Photograph by David Anthony Hohol

The Canadian Prairies of Alberta give you some of the most beautiful and awe-inspiring lands in the world. This is often combined with the rustic antiquity of aged homesteads and family farms from years passed. Life as it once was and, despite humanity being in the midst The Digital Revolution, the way it still very much is today, intersecting at a point of beauty.

The picture above was taken from inside a shelter built in the 1920s. The view stares out into the open plains of the prairies and can be symbolic, if one so chooses to look at it that way. Doors and windows have had, throughout art and literary history, much symbolic meaning attached to them. The image of the open door, with no lock or latch, can represent the unconditional nature of our relationship with the physical world, while at the same time revealing our need to internalize existence as a seperate and purely individual entity. Such an image can thus become a conduit into an individuals thoughts and emotions – an image of the human soul.

It could also be just a nice photograph. We’ll leave that up to you…

Photograph by David Anthony Hohol

For many travelers,  Kathmandu’s immediate impact is exhilarating. The sights, smells and sounds of the bustling city overload your senses the minute you set foot out onto the street.  Whether you make your way through the crazy polluted traffic in a taxi or hit the narrow labyrinth-like streets of old town in a rickshaw, the energy is everywhere. Durbar Square is the center piece of the city and is both an architectural and artistic masterpiece of human achievement that rivals any place in the world. Often perched on the steps of the many temples scattered throughout Durbar Square are Hindu Holy men, the likes of which you see here.

These four shadhus, as they are called, are dedicated to achieving the fourth an final goal in Hindu life, moksha (liberation) through meditation and contemplation of the Brahman. They certainly are the spice of the city and  any visit to Kathmandu would not be the same without them.

Photograph by David Anthony Hohol

Negombo is a town of about 121,933, approximately 37 km north of Colombo, in Sri Lanka. It is located at the mouth of the Negombo lagoon, has a small port, and its economy is mainly based on tourism and a centuries-old fishing industry. Sailing is one of the more popular recrational activities and the city’s beautiful coastline of beaches is spotted with Catamarans like the one pictured above. In the photograph, the sun sets over the Indian Ocean as one of the last Catamaran tours of the day pulls onto the sand.

Photograph by David Anthony Hohol

The Canadian Prairies are as beautiful as any place on the planet and Alberta may epitomize their essence. Alberta is where the Great Central Plains meet the magnificent Canadian Rockies and contains awe-inspiring mountains, wondrous rolling hills and mystifying flat lands. The altitude provides Alberta with month after month of star-filled skies to wish upon and dream under.The golden fields of wheat and barely that dance in the wind and the grasslands that sparkle with wolf willows or prairie sage make Alberta a place of amazing beauty.

The picture above is a recently turned field of wheat soon ready for harvest centered by a former homestead since abandoned and left to only remind us of a lifestyle that seems so long ago, but in the annals of time is only yesterday. We have come so far, so fast and sometimes we forget as a result; forget that simplicity is the truest form of beauty.

Photograph by David Anthony Hohol

Tourists can only visit North Korea with an organized tour under constant and strict supervision. You are given no chance to mingle with locals and can only visit spots designated by the government, all the while being under armed guard. All phone calls are monitored and you cannot leave your hotel unless accompanied by security. But if you are up for the adventure, it’s s trip you will never forget.

Pyongyang, the North Korean capital, is essentially an open air museum displaying an entirely closed city of a totalitarian regime. One gets the feeling they have traveled back in time to the 1950s when walking the streets, as very little has changed since the end of WWII.North Korea is one of the most enigmatic countries in the world. Led by Kim-Jong Ill, it is the last Stalin dictatorship left on the planet.

In the photograph above is a huge bronze statue that looms high above the city located in the center of Pyongyang.  It portrays Kim Il-sung, the late father of the country’s current dictator, Kim Jong-il. Kim Il-sung is known in North Korea as “The Great Leader” and “The President for Eternity” and was hand picked by Joseph Stalin to run the state. Often visitors are taken directly to the statue from the airport in order to pay homage to the “Father.”

Photograph by David Anthony Hohol

For most, the country of Rwanda brings to mind the 1994 genocide that killed nearly a million people in little more than 3 three months – more than 20% of the country’s population. Despite this massive humanitarian tragedy, Rwanda has done very well in rebuilding itself. In 2009, a CNN report referred to Rwanda as Africa’s biggest success story, having achieved stability and economic growth. The government is seen by the international community as the most efficient and honest on the African continent, with the capital city of Kigali often cited as the cleanest and most secure.

Nevertheless, the country has few natural resources and an estimated 90% of the working population farms. The photo above was taken on a farming homestead just over the Uganda / Rwanda border near the town of Mvamba. No power and no running  water is the norm and life means hard work from an early age.  In the photograph, the pregnant mother is caught in moment of contemplation as her young daughter looks straight through the camera lens.  

Photograph by David Anthony Hohol

Budapest is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe and is actually three cities all together, which have merged to form one metropolitan area -  Buda, Pest, and Obuda.  With that said, the heart of the city slices through Buda and Pest. The city has gone through a rapid fire renewal following its admission to the European Union and has very similar architecture in terms of classical buildings in Vienna or Prague, but hasn’t had as much restoration as these cities.

Winding through the city is the Danube, the longest  river in the European Union,  the length of which passes through a total of 10 countries. The photo above was taken in Buda, the section of Budapest that sits high atop a hill and looks down over Pest and the Danube.  Taken from inside Budapest Castle, the Hungary’s Parliament Buildings can be seen couched against the river in the distance.

Photograph Taken by David Anthony Hohol

As little as five years ago, very few people on the other side of the Atlantic had ever heard of Dubai. Now it has become a city known around the world. The reality is no one really knows much about the place even today, but the biggest city in the tiny country of the United Arab Emirates has gained fame for modern architecture and towers that reach the sky.

The most photographed place the UAE is without question the Burj Al Arab. The only known 7 star hotel in the world, the “Tower of the Arabs” is also the tallest building on the planet used exclusively as a hotel. Built on an artificial island, the building is a symbol of excessive wealth and money’s victory over the practical.  Designed in the shape of a sail, the entire buidling is lit up an night and rooms near 10,000 square feet.  Whether it’s helicopters pads or the private butlers for each room, no expense is spared at what the locals call “the Burj.” No one at RELATIVITY could ever afford to stay there, but for 70 dollars you can at least enter and take a look around. Now that’s Dubai - an entry fee for just walking through the doors.  

Photograph Taken by David Anthony Hohol

The Temple of Bel in Palmyra, Syria, or Tadmor as it is referred to by locals, represents the pinnacle of what is considered by many to the be finest collection of ruins on our planet. The temple itself rests on a foundation that dates back  to the second milennium BC and sits at the center of  haunting walled courtyard.

Tadmor was a Biblical city believed to have been built by King Solomon, the son of David, and the ruins that remain today stretch some 2km. Gateways, arches, temples and pantheons, the ruins are made up of a wide variety of structures. A 3hr drive from Damascus, those who take the time to venture to Tadmor will enjoy one of the true wonders of the world.      

Photo by David Anthony Hohol

The innocent smile of a young boy is the center piece of this week’s photo, taken in the southern coastal town of Ambalangoda, Sri Lanka. A small town far removed from the hustle and bustle of the capital city of  Columbo, the area is most famous for its wooden tribal masks and sports some of the most beautiful beaches in the world.

The photograph was taken outside of an ancient Buddhist temple, the group of children there ever so curious of visitors as Ambalangoda, a five hour drive from Negombo, is not a place most tourists will  take the time to seek out.  The photo is an innocent, humble and happy slice of Sri Lankan life and like most Sri Lankans themselves, often inspires a smile in return.