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
One Foot Island in Aitutaki, the Cook Islands
Stunning beach in Aitutaki, the Cook Islands
NEW ZEALAND
Cathedral Cove near Coromandel, New Zealand
Hobbiton in Matamata, New Zealand
Famous ‘Hole in the Rock” at Bay of Islands in the north of New Zealand
Stunning Milford Sound in New Zealand
Heli-hike on Franz Josef Glacier on the South Island of New Zealand
Queenstown, New Zealand
AUSTRALIA
Twelve Apostles on the Great Ocean Road in Australia
Rainbow over sanddunes on Kangaroo Island, Australia
Rainbow over Sydney, Australia
Dazzling sunset over the Sydney Opera House
A blue sky over Sydney Harbor
Milky Way over Fraser Island, Australia
Sailing the Whitsunday Islands on the east coast of Australia
Bird’s eye view from a helicopter ride over the Great Barrier Reef in Cairns, Australia
Colorful sailboats line up near Rottnest Island, Australia
A full moon in Tasmania, Australia
SINGAPORE
Dusk over Singapore, as viewed from the top of Marina Bay Sands hotel
Gardens by the Bay in Singapore
INDONESIA
Borobudur temple in Yogyakarta, Java
Mt. Bromo in Java, Indonesia
Mt. Bromo in Java, Indonesia
Miners at Ijen Crater in Java, Indonesia
Rice fields in Ubud, Bali
MALAYSIA BORNEO
Exploring Turtle Island, off the coast of Sandakan
Cruising down the Kinabatangan River near Sukau
Mataking Island in Malaysia Borneo
PALAU
Rock Islands National Park in Palau
JAPAN
Golden Temple in Kyoto, Japan
Lanterns line the Kasuga Taisha shrine in Nara, Japan
Bamboo forest in Arashiyama, Japan
Kiyomizu Temple gate in Kyoto, Japan
NEPAL
Colorful prayer flags over Lhotse peak in Nepal
View from Kala Patar overlooking Mount Everest (second peak from the right) in Nepal
JORDAN
Ancient ruins in Jerash, Jordan
Monastery in Petra, Jordan
Fruit market in Amman, Jordan
Petra By Night in Petra, Jordan
Wadi Rum desert in Jordan
Sunset over Wadi Rum desert in Jordan
ISRAEL
Dan Hotel designed by Yaacov Agam in Tel Aviv, Israel
Dome of the Rock in the Old City of Jerusalem, Israel
Group dancing outside the Wailing Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem on the first night of Hanukkah
TURKEY
Blue Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey
Beautiful carpet at the Suleymaniye Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey
Overlooking the countryside of Selcuk, Turkey
Terraces at Pamukkale, Turkey
Paragliding over the Blue Lagoon in Oludinez, Turkey
Predawn light in Cappadocia, Turkey
Hot air balloon ride above the clouds in Cappadocia, Turkey
EGYPT
The Pyramids in Cairo, Egypt
A 200 year old coffee shop in Cairo, Egypt
DUBAI
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!