Wild! Fast! Panoramic! Epic!

A very tame kind of wildness

A tame version of wildness, but beautiful, don’t you think?

He’s one of my favourite photos from Loule Carnaval, and let me tell you, things can get a bit wild there.  It’s a while since I entered a photographic competition, so when I discovered that my friends at Blacks were hosting one with a pretty wild prize, I thought it was time to have a go.  It’s just a bit of fun really, but you never know where it might lead, do you?

The prize is £2000 to spend with adventure travel experts Explore.   When I opened the link to them and read “Burma for under £2000”, I was convinced to enter!  They organise walking tours and wildlife tours, and cycling tours, of course.  I wondered what a ‘tame’ option like rail journeys would offer and was beyond excited when I saw ‘Japan by rail’ and ‘India by rail’.  Go and have a look at the boat journeys ‘to die for’!  The Nile on a felucca or the Maldives on a dhoni?  I’ve taken a gulet cruise off the Turkish coast, so that’s one less to think about.

So, now you need to know what to do.  Simply, compose a blog post around the subjects ‘Wild, Fast, Panoramic, Epic’.  I’ll give you more details later but for now you should know that Leo the Lion, up there, is my entry for Wild. Well- you can go pretty fast with two pedalling, can't you? Well- you can go pretty fast with two pedalling, can’t you?

In case you haven’t guessed, this is my entry for Fast.  They do say at Blacks that you should be creative, and certainly have fun with it.  I haven’t made it onto that Shinkansen train yet, but I have been to Barcelona.  Stick with what you know, right?  El Quatre Gats was a venue for one of the most creative artists our planet has ever known.  I was walking in the footsteps of Picasso.

I looked up Epic in my dictionary to be sure of the meaning and it seemed to have connotations of history and grandeur.  A few places came to mind, but in the end I decided on Warsaw’s amazing reconstruction of Stare Miasto, the Old Town.  Nothing can have been on a more epic scale than the rebuilding that was necessary after it’s total annihilation in World War 2.

Plac Zamkovy

Plac Zamkowy- Castle Square

And while I’m in Poland I thought I’d finish on a slightly different, interesting panorama.  I was rather surprised by these chess pieces the last time I was in Krakow.  I’m returning next week for a family wedding so I’ll have to check if they’re still there.  Hope you like my Panoramic entry.

Beautiful -framed behind the chess pieces

Beautiful Wawel Castle and Cathedral, framed behind the chess pieces

So now you need some competition details, but you have to promise me not to win!  Otherwise how will I get to Burma or the Maldives?  The closing date for entry is Monday, May 5th at midnight.  You need to tweet your post to Blacks #epicadventures or put it on their Facebook page.  Full details are in the link.

I hesitate to wish you luck.  Oh, go on then!  Good luck!  But expect to be struck off the friend list if you win.

82 comments

  1. The best of luck, and when you get to Burma or wherever, don’t forget to blog about it! As if you would…. Seriously, is it OK to publish your entry here?

    When I enter a poetrycompetition, the rules frequently demand that the entry shall not have been published before – reasonable-ish. But the Bridport Prize the eummit of a poet’s ambition, demands that the piece should NEVER have appeared online, in a blog or wherever. I can remove a post from the blog, but the title still turns up in the search engine. Change the title, and the first line is still there lurking in the history. To me this is an unreasonable prescription on what I can do with my own materiall.

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    1. The purpose of this kind of competition is to promote the sponsors, Viv, so the more people you reach, the happier they are. Presumably once your competition is over you can put your poetry online.
      I daren’t even think about winning. I’ve seen some of the other ‘serious’ entries and you know I just like to play. 🙂

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    1. Jill, I wonder if I could co-opt you onto the panel of judges? 🙂 🙂 I’m pretty sure they won’t have your- er, em- good taste 🙂 Thanks a lot, hon. It’s nice to dream.

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    1. I did glimpse some of the ‘proper’ entries, Sue. Proper sand dunes and buggies and stuff… which reminds me. Your quad bikes post must be up.
      I’m nearly organised for the trip. Just need to borrow a Polish speaking head 🙂

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      1. Oh I bet you can get one of those off a mannequin when you arrive in Poland. Travel safely.
        You never know what they might be looking for in entries. You can’t win if you don’t enter.
        Yes the post is up Jo. Kind of you to remember.

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  10. These are all just so perfect Jo and if you don’t win, I really don’t know. Then they clearly need glasses or something. Maybe a glass of wine or 5. Yeah! I think we must watch them. 😀
    Great shots hon and best of luck! I just love that lion! 😀 ♥ Big Hugs ♥

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  11. Well this all sounds fascinating Jo, thanks for sharing! It never occurred to me to enter a photographic competition. I’ll take a look at the link though. I wish you all the luck in the world and I won’t enter on one condition…when you win, you take me with you 🙂

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    1. When I first started blogging I kept being ‘tagged’ in competitions, Sherri. Either it’s gone out of style, or I have! And I have my suspicions which it is. 😦
      Will we fight over where to go, do you think? 🙂

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      1. Aww…you are definitely ‘in style’ Jo, no two ways about it 🙂 I
        No way…you decide and I’ll follow. Anywhere sounds fine to me about now… haha 🙂

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  12. Absolutely good luck! When you win, I can travel with you vicariously, so I too have a vested interest in your triumph.. A weird feeling seeing Plac Zamkowy appear as I scrolled down.

    I wimped out of a local photo competition yesterday, daunted by dpi and other technical requirements – having left it too late to learn.

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    1. Oh, I don’t attempt serious stuff, Meg! Just blog ‘tags’. Everything seems to need an app now, and I have nothing to upload one to 😦 Good job I’m a happy dinosaur.

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  13. Lots of luck, Jo. I hope you win. I love those chess pieces. I have a set, made out of some sort of stone. I’ve had it for almost 40 years and, alas, one of the pieces is missing! I wish I knew someone that could carve me a new pawn (I think it’s a pawn. Long time since I looked at the set) I am such a nostalgic fool, I’ll never get rid of the darn thing. Luckily, the pieces aren’t as huge as these you’ve photographed or I’d have to reconsider!
    Again, much luck!

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    1. I’m on it, Gem! I’m Googling chess piece carver, as we speak 🙂 I like nostalgic fools with a weakness for owls. Sorry- none in today’s post. Thanks for the good wishes xx

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    1. I’ve just booked accommodation in the Pieniny mountains south of Krakow for a couple of nights, Naomi, for after the wedding. I hope my Polish is up to it! 🙂 Thanks for the wishes.

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  15. Good choice of photos Jo! I like the story behind each pictures..And you are so kind to share the competition info…Good luck, my best wishes for you! (oh, I won’t participate – one less competitor ;))

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