Mustang

I spotted this classic 1st generation Ford Mustang on the streets of Perth, Australia distinctive in its red livery and the distinctive stallion badge on the front grille. The Ford Mustang is an automobile manufactured by the Ford Motor Company. It was initially based on the second generation North American Ford Falcon, a compact car.Introduced early on April 17, 1964, the 1965 Mustang was the automaker's most successful launch since the Model A.

The Mustang created the "pony car" class of American automobile — sports car-like coupes with long hoods and short rear decks — and gave rise to competitors such as GM's Chevrolet Camaro, AMC's Javelin, and Chrysler's revamped Plymouth Barracuda. It also inspired coupés such as the Toyota Celica and Ford Capri, which were exported to the United States. Current competitive marques include the Dodge Challenger and Chevrolet Camaro, neither of which can claim to have maintained continuous production since original introduction, a Mustang-exclusive class distinction.

..... Also note that this guy has a parking ticket decorating his front windscreen wiper!!

Rural Sumatra

The current eruption of Mount Sinabung in Sumatra, Indonesia brought me back to the wonderful few days I spent in the Lake Toba area. The scene above was a very common sight with many pockets of fertile farmland being worked by the locals growing rice, vegetables, coffee and fruits. This simple agricultural lifestyle has been going on here for hundreds of years using simple, handworked techniques and tools.

Paris Pyramid

The Louvre Pyramid (Pyramide du Louvre) is a large glass and metal pyramid, surrounded by three smaller pyramids, in the main courtyard (Cour Napoleon) of the Louvre Palace (Palais du Louvre) in Paris. The large pyramid serves as the main entrance to the Louvre Museum. Completed in 1989, it has become a landmark of the city of Paris.

Wash Day Blues

You think you have wash problems? ..... check out the dhobi ghat in Mumbai where thousands of clothes are hand washed every day, dried, ironed and sent back to the customer in an amazing and somewhat disorganised operation that can only be done in India. Most tourists stop at the overhead bridge overlooking the dhobi ghat to take their photographs but of course I wanted to get right in to the middle of the action. So after a "small donation" to a doorman at one of the entrances I got in and captured a wonderful sequence of images throughout the large complex.
More images here.

Budapest Basilica

St. Stephen's Basilica is a Roman Catholic basilica in Budapest, Hungary. It is named in honour of Stephen, the first King of Hungary (c 975–1038), whose mummified fist is housed in the reliquary.

Waterfall

The sight and sound of a waterfall is compelling and we sometimes walk for miles up a valley or mountain just to watch the beauty of the water falling over rocks to the pool below. This waterfall is located in Milford Sound in the south island of New Zealand and is special in that it plunges directly from the vertical sides of the fjord into the sea.

Santillana del Mar

Santillana del Mar is a historic town situated in Cantabria, Spain. Certain features of this historical town includes Altamira Caves (Cuevas de Altamira) and many historic buildings, attracting thousands of holiday-makers every year.

There is an old saying that Santillana del Mar is The Town of Three Lies, since it is neither a Saint (Santo), nor flat (llana) and has no sea (Mar) as implied by the town's name. However, the name actually derives from Santa Juliana (or Santa Illana) whose remains are in the kept in the Colegiata, a Romanesque church and former Benedictine monastery.

This colourful balcony was spotted in the middle of the town as everyone seemed to be trying to outdo each other in the presentation and upkeep of their homes.

Reflective Mood

Japanese gardens are wonderful places to visit when you need some peace and quiet from the hustle bustle of city life. The Silver Pavilion (Ginkaku-ji) in Kyoto is a wonderful haven where you can enjoy the beautiful gardens, historic buildings and water features with dramatic reflections.

Sunrise Over Angkor Wat

Getting up at 5am in the morning is not high on my agenda normally but it was certainly worth it to do so when witnessing the stunning sunrise over Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Walking into the temple complex at pre-dawn in total darkness there was definitely an atmosphere about the place which is hard to describe but you realise that this site was a significant civilization may centuries ago. 

A recommended plan for a visit to the temple complexes in Siem Reap is a dawn visit to Angkor Wat, the rest of the day visiting the many other magnificent temples around the area and then return to Angkor Wat for the sunset which is even more spectacular than the dawn visit by my experience.

Siem Reap Sausages

The New Market (Phsar Leu Thom Thmei) in Siem Reap, Cambodia is a great place to explore and see a wide variety of fresh meats and vegetables.  The word Phsar means Market, Leu means Upper, Thom mean Large and Thmei means New. Now this market is very popular and crowded. It is located about 2 km from Siem Reap, on the right side of National Road #6 when travelling from west to east.

Flight Over Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers

If you visit the South Island of New Zealand a "must see visit" is to take one of the helicopter flights over the Fox and Franz Josef glaciers on the west side of Mount Cook. The snow fields high above the glaciers are incredible and we had the opportunity to land at one spot and exit the chopper to take some photographs in the dazzling bright light reflecting off the snow.

Tasman Valley, Aoraki Mount Cook National Park

This is the view back down Tasman Valley on the walk up to the Tasman glacier in the Aoraki Mount Cook National Park, South Island, New Zealand. What you don't see from this photo is just how strong the wind was blowing.

The National Park is a harsh land of ice and rock. Glaciers cover 40% of it. There are 19 peaks over 3000 metres including New Zealand’s highest mountain, Aoraki/Mt Cook. The park is also part of Te Wahipounamu – South Westland World Heritage Area in recognition of its outstanding natural values. There is virtually no forest in the park. Instead, the park is alive with the most wonderful alpine plants. In summer, look for the striking giant buttercup, the large mountain daisies and watch out for the fearsome spear grass/taramea. Birdlife includes species such as kea, kärearea/falcon and the elusive rock wren/pïwauwau. The braided riverbed of the Tasman is home to the black stilt/kakï, one of New Zealand’s rarest birds.

Floating Cuisine

This takes "Meals On Wheels" to a new aquatic level ..... Lake Tonle Sap in Cambodia where many people live and do their daily business. This means floating homes, floating schools and churches and mobile food markets by boat.

Sea of Yellow

A spectacular field of yellow flowers in the South Island of New Zealand close to Blenheim. The contrast between the colours of yellow, green and blue was quite dramatic.

Kinghorn in the Kingdom of Fife

Kinghorn (Gaelic: Ceann Gronna) is a town in Fife, Scotland. The meaning of the name Kinghorn, or Kin-gorn, derives from the Gaelic, 'head of the muddy ground' or the more romantic 'blue headland'. A seaside resort with two beaches, Kinghorn Beach and Pettycur Bay, plus a fishing port, it stands on the north shore of the Firth of Forth opposite Edinburgh. According to the 2006 population estimate, the town has a population of 2,986.
It is known as the place where King Alexander III of Scotland died, it lies on the A921 road and the Fife Coastal Path.

The historic Royal Burgh of Kinghorn lies on the golden coastline of the Kingdom of Fife. The former castle in Kinghorn was frequently visited by the Scottish Court in the period of the House of Dunkeld. The King's castle, controlling the sea way, stood on the headland above Pettycur. A later structure, Glamis Tower, stood just behind the High Street. Both buildings have totally disappeared and the sites built over in modern times. It was because of King Alexander III wanting to return to Kinghorn to see his new wife that he fell on the horseride from Burntisland and was found dead on the beach of Pettycur bay.

The castle remained an important possession of the Scottish crown, and this was recognised by the creation of the Earldom of Kinghorne in 1606. A burn fed from the freshwater Kinghorn Loch above the town once provided the town with its water and subsequently provided the source of power to drive the machinery of flax mills. The old town was dramatically transformed in 1846 by the construction of the railway viaduct across the valley of the burn and the opening of Kinghorn Station by the Edinburgh and Northern Railway which had its terminus at Burntisland for ferries across the Forth to Granton. Much of the former horse ferry traffic from Pettycur bay was lost to Burntisland.

Following the opening of the Forth Railway Bridge in 1890,the North British Railway started to promote Kinghorn's picturesque sheltered bay and beach as a resort which led to considerable development of the town.

Streets of Madrid

Seeing all the reports and photos describing the celebrations through the streets of Madrid following the World Cup victory by Spain reminded me of my visit there last year. It was a wonderful city to wander through the back streets where you could find countless bars and restaurants tucked away amongst the interesting architecture.

Gion Machiya

One of the many beautiful old traditional buildings found in the Gion district of Kyoto. Gion is a district of Kyoto, Japan, originally developed in the Middle Ages, in front of Yasaka Shrine. The district was built to accommodate the needs of travelers and visitors to the shrine. It eventually evolved to become one of the most exclusive and well-known geisha districts in all of Japan.

The geisha in the Gion district do not refer to themselves as geisha; instead, Gion geisha use the local term geiko. While the term geisha means "artist" or "person of the arts", the more direct term geikomeans essentially "a child of the arts" or "a woman of art".

This neighborhood in Kyoto has two hanamachi (geiko communities): Gion Kōbu (祇園甲部) and Gion Higashi (祇園東). Despite the considerable decline in the number of geisha in Gion in the last one hundred years, it is still famous for the preservation of forms of traditional architecture and entertainment.

Part of this district has been declared a national historical preservation district. Recently, the City of Kyoto completed a project to restore the streets of Gion, which included such plans as moving all overhead utilities underground as part of the ongoing effort to preserve the original beauty of Gion.

Gion remains dotted with old-style Japanese houses called machiya, which roughly translated means "townhouse", some of which are ochaya or "tea houses". These are traditional establishments where the patrons of Gion—from the samurai of old to modern-day businessmen—have been entertained by geiko and geisha in an exclusive manner for centuries.

Inside the ochaya is a private and closed world where the evening's entertainment may include cocktails, conversation, and games as well as traditional Japanese music, singing and dancing. To this day, geiko and maiko (geisha in training) in full regalia can still be seen in the evenings as they move about through the streets of Gion to and from their various engagements at the ochaya' They dance and sing and they entertain for veryone

There is a popular misconception that Gion was a red-light district. It was a geisha district, and as geisha are entertainers, not prostitutes, Gion is not, and never was, a red-light district. Shimabara was Kyoto's red-light district.

Milford Sound

Milford Sound is a fjord in the south west of New Zealand's South Island, within Fiordland National Park and the Te Wahipounamu World Heritage site. It has been judged the world's top travel destination in an international survey, and is acclaimed as New Zealand's most famous tourist destination. Rudyard Kipling had previously called it the eighth Wonder of the World.

To get to Milford Sound in the South Island of New Zealand requires a fairly long drive from Queenstown via Te Anau but is one of the most beautiful drives you will experience. Once you get to the end of the road at the upper reaches of the fjord there is nothing much there other than the spectacular view so many people simply make it a day trip and drive back. We decided to do an overnight cruise through the fjord on the Milford Mariner which again was a wonderful experience and highly recommended.

Meat Market

There are two meanings for "meat market":

1. a market where meat is sold
2. a place for a casual sexual encounter

.... now .... why did you click on this link!!

This photo was taken at the Old Market in Siem Reap, Cambodia. I love the uncanny stare from the pig's head and the sharpened cleaver at the ready for the next bit of meat butchering.

Balinese Farmer

In the rice paddy fields on the outskirts of Ubud in Bali I came across this wonderful farmer who spoke fluent English and was so enthusiastic about telling me about his rice paddies and his prize cow which he then insisted on showing me. I think the demeanor and delightful character of these Balinese people is hard to match anywhere and makes me think I must go back there again soon.