This year, some website somewhere decided to spy on us all to check and see which of our photos were our most liked on Instagram this past year.  But, since the number of likes doesn’t always correlate to the best photos, I’ve decided to curate a list of what I think were by best shots that went up on my Instagram this year.

Paso Doble

January is National Skating Month in the United States, and as you all probably know, I used to be a competitive figure skater.  Most of my friends and I like to change our profile pictures and post photos from back in our competitive days to mark this occasion, and this particular photo got a lot of attention.  It was taken in the Compulsory Dance of the 2011 US Figure Skating Championships in Greensboro, NC.  My then-partner Bryna and I placed in 5th overall, and were named to the US International Selection Pool based on our performances, which were personal bests.

Green Sand Beach

For a last vacation before I left for Kyrgyzstan, I went with my parents to Hawai’i.  One of my favorite places in the world is Papakolea  Green Sand Beach.  This was one of the more interesting photos I got there, where you can clearly see the color of the olivine that makes up the sand on the beach.

Issyk-Ata Archer

During our training phase, I went hiking with a group of volunteers at the Issyk-Ata hot springs area.  The valley has this spectacular view, and I couldn’t resist taking one of my signature yoga photos.

Burana

Burana is an old minaret that dates back to the Silk Road era that has been reconstructed and preserved.  This photo was one of my better shots of it and the mountains that provide it with its spectacular backdrop.

Milky Way

I took this photo using the long-exposure setting on my camera from just outside my yurt in the Alay region of Osh Oblast during my trip to the Nomad Horse Games Festival.

 

Tug Of War

A version of Tug Of War is a traditional game here in Central Asia, and I couldn’t help but fall in love with this little tyke and his determination to win his game against the foreigners.

Making A Move For The Headless Goat Carcass

This photo got republished by a few different outlets.  It was a lucky catch as we were watching a game of Kokboru at the Nomad Horse Games Festival.  In the game, horsemen compete to take possession of a dead goat carcass and keep it away from the others as long as possible.  It’s exciting, it’s breathtaking, and it’s terrifying in the best way.  I can’t wait to go to the festival again this year.

Resting Horsemen

This is another shot from the Nomad Horse Games Festival, where several horsemen sat resting in between rounds of Kokboru.  With the mountains in the background, it is a timeless image that fits 2015 just as well as 1900.

Archer At Song-Kul

This, another in my series of Mark Doing Yoga In Interesting Places, got a lot of likes.  Just look at the setting.  One look is all it takes to immediately want to visit Song-Kul.  It’s so beautiful, it’s no wonder that three photos from the same 3-hour period wound up on this list! Read more about my trip to Song-Kul here and here.

Boats

This is hands down one of the two best photos I’ve taken in my life.  The other is the next one on this list.  When I went to Song-Kul, we woke up very early in the morning because dawn is when things start to happen.  In the absence of electricity, life necessarily revolves around natural light.  So, we walked down to the water at about 6 am, and I snapped this photo and the next one within just a few minutes of each other from almost the exact same spot. Read more about my trip to Song-Kul here and here.

 

Yurts and Mountains

The quintessential postcard of Kyrgyzstan.  Small yurt, big mountain.  I took this very early in the morning the same day as my yoga photo and as the photo of the boats (the latter I took from almost the same exact spot as this one.  It really says something about the sheer beauty of Song-Kul that you can get such phenomenal and varied photographs from a single spot.  It is hands-down the jewel of Kyrgyzstan.  Read more about my trip to Song-Kul here and here.

4000 Meters Or Bust

This photo was taken during a short meal stop on our hike up to the Jiptik Pass back in September.  This trip was also exquisitely photogenic; 4 of the 10 most-liked photos of this past year were taken on the second day of this trek.  You can read some more about this hike and my distaste for taxi drivers here.

Jiptik Pass Archer

Another archer photo, this time taken at the same place as the previous photo during our hike to the Jiptik Pass.  You can read some more about this hike and my distaste for taxi drivers here.

The Long Road Home

This photo, also from the Jiptik Pass hike, is of a young boy riding a donkey who passed us while we were hiking up towards the pass from our camp.  I loved the image it made and snapped it, not realizing that it would become my most-liked photo ever.

Another Photo From The Jiptik Pass Hike

I’ve run out of clever titles, but people also loved this shot of the river as we made our way towards the pass.

Issyk Kul Sunrise

If the sun rose over Issyk-Kul and I didn’t post about it on Instagram, did the sun really rise this morning?  Back in October, we were whisked to a training outside of Cholpon-Ata on the north shore of this spectacular lake.  One morning, I went out to the pier to watch the sun creep up over the mountains on the far side of the lake, and managed to capture this photo.  It was one of the most peaceful mornings of my entire service.

Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque

In 2012, I had the great fortune to travel to Tehran and Esfahan, Iran to conduct my thesis research.  I had a few spare days to go see some sites, and made sure to see this mosque.  During the Safavid era, this mosque was reserved for the women of the Shah’s harem, and nobody else was permitted to enter.  As you can see, it has some of the most spectacular tilework in the world, even more spectacular than the best Istanbul has to offer.  Every October, I make a point to repost a few photos from my trip to share the real Iran that I saw.

Naqsh-E-Jahan

Another TBT to Iran, this photo was taken in Naqsh-E-Jahan, which is one of the largest public squares in the world.  In the past, it was one of the world’s most famous polo fields, but now it has fountains, gardens, a massive covered bazaar, and some of the most spectacular mosques in the world.

Si-O-Seh Pol

Another Iran TBT, this photo was taken at about 1AM on the so-called “33 arch bridge” of Esfahan, Iran.

Meeting Roza Otunbaeva

Back in November, I was invited to be a speaker at Jashtar Camp, a series of events held across Kyrgyzstan to engage youth and give them ideas and skills to help them in their futures.  In Osh, the keynote speaker was former president Roza Otunbaeva.  We managed to snap this selfie and have a brief conversation with her, where she thanked us for our service and even complimented me on my Kyrgyz language skills.  As soon as she knew I was from Alaska, she wanted to know where.  I told her, and it turns out that she has visited Juneau, which is near my hometown.  It was a great note to be ending our first calendar year of service on, and a great thing to look back on as I launch into my work for 2016!