With considerable effort, I’ve combed through about 50,000 images (!) to narrow down my favorite photos from this past year.
I’ve grouped them into four categories — landscapes, wildlife, people, and food. There’s too many to share in one post so let’s start with landscapes today… and all the rest tomorrow.
Enjoy this blast of favorite photos from 2013, in the order of my travels!
THE COOK ISLANDS
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One Foot Island in Aitutaki, the Cook Islands
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Stunning beach in Aitutaki, the Cook Islands
NEW ZEALAND
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Cathedral Cove near Coromandel, New Zealand
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Hobbiton in Matamata, New Zealand
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Famous ‘Hole in the Rock” at Bay of Islands in the north of New Zealand
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Stunning Milford Sound in New Zealand
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Heli-hike on Franz Josef Glacier on the South Island of New Zealand
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Queenstown, New Zealand
AUSTRALIA
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Twelve Apostles on the Great Ocean Road in Australia
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Rainbow over sanddunes on Kangaroo Island, Australia
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Rainbow over Sydney, Australia
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Dazzling sunset over the Sydney Opera House
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A blue sky over Sydney Harbor
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Milky Way over Fraser Island, Australia
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Sailing the Whitsunday Islands on the east coast of Australia
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Bird’s eye view from a helicopter ride over the Great Barrier Reef in Cairns, Australia
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Colorful sailboats line up near Rottnest Island, Australia
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A full moon in Tasmania, Australia
SINGAPORE
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Dusk over Singapore, as viewed from the top of Marina Bay Sands hotel
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Gardens by the Bay in Singapore
INDONESIA
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Borobudur temple in Yogyakarta, Java
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Mt. Bromo in Java, Indonesia
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Mt. Bromo in Java, Indonesia
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Miners at Ijen Crater in Java, Indonesia
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Rice fields in Ubud, Bali
MALAYSIA BORNEO
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Exploring Turtle Island, off the coast of Sandakan
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Cruising down the Kinabatangan River near Sukau
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Mataking Island in Malaysia Borneo
PALAU
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Rock Islands National Park in Palau
JAPAN
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Golden Temple in Kyoto, Japan
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Lanterns line the Kasuga Taisha shrine in Nara, Japan
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Bamboo forest in Arashiyama, Japan
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Kiyomizu Temple gate in Kyoto, Japan
NEPAL
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Colorful prayer flags over Lhotse peak in Nepal
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View from Kala Patar overlooking Mount Everest (second peak from the right) in Nepal
JORDAN
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Ancient ruins in Jerash, Jordan
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Monastery in Petra, Jordan
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Fruit market in Amman, Jordan
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Petra By Night in Petra, Jordan
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Wadi Rum desert in Jordan
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Sunset over Wadi Rum desert in Jordan
ISRAEL
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Dan Hotel designed by Yaacov Agam in Tel Aviv, Israel
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Dome of the Rock in the Old City of Jerusalem, Israel
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Group dancing outside the Wailing Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem on the first night of Hanukkah
TURKEY
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Blue Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey
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Beautiful carpet at the Suleymaniye Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey
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Overlooking the countryside of Selcuk, Turkey
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Terraces at Pamukkale, Turkey
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Paragliding over the Blue Lagoon in Oludinez, Turkey
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Predawn light in Cappadocia, Turkey
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Hot air balloon ride above the clouds in Cappadocia, Turkey
EGYPT
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The Pyramids in Cairo, Egypt
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A 200 year old coffee shop in Cairo, Egypt
DUBAI
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The Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the tallest building in the world
It’s a trip to look at all these highlights at once. How is it possible I saw ALL of this in less than a year?! 2013 is one for the record books…
Absolutely beautiful photos! : )
Thank you Candice! Happy New Year!
Great job. Happy New year !!
Thank you, Mr. Wing! Happy New Year to you & Ellen, too!
i have been following your travels for a few months now. i found your blog when you were in bali. these photos are just wonderful. congratulations on some amazing photography.
Hi Fran! Thank you for reading my blog! It is a joy to share my photos here. Happy New Year!