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  • Archive
  • Home
  • Destinations
    • England
      • London
      • Newcastle-upon-Tyne
    • Europe
      • Austria
      • Bulgaria
      • Estonia
      • France
        • Paris
      • Germany
      • Iceland
      • Italy
      • Jersey
      • Latvia
      • Norway
      • Portugal
      • Spain
        • Seville
      • Switzerland
      • Ukraine
    • Beyond
      • Africa
        • Botswana
        • Cape Verde
        • Gambia
        • Kenya
        • Morocco
        • Namibia
        • Senegal
        • Tanzania
        • Zimbabwe
      • Americas
        • Belize
        • Canada
        • Chile
          • Rapa Nui
        • Colombia
        • Costa Rica
        • Ecuador
          • Galapagos Islands
        • Guatemala
        • Jamaica
        • USA
          • New Mexico
          • New York City
          • Washington State
      • Asia
        • DPRK
        • India
          • Kerala
          • Rajasthan
        • Indochina
          • Cambodia
          • Laos
          • Vietnam
        • Japan
        • Nepal
        • Oman
        • Syria
        • United Arab Emirates
        • Uzbekistan
  • Themes
    • Architecture
    • 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
      • Just One Person
      • Lens-Artists
      • Mid-week Monochrome
      • Monochrome Madness
      • Nature Photo Challenge
      • One Word Sunday
      • Photographing Public Art
      • Pick a Word
      • Squares
      • Sunday Stills
      • The Changing Seasons
      • Words of Wisdom
      • Cee’s challenges
        • CBWC
        • CFFC
        • CMMC
    • General challenges
      • Monday walks
      • Writers’ Quotes Wednesday
    • Challenges archive
      • Bird Weekly
      • Friendly Friday
        • The Friendly Friday Challenge: how to join in
      • Friday’s Foods of the World
      • Life in Colour
      • One-to-Three
      • Ten photos
      • Thursday Trios
      • Thursday Doors
  • 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 bulgaria cambodia cffc chile churches cities colombia colour costa_rica dprk ealing england flowers france friendlyfriday Friendly_Friday history india just_one_person_from_around_the_world landscape lens-artists Lens_Artists_Challenge london Monday_Walks nepal new_mexico north_korea paris people photography photo_effects PPAC ruins Street_Art Street_Photography Sunday_Stills usa village wildlife
  • History,  Lens-Artists

    Reading messages from the past

    January 29, 2023 / 64 Comments
    Rock with petroglyphs of animals

    When I travel I am always curious about the people who inhabit the places I visit. I seek to understand their way of life and observe how it differs from, or is similar to, my own. But there are other people who populate my travels, the people who ONCE lived in these lands.

    Carry on reading

    Or what about ...?

    'Welcome to Syria' banner

    Once upon a time in Syria: part one

    September 19, 2020
    Sign saying Pie Town

    A pit stop in pioneering Pie Town

    June 24, 2021
    Large cobbled square surrounded by low whitewashed buildings

    A stroll around Villa de Leyva

    February 27, 2023
  • Culture & tradition,  Monday walks,  Oman

    A walk along the Corniche in Muttrah

    June 9, 2022 / 31 Comments
    White houses, blur minaret and dome, distant mountains

    On our last morning in Muscat we explored the district known as Muttrah. This is the city’s commercial heart, home to its port and a number of sights. Our walk took us from the bustling fish market at its northern end past the port to the equally busy souk near the far end.

    Carry on reading

    Or what about ...?

    River through a city with several bridges

    Gallery: ‘Coming home Newcastle’, a football anthem

    August 9, 2021
    Large statues of North Korean Leaders with visiting locals

    Gallery: statues of the Great Leaders

    February 20, 2021
    Old bus and motor garage

    Stepping back in time: living history at Beamish

    September 23, 2021
  • Culture & tradition,  Deserts,  Oman,  Ruins

    Dhofar, the Land of Frankincense

    May 11, 2022 / 26 Comments
    Small squat tree in a dry stony landscape

    You can’t travel far in Oman without hearing the word frankincense. Every Omani home burns this fragrant resin daily, it is an intrinsic part of Omani life. Not only does it make the home smell nice, it also keeps flying insects such as mosquitoes at bay. The best quality frankincense is steeped overnight in water which is then drunk at breakfast time to treat a variety of ailments. And inhaling the smoke is said to be good for asthma.

    Carry on reading

    Or what about ...?

    View from above of large square with market stalls

    Day into night in the Jemaa el-Fnaa

    December 20, 2021

    A postcard from Nepal: Sadhus

    October 27, 2022
    Man sitting on a rug using a hammer and anvil

    A blacksmith at work in Bukhara

    March 24, 2022
  • Friendly Friday,  Oman,  People,  Travel in general

    Friendly Friday: meet some amazing guides

    November 19, 2021 / 30 Comments
    Banner with photo of a man in Arab dress

    A local guide can make or break the travel experience. A good one will not only smooth the path and tell you about the sights you are seeing, they will also share something of themselves. Spending time together you will get to know each other and learn more about the country than you ever would from reading guidebooks, from the perspective of someone who lives there. They will be able to introduce you to some insider secrets: a little-known site; a café or bar frequented only by locals; a short…

    Carry on reading

    Or what about ...?

    Rustic blue house

    Stepping back in time in Bulgaria

    June 5, 2021
    Group of men sitting among fishing boats on a beach

    Gallery: a traditional fishing village in Bakau

    April 10, 2021
    Large group of dancers in traditional Korean green dress

    Gallery: dancing on the streets of Pyongyang

    November 28, 2020
  • Lens-Artists,  Oman,  Ruins

    Seen better days: the ruined villages of Oman

    October 2, 2021 / 26 Comments

    Not many countries can have seen such rapid change as did Oman in the 1970s. When Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al-Said overthrew his father in a bloodless coup in 1970, Oman was considered one of the most technologically and educationally deprived countries in the world. In the first 25 years of his reign it moved from a largely feudal society to a rapidly developing modern one.

    Carry on reading

    Or what about ...?

    Large Star Wars Storm Trooper figures wearing masks

    Gallery: finding interest in the everyday

    January 16, 2022
    Elephant reflection created artificially

    Gallery: creating the surreal in post-production

    July 24, 2022
    Two lions on a sandy river bank

    Gallery: taking a wider view in Botswana

    September 12, 2021
  • Deserts,  Oman,  Sunday Stills

    Rub’ Al Khali: the Empty Quarter

    August 16, 2021 / 24 Comments
    Straight road and brown sign in English and Arabic

    The Empty Quarter, otherwise known as Rub’ Al Khali, is the largest contiguous sand desert in the world. It is so-called because this huge stretch of unbroken sand has defeated kings, adventurers, and nomads for thousands of years. In a region defined by deserts, the Rub’ Al Khali has come to be known as among the most daunting and inhospitable. And it is on an unfathomable scale.

    Carry on reading

    Or what about ...?

    Green pool and palm trees from above

    Water in the desert: Wadi Bani Khalid

    June 11, 2021
    Blue lake with flamingos feeding

    Around the world in ten photos: day two

    December 18, 2020
    Sand dunes with shadow of a hot air balloon

    Gallery: up, up and away, in the Namib Desert

    February 26, 2021
  • England,  Nature and wildlife,  Squares,  Themed galleries

    Gallery: barking up the wrong tree?

    July 9, 2021 / 42 Comments
    Close up of peeling white bark

    Photographing a tree, a complete tree, can be a challenge. Stand back to get it all in the frame and perhaps other trees may block your view, or the drama of the tree’s size be lost within the bigger picture. Sometimes you can capture its strength best by stepping closer and focusing on the details.

    Carry on reading

    Or what about ...?

    Limestone building in garden among trees

    Special treats: The Black Swan at Oldstead

    February 2, 2021
    Group of sculpted figures among dune grass

    The Conversation Piece and the Eye

    June 11, 2022
    Wartime sign about spies

    Cracking the code at Bletchley Park

    June 19, 2021
  • Deserts,  Oman

    Water in the desert: Wadi Bani Khalid

    June 11, 2021 / 23 Comments
    Green pool and palm trees from above

    There is indeed something particularly awe-inspiring about coming across an oasis in a barren landscape. The contrast between lush greenery and bare rock or soil can be so striking. Wadi Bani Khalid is one of the best-known and most accessible of Oman’s wadis. But the small amount of development here has been done sensitively and it doesn’t detract from the visual impact of deep green waters, lush date plantations and stark mountains all around.

    Carry on reading

    Or what about ...?

    Small squat tree in a dry stony landscape

    Dhofar, the Land of Frankincense

    May 11, 2022
    Straight road and brown sign in English and Arabic

    Rub’ Al Khali: the Empty Quarter

    August 16, 2021
    Sand dunes with shadow of a hot air balloon

    Gallery: up, up and away, in the Namib Desert

    February 26, 2021
  • Friendly Friday,  Landscape,  Oman

    Jebel Shams, the tallest mountain in Oman

    May 8, 2021 / 16 Comments
    Stony landscape with rough road

    The road wound up and up, at first tarmac, later gravel. If it weren’t for the few scrubby bushes we might almost have been on the moon, the landscape was so barren and rocky. It was hard to believe that this road led anywhere at all ...

    Carry on reading

    Or what about ...?

    People crossing train tracks as a train approaches a station

    The charms of travelling by train

    June 5, 2022
    Four women in kimonos passing a shop

    Gallery: these feet were made for walking …

    May 1, 2021
    Banner with photo of a tightrope walker

    Friendly Friday: meet a young tightrope walker in Jaisalmer

    August 27, 2021
  • Culture & tradition,  Deserts,  Just One Person,  Oman

    Lunch with a Bedouin family in Oman

    May 5, 2021 / 28 Comments
    Lady in traditional Bedouin dress

    Salma is an Omani Bedouin. She lives part of the time in a tent on the fringes of the vast Wahiba Sands; and part of the time in a modern house in the nearby town of Bidiyyah. She wore the traditional Bedouin face mask, designed to protect from sandstorms and the elements in general, as she and her daughter in law served our lunch of traditional bread, rice, dhal, chicken, fish and salad.

    Carry on reading

    Or what about ...?

    Statues of four young men

    Roll up, roll up! A Magical Mystery Tour

    August 26, 2021
    Exterior of brick mosque with dome and minaret

    The Square of Religious Tolerance in Sofia

    April 6, 2021
    Line of seated stone statues wearing red caps and bibs

    The Bake-Jizō of Kanmangafuchi Abyss

    February 16, 2021
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Read my featured blogger interview

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By Marsha of 'Always Write'

And my answers to Bren’s ‘five at five’ questions

Lady in a hat and red top sitting on rocks

Some favourite photos

Man in a turban with fishing nets
Fisherman in Fort Kochi, Kerala
Two elephants in long grass
Okavango elephants
Blue glacier edge
Glacier Grey, Torres del Paine, Chile
Elderly woman in black hat and sunglasses
In Santiago, Chile
Very large statues of North Korean Leaders
Statues of the Great Leaders on Mansudae Hill, Pyongyang
Water reflecting the sky with clouds and low sun
Approaching sunset in the Okavango Delta
Feet of huge metal sculpture, with man standing beside
The feet of the Angel
Large moai with row of more behind
The ‘travelling moai’ and Ahu Tongariki
Man in knitted hat by water, black and white photo
Waiting for the ferry, Banjul
Mountain reflected in a lake
On the road to Dyrholaey
Sunset at Wahiba Sands, Oman
Squirrel with a conker in his mouth
In Walpole Park, Ealing
Silhouette of a man in a gateway
Looking out from Bundi Palace
Blue and pink bird on a dead tree
Lilac-breasted Roller, Chobe NP, Botswana
Buddhist monk in orange robes with mobile phone
Monk at Wat Nong Sikhounmuang, Luang Prabang
Man sleeping in a tuk tuk by a carved stone wall
Tuk tuk driver by the Terrace of the Leper King
Close up of flamingo with head tucked under
Flamingo (Jersey Zoo)
Lady with baskets of fruit sitting by a canal
In Hoi An, Vietnam
Small fishing boat with a man in it, on a large lake
Lake Atitlan
Wet street and two people with bright pink umbrella
Street in Lucca, rainy day – edited

Some topics I’ve touched on

africa animals architecture art birds black_&_white bulgaria cambodia cffc chile churches cities colombia colour costa_rica dprk ealing england flowers france friendlyfriday Friendly_Friday history india just_one_person_from_around_the_world landscape lens-artists Lens_Artists_Challenge london Monday_Walks nepal new_mexico north_korea paris people photography photo_effects PPAC ruins Street_Art Street_Photography Sunday_Stills usa village wildlife

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