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I've finally finished sorting through my photos from Iran, shrinking and uploading them to Flickr.
Mehran, Stan and Reza really were a winning team, and I would recommend a visit to Iran to anyone - it doesn't really matter where or when, and different people will be interested in different things. Once you've been and seen what an an amazing and beautiful country it is, and that the people you meet in the bazaars and at the sights are so welcoming and hospitable, rightly proud of their history and culture, I am sure you will want to return - I know that I do.
I've so many favourite memories - wandering the backstreets of Yazd, marvelling at everything in Esfahan, exploring the bazaars and mosques of Shiraz, hearing Persian poetry by moonlight at the mausoleum of Hafez, being presented by a beautiful flower by a young woman as we walked back to the hotel one evening, getting dressed up in traditional nomad wedding dress, carrying out conversations by way of the Lonely Planet Persian phrase book, being interviewed for local telly near Bazm and for an advertorial in the Abbasi Hotel, tucking into melon (various varieties), cheese and fresh bread with a breathtaking view of Mount Dena and minutes later chancing upon Qashqai nomads and their flocks on the annual migration to summer pastures - the young and the weak getting a ride tucked up snugly in carpets pockets on the back of a donkey, unexpected hail and film crews in ancient Hamadan, the Zoroastrian Towers of Silence (even when disrupted by the 21st century noise of young blokes on motorbikes), the kitsch souvenir shops, signage and stalagmites and stalactites at Ali Sadr Caves, staying in amazing converted/restored caravanserai in Yazd and Esfahan, relaxing in the Eram gardens, taking tea with the nomads near Bahvanat and trying my hand at churning butter in a goatskin, the smell of freshly baked bread and the production line four man bakeries in Kashan, Shiraz and Hamadan, the amazing switchback road climbing up and through the Alborz Mountains, through the green of the orchards and wheatfields, the grandeur of Persepolis and the peace and tranquility of the gardens of Fin, the stunning colours decorating the mosques and traditional houses, palaces and citadels - and flowers everywhere.
How: Wild Frontiers' Land of the Peacock Throne tour
When: April/May 2007
Weather: Tehran
Advice / Info: FCO, CIA Iran Country Profile, BBC Country profile: Iran Wikipedia: Iran, Lonely Planet: Iran, Pars Times: Iran
Compare:
In pictures: Life in Stanley (BBC News, March 2007)
A typical Stanley house, and a-typcial transport (My photos, December 2005)
Although at least that flat tyre seems to have been fixed and the morris minor's mobility restored.....
Taken by Rob and now available on his Rob's Journeys Flickr pages. So we get to enjoy his Skardu adventures (vicariously at least).
... and available in my imaginatively named "Hindu Kush Adventure" set on Flickr.
Day 1 (28 September 2006): Depart London on overnight BA flight to Islamabad
Day 2 (29 September 2006): Arrive Islamabad, drive to Peshawar
Day 3 (30 September 2006): Peshawar
Day 4 (01 October 2006): Khyber Steam Train up the Khyber Pass
Day 5 (02 October 2006): Drive over the Malakand Pass to Dir
Day 6 (03 October 2006): Drive over the Lowari Pass to Ayun
Day 7 (04 October 2006): Ayun town tour and into to the Rumbur Valley, staying with the Kalash at Balanguru
Day 8 (05 October 2006): Balanguru and hike to the Nuristani village of Shakanande
Day 9 (06 October 2006): Balanguru and hike to Pelaga, the Wild Frontiers hideaway
Day 10 (07 October 2006): Balanguru to Chitral town - sightseeing and shopping!
Day 11 (08 October 2006): Chitral town to Hindu Kush Heights hotel
Day 12 (09 October 2006): To Mastuj, via Buni Zom, for dinner with Colonel Khushwalalt Ul Mulk
Day 13 (10 October 2006): Over the Shandur Pass to Phander
Day 14 (11 October 2006): Phander to Gilgit, then on to Karimabad along the Karakoram Highway
Day 15 (12 October 2006): Karimabad (shopping!) and the Eagle's Nest Hotel
Day 16 (13 October 2006): Karimabad to Chilas, back along the Karakoram Highway
Day 17 (14 October 2006): Chilas to Islamabad
Day 18 (15 October 2006): Early morning flight to UK
Note: those links will take you to the photos for each day - but they display in reverse order. If you go to my "Hindu Kush Adventure set, you'll see my photos in the correct order.
Exactly 3 months after we got back to Blighty, I've finally finished sorting through my photos and uploading them to Flickr. All 359 of them now available for viewing in my Falklands Islands Trip set.
(and I also uploaded my four photos from dad's Birthday Weekend.)
It was a great holiday - here's a day-by-day synopsis, with links to photos of the day:
I'm gradually uploading photos from our Falkland Islands trip onto Flickr. Phil bought me a Pro subscription as part of my Christmas present, so I'm effectively free of the monthly limit (unless I manage to hit the 2GB monthly limit for Pro users....). It's reminding me just how fantastic the weather was, and how beautiful Port Stanley and Cape Pembroke are:
- Photos from Sunday 26 December 2005 - Our trip out to Cape Pembroke lighthouse (the day everyone got sunburn)
- Photos from Monday 27 December 2005 - Being touristy in Stanley, and walking back to Stanley via the Moody Valley, and Fran's party in the evening
Having lived a stone's throw from Battersea Power Station for almost a decade, it's fascinating to see the building's insides, courtesy of the BBC.
From our London Transport Museum visit, my money is on Phil loving image 5.
I've read their reasons why*, and I'm currently considering whether I commit to paying the annual cost of fotopic's premium service - currently
Phil and I were in Avignon for my birthday, spending a long week there courtesy of Eurostar and the TGV, and staying in a nice family run hotel just inside the old town walls. Hotel d'Angleterre's free wifi proved a hit as Phil had his laptop so we could check mail (and deal with comment spam - grrr) while on holiday.
We had a very lazy time, lots (lots!) of reading and soaking up the spring sun, with the occasional dollop of culture and sight seeing, mooching around the old streets, and heading out on a day trip into the Provencal countryside with Cars Lieutaud and taking the train up to Orange - to see the Roman theatre, sandwiched between lunch in a lovely brasserie terrace and wicked coffee/chocolate and cake in a salon du thé! - and down to Montpellier - lots of sitting in cafes and watching the world go by.... and trying to recall places and geography from when Tom was there.
The holiday all seems a long time ago now, and we only got back yesterday. Mind you, it was a relief to get back to eateries that serve at least one veggie food option as standard. We had take away from the recently opened Spice Corner to celebrate, and very tasty it was too.
On the home front, our lounge chairs arrived today, so the sofa has some companions, and the lounge area looks more like a lounge and less like a sofa + bookselves + TV/Video/DVD/Amp!
I've had a satisfying evening downloading my February and March photos from my Canon Ixus V, sorting them out into folders and uploading selected collections to fotopic:
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Tower42, blue skies and backlit clouds
Valentine's Day Pasties, by Phil
Sunny views - Farringdon, Smithfield, Barbican
Barbican in the snow
Snowing in Camomile Street
Good bye Copper Grill, Sayonara Salon Yamamoto
Spitalfields, old and new - including the noted house for paper bags, and Dino's cafe
Dad's birthday weekend at Forty Acres - The new tree house, and walking to the Neville
White wrapped office block, demolition in progress, Ropemaker Street / Chiswell Street / Moor Lane / Finsbury Street
Easter weekend at Walton on the Naze (brrrr)
Spent the morning sorting through my digital photos, and uploading them to my fotopic album, which carries the title Intrepid Cambodia.
My favourite digital photos:
A Reflective Angkor Wat
Family Sparkler Duel
_That_ bill!
The Bike Ladies
The moonrise at Pre Rup
Me at Ta Prohm (or is it Preah Khan?)
Busty Ladies at the Terrace of the Leper King
Angkor Thom causeway guardian
Strangle tree at Sambor Prey Kok
Phil, Sarah, Sally, Kathy, Stefan, Francis, David, Eddie and Steve, if any of you are reading this, can I just say that I had a great Christmas with you all, and in fact a fab 15 days on the trip.
Hazel has already made sure our combined collection of 16 rolls of film has been developed (I shudder at the snappysnaps cost....) and provided I can fudge another few days not working at work the other side of New Year, I'll scan in the best ones and add them to the album. If you want to set up one of your own, just go to fotopic.net, register, and follow the instructions!
It's freezing here in London - looks like Hazel and I lucked out landing to 12C yesterday morning. It's max 4C here today, cf 33C in Phnom Penh. Not that we're at all jealous of those of you still enjoying yourselves in Thailand, Laos, KL and elsewhere! I'm looking forward to being wined and dined by myPhil :)
"Me and Mary with palm trees and an exploding volcano"
An early piece by Barney Cuba Angell Loosemore, 2002
Part of a private collection, currently on display at Simmons & Simmons, CityPoint, London.
TC at his BBQ, June 2002