Eu-Jin's Photographs

Prints: I've had a few stock and print requests, so please contact me at "eujin at cs.stanford.edu" if you want prints. In general, the prints, especially for the recent trips, look significantly better than the web images.

I'm now uploading my photos to Google+ photo albums, this page contains only a few of our recent trips.

I've recently started doing long trail runs: May 2014 Grand Canyon R2R2R, July 2014 Rae Lakes Loop, May 2016 Zion Traverse, May 2017 R2R2R.

Gallery
Gallery 
A collection of my favourite pictures gathered from the trips below. These images are presented in slightly higher resolution than my normal web images. (Not updated since late 2010)
Iceland
Laugavegur, Iceland 
Serene and I hiked the Laugavegur trail from Landmannalaugar to Skogar in June/July 2012. This hike is incredible with amazing views on all days. We are 1) amazed at how uncrowded the most popular hike in Iceland is, and 2) why there aren't more people flooding Iceland to do it.

Because we were't sure whether bunks would be available in the huts, we carried our tent, sleeping bags and other camping gear. Fortunately the hip muscle strain that I sustained at the start of June while climbing in Tahoe mostly went away when we started hiking, and we finished the hike in 2.5 days as we originally planned. The distances and elevation change provided by various official sources seemed a little inaccurate to us (especially between Aflavatan and Thorsmok) at 49 miles and perhaps 5-6k ft elevation change. A French ultrarunner who ran (and measured) the trail said it was 53.5 miles and 9k ft of elevation change, which seemed more accurate.

Highlights are at Google+. All the trip snapshots from the hike.   New!  

Next will be photos from the road trip around the ring road.

Tuolumne
Annular Eclipse, Tahoe 
We watched the annular eclipse from the Sugarbowl parking lot after climbing at Donner Summit. We enjoyed home baked strawberry pie from Emily and various other tasty treats while watching, and also tried to get the home made pin hole cameras to work. I also discovered that my eclipse glasses completely covered the lens of my mirror-less camera and was able to get some photos --- without a tripod and a tracking system, I wasn't quite able to stitch together a seamless sequence of photos but the results were better than expected. The whole experience was amazing and it was quite spectacular to watch the eclipse directly through the glasses. A fantastic end to a great weekend of climbing!   New!
Tomales Point
Tomales Point, Point Reyes 
On this trip to Point Reyes, we first went to Chimney Rock to see if the wildflowers were blooming (they weren't) and then stopped by Tomales Point State Park to run to Tomales Point and back (9.5 mi or so). The weather and light were nice in the late afternoon, and we frequently took breaks to look at the Tule Elk and the wildflowers along the trail.   New!
Tuolumne
Ice Skating, Tuolumne - Yosemite 
This winter is the first time in several decades that highway 120 through the Yosemite high country is open through mid-January. We've spent quite a bit of time there in the summer and were curious about what it would be like to revisit our usual summer climbing and swimming spots in the middle of winter. We skated on Tenaya Lake, walked in the meadows, visited our swimming holes, and it was great to be in Yosemite in mid-winter.   New!
Jordan
Karak and Shoubak, Jordan 
We arrived in Jordan on the 23rd of December in the evening, stayed a night at the Black Iris in Madaba where we arranged for a driver and car to take us to Petra along the King's Highway the next day. We stopped at several overlooks along the way and visited two crusader forts, Kerak and Shoubak, where we spent hours exploring the ruins and underground passages in the forts.

Jordan
Petra, Jordan 
We spent Christmas in Petra with Young Sam and Scott, whom we met at our hotel. We spent the entire day from 630 am to 630 pm in Petra, making use of all available daylight.   New!  

Jordan
Wadi Rum 
After Petra, we went to Wadi Rum with Scott and Young Sam. The desert views were breathtaking especially at sunset and sunrise where the colors changed every moment.   New!  

Jordan
Dana Reserve 
From Wadi Rum, we hired a car to bring us to Dana Reserve. It promptly broke down halfway on the trip, and after a couple of hours of the driver trying to fix it, we gave up and hired a passerby motorist who had stopped to help to bring us the rest of the way to Dana. We'd heard of Dana Reserve from the owner of the Black Iris Hotel in Madaba and we were excited to stay at the village perched at the rim of the canyon, and also to hike down through Wadi Dana. The views from the village were indeed quite good, and we did the 17.5 mile 4000 ft hike to Feinan Lodge through Wadi Dana and back to Dana Village the next day where we saw many kestrels soaring overhead but sadly no ibex (Serene consoled herself by purchasing a silver ibex brooch instead). The only downside of Dana Village is that it gets swamped by large groups of package tourists every night who take up all the good rooms in the few hotels in the village.

Jordan
Dead Sea 
From Dana Reserve, we took the local buses back to Madaba just to experience local travel - the locals were very helpful in directing us to the right buses and bus stops to go to. The next day at Madaba, we hired a driver and a car to bring us around to Mt Nebo (where Moses was shown the promised land), Bethany (where Jesus was baptised), the Dead Sea and Hammamet Ma'in hot springs. Serene particularly enjoyed slathering on the Dead Sea mud and floating in its salty waters. We found it strangely enjoyable to float standing and sitting.

Jordan
Amman and surroundings 
On our last day in Jordan, we visited the Amman Citadel, Ajloun (another crusader fort), and Jerash (roman ruins). We really enjoyed the Citadel and soaking up the millenia of history around the site --- we were fascinated by the Ain Ghazal statues made of reed and plaster, which date from 6000-8000 BC and are one of the oldest humanoid statues discovered. Earlier in Madaba, we saw a number of interesting mosaics, including the oldest surviving map of the Holy Land. We also ate some very tasty bbq chicken from a hole in the wall store in Madaba recommended by Odeh from the Black Iris.
UK
Costwolds and North Wales, United Kingdom 
Serene and I had a wedding to attend in the UK in early September 2011 and decided to combine that with a short road trip around the country. These are the photos from the Cotswolds and North Wales area.   New!  

UK
Lake District 
From North Wales, we drove to the Lake District where we hiked around Ullswater and Catbells, saw spectacular views, and got pelted by torrential rain.   New!  

UK
Canterbury, Stonehenge and Avebury 
We spent our last day in the UK at Canterbury, Stonehenge and Avebury.   New!  
Big Island
Big Island, Hawaii 
Serene and I spent a week on the Big Island of Hawaii between September 5 - 11. Between being constrained to domestic destinations, finding cheap air tickets, and not seeing everything that we wanted to on the Big Island on our previous trip almost 10 years ago, we quickly decided to return to the Big Island.
Oregon
Redwood National Park and the Oregon Coast 
Our first trip of the year was to drive up the Oregon coast and also check out Redwoods National Park over the July 4-6 weekend. I'm not sure why we haven't made this trip before and it turned out to be spectacular. On this trip, we hiked the Boy Scout Trail in Redwoods National Park, a number of short day hikes in the Samuel Boardman State Parks, and the John Dellenback Trail in the Oregon Dunes National Recreational Area.
Borobudur
Indonesia 
From Singapore, we made a quick 2 day trip to Borobudur and Prembanan in Indonesia in December 2009.   New!  
White Sands
New Mexico 
Serena, Ray, Serene and I went to Carlsbad Caverns National Park and White Sands National Monument over Thanksgiving break in 2009.
The Na Pali Coast
Kauai 
The Kalalau trail has been pretty high on our list of trails to hike ever since we saw pictures of the Na Pali coast a few years ago. Up to now, we were always deterred by the high cost of travelling to and staying on Kauai compared to other destinations on our travel list. When prices finally came down enough, we rounded up our usual travel companion Ray, and made a 4 day trip specifically to hike the trail.
The Blue Mosque
Turkey 
As has been the case for our vacations in the past couple of years, we'll stumble on cheap last minute tickets to a destination that is on our to visit list and then go with a few days notice. Istanbul and Western Turkey has been on our list for a while, and despite it being winter (and hence cold and rainy), when we found tickets to Istanbul from San Francisco for $700 departing in a week, we snapped them up, hoping that our luck with the weather in off-season travel would hold. This time around, however, our luck with the weather was not so good and it rained throughout the first 7 days of our trip.
Monterey Bay Aquarium 
I visit the Monterey Bay Aquarium every once in a while when friends/family come to the area for a trip. I've never brought my camera along until this trip in December 2008 to try capturing some pictures of the jellyfish exhibit that I like. Unfortunately, most of the other tanks were too dimly lit to photograph decently.
Ireland 
Serene and I visited Ireland between the 11th to 19th of April, 2008. The highlights of the trip were Skellig Michael, the Dingle Peninsula, Bru na Boinne, and the live Irish music at Kinvara. On hindsight, we would have skipped the Ring of Kerry drive from Portmagee to Kenmare, and instead head straight to Dingle after Skellig Michael so as to spend more time in the Dingle Peninsula (which we think is superior to the Ring of Kerry). This trip was a change from the usual South America vacations that we'd been mostly doing in the past few years, and we had a great time and no hassle trip with our own car. We were also very fortunate to enjoy an entire week of bright blue skies and sun in Ireland, which greatly increased our fun level. Skellig Michael, in particular, was rather impressive and scenic.
Maui 
My company took all its employees to Maui for a long weekend in January 2008. On the first day, I drove down the Hana Coast with a couple of friends to Kipahulu. At Kipahulu, we hiked the Pipiwai trail to see the spectacular bamboo forest and Waimoku falls. On the second day, I went on a long snorkelling trip with Blue Water Rafting to the Kanaio coast, as well as Molokini. We were extremely fortunate to see and swim with a whale shark in the deep water just off Molokini --- swimming in seemingly bottomless water alongside the whale shark with sunrays lancing through the water was a singular experience.
Ecuador 
The Galapagos Islands has been on our list of places to visit since we started vacationing in South America in 2004. After visiting, I must say that the Galapagos lives up to its reputation. We were constantly thrilled by all the stunningly colored wildlife, and that the wildlife are unafraid of us humans getting really close. We visited the various islands over 8 days on the Monserrat II with Williams as our naturalist guide and had a great time. After returning from the Galapagos, we had 4 days left in Quito during which we did some high altitude hiking up Rucu Pinchincha (4698m / 15,413ft), Guagua Pinchincha (4794m / 15,728 ft), and finally Cotopaxi (5897 m / 19,347 ft).
Seattle 
Serene, my parents, and I visited Seattle during the 2007 Thanksgiving weekend. We had a good time and I got the obligatory Seattle photos.
Thailand - Bangkok and Ayutthaya 
While in Singapore, Serene and I took a short trip to Bangkok. We visited a variety of temples, museums, and eating places in Bangkok, as well as taking a day trip on the local train to Ayutthaya. Thanks to Sabrina and Meng for putting us up in Bangkok!
Peru - Cordillera Huayhuash and Blanca 
We'd heard so much about how spectacular the Cordillera Huayhuash is and we made another trip to Peru to hike it; those reports are quite accurate and the Huayhuash circuit is the most spectacular extended hike that we've done so far. There were four of us on the hike, Emily Rains, Ray Woo, together with Serene and I. I also stayed an extra week after the Huayhuash circuit to climb in the Cordillera Blanca with my friends from the Stanford Alpine Club, Jared Brown and Chuck Booten. Jared and I climbed Ishinca (5530 m) and Tocllaraju (6032 m), both of which were great fun.
Climbing/Mountaineering
Climbing/Mountaineering 
Some climbing and mountaineering trips in the US.
Peru and Bolivia 
In Dec 2006, Serene and I went on our second trip to Peru and Bolivia. There were a large number of things that we didn't get to see on our first trip to Peru and Bolivia, and we hoped to correct that on this trip. Even after this second trip, there's still a lot in both countries that we haven't seen, so I guess we'll be back for a third trip sometime.
Guatemala and Honduras 
Serene and I visited Guatemala and Honduras in September 2006. We spent 10 days visiting the usual tourist stops (Antigua, Chichicastenango, Panajachel, Tikal, Yaxha, Ceibal) in Guatemala and (Copan) Honduras. I'd always wanted to visit Tikal ever since a former officemate mentioned how amazing it is. After visiting it myself, I think it certainly lives up to its reputation. September appears to be the ultimate low season in Guatemala and we saw hardly any other tourists, even in the Tikal and Copan. We had the ruins to ourselves most of the time and I certainly enjoyed the lack of crowds. The flip side of the low season is that the weather wasn't especially great for photography, with overcast skies giving little contrast most of the time.
Wedding/Engagement Photos 
I was honored to be asked by BC to take his wedding/engagement photos in preparation for his wedding. This shoot was my first serious attempt at portrait work and I'm glad it turned out ok. We spent 3rd Dec 2006 driving around San Francisco and the wine country, and having a fun time in general. Congratulations to BC and Yolanda, and wishing both of you many happy years ahead!
Cambodia 
Serene and I visited Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, and other temples near Siem Reap in Cambodia in June 2006.
Antelope Petroglyphs, Monument Valley
The Southwest States
Serene and I spent our 2006 Spring break travelling with Eric and Janet to the American Southwest. We visited Chaco Culture Historical Park, Mesa Verde, Canyon de Chelley, Monument Valley, Arches National Park, and Canyonlands National Park.
Half Dome Sunset
Yosemite National Park
Yosemite is about 4 hours from Stanford and I try to visit whenever I can.
cerrotorre
Chile, Bolivia, Argentina
Serene and I spent part of our December 2005 winter break in South America again, this time visiting the San Pedro de Atacama area in northern Chile, the Salar de Uyuni in southern Bolivia, and both the Chilean and Argentinean Patagonia.
rimtorimtorim
Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim (South Rim to North Rim to South Rim) 
Ray, Eileen, Serene, and I went to Grand Canyon National Park over Thanksgiving break in November 2005. We spent two days hiking Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim and then drove around the various South Rim overlooks on the third day before heading home.
Sunset near Mount Whitney
Mount Whitney 
Serene, Ray, Mark, and I day hiked Mount Whitney on Saturday 8th October 2005. We spent Thursday night at the Cottonwood trailhead (10000 feet) and Friday night at Whitney Portal (8400 feet) to acclimitize, and started our hike at 0415 hrs on Saturday. It had stormed on the mountain two weeks earlier and the trail was completely snowed in from about 12000 feet to 13700 feet. Since that section is a north facing slope, the trail was icy throughout the day. We'd brought traction devices for our shoes for the icy sections and most hikers who didn't turned back. We fortunately had good weather on the day, with the winds dying down just as we left Trail Camp to hike up the icy switchbacks.
John Muir Trail
John Muir Trail 
In August 2005, Ben Reichardt and I spent three days hiking part of the John Muir Trail from Happy Isles in Yosemite Valley to Devil's Postpile. Ray and Serene joined us for the first day and headed back to the valley the next day. We covered about 14 miles the first day and gained 5000 feet to reach Sunrise High Sierra Camp. The second day, we covered about 22 miles and 1000 feet to camp below Donohue pass. The last day was also the most spectacular but unfortunately the light wasn't ideal for photography.
Caiman
Aquarium 
I went to the National Aquarium in July 2005 on a Sunday while I was spending a few weeks at Johns Hopkins University. I thought the Monterey Aquarium was better.
Aalesund
Scandinavia: Denmark, Sweden, Norway 
In May 2005, Serene joined me in Copenhagen after my conference in Aarhus and we spent two weeks on a whirlwind trip around Denmark, Sweden, and Norway.
Flower
Flowers 
Close ups of flowers.
Death Valley in full bloom
Death Valley National Park 
In April 2005, we visited Death Valley National Park to catch the wildflower bloom. This year, Death Valley received one of the highest levels of rainfall recorded in the park and as a result, the wildflower blooms were spectacular. There's also a fairly large (but shallow) lake near Badwater and we saw kayakers paddling on it.
Antelope Canyon
Antelope Canyon 
In April 2005, we visited Antelope Canyon, which is a slot canyon that is almost entirely enclosed from the top. The small amounts of light that gets in illuminates the walls and makes them glow.
Point Reyes Lighthouse
Flying 
Ray got his pilot's license sometime in late 2004 and I accompany him on his flights whenever he has space.
Emerald Pool
Dominica 
Dominica is the nature island of the Caribbean and it has everything from diving to hiking in volcanic terrain. It's less touristy than most other Caribbean destinations and it shows in the attitude of the people and the prices. I stayed for a week in Dominica and tried scuba diving for the first time.
Cape Cod Fence
Cape Cod National Seashore 
On a conference trip to Boston, I visited Cape Cod with my college friends Eric and Janet, who are now in graduate school in Boston. It was a beautiful winter day with clear blue skies.
Choquequirao
Peru 
Serene and I, together with Ray Woo, Bob McGrew, and Mihaela went on a trip to Peru in December 2004. We flew into Cuzco and went off the next day for a 9 day hike in the highlands. The highlights of the trek were Choquequirao at the beginning, Yanama Valley in the middle, and Machu Picchu at the end. After returning from the trek, we took a bus to Puno and Lake Titicaca. This is my first extensive trip using my new Canon Digital Rebel with the Sigma 18-125 DC lens. The technical quality of the photographs increased as the trip progressed as I slowly learnt how to properly use a SLR.