503 - 2nd - Ready to fly

Originally clicked and upladed by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 2nd May'09

This insect was so small that I actually didnt notice it at first. I was trying to get a small flower in focus when I notice this shiny blue sky sitting on a dry leaf. I didnt have my macro lens mounted and changing the lens would have taken at least a minute; but still I decided to test my luck and quickly changed my lens. By the time I was ready I could still see the insect perched on the dry twig.

I could just see the bright color of the insect when I clicked this photo. Only after trabsferring it to my laptop and seeing the enlarged view, I could see all the tiny details. Click the image and see the full sized version; there are many interesting details hidden there :)

Click here to see the full sized image

502 - 1st - A little greenary

Originally clicked and uplaoded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 1st May'09

The crystal white sand at the beaches of Merida was almost blinding under the shining Sun. The vegetation near the beaches is scarce with only some protected species of a type of sea-weed growing here and there. I was searching for some shells and conchs when I noticed this small plant sprouting out of the white sand. Give that there were no other signs of life nearby and the absolute contrast the green color of the weed was giving with the white sand, it looked as if someone has deliberately placed a twig on the ground.

Amazing color combinations nature has in it's kitty :)

Click here to see the full sized image

500 - 29th - A glowing entrance

Originally clicked and uploaded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 29th Apr'09

A relatively busy place during the day, teeming with visitors and the hotel staff, lay deserted during the late night hours. No one to receive anyone and no one waiting for the hotel staff to attend them. No families waiting for the tour guides to arrive and no screaming children running around the corridors. Only small glowing lights and the silence of night broken by constant buzz of some nocturnal insects.

Click here to see the full sized image

499 - 28th - The grasshopper

Originally clicked and uploaded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 28th Apr'09

I was checking out of the hotel in Celestun when my friend pointed out something perched on a nearby wall. At first glance, I was not able to recognize what it is but once I got closer I could see it was a grasshopper. I quickly unpacked my camera and tried to get some good close up shots.

The shots from the top didnt come good due to lack of enough light. But while the hotel staff was staring at what exactly I was up to, I got some really nice images against a bright background.

Click here to see the full sized image

498 - 27th - Beer and tequila

Originally clicked and uploaded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 27th Apr'09

I dont know how well do alcohol and sea water mix but I've enjoyed my share of beaches and not at one have I seen people enjoying the sun and the waves without a bottle of beer. This time in Celestun it was tequila which was seen accompanying the beer at almost every shed I could see on the beach.

I took this image while returning to my room from the beach. The bigger glass you can see is for the beer while the smaller once is for tequila :)

Click here to see the full sized image

497 - 26th - Conch among the waves

Originally clicked and uploaded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 26th Apr'09

Unlike majority of the beaches where shells are the ones you can get your hands easily on, conchs were the ones you could more easily find on the beaches of Celestun. They were so many in number that for once I felt maybe the hotel has spread them across the beach just to make the place look better. There small ones and there were big. There were white ones and there were ones with shades of brown. Never in my life have I seen so many conchs spread out in white sand.

I collected many and gave to my colleagues in office when I returned to Puebla :)

Click here to see the full sized image

496 - 25th - Eco paraiso

Originally clicked and uploaded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 25th Apr'09

Eco paraiso was the "Ecological" hotel which we booked for our vacations in Celestun, Merida. It was supposed to be an environment friendly place and it lived up to its name to a large extent. The hotel had individual bunglows right next to the beach which were quite secluded and luxurious. All the things which would take you away from a "natural" experience, like a TV or music were absent.

The image above is the front side of the bungalow where I stayed. It has a relaxing net to lie on and a couple of rocking chairs. They were the best two days I have spent anywhere in Mexico.

Click here to see the full sized image

485 - 24th - A creeper in the sand

Originally clicked and uploaded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 24th Apr'09

I was looking for some morning birds near the mangroves on the beach but finding them too quick to be shot, i gave up and started looking for something slower on the ground. There were shells, there were conchs and there were plants. The mangroves had all sorts of shrubs and creepers growing around. Small thorny plants, green and red crawlers on the ground and some beautiful purple flowers.

Of all those, two caught the attention of my camera. Here is one of them. The other quite similar to this one, would come up soon on the blog.

Click here to see the full sized image

484 - 23rd - Reflections

Originally clicked and uploaded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 23rd Apr'09

It was ten at night and almost everyone was either sleeping in their room or enjoying the free buffet at the hotel restaurant. I was sitting at the pool facing towards the absolute darkness in front of me and just listening to the loud roar of the sea. I had my camera and my tripod with me to get a good shot of the rising moon but it I guess I need a better zoom to achieve something like that.

Anyways if not the moon, the reflections in the calm water of the pool came quite good. :)

Click here to see the full sized image

483 - 22nd - Webs in the woods

Originally clicked and uploaded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 22nd Apr'09

Just another abstract image I clicked through my macro. On a dry fragment of dead food, were hanging these small webs almost invisible to the naked eye. I was actually following an ant on the wooden log when suddenly this web came into focus. Immediately I changed my own focus to this setting and let the ant go on it's way ;)

Click here to see the full sized image

482 - 21st - The twin boats

Originally clicked and uploaded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 21st Apr'09

Kayaking is supposed to be a fun activity and supposedly pretty less dangerous when done at the sea. But given my "lower amateur" level in basic swimming I gave it a skip while others hopped into the little boats and went sailing right into the sea. Given that there might have been another weak hearted guy like me, there were two empty boats left on the beach; and definitely me with my camera trying to get something good out of the situation :)

Click here to see the full sized image

481 - 20th - The lighthouse

Originally clicked and uploaded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 20th apr'09

I have always seen lighthouses from a distance; actually from quite some distance & all I could see was a huge huge "pillar" with a revolving light on the top. This was the first time when I was standing right beneath one and got a chance to click some photos from that close.

Before observing this photo after downloading it to my laptop I never observed that there was a "wind-direction-indicator" (don't know the actual name) right on top of the lighthouse. I need to be more observant I guess.

Click here to see the full sized image

480 - 19th - The star fish

Originally clicked and uploaded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 19th Apr'09

It is quite easy to find a shell or even a conch on the beach, but to find a star fish (dead though) is quite a piece of good luck. It was six in the morning and I was walking around the beach with no intentions of shell collecting at all when I stepped over this dead start fish. I didnt realize that it was actually a real fish until I picked it up and felt in my hands. I gave up the idea of keeping it with me when I realized that it might rot and start smelling a couple of days. So I captured it somewhere where it will forever remain the way it was - in my camera.

Click here to see the full sized image

479 - 18th - I am the star

Originally clicked and uploaded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 18th Apr'09

I was on a trip to the backwaters at Celestun when we sailed past a small island full of birds. Our guide slowed the boat down so that we could have a good look. There were around fifty odd birds, most of them dark black. Among this huge group, there was this bird completely different in color and much taller in height than the others. It seemed as if it was the lead male/female of the group with seemingly unquestionable dominance.

I am the star - the bird seemed to give out the message.

Click here to see the full sized image

478 - 17th - The pool on the sea-side

Originally clicked and uploaded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 17th Apr'09

This is the view of the beautiful pool at a sea resort I was in a couple of weeks back during my vacations to Celestun, Merida. The resort was a huge empty place with not many people around at that time of the month. It was an ecological reserve with everything designed by keeping the environment under consideration. The place felt all the more peacuful and amazing after the sun went down. It was like spening a weekend in a different world altogether.

I spent one whole afternoon at this pool. It was at a few yards from the sea and you could enjoy the view while immersing yourself in the chilled water.

Click here to see the full sized image

477 - 16th - Along the sea shore

Originally clicked and uploaded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 16th Apr'09

Imagine living in a house right on the shore with not many people/things around to disturb your peace. Just a small garden on the side, endless white sand all around and the bustling sound of sea waves hitting your ears all day. The peace and tranquility of the beach all to yourself and you in the midst of this heaven completely alone with your own thoughts.

A dream house and a paradise to live in.

Click here to see the full sized image

476 - 15th - Bumping along the waves

Originally clicked and uploaded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 15th Apr'09

The sun was just setting down and all the fishermen were returning to their homes. Every 30 seconds I could see a boat pass by; bumping against the high waves and making a roaring sound as they sail away.

The sky was golden and so was the water. The sun had an orange circle around it and you could barely see the people or the boat for that matter; only a silhouette.

Click here to see the full sized image

475 - 14th - A pearl in the making?

Originally clicked and uploaded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 14th Apr'09

I dont exactly know how pearls are formed naturally, but I have read somewhere that it is the water inside the shell which combined with some minerals changes into a pearl overtime. This was the first thought which came into my mind when I saw this half filled shell lying on the beach. It had some water which had just crawled in from the sea and some brown sand which had come along.

Click here to see the full sized image

474 - 13th - From the top

Originally clicked and uploaded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 13th Apr'09

It was my first visit to a lighthouse and I was really excited; a tall tall tower right on the sea-side with a huge revolving light on the top. It took me around 3 minutes to climb some 500 odd stairs, but when op top the view and the feeling was really amazing. A strong cool wind hitting your face and a sprawling empty beach spreading out. I did some bird watching too using the binoculars my guide gave me.

Bending down over the edge was a bit dizzy but I had to do it for this image :) We had a light-house at the Marina Beach in Chennai too but those guys never allowed me to climb to the top.

Click here to see the full sized image

473 - 12th - Splash!!

Originally clicked and uploaded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 12th Apr'09

There is nothing much to write for this image as I have already written a couple of times before about the weird fish hunting methods of these birds. How they suddenly nose dive right inside the water once they spot a fish.

I always wanted to catch them right in the middle of their downwards flight but never got a satisfactory frame. Wasn’t so unlucky this time :)

Click here to see the full sized image