Stephen just posted his pictures from our recent trip to Bhutan. They are absolutely beautiful, please take a look if you have a chance. You can also read my Bhutan travelogue. I will be adding photos into my travelogue over the next few days.

The ruins of Drukgyel Dzong in Bhutan

A crumbling stairway at Machu Picchu, Peru.

The ruins of Machu Picchu in Peru are also immensely appealing to me. It was unfortunately more crowded there than at Drukgyel Dzong. It is the kind of place where I wish I could be there all alone, just to sit and contemplate.

Check out more of Stephen’s pictures of Bhutan.

Check out more of Stephen’s pictures of Peru.

While we were in Bhutan earlier this fall, our guide told us about being involved in the filming of an episode of photographer Art Wolfe‘s series, Travels to the Edge. Of course, Stephen wanted to hear all about this, and was full of questions like what kind and how much gear Art Wolfe carried. He also asked our guide, Pema, if he appeared on camera, which he did.

As soon as we got home, we ordered a copy of the DVD with that episode. It is hard to be terribly objective about this particular episode, as we just returned from a fantastic trip to Bhutan and because our guide is featured so prominently in the show. But Art Wolfe’s on-camera personality is very likable and his enthusiasm for the subject matter is infectious. He seems to have a lot of respect for the culture, and he is often clearly in awe of his surroundings. For such a well-traveled and successful photographer, he does not come off as at all jaded.

One of the things I liked about the show was that he talks a little bit about taking is photos and they show some of his still shots. Although it is more of a travel show than a photography show, I’d like to see him talk a little more about the photography – and perhaps he does on other episodes. This disc also includes a documentary on making the show, and listening to Art Wolfe and his crew talk about making the show was really interesting. There is a bit of a conflict between the crew getting the material they need for the show and Art Wolfe taking his photographs.

The emphasis is definitely on culture and nature, rather than photography, and for a half hour show viewers get a pretty good glimpse into Bhutan. It did seem that the people were extremely tolerant of having cameras in their faces, and for that reason, both the live action film and still images are fantastic. Some of the footage that they got in the monasteries was amazing. Unfortunately, we arrived in Phobjika Valley a little early to see the black neck cranes, so we enjoyed seeing the shots they got of the cranes. I also especially enjoyed the archery scenes, which had a lot of humor.

What made this episode even more appealing to us is that Art Wolfe’s guide, Pema Sonam, was also our guide in Bhutan. When we travel with a guide, we are with that person constantly for two or three weeks, and then just as suddenly as they appeared in our lives they are gone. It’s kind of a sad aspect of travel for me, because we have always had such terrific guides that we genuinely liked. So it was really kind of strange to watch this episode and see someone that we spent so much time with – it is kind of like having a flashback of our trip.

I still have two more episodes to watch on this disc, and I would love to see more. For me, it is a little tough because the show airs on PBS (check your local listings) and we don’t have any tv reception. I checked Netflix and they don’t carry the series. I had to order directly from Art Wolfe’s online store, and while the price of each disc is reasonable at $17.95, they charged me a whopping $9 for shipping. This seems a little excessive for a package that weighs less than a pound. I looked on Amazon, but they don’t sell it directly – Art Wolfe’s shop sells it through Amazon, so I imagine the postage is the same. So if Netflix decides to carry it, then I will watch more episodes. If like most normal people, you have television reception, then it is definitely worth checking it out on PBS. If you are into travel photography, it is even better.

Spider Rock seen from the South Rim overlook. Canyon de Chelly, Arizona.

Thank you so much to everyone who entered. I really wanted to give prints to everyone, but Stephen (husband and photographer) would kill me. I will definitely have more giveaways in the future, so check back. Hopefully I will have pictures from Bhutan to post soon and we are planning a trip to Jamaica in January, so there will be another travelogue to read then. Thanks again for visiting Bay Leaves!

To introduce more people to Bay Leaves, I am having a giveaway. One lucky reader will receive a free 10×15 inch fine art print from my husband’s travel and nature photography website Bay Images. It has a retail value of $100, and I will pay for shipping. Here’s all you have to do to enter:

1. Go to Bay Images and select the image that you would like to receive if you are the winner.

2. Leave a comment on this post, including the number of the image you would like to receive as a 10×15 print.

3. Don’t forget to include your email address so I can contact you if you are the winner (don’t worry – you will not be on any mailing lists).

4. The deadline is MONDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2009 at 12:00 PM NOON Pacific Time. I will draw a name at random and the winner’s name will be posted by noon Pacific Time on Tuesday, October 20, 2009. At that time, I will contact the winner to arrange to ship the print.

Good luck! Please feel free to tell other folks about this giveaway.

Baby variegated squirrel sleeping in my hand.

Nursing a baby variegated squirrel. Monteverde, Costa Rica.

Check out more of Stephen’s pictures of Costa Rica.

Unless otherwise noted, all of the photography on my blog is by my husband, Stephen Bay. If you are interested in technical information about his photographs and equipment, you can check out his photography blog. All the images are copyrighted and available as prints or for licensing, or just for gawking at pretty pictures on his website. Occasionally you might find a picture taken by me, but ever since I discovered that when we both take pictures of the exact same subject, his are 10,000 times better, I have largely left the photography to him.