You’ve probably heard of a little contest from TravelSupermarket called Capture the Color that is making the rounds in the blogosphere. It’s a sweet contest: you pick 5 photos for 5 colors and then nominate 5 bloggers to do the same, then submit your post to the contest to win neat stuff like iPads and money. A virtual high five to Annette of Bucket List Journey for nominating me to participate!

After looking over my choices, I realize that I chose my submissions based on the sensory experiences that connect me to each photo, so the 5 senses have become a theme within the theme for this post. Enjoy!

Blue

Lake Pukaki, NZ

My choice for blue is all about the visual. I only found Lake Pukaki by accident, having taken a wrong turn en route to Mount Cook. It was as if the entire world had turned blue around me. We can thank the Tasman and Hooker glaciers of South Island, NZ for the insane blue waters of this lake. The water fed into this lake is full of glacier flour, which is very fine bits of rock that cause this remarkable blue colour.

Best wrong turn I ever made!

Green

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

They say that smell is one of the most powerful memory triggers. Can you smell the exhaust fumes? I almost can. That lady in the green cardigan there definitely does. Like many commuters, she is sporting a face mask to keep the smog and dust out of her lungs while driving. I remember seeing her and thinking two things: 1) “Man, she has some serious game face.” and 2) “It’s really hot to be wearing a sweater!”.

I had been warned before I went to Vietnam that the traffic was a nightmare, particularly for a reluctant jaywalker like myself. Crossing the streets of Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi was downright terrifying. Ultimately, I waited until there were no big vehicles and then walked at an even pace through the sea of motorcycles, who dodged around me easily, regardless of how many passengers or entire refrigerators they were transporting. And no, I didn’t stop mid-way across to take this picture because you must never stop or bolt while crossing or the motorcycles will miscalculate and hit you. This was taken from the safety of a bus window.

Yellow

I could not get enough of the tasty, ripe tropical fruit in south east Asia. I drool a little every time I see this picture. This breakfast fruit platter was served beach-side overlooking the Gulf of Thailand. It was the first time that I ate a mango as it should be: bright yellow and freshly picked off a tree. I now see the Canadian grocery store mangoes for what they are: sad shadows of what they could have been.

White

The Kosoye lookout provides a textbook “sweeping vista” of the Simien Mountains in Ethiopia. I have been there twice now, once in 2009 and again in 2011. This photo is from my second visit, about ten minutes before I got stuck in the massive hailstorm brewing overhead. I was struck by how the colour of the scenery was fading away as the thick clouds were rolling in above me and how the light was changing to white as it moved away in the distance, washing over the distant mountain ranges. I can almost feel the swift drop in the temperature and the winds changing as the storm began. The hail about to pelt down from the sky nearly destroyed my camera, but this picture made it all worthwhile.

Red

The free sound and light show at La Font Magica de Montjuic in Barcelona was my favourite experience in Spain. At this point, a crescendo of music sent white jets of water streaming high above the fountain. The music then diminished, and the water morphed into a fog of soft red lighting, emphasizing the silhouettes of a fraction of the few thousand people gathered around this fountain below the National Palace. I was mesmerized by this dreamy half-hour performance, perfectly timed to the changes in tempo in the music, which varied from famous movie themes to Top 40 pop tunes.

And now I’ll pass on the nomination torch…

Phil in the _ _  who teaches people how to draw camels in West Africa.

Unbrave Girl   who is afraid of nearly everything and travels anyway.

Andy Campbell – Pushing the Limits  who is straight-up amazing, traveling 30,000 miles around the world in a wheelchair.

Nic Freeman who paints pictures with words. And her pictures are pretty swell too.

Henry Lee – Fotoeins Fotopress  who is a former astronomer and current travel photographer.