The sunrise over Pushkar, India
A few days ago I climbed to the top of a mountain to visit a temple and watch the sunrise in Pushkar. Dark when we set out, the sky slowly started to lighten, the hills turning greener and greener with each passing minute as the sun began to make its appearance. And when it finally came over the mountain, washing the valley in pink and yellow rays, we all just sat there, not speaking a word, not moving, not looking anywhere but straight ahead at the day’s new light. Finally, breaking the silence, one of my travel companions turned to us and said, “We are so damn lucky.” Yes, yes, we are.
Tell me about the one of the best sunrises or sunsets you’ve ever seen. I’m in the mood to send some postcards.
14 comments
NOTHING beats the one I saw in 2009 in Vancouver. I’ve never seen anything like it. The sky turned apocolyptic orange, there was lightning, thunder, AND fireworks. An incredible evening. I had a great view of the sky at work – unfortunately I did not get to see the fireworks and lightning together.
Here’s a video of it – starts to get good around 40 seconds.
Ignore the xmas music – it makes no sense, haha.
The best sunrise I’ve seen was on a plane, high up in the sky, somewhere over northern Australia as I flew home from three weeks in Bali, Indonesia. The rest of the plane was asleep, and I lifted my window shutter just enough to press my face up against the window. The sky turned purple, then the deepest red, then pink, before drifting into orange and yellow and finally pale blue.
I was the only person in the back section of the plane that saw it, and it was one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever witnessed.
Off-topic but the skirt you have on in the pic looks lovely 🙂
At a hostel in Truth or Consequences, NM, USA, we soaked in a natural hot spring bath overlooking the Rio Grande. How could I ever forget that golden desert sunset? Time stretched and my soul exhaled as we watched the sun melt behind the mountains on the other side of the river, followed by the rise of a silvery moon from the same spot.
When I lived in Rome, my apartment was right by a hill that gave us the entire view of the city. Watching the sunset fall on to the Vatican will forever be a highlight of my time there.
I woke up early one morning to go up the trail in Ubud, Bali. It was dark and I was a bit scared, but felt relieved and thankful when I saw the sun rise over the farms and cliffs.
I saw my favorite sunset the day I was rejected from my first choice college. The horizon line was partially obscured by the crooked branches of a dead peach tree in my backyard. The clouds were lit from underneath with a pale orange fire, and closer to the dying sun, there were shades of pink. The part that made the sunset memorable was the color of the rest of the sky – a sea-blue color that faded into the darkness of night. I watched the sun set with regret, and relief; regret, because the day could have ended differently had I made other choices, and with relief, because I could still see the beauty of a sunset, despite my earlier sadness.
Top travel sunrise was definitely August 2008 at Machu Picchu. I was wicked sick, it was pouring rain, and getting up at 5 a.m. seemed silly… until I was standing on the seemingly-haunted grounds of the Inca site, watching the sun rise with the mist. Amazing.
Best “home” sunrise? Probably at the end of an after-prom party in grade 11. Stereotypical Nova Scotian in my jeans and plaid woodsman’s jacket, we were all sitting on the hood of a car, waiting for someone to make the decision to leave. Felt like such a grownup.
Lisa
staying up all night in prague, drinking giant staropramen beers, lying on the charles bridge and waiting for the sun to rise with the pigeons.
btw~ i am so glad you’re still wearing your coin belt. i *may* have bought myself one in bangkok too. i also *may* be wearing my chang shirt now. i also *may* be listening to BARBARA STREISAND right now.
every night we spent in riomagiorre, a village in the cinque terre (italy), we watched the sun set over the ocean. words cant describe.
its so fitting that you’re posting this tonight because i just got my postcard from you this morning!! it was the perfect way to brighten up a not-so-good day, thank you SO much. you have no idea how special it was for me to get! xx
Best sunrise: at Stella Point, just a stones throw from the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro. It’s a resting point after the toughest climbing is done – from there it’s just a stroll among glaciers. We got up to the top of a sheer rock face and turned around to see the sun appearing. I promptly burst into tears, and sat down and wept with joy, awe, exhaustion, and pride. I’m getting teary now thinking about it.
Best sunset: flying from Bali to Taiwan, a sunset on the left and moonrise on the right. Incredible.
Wow, thank you so much, everyone. You all have such a way with words! Please send your addresses to thisbatteredsuitcase@gmail.com and I’ll see what I can do from Varanasi…
p.s. Thank you Oneika! It is actually not a skirt but a pair of genie pants I bought in Jaisalmer.
p.p.s. Stop it, Kerrilyn. I love you too much. Oh and yes, I wear my coin belt every single day. xxxx
You know what, I was so mesmerized by your pants that I forgot to answer the question!! I am such a sucker for cute clothes… LOL… I am really not as shallow as I seem!
The best sunset I’ve seen would have to be 2 Christmases ago when I went to Zanzibar… Here’s a link to the pic… Just gorgeous!
http://oneika-the-traveller.blogspot.com/2010/02/kenya-and-tanzania-long-overdue-photos.html
Haha Oneika, that’s okay! Beautiful pic…