhood with jungle growing all around, it is quite easy to miss. We took a machete and cleaned up the site. Click photo for a big surprise
This structure is part of a large site full of many other amazing Mayan structures and temples. This is one of the best preserved sites since access is only allowed with a government permit and chaperon. In fact, many of the sites are actually very hard to find and to enter. We were blessed to be accompanied by a deeply knowledgable team that would stop at nothing to find these historic sites. I felt very fortunate to tag along for the ride of a lifetime. Click photo for a big surprise
A Mayan pyramid reaches up to the sky at Rancho Ina. Click photo for a big surprise
Our trusted driver Miguel drove us everywhere we needed to go in a nice air-conditioned van all the while keeping us entertained with his sense of humor. And not only did he provide transportation, he also dove right in and accompanied us on many of the treks deep into the jungle. Here he posed with a canine friend in front of the entrance to a cenote we found. Click photo for a big surprise
Half of the explorer team posed for a group photo at El Naranjal. This was one of the most impressive sites we visited. After a whole week of exploring sites over land and water, the 2014 Mayan Expedition was winding down. I still have many more photos from this amazing expedition. I will have to sort through them and see if I can put together a Part 3. I hope you have enjoyed reading along. Feel free to leave a comment below. Share with your friends...
Really excellent photos. Thank you for sharing. Saludos desde Austria, Muy buena fotografía, habría que agregar un poco de documentación del tipo de arquitectura mostrada. Beautiful photos. Who did you work with to visit Tankah and Inah? Did you get a chance to visit the ruins inland at Paamul? Thanks for these. Hi Gerrit, Excellent images of beautiful and sometimes rarely visited sites in Quintana Roo. Thanks for part two of your adventure. |
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by Rafaelinho