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A postcard from Chicago: Oak Park
This is a house in Oak Park, just outside Chicago, one of several private homes in this neighbourhood designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.
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The palenqueras of Cartagena de Indias
You won’t have to walk far in Cartagena’s old town before spotting one or more of these colourfully dressed women. They stand on street corners, bowls of tropical fruit ready to balance on their heads for any tourist willing to tip them a dollar or two. And most visitors will feel it is worth that tip to get a photo of such an iconic sight.
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Gallery: spreading fern-fronds
There is something very intriguing about ferns. Almost prehistoric in nature, it is easy when among them to imagine dinosaurs walking the earth. Unsurprising perhaps, as these often-beautiful plants actually predate those dinosaurs!
Or what about ...?
Gallery: wildlife in the Caño Negra refuge
The oddities of sloths
Will we see whales?
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Gallery: prickly wonders of the desert
Cacti are hard to ignore. They grow where little else will and if you happen to touch one you’ll probably find it even harder to ignore!
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Beach walks on the Caribbean coast of Colombia
Some people’s idea of holiday bliss is to stretch out on a lounger on a beach, soak up some rays or enjoy the shade of an umbrella while maybe reading and sipping a cold drink. That’s great, but it’s not for me. I can’t take hot sun and although I love a good read I prefer to spend my precious holiday time exploring new places and taking photos. I’d much prefer to absorb the local culture rather than the sun’s rays, and I’ll take my cold drink in a café…
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Gallery: the door knockers of Cartagena
Like many photographers I have a fascination with doors in general and the details of doors in particular. And as soon as I started to explore Cartagena I realised what a wealth of such subject matter it would provide! The streets of its old town are lined with handsome buildings from the Spanish colonial era, most of them with equally handsome front doors.
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A walk in Tayrona National Park
Four indigenous groups consider Tayrona National Park part of their ancestral territory. The park management acknowledges this, saying that ‘the sacred sights within must be protected and respected as part of the cultural heritage’.
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Gallery: Guatapé, town of the zócalos
Just as humans (sadly) use knives and swords for attack and defence, so too do animals and plants. Whether it’s a thorn or spike to ward off predators, or a sharp tooth to attack their prey, there is always a point to sharpness in nature.
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Gallery: an explosion of colour in Colombia
You may be tired by now of me saying that Colombia is colourful, but hopefully not of seeing the evidence. Many of its small towns are as imbued with colour as the cities; indeed maybe more so as they don’t spill out into more drab commercial and industrial areas. Passing through even the smallest village I would spot murals on local bars, bright doors and windows on the houses.
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Exploring the sights of downtown Medellín
It’s not enough to bring peace to a city, you also need prosperity. So while the transformation of Medellín from no-go drugs capital of Colombia to a safer and more visitable city started in its outlying comunas, the city centre has been vital to its continued development.
