Travel with me

Travel snapshots from Toonsarah

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  • Archive
  • Home
  • Destinations
    • England
      • London
      • Newcastle-upon-Tyne
    • Europe
      • Albania
      • Austria
      • Bulgaria
      • Croatia
      • Estonia
      • France
        • Paris
      • Germany
      • Iceland
      • Italy
        • Sardinia
      • Jersey
      • Latvia
      • Montenegro
      • Norway
      • Portugal
      • Spain
        • Seville
      • Switzerland
      • Ukraine
    • Beyond
      • Africa
        • Botswana
        • Cape Verde
        • Gambia
        • Kenya
        • Madagascar
        • Morocco
        • Namibia
        • Senegal
        • Tanzania
        • Zimbabwe
      • Americas
        • Belize
        • Canada
        • Chile
          • Rapa Nui
        • Colombia
        • Costa Rica
        • Ecuador
          • Galapagos Islands
        • Guatemala
        • Jamaica
        • Mexico
        • USA
          • California
          • Chicago
          • Nevada
          • New Mexico
          • New York City
          • Washington State
      • Asia
        • DPRK
        • India
          • Kerala
          • Rajasthan
        • Indochina
          • Cambodia
          • Laos
          • Vietnam
        • Japan
        • Nepal
        • Oman
        • Philippines
        • Syria
        • United Arab Emirates
        • Uzbekistan
  • Themes
    • Architecture
      • City streets
    • Art
      • Crafts
      • Street art
    • Colour
    • Dark tourism
    • Eco-tourism
    • Food & drink
    • Gardens
    • History
      • Ruins
      • War
    • Landscape
      • Coast & seascapes
      • Deserts
      • Mountains
      • Rivers
    • Nature and wildlife
      • Animals
      • Birds
      • Plants
        • Flowers
        • Trees, forests and woodland
    • People
      • Culture & tradition
      • Street photography
    • Travel in general
  • Photo galleries
    • Themed galleries
    • Travel galleries
  • Postcards from the road
  • Challenges
    • Photography challenges
      • Lens-Artists
      • CFFC
      • Monochrome Madness
      • One Word Sunday
      • Photographing Public Art
      • Pick a Word
      • Squares
      • Sunday Stills
      • The Changing Seasons
    • General challenges
      • Bird place of the month
      • Happy Place Happy Space
      • Monday walks
      • Weekend Coffee Share
      • Words of Wisdom
  • About me
    • Contact me
    • ‘Always Write’ interview
    • My love of travel
    • My photography
      • Photographic techniques
      • My photography journey
      • Video
    • Disclaimer & GDPR
  • Archive

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Topics I’ve touched on

africa animals architecture art birds black_&_white california churches cities coast colombia colour dprk ealing england flowers france friendlyfriday Friendly_Friday history india landscape lens-artists Lens_Artists_Challenge london Monday_Walks monochrome Monochrome-Madness museum naturephotochallenge nepal north_korea paris people photography pick_a_word PPAC ruins Street_Art Street_Photography Sunday_Stills thechangingseasons usa views wildlife
  • Culture & tradition,  Monday walks,  Philippines

    Two very different walks in Sagada

    April 8, 2025 / 32 Comments

    The Kankanaey people of Sagada, an Igorot (mountain) tribe in northern Luzon, follow a unique burial ritual. Rather than placing their coffins in the ground they hang them from cliffs or place them in a cave. They believe that the higher the dead are placed, the closer they are to heaven and the greater the chance of their spirits reaching a higher nature in the afterlife.

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  • Little boy and two little girls in Japanese costume
    Culture & tradition,  Japan,  Sunday Stills

    Celebrating childhood at the shrines of Japan

    April 25, 2021 / 13 Comments

    Nikko’s Futarasan shrine is only five minutes’ or so walk from its more famous neighbour, Toshogu, but it seemed to us that we were in a different world. The crowds had dissipated, leaving just a handful of tourists and some local families. We strolled around in a much more leisurely way than had been possible at Toshogu, taking photos and soaking up the tranquil atmosphere and the rich colours of the leaves just starting to take on their autumn hues.

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  • Colourful decorated archway
    Japan,  Squares,  Street photography,  Travel galleries

    Gallery: on Tokyo’s lively Takeshita Dori

    April 7, 2021 / 35 Comments

    The Tokyo district of Harajuku is known as a focal point for some of Japan's most extreme teenage cultures and fashion styles. And at its heart is Takeshita Dori, the perfect place to see Tokyo’s youth at play. This narrow street, little more than a lane, is lined with uber-trendy clothes shops interspersed with the kind of refreshment stops likely to appeal to its mainly teenage market.

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  • Lady in Indian dress with a goat
    Culture & tradition,  Just One Person,  Rajasthan

    Meeting the locals in Narlai, Rajasthan

    March 17, 2021 / 23 Comments

    The village of Narlai in Rajasthan would be completely off the tourist track were it not for the hotel that has been created in the former hunting lodge of Jodhpur’s royal family. It is a small village which faces some of the same challenges as rural communities everywhere. Its population is declining as younger people drift away, tempted by big city life and its wider opportunities.

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  • Lake with domed structure and birds
    Culture & tradition,  History,  Rajasthan

    Tales of death in Jaisalmer and beyond

    February 19, 2021 / 18 Comments

    Deep in the Thar Desert in the far west of Rajasthan is a golden city. A fairy tale fort sits on a ridge overlooking the town, still home to many families whose houses cluster within its sheltering walls. I loved Jaisalmer's remoteness, its border-town mentality, and the beauty of its golden architecture. And I enjoyed the personal stories of life (and death) as told by our Brahmin guide Gaurav.

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  • Line of seated stone statues wearing red caps and bibs
    Colour,  Culture & tradition,  Japan,  Sunday Stills

    The Bake-Jizō of Kanmangafuchi Abyss

    February 16, 2021 / 18 Comments

    Red, in Japan, is the colour of the sun (not yellow as in other cultures). It stands for life, power and protection, but also for death. It is thought capable of expelling demons and illness. You see red everywhere; on temple roofs, torii gates at shrines, lanterns and pagodas. And in the bibs and caps worn by the haunting Jizō statues of Kanmangafuchi Abyss in Nikko.

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  • White hearts with purple trim
    Culture & tradition,  Ecuador

    Viva Cuenca: one weekend, three festivals

    January 21, 2021 / 10 Comments

    Why celebrate one festival when you can celebrate three? We hadn’t planned our visit to Cuenca to coincide with this particular weekend, when the city parties, but we were lucky to be here at this special time and to be able to join locals and other visitors in some of the fun.

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  • Small town beneath a forested hillside
    Culture & tradition,  Guatemala,  Street photography

    Meeting Maximón, the idol of Santiago Atitlàn

    December 13, 2020 / 10 Comments

    The small boys who meet the boats arriving in Santiago on the shores of Lake Atitlàn know that the visiting tourists are here to see one thing above all others. They want to meet Maximón. It’s a good idea to accept the children’s offer as this intriguing Mayan idol (part saint, part devil) doesn’t have a permanent home in the town. Instead he is hosted by a local family, moving to a new house every few years.

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  • Large group of dancers in traditional Korean green dress
    Culture & tradition,  DPRK,  Friendly Friday,  Travel galleries

    Gallery: dancing on the streets of Pyongyang

    November 28, 2020 / 28 Comments

    Only in North Korea, I thought, could you have a day of sightseeing like this! It was the country’s National Day, marking the 71st anniversary of the founding of the DPRK, and our itinerary for the day had been carefully planned to allow us to see how Pyongyangites celebrated the occasion.

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Some topics I’ve touched on

africa animals architecture art birds black_&_white california churches cities coast colombia colour dprk ealing england flowers france friendlyfriday Friendly_Friday history india landscape lens-artists Lens_Artists_Challenge london Monday_Walks monochrome Monochrome-Madness museum naturephotochallenge nepal north_korea paris people photography pick_a_word PPAC ruins Street_Art Street_Photography Sunday_Stills thechangingseasons usa views wildlife

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You may have missed

  • May 07, 2025 A short walk in the City (of London)
  • May 05, 2025 Gallery: breaking the rules
  • May 03, 2025 Colonial churches of the Philippines
  • May 01, 2025 Gallery: an April selection (2025)
  • Apr 30, 2025 Gallery: seeing reflections in black and white

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All images and texts copyright Sarah Wilkie - 2025 ©
 

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