It is quite common to find a festive Christmas tree lit up in the center of town for everyone to enjoy. Sometimes they are located inside of the local church or even in the lobby of the hotels. We have seen many different trees in various countries and cities, all uniquely different. We certainly couldn’t choose a favorite since each is special in its own way. Here are a few of our favorite trees that we have seen throughout our travels.
Manmade arches have been used to commemorate both people as well as historical events all throughout history. Many of them draw tourists to see their grandeur, architecture, and beauty in cities around the world. One of the most famous, of course, is the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, but there are many others as well. If you visit the Colosseum in Rome, you will find the Arch of Constantine with its three arches. One of the more interesting arches that we’ve seen was Patuxai (Victory Gate) in Vientiane, Laos. All of them are truly fascinating to see and to understand the history that they memorialize.
We have been fortunate enough to take several trips into the Amazon Rainforest and to say that it is amazing is certainly an understatement. One of the most obvious things about visiting a rainforest is that you are likely to get rained on. Even when it isn’t raining, you are going to experience heat and humidity, so having proper clothing, what we refer to as our “jungle clothes”, is an absolute necessity. The other interesting thing is that the humidity will often cause the clouds to wrap themselves around the treetops and settle into the jungle itself while above them it is more clear.
Because of the pockets of humidity, clouds, and changes in altitude, the views can be both ominous and beautiful. We obviously take lots of photographs during our trips and some of the pictures where we are actually above the clouds and not in an airplane are eerie, yet calming. Whether driving through the mountains or climbing to the top of the canopy, seeing the clouds floating below you is quite fascinating.
At the time, of course, the clouds seemed like a bit of nuisance as we’re trying to scan the trees for birds, monkeys, sloths, or other wildlife. Looking back, however, the photographs seem interesting as the clouds contrast the dark jungle foliage. We have shared just a few of our pictures that we took from above the clouds during our time in the Amazon Rainforest.
