Capture the Colour of Travel - Flip Flop Caravan

Awhile back, I was tagged by Christina, the ever lovely gal behind My View from the Middle Seat, to participate in the Capture the Colour Contest put on by Travel Supermarket.

Yes, I am late to the party (how fashionable of me), but I am so pumped about this contest!

Sure, there are fab prizes (hello £2000 and ipads!) but I was most excited to dig through my photo archives. I’ll admit that I got really into it and spent hours revisiting some of my favorite past destinations. So regardless of winning or not, I loved having a reason to reminise a bit.

So, all that’s to say, here are my Capture the Colour Photos.

BLUE:

Everything was silent, save for the soft whistle of a calm breeze. It was a drastic difference from the fierce wind that raked across the Gobi Desert just moments before. Now, we were nestled in between two outcroppings of amber rocks, facing what remained of a Buddhist temple. Destroyed in the religious purge of Mongolia by Communist soldiers in the 1930’s, all that’s left are a few crumbling walls and tattered prayer flags.

RED:

A Beijing rickshaw driver’s guide to not getting customers:

Park near dozens of other rickshaws.
Find a fellow driver and engage in a friendly game of cards.
Completely ignore everyone around you. Everyone.
Yes, even the foreigners trying to get a ride. Ignore.
Yes, even that other foreigner taking photos of you. Ignore.
Repeat.

Seriously though, these dudes were adorable and so intensely into their card game.

GREEN:

I took this photo when I was 17, while I visited my sister in Chile as she studied abroad. She was a gifted photographer and all I was toting around was a yellow and red, plastic disposable camera from Walgreen’s.

I felt intimidated and didn’t take many photos, realizing that none of mine could ever compare to hers. But something about this farmhouse on the island of Chiloé struck a chord with me. I felt compelled to photograph it; as though I couldn’t possibly leave the place without taking an image with me. Maybe it had something to do with walking its dim dirt hallways or feeding the resident baby cow from a bottle in the dining room (yes, it lived in the house!), but even to this day my mind will wander back to that house and to this image.

YELLOW:

I grew up in Colorado, a place teeming with pine trees, and spent my childhood climbing to their tops and making forts in their branches. I know what pines look like, smell like (delightful juniper, if you’re curious) and feel like. The needles are tough to the touch and even when they’re brown and dying, they’re brittle.

But not these golden pine needles. Oh no. These needles felt like running your hand over silk; delicate, soft, smooth, almost fluffy. Soft pine needles, WTF? Given that these are native to Olkhon Island, situated in the middle of Lake Baikal, smack dab in the middle of freaking Siberia, I was shocked. I have no idea how or why something so delicate can survive in such a harsh place. But I do know that I spent (probably and inappropriate amount of) time petting (yes, petting) the trees. I repeat, WTF.

WHITE:

Never before in my life had I seen signs for Tank X-ings (seriously?) but in Perm, Russia they are quite common. The city was a massive military stronghold during the Cold War and tank lanes were a more common fixture than modern-day bike lanes. While the city has modernized, there are constant (and sometimes unexpected) reminders of the past.