Reymon de Real PhotographyTHE PINK LOTUS
Posted on May 18, 2021
The pink lotus is a sacred symbol in the Hindu and Buddhist faiths and in Asian culture it symbolizes purity and enlightenment. This majestic flower thrives in muddy swamps and its existence is oftentimes used as a metaphor to our daily lives with the muddy waters symbolizing the craziness around us while the pink lotus blooming above it symbolizing our ability to bloom into the best version of ourselves despite the circumstances.
These photographs of a pink lotus were taken near the ruins of Beng Mealea outside the city of Siem Reap in Cambodia. This solitary bloom was situated right in the middle of a swamp and I wanted to move closer for a close-up but my guide warned me of snakes so I opted to stay within the snake-free zone. I realized I’ll never be a National Geographic photographer as I don’t have the balls to risk it for the perfect shot. 😬
PUERTO DE PUNTA DEL ESTE
Posted on July 16, 2020
TRAVEL SERIES: CELEBRITY ECLIPSE
Posted on January 26, 2019
I easily get seasick so I’m probably the last person you’d think would jump on a cruise ship in an instant. Surprisingly, I have been in more than a dozen cruises and am looking forward to my next one June of this year. I have sailed around Europe, Alaska, the Caribbean, South America and across the Atlantic Ocean and my goal is to have cruised around the world before I eventually leave this planet. A month ago I was on a two-week South American cruise on board the Celebrity Eclipse and had an amazing time even meeting new friends. The cruise started in Buenos Aires, Argentina sailing down to Cape Horn, Chile, which is the tip of South America, then up to Uruguay before docking back in Buenos Aires. The ship is almost 10 years old but is still in great shape thanks to regular maintenance. Celebrity Cruises is the premium brand of Royal Caribbean and has been awarded by several travel magazines as one of the best premium cruises in the world. Above is a photo I took of the main dining room while below are photos I took around the ship including a photo of my stateroom using my GoPro Hero7 camera. The ship’s interior is very tastefully decorated, which was made cheerful by the Christmas decorations during my cruise. The ship in itself is a destination complete with specialty restaurants, a theater, casino, game rooms, bars, swimming pools, gym, spa and more. My preference for Celebrity is primarily due to the quality of the service, food and the crowd it attracts…much older and relaxed, fewer children and lastly no bar fights. LOL!
Library (both photos above)
Theater
Casino
Entertainment Court (both photos above)
Grand Foyer (both photos above)
Shops on the Boulevard
Promenade Deck
Multi-Floor View
My Stateroom
LADY AT SEA
Posted on December 28, 2018
I just finished a two-week cruise in South America sailing from Buenos Aires, Argentina to ports in Uruguay and Chile. This was the longest cruise I’ve ever sailed…so long that when I left it was summer, made it halfway by winter and got back around summer again. I know it sounds insane so allow myself to clarify…when my ship sailed off Buenos Aires summer has just begun and the city was sizzling. Then we headed to the tip of South America passing by glaciers and snow capped mountains even experiencing snowfall in Ushuaia, Argentina. The cruise finally ended back in Buenos Aires with our ship docking on a hot summer morning. I took hundreds of photographs during this trip and will be posting them in the next few weeks. For this post, I am featuring a photograph I took of this magnificent sunset with a woman pensively looking out to sea. It was one of those rare sunsets wherein the entire sky looks like it’s on fire. Other photos below feature more passengers enjoying as well the magnificent sunset.
Reymon de Real Photography 