Maldives - Beautiful Sunrises

When I went to sleep each night in the Maldives, I purposely left the curtains undone. The villa I stayed in had a great view of the surf spot (Kandooma Right)... but it had an even more beautiful view of the morning sunrise. The light naturally woke me up each morning and the excitement of the great waves encouraged me to get out of bed. These are a few photos I took of those sunrises.

The Metropolis - I

During a trip to Asia last year, I had a layover in Hong Kong... and was lucky enough to be there on one of the clearest days of the year! Therefore, I made my way to some of my favorite rooftop bars and took some photos. I don't think I will ever get sick of looking at these views.

Sunrise Over SLC

I traveled to Utah for the Outdoor Retailer tradeshow... and instead of staying in one of the downtown hotels, I opted for a "Luxury Ski House" that I found on airbnb. The house was very well designed and was within a short distance of both the ski resorts and downtown. However, the best part about it was the view from the balcony. The house was perched on top of the foothills in Salt Lake City... and you had an incredible view of the entire valley. Unfortunately, the pollution was so bad that we could barely see the mountains the first few days (the smog did make the sunsets glow a bit more, but kind of ruined the sunrises)... luckily, a wind came through later in the week and pushed the smog away. These are a couple of photos I took on the last (and clearest) day just as the sun had risen.

Waking Up in Santa Barbara

This photo kind of summarizes why I enjoy waking up at the crack of dawn to immerse myself in the cold ocean... introducing the Santa Barbara coastline. 

Fiji Watercolors

Sunrise Hike at Malolo Lailai

I took these photos on my last day in Fiji. I had woken up before the sun in order to go on one final surf mission. However, the wind was blowing the wrong direction, it was raining, and the swell had dropped... so I decided to not go. As I was walking back to my villa (to go back to sleep), I noticed a break in the clouds... and it looked like the sun might peak out. Therefore, I decided to grab my camera and go for a hike. The cool thing about the island of Malolo Lailai is that it is one big hiking trail and you can basically go wherever you want (granted you have the energy). I started at the base of a beach and climbed over a little mountain to a clearing I spotted the day prior. From what I saw, it looked like a good spot to watch the sunrise over the big island of Viti Levu (which you see in the background). I'm not sure if these pictures do it justice... but the sunrise was spectacular. I would have liked to go surfing one more time prior to my departure, but this was a pretty decent consolation prize. Hope you enjoy!

Morocco - "The Sun"

The sun rising over the mountains.

Since I've been living on the east coast for a number of years, I've kind of forgot how nice it is to watch the sunset over the ocean. These are a few images I took from my beachside apartment in Taghazout.

Again, I need to thank Surf Maroc for providing me with such amazing accommodations! (the apartment was 3 times bigger than my current place in Boston) Nothing is better than being able to fall asleep and wake up to the sound of the ocean.

Last light of the evening.

Watching the Sunrise @ MAD

As I was en route to Morocco, I had a bit of a layover at MAD (Madrid International Airport). I arrived in the pre-dawn hours and proceeded to the One World Iberia lounge (wish I was here in the afternoon... because the complimentary wine bar looks incredible). As I was enjoying a cappuccino and some fruit, I noticed that the sky behind some the hills started to glow. I went over and took a picture (through the extremely dirty windows) right before the sun made its way over the hills. Good start to my trip!

Sunsets from 40,000ft

Over the last few years, I've flown quite a bit... and I always seem to be in the air when the sun is rising or setting. I'm not sure if it's because I'm looking at the sunset from a different angle (or because I've had a couple glasses of wine), but they are quite breathtaking at 40,000ft. Somewhat recently I changed my "seating preference" from aisle to window and started documenting the sunsets with my Canon EOS T1i camera or iPhone camera (whichever is more convenient to access at the time). This is a small collection of the sunsets/sunrises I've experienced... some of which I've already featured.

Sunrise Descent to ORD

Look closely at the shoreline and you can see smoke coming out of a nuclear power plant. This is the Indiana/Michigan side of the lake.

On an American flight from BOS to ORD. The series of photos here document the sunrise descent to ORD... first, flying over lake Michigan and then going past the city of Chicago. One of the reasons I like taking the 6AM flight to Chicago (other than the fact that it's the least likely to be delayed), is that you can see dramatic sunrises like this (just need to sit on the left hand side of the plane). 

Right now I'm about halfway over Lake Michigan. The center of the lake was covered in fog.

First glimpse of the Chicago skyline as we come out from the fog.

The city had a bit of a haze over it on this particular morning... and since the sun was still at such a low angle, it was casting shadows in the haze (behind the buildings). I thought it was a cool effect.

Salvadorian Sunrise

Two surfers make their way up the beach during the pre-dawn hours at Las Flores.

July 14, 2011

Low tide sunrise... in El Salvador.