We have officially entered the winter solstice. As we trade long sunny days for longer starry nights we are gravitated to travel inward. Enjoy quiet days with yourself, a journal, and your imagination. Be alone with your thoughts and let go of things that weigh on your soul. Forever be a student, and play with abandon. Reflect on the past, live in the present, and move forward with intention.
So intrigued by this documentary about the rise and fall of this hippie community called Taylor Camp. The camp formed on the idea of free living, settled in this tree house village on the beautiful shore of Kauai. Clothing-optional, pot-friendly, rent free, and no politics made this village utopia in paradise. Taylor Camp was born in the spring of 1969 when artist / oceanographer Howard Taylor (brother of actress Elizabeth) bailed out thirteen hippies seeking refuge from the ongoing campus riots in America and police brutality. Hippies, surfers,vets and alternative lifestylists then flocked into this idyllic tropical hippie dream, and without any rules they grew the village and governed themselves. These nostalgic photos were taken by John Wehrheim who was a Taylor Camp resident. Such magical images he captured of this village which many look back as the “happiest days of their lives”. Sadly the community was torched and put to an end in 1977 to make room for a state park.
National Geographic “Your Shot” community is such a visual discovery through the lens of everyday photographers, travelers, and spontaneous adventurers. They posted a “foodscape” assignment and we immediately thought about my uncle Jong whom we recently visited during our stay in the Philippines. He’s quite a man of the wild, knows how to fix anything, build anything, catch anything, and cook everything. We have a little family compound by the ocean off of the island Mindoro. Below is his photo captured by Aaron as he cooks what he’s caught for us over an open fire. Below this photo are the top photos from the NCS foodscape assignment. Aren’t they incredible?! So many stories these photos have captured. They open our eyes to wonder, and evoke a sense of adventure.
Early morning markets, Hoi An, Vietnam
Kolkata India
This was taken in a small village in southeast of china called Lishui.People are busy gathering and picking the pumpkin to the market.
These are two sea gypsies that are cooking the catch of the day.
Iranian villager woman carries the tray of fruits and traditional nuts at the yard of her house during Chaharshanbe Souri.
Click on images for photographer profiles and while you’re at it, check out their amazing shots!
We stacking high with lots of tribal textiles for you indigenous hearts, teepee makers, festival fairies, and gypsy crafters! Some shiny, new and fresh off the hands of the Hmong tribe artisans, while others have been passed down for generations and have now made it into our vintage series of textiles. Whichever tickles your fancy, we’re sure these tribal beauties will keep you warm, or have you winning the raddest picnic blanket award. Each one of a kind, so call dibs on your favorite before it gets picked up! Check out our textile collection HERE.
Misty mornings by the boat dock
Small villages amongst breathtaking mountain landscapes of Laos
Incredible layers of mountainsides made for a scenic ride
A temple within a cave
Through film: Temples along the river
Through film: At the boat dock
Through film: Monks accompanied our long boat ride. It was interesting to see them meditating while on the boat!
Through film: Temp rooftops over the Mekong
Sundown on the Mekong
One of the biggest realizations we’ve had on the road is the reality of being rich with time. All of a sudden I am happily hand washing our clothes, when it used to be such a chore sticking them in the washing machine and pressing a button. It’s an incredible feeling to get up early, to listen to bird songs, watch the sunrise and write in my journal. Quite a contrast to the days where I’m frantically running out the door and listening to beating horns of early morning traffic. Now I slowly sip my coffee throughout the day for the aroma and bold flavors, not to “have to get through the day”. The more I see different walks of life, the more I realize that the unmarked paths are there for you to create your own. Knowing that has been such a freeing feeling, and I don’t think it’s anything I would have understood without seeing it for myself.
We decided to take a “slow’ trip to Laos. We had nowhere we had to be at any time and creating an itinerary just seemed unnecessary. The slow boat took two days slowly riding the current of the Mekong river. There’s something so therapeutic about sitting still for hours as the wind blows your hair, and views of the majestic mountain regions of Laos pass by. We live in such an “instant’ society where you’re expected to do more with less time. We can answer 10 emails in one hour, but it’s hard to establish any true connections that way. It’s getting harder and harder to sit still, because it’s seen as lazy or unproductive but reflection is imperative in clearing your mind and centering your priorities.
As the sun started set, the boat came to stop at a small riverside village for you to sleep and find some local food. We came with no expectations therefore everything became a discovery. Some good, some so-so. I’ll have to save our story of when we played pin the tail on the map of Laos and ended up in a village where we felt stranded. Or that guesthouse where all you could smell was cat pee. We laugh about it every time, and can honestly say these moments color our travels.
If you’re feed is anything like mine, you can almost drown in a never ending feed of images. In our day and age of selfies and “what I ate today” image frenzy, there are those images that make you stop, look, and listen to their story. My favorite instagrams is my version of highly addicting TV shows (since I don’t have a TV) These wandering folks have taken my imagination to some far away places, somewhere I’ve been or where I’d like to go and I’m always curious to see where their perspective will lead me next.
@ourwildabandon: They were scheduled to be back in Canada by Novemeber 1st, but they’re not even halfway through with their US road trip. These girls and their camper named Bobby Jean makes you lust for camp vibes, big skies, desert trips, and the freedom of the open road.
@BrooklynHawaii: Hailing in Hawaii, Brooklyn is a talented photographer and one badass surfer chick, yes she exists. Be warned, her photos might have you green with envy for big waves, tan lines, and mahalo vibes.
@NatKelley: A psychedelic sister and a Peruvian beauty, her photos take you from burning man to Bali through a kaleidoscope lens of colors and cosmic waves.
@Circa_1983 From misty mornings to high altitudes, his shots capture Mama Earth’s majestic silhouettes and make us want to get lost deep into the wild.
We truly were enchanted with our stay in Santa Fe. Above is some shots on the road and in our hostel. We spent two nights in Santa Fe International hostel and it was a gem of a find. The outdoor courtyard was charming, our room was a sunny sanctuary, and the feeling of community was welcoming. We enjoyed the details that surrounded us in the city. Every bridge we passed displayed artwork, wooden doors carved with intricate designs, and eclectic shops that boasts influence from Native American arts to artisan pieces from all over the world. I met an inspiring local named Ian who runs Peaceful Wind Gallery. Every piece selectively collected during his travels through India, Nepal, Tibet and Southeast Asia. I was in awe with his finds. There were original scrolls from Tibet, intricate furniture, and beautiful Buddhist statues. We also chatted with his son who has embraced his dad’s gallery by branching into the up and coming art scene of Tibet. They both travel and meet with different artists to showcase their work. The most amazing part of our visit to this gallery is seeing how passionate they were about each piece and the story behind the artist. It was a great karmic encounter, and grateful for people like Ian who walk into your lives, even if just for a short visit to open your eyes with wonder.
I’ve always been fascinated by pictures from the past. These color photos from Russian photographer/chemist Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii are simply incredible. Between 1909 and 1915, Prokudin-Gorskii traveled across his home country, using a relatively new technology of color photography to document what he saw along his journey. Outfitting a private train car with his own dark room equipment, Prokudin-Gorskii captured landscapes, buildings, and people in a series of breathtaking images. Without sepia tones’ time-distancing effects, the characters in these images feel right there, full of stories of a bygone era and a diverse, colorful culture on the brink of revolution.
View the entire collection of high res photographs here.
Just came across the absolutely incredible work from Brazilian photographer and photojournalist Sebastiao Salgado. The majority of his photographs leave me wondering how he got to such bizarre locations he did in order to produce such beautifully apocalyptic images. I even start to question if they’re real or if they’ve been digitally created or altered. But indeed they are real film shots. His work is such an inspiration to seek out these far corners of this world that very few have captured the way he has.
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