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Gallery: seeing Japan in black and white
There’s a restraint, a rejection of what is not necessary, in Japanese art and architecture. What is left out is as important as, if not more important than, what is put in.
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Gallery: the doors of Nepal
Whether ancient and beautiful, old and battered, or newer and colourful, there was something about the doors in Nepal that charmed me. And yes, some could have come straight out of a fairy tale perhaps.
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Lunch with Mr Noon and his family
Of course the main reason to visit Siem Reap is to see the temples of Angkor. But it’s possible to get ‘templed out’ so it’s good that there are alternative activities and places to explore between temple visits.
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Lord Shiva statue in the hills above Pokhara
A new sight has recently appeared in the hills above Pokhara. A huge statue of Lord Shiva, the second largest in Nepal, sits serenely looking out over the foothills. And at his back are the mighty Himalayas.
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Gallery: looking closely at Nepal
I would never claim to be the only person to have noticed the things I photograph. But I do believe I often photograph things that not EVERYONE has noticed, or thought to photograph. When I travel I of course photograph the famous sights, the landscapes, the architecture. But I also like to capture small details that, while perhaps not unique to the country, are part of my personal memories of it.
Or what about ...?
Gallery: feeling the blues
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Gallery: Himalaya vistas near Pokhara
High in the hills above Pokhara the inhabitants of small villages live much as they have always done. Theirs is a life of hard work, farming a land of steep fields and terraces. But while the work is hard, the backdrop is stunning. I wonder how often they pause to appreciate their surroundings, raising a weary head to gaze in wonder at these mountains as I did?
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Gallery: sunrise over the Himalayas
We’d planned to spend our last day in Pokhara taking it easy. Swimming in the beautiful hotel pool, a walk by the lake, maybe a bit of shopping. But some things can’t be missed, and surely sunrise over the Himalayas is one of those things?!
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In Bandipur, an ancient hilltop town
Strung out along a ridge in the Himalayan foothills lies the ancient town of Bandipur. It has only been fully accessible by road since 1998. The ridge is just 200 metres long and barely wide enough to accommodate the main street and the buildings that line it. Behind the houses the mountainside falls away steeply. The small market gardens farmed by the inhabitants are accessible only by steps cut into the hillside.
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A walk in a Tharu village
The Tharu are a people of the forest. They have lived for centuries in the lowlands of southern Nepal and northern India. Often persecuted, they have now been recognised by the Nepali government as an official nationality. But their lives are still not easy.
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We’re going on a rhino hunt!
Some years ago on my birthday we were in Ranthambore National Park, in Rajasthan, and I hoped to see a tiger; we found one! Now here we were in Nepal and I was hoping for a birthday rhino; we found five! But I am getting ahead of myself...
