On Google+ or Facebook? So am I! :-) … It’s actually where I do most of my interacting while on the road. What I like most about these platforms, is that it enables connecting with a large audience effortless, while making browsing and sharing content with others much easier. Also, it is a fantastic way to stay connected and up to date anywhere and everywhere on your smart phone.

So pop on in and say hello!

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Monk in the light

A monk kneels in solitude deep within Tham Poukham Cave. One of my all-time favourite photos.

Bagan is situated in the dusty central plains of Myanmar, and is arguably one of the worlds most mesmerising sites. In the small area of Bagan Archaeological Zone, there are approximately 2,200 temples. Yes, absolutely astonishing! Though from the 9th to 13th century when Bagan was the capital of the Kingdom of Pagan. During it’s reign, the area housed over 10,000 Buddhist temples, pagodas and monasteries.

This photo was taken from the top of Shwe San Daw Paya, one of the larger temples in the area. The view was very much like this in every direction. Here on top of one of these giant structures, Bagan really comes to life. Temple after temple, from near to far, soar above the tree line, creating one of the most enchanting sites one could see. You instantly forget about the blistering heat, the countless cuts and scratches from prickles and thorns, the sand that has invaded every nook and cranny, and just gaze upon the beauty before you. The view from on top is where Bagan’s magic lies. And if you really want to be impressed, make sure you’re at the top of one of these mammoth structures at sunset or sunrise. It’s something you won’t forget.

The photographs below I took from the local village. The sun had just set and the sky was lighting up a gorgeous purple and orange colour. For these two panoramas, I took my tripod and waded out in the Mekong until I was waste deep in order to get the boats in the foreground with the limestone pillar as a backdrop.

30 kilometres south of Luang Prabang in northern Laos, enshrouded in the jungle is a beautiful cascade of small waterfalls and dozens upon dozens of bright turquoise lagoons, called Tat Kuang Si. Consisting of many different levels, the upper begins as a huge 60m waterfall broken up by large golden coloured boulders. This then disperses throughout thick enshrined jungle in which the sun penetrates only occasionally to lighten up the many turquoise pools that cascade down the steep sloped mountain.

Tat Kuang Si Falls is also home to the charismatic Asiatic Black Bears (Moon Bears) and the Sun Bears. These gorgeous, intelligent and playful animals have been rescued from Asia’s illegal bile extraction trade. Bear bile is sold as traditional medicine throughout many parts of Asia, claiming to treat a range of illnesses from headaches to diseases of the heart and liver. Thousands of these bears are currently being kept in small cages throughout various regions of Asia and sadly endure a lifetime of painful extractions from their gall bladders. The reality of this idiotic and inhumane tradition is that the bile extracted can potentially be harmful to humans, and is able to be replaced by herbal and synthetic medicines that ACTUALLY work. These alternate solutions are cheaper, safer and more effective. Which means the inhumane and torturous trade of bile extraction is completely pointless! To find out more, visit Animal Asia’s End Bear Bile Farming page.

Putting the sad reality in which these bears have endured aside. Here at Tat Kuang Si Falls rescue center, they live out the rest of their lives quite happily in great conditions. There is quite a large area for these bears to roam, with a large amount of play equipment for them to climb over and amuse themselves. The care takers also ensure that they’re regularly entertained with different toys, games and ways to ‘hunt’ down their food. Funny thing is, the moment they saw us arrive, they immediately jumped up and decided to come down to put a show on for us. They started play fighting, rolling and tackling each other on the ground right in front of us, and even going crazy splashing around in the little pool they have setup for them. These bears definitely knew how to be the center of attention. Hilarious!

Far up in northern Thailand lays the little town of Sukhothai, which is home to some of Thailand’s best preserved ruins. The world heritage site and historical park of Sukhothai, covers approximately 70 square kilometres of land, encompassing 193 ruins that consist of palaces and temples. Some of which are amazingly preserved.

Sukhothai is pretty dusty and can be extremely hot depending on the time of year. However the 6 – 7 hour bus ride from Bangkok is definitely worth the effort – you won’t be disappointed! There are also a few other things in the local area to see on a motorbike/bicycle to keep you amused for a couple of days.

I know it’s been quite a while since I’ve last posted. But what can I say – I’m enjoying myself :-)

Good news though, I haven’t been completely unproductive in the photography world. My NEX-7′s shutter has been working overtime, and taken several thousand photographs in which I’ve post processed the majority. It’s just getting them online that’s the hard part. So for now here are some of my favourites from Bangkok.

Wat Pho, Bangkok

In the center of Bangkok is one of the most beautiful temples Thailand has to offer, Wat Pho. It encompasses the famous 50m Reclining Buddah (actually 43m) draped in gold with mother-of-pearl feet. Inside the compound are temples galore, highly polished and glittering spectacularly with their colours in the sun.

Tuk Tuk’s lined up outside Khaosan Rd, Bangkok

Above are several colourful Tuk Tuk’s lined up at one end of Bangkok’s craziest street, Khaosan road. Here the music blares from speakers till early morning hours, every night. Billboards of every colour dangle over head in their hundreds. Locals with their stools sell everything from deep fried grasshoppers and spiders, to electronics, fake ID cards and university degree’s of your choice. Clothes, bags, watches – you got it… Anything goes here!

I personally prefer the more laid back version, Rambruttri street, a block away. This has far more of a quaint character, and dozens of amazing food stools to pull up a plastic pew to. It’s somewhere you can kick back and recharge.

Where am I now? Well, I’m currently writing this from Pakse, Laos, in which I have to tell you – this country is absolutely amazing! Home to some of the most amazing scenery I’ve come across. I can’t wait to release these photos – stay tuned!

More Thailand Photos...

Heading straight into Istanbul that spans both the European and Asian continental division, I was immediately awash with culture, gorgeous architecture, busy streets and let’s be honest – delicious food! Shacking up in the old town of Fatih, I was in close proximity to most of the amazing sights, including the famous blue mosque. Here I could rug up on short expeditions to explore the streets in between the snow fall that regularly smothered every surface. I won’t lie though, Istanbul does look lovely in the snow, regardless of how cold it got. -15 I think I read at one point. But just like in Greece, I took such opportunities to eat as much as possible, as these last several thousand kilometres I’d cycled had made me loose quite a lot of weight.

Over a period of a few weeks, I visited several memorable Turkish icons, however from a photographer’s perspective, you can’t go passed Cappadocia. The unearthly landmarks that dot the landscape provide such a surreal experience. Made up of solid rock, and carved by millions of years of erosion, “Fairy Chimneys” or “Hoodoos” surround you at every turn. Having this terrain blanketed in snow was an absolute treat, even if my pants did freeze solid while still on. I had such a memorable time trekking amongst these giants that can range anywhere from 2 to 45m high. Göreme itself is a gorgeous little town that lies at the bottom of a valley where these enormous chimneys concentrate. Here you can actually stay inside a chimney (which I did), and keep warm from the harsh winter outside. For such a cute and relaxing town in the middle of no-where, Göreme and the surrounding area has a long, interesting and war-torn history that goes right back to the bronze age. Learn more.

Pamukkale also being another icon that stuck out from its flat surroundings like a bizarre cotton castle (which is in fact the translation of “pamukkale”). A mountain of white, with natural heated springs that ooze from the volcanic interior, which flow down its side carving intriguing patterns the entire way down. Though standing up the top of this fluffy mountain, getting blasted by high volume winds during Europe’s coldest temperature in 40 odd years, can get a bit …painful :-) But worth it none the less.

Visiting Ephesus was also a joy. I’d seen pictures of this amazing ruins many times over the years. Being by the coast, I was lucky to escape the snow for a while and get a bit more sun. Ephesus was once an ancient Greek city that housed over 250,000 people (making it one of the largest cities in the world at the time), and housed the Temple of Artemis which was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Ephesus eventually was taken over from the Greeks by the Roman Republic around 150 BCE and witnessed several wars until the city and temple got destroyed in 263 CE, brinigng the end to Ephesus’s prime.

Tourists can make the journey out to wander through the cobbled streets of this ancient beauty. You’ll need a solid half a day to see it all, but it’s definitely worth it.

Finishing off in Ankara to visit a friend that’d I’d met in Mendoza, Argentina back in 2008. (Thanks once again Edwardo!) I made my final return to Istanbul before leaving to make the long journey home to Australia.

Hope you enjoy the photos!

More Photos…

Istanbul

Cappadocia

Pamukkale

Ephesus

In comes the Sony NEX-7. As of this last year, APS-C mirrorless cameras have been making a big scene on the photography market, so I decided to take a look at what there is to offer. After endless hours of research and reading reviews, it was clear there were 2 or 3 choices that stood out from the rest. But in the end, picking them up and handeling them made my choice clear. The Sony NEX-7 was the winner for me.

Needless to say, leaving behind my beloved SLR won’t come without a touch of nostalgia. There’s nothing quite like shooting with one. But I’m really looking forward to the lightened load and being able to get my camera out in more situations than I’ve been able to before.

For anyone interested in more info on the NEX-7, have a read of DPReview’s Sony NEX-7 in-depth review.

Yep, I have in my grasp another one-way ticket! My first one-way passage sent me barrelling into Latin America in 2007/2008; the second to North Africa and the Middle-East for 2010; my third was recently when I froze my ass off cycling across the European continent, and now this ticket in my hand will send me hurdling towards Asia and beyond.

Starting just around the corner at the beginning of December, my partner Kirsty and I will be stepping off Australian soil for the first time together and heading straight for the bustling streets of Bangkok. Here we’ll spend a few months backpacking through the usual candidates that encompass South East Asia, before heading west and off the beaten track to Burma and Bangladesh. And due to our love for epic landscapes, and being so close, we couldn’t say no to hauling ourselves up through northern India and Nepal, where our Asia leg of the trip will likely end. That’s the idea anyhow.

“and beyond”… Well I did let it slip that this one-way ticket will be sending us on a voyage to Asia “and beyond”. So I guess “and beyond” means that, after the South East and Central Asia ‘leg’ of this trip… the journey is far from over! This is the beginning of something quite exciting, and while Kirsty and I aren’t sure where the road will take us at this point; whether it’s tumbling through Africa or on a road trip through Central America (yeah we have plenty of ideas), one thing for sure is… it will take us!

More good news – our good friend Zoe will also be jumping on that plane with us to lap up the good life of SE Asia for a month or two before continuing on to do some amazing work in Tanzania at the start of the new year.

My dream for a long time now has been to live in Colombia, so wherever we go, I hope at some point we end up there.

Kirsty and I at home, sipping on a beer while contemplating over our map

DAY 1

Well it started off getting picked up in traditional Latin American style – late, and driven to the take off point in Santa Marta where we finished the formalities and squeezed in the back of a 4WD jeep and headed off. There were 2 Jeep’s in the convoy with 5-6 of us in each.  Our packs roped up on the roof, we all were instantly bonding as we bounced around the backstreet’s exiting Santa Marta.  30 minutes later we started hitting the jungle and a very bumpy track. Military checkpoint of course accompanied due to it being restricted area.  We went off road for over 2 and a half hours, and over the time it got really, really bumpy inside the car to the point that everyone was laughing because all our heads had hit the roof several times and must of pushed rolling point atleast a couple of times.  The scenery was great though, as as we thought we couldn’t get more remote, we kept pushing on deeper and deeper.  Finally reaching our drop off point, all were on mates terms already. We hopped out and were immediately attacked by Mosquito’s and bloody Sand Flies like insects which took quite a big chunk out of your skin upon biting. We had a fresh salad sandwich we made before heading off on our trail. The trail wasnt quite so difficult yet. We were about a kilometre up and we could see the clouds lining the side of the mountain valleys. We descended down a track a couple of feet wide through those clouds, that turned the forest very mystical as we could only see 10m infront of us. The jungle was very dense and beautiful. Its difficult to imagine how remote we would be in 4 days time when we reach Ciudad Perdida. We pushed on over a a rocky/dirt path made by hikers that regularly went over waterfalls and alongside 100m drop offs along the way to our first resting spot. We descended alot today, so was pretty easy going, however I definitely dont think it will always be like this, haha!

Hiking up and down over mountains, through rivers all day, we arrived just as night fell at our camp. We were situated right onthe top of a mountain, that i’m sure will provide a fantastic view in the morning when the sun rises and lights up the jungle. Our stay was in hammocks for the night, which Im looking forward too! For dinner the guides made us this awesome chicken and rice salad, over a fire stove. All of us absolutely stuffed after our first huge day of hiking and sat there on the wooden table, lit up by candle light eating our meal.  The sounds of the jungle made all sorts of unfamiliar noises in the darkness surrounding us, spooky yet exciting at the same time.

Just before we went to bed I witnessed fireflies for the first time ever!  I have ever seen them before, so was quite amazed and curious as I sat there watching them all light up in the black night sky.

DAY 2

than when in the sun. The walk went on forever and the group of us 12 started splitting up into 3 or 4 different groups. Matty and I was hanging around one bloke Eddie, from Alaska, that twisted his knee on a particular steep descent, which was a bummer as he had to fall back to the guide. we took several stops to admire the magnificent unforgettable view and guzzle water like camels from our bottles. On the very top of one of the mountains, marked our day’s half way point, and were rewarded with fresh Pineapple growing locally right up ontop of a steep mountain, that seemed to take forever to ascend. Towards the end of the day, a few of us that were trekking by ourselves stumbled upon a little hutt that had stuff that the muel and porter were carrying.  The track gets more difficult the next couple of days and the mules will be unable to come, so we opened one of the bags and found a bunch of oranges that we stole and hoed into! haha… The clouds descended on the night sky, putting another end to a very long and tiring day, as we enclosed on our sleeping spot for the night…

The hike today really was rewarding as we passed indigenous villages and tribal people embedded deep in the jungle, hidden away from the world living completely dependant with their own banana plantations growing for food.

Our camp tonight is fantastic. We are purchased on the end of a mountain ridge, with multiple valleys descending below. We all were extremely sore today as it was a difficult climb, that it was quite painful to get up once we were sat.  So after an awesome cooked meal we listened to Manwell (our local guide) tell us the story of how he was kidnapped by Guerrilla groups a couple of years back on this exact route we were to go the next day. The guerrillas armed with automatics and machete’s tied the hands and feet of all the guides, tourists and even some of the indigenous people up with rope. He managed to get his hands and legs free, to rescue some of the tourists before fleeing into the jungle for days on end trek back through the jungle to Santa Marta to get urgent help. The military and Paramilitary worked together on this occasion to rescue some of the others. Unfortunately one girl was held hostage for 74 days before she managed to get out. Amazing, and alot of respect to Manwell our guide for doing what he did.

Tonight I tried my first coca tea (from coca leaves), which was quite delicious actually, and gave a relaxing sensation. Coca plants were now naturally growing everywhere here.  I sat in solitude after, mesmerized with the fireflies flickering in the darkness with my thoughts, before I went to sleep, sharing a plank of wood with Carsten from Denmark and Mierko the crazy Italian.

DAY 3

An early and crisp morning presented itself to us, and I had a really good sleep which is a surprise with sharing a wooden huts floor with Mierko, haha! Unfortunately the sky was completely covered with low cloud, only revealing a patch of the jungle every now and then. Breakfast consisted of toast and deep fried eggs, with coffee and chocolate milk. (if you call powder milk, milk that is)! I put on my sweat soaked shirt and shorts and headed off. I first attempted to keep up with the front guide, but he was too much of a hiking machine and went down dangerously steep slopes like it was nothing. haha! So us guys at the front followed the track at our own, what we considered ‘fast’ pace. We now have a total of 3 injuries on us, which Manwell will hang back with and make sure they are ok for the slow, we have a long hike ahead. It was so moist and slippery, not to mention steep with little place to put your feet, so alot of people ended up ass up on the ground or rolling down a section of the jungle, luckily not too hurt!

Upon hitting the valleys riverbed to cross, we all had a bit of a swim, wash and headed back up to ascent the mountain above us. This was no easy task as the path pretty much became vertical and we found ourselves using both our hands and feet to climb. Some times there was barely a square inch of mos covered tree root to place your entire body weight onto, combining with a near vertical drop below us if we slipped.  I’m not easily scared, but at times the penalty for failure was quite frightening! Helicopter would be the only way out, and even that would be difficult amongst the jungle coverage.  Im surprised they dont give you a warning on this trek before we head off, as you have to be very fit and able to do some sections of this! I have no idea how the injured people are gonna make it up here… This ascent continued on for approximately 45 minutes, and when we reached the top we would had of lost litres of water by sweating. I was in my element and didn’t want to keep waiting for the others resting, so I took off ahead in the jungle by myself for a couple of hours to gain some ground on a couple of the Irish guys that took off first. Treking in the jungle you are in so much solitude, and have so much time to think about everything.  Alone with strange sounds, trying to follow a path that’s barely visible.  Some points the path was literally non-existent and I had to take a complete guess as to which way to head, while having to deal with the fear that I’m lost in the jungle amongst what is commonly guerrilla territory.  But a river crossing eventually made an appearance where the Irish guys from our group were waiting in hope that they too had been going the right direction.  It felt a lot better seeing these guys, as I wasn’t 100% confident I was on the right trail.  We had some lunch and jumped of high rocks into the water for fun.  Matty arrived only a few minutes behind me, so he must of been powering on in solitude as well!

After lunch, there were a couple of plantanya plantations we made use of as we were starving, where the indigenous people lived. Eventually we arrived at another river that we had to cross, yet this time the water was fast running, and came right up to our chest trying to force us down stream.  With our bags on the top of our back, shoes held up above our heads and bare feet stumbling on unstable rocks beneath the surface, we had to cross it back and forth several times due to the unforgiving landscape.  Well, here I had a close call, as when I was walking on a small path above the riverbed, it collapsed and I would of plummeted 30m straight down onto rocks below in the river.  Luckily I quickly reacted and grabbed a vine dangling near by that held my weight preventing me falling – phew! But honestlys, …I shit myself!

The scenery was beautiful, with the thick lush green jungle rising up each side of the crystal clear water that flows in between them. After a few more crossings, we came across a small opening in side of the jungle on the riverbed with primitive stairs leading up, – WE ARE THERE!!!  It was so hidden that if you were not specifically looking for it, you’d miss it completely.  No wonder why this place was hidden for all this time.  We are so buggered and so relieved that finally we had made it, only to find out that there is over a thousand steps to walk up… These steps arnt exactly easy to walk up either, as they are so small, on random angles and have moss growing on them all for us to slip on. The stairs just kept extending further and further up, lit up by only small gaps in the trees above. We climbed up and up and after several rests and great moans of pain we finally reached the top.  NOTHING was more satisfying!

The central area in Ciudad Perdida is so beautiful and tucked away from view from the river. …and as I stated before, no wonder why they only found this 30 years ago. I was standing on the edge of the thousand year old ruins gazing mesmerized at the huge beautiful mountains that extend into the distance completely covered in thick lust and beautiful green jungle. The mist rolled in and blanketed the sky turning it a light grey colour just above our heads. It was all worth it, what we were seeing was so amazing! In the distance we could see a small wooden structure with a fire, which was our camp. The trek was so bloody hard, especially todays, but seeing such beautiful ruins hidden away from the world is definitely worth it. We all were pretty stunned with what we were experiencing, and the surrealism just silenced us all! Everyone just taking it all in in their own way, as words cant express the feeling we are all getting from being here after days of hard trekking.

In the night, we showered from running water that came off the mountain.  OHHH that was freezing!  We ate deserved dinner that our guides cooked over fire that felt like the biggest reward, and sat there in the pitch darkness, except for our faces lit up only by 2 burning candles, lighting up our smiles. We headed off to bed around 7.30pm… Happy times!!!

DAY 4

10th of February dawned and I woke next to Eddie, which arrived last night around 11pm. Manwell (our guide), Eddie from Alaska, the old German and his young Colombian mistress which shouldn’t of even come on this trek, had to hike for hours on end in complete darkness, that would of been absolutely scary out there!! We were worried a bit last night as no one had any idea what had happened to them, and a few of the guides went out looking for them without any luck. Manwell the champ, got them through it with only a few cuts and bruises.

We arose early today and ate our Pampas that our Amigo Pipin our porter cooked. Pipin is so funny, he keeps yelling out “amigo amigo” to us – so friendly and happy all the time. Manwell then took us around the lost city for a couple of hours and explained a few things about them and the native Tayronas that used to and still do live here.

The Tayronas used to be very nomadic but 1500 or so years ago settled in this location and this stone city was the result. This place originally had alot of treasures and gold here, as the natives used to bury their loved ones with valuables to take with them into the next life. Unfortunately when the Spanish entered and invaded South America, they tortured these people for information on the whereabouts of their gold and hidden cities in the jungle. Many Tayronas committed suicided, instead of being tortured to tell the Spaniards where their loved ones was buried. The city was soon forgotten and lost in the dense jungle for centuries after and only discovered by wondering hippie nomads that trekked through the Sierra Navada region, trading with indigenous people. Then it wasnt long until tomb raiders heard about this and robbed the majority of artifacts that was here. However there is a few in the Santa Marta museum if anyone wants to look.

Here there are lots of coca plants and some tobacco plants that the indigenous people use for not smoking, but trade with other tribal communities that do…  After the mini tour a bunch of us just relaxed on the ruins and took it all in. When we got there, there was a bunch of local Tayronan’s dressed in their traditional white garment’s with their kids, teaching them about their ancestry history of this place. We didn’t want to disturb them, as this has been their culture for such a long time, and we were nothing less than invading it. Then 14 of them came our way and walked straight passed us, silence hit every single one of us, even them.  Up close and personal with these jungle natives. It was like I was zapped back 700 years for several moments!!  We locked eyes and we looked at each other exchanging the same curiosity. They are only about 4ft (max 5ft) tall, and all have long jet black hair and dress in white cloth in which they have made from jungle material.  An experience I will NEVER forget.

A few of us took in the scenery before leaving back to camp as it was getting later. I stayed behind so I could have the ruins all to myself and take it all in, in solitude. It was the most surreal feeling, being the only person here amongst the ruins in dead silence! The mist moved along the mountains, fading the ruins as I looked up at the ascending stone structures into the mountains. I was completely mesmerized and found it very difficult to pull myself away, as the beauty of the ruins and environment made me feel as if I was in another world. On another planet witnessing structure’s of an abandoned race. An experience like this will have an ever lasting effect on me!!

DAY 5

In the morning we were leaving the campsite, so we were up and ready a little earlier than normal. I put on my blue shirt again, that is still saturated in sweat! I have another shirt thats dry that I wear at night to keep me warm. We headed of walking back to the way we came for a while, except this time we diverted off to another track for different scenery. A section of this track we had to walk steeply up was a muddy hill, and lasted for 45 minutes!! I made myself hike up the entire thing without stopping, an only just managed to pull it off before nearly collapsing with exhaustion. I was hurting so much. The trek continued until we reached a little village with about 20 people living here. They had some electricity, from a hydro generator that gave fluctuating power to the village depending on the flow of the water. In this town they also had a huge waterfall that we were jumping off. Stupidly I decided to do a flip off the bloody high rock that could of ended up badly, which I only just pulled off. They also had beers here which we all kinda went wild on, because we had been busting our guts the last few days, and the sight of a beer was too good to resist! haha.

Sleeping in a hammock was fantastic that night. I swang myself to sleep with the biggest gring on my face, as Im doing what most people only could ever dream about, and I am making this a reality!

DAY 6

Breakfast, and off we went! Some of this journey was extremely difficult as the ascents that we have to climb test your fitness to an extreme extent, while the downhills test your knee joints and ability to balance on unstable ground. We reached a larger town where we had refreshments, chatted with the local military that seemed over eager to let us know they have very powerful automatics slung over their shoulders, but were friendly enough – and very inquisitive (especially of my blonde hair). Here we met our jeep ride back to Santa Marta.

Hasta Luego to a very memorable 6 day treck through the jungle. I had the time of my life!!

The highest city in the world, Potosi, Bovliai. At an altitude of 4,100 metres, Potosi is well known for its silver ore that’s mined daily by indigenous miners that work in the most abysmal conditions imaginable. Once a worker comences work in these mines they basically have a decade left to live due to lung disease that forms due to the arsenic and asbestos that’s riddled throughout the mine.

Trekking high up in the Cordillera Blanca, my porter that is carrying 6x more weight than any of us just keep keeping on. Far more mightier than any of us.

In the middle of the Salar de Uyuni (Salt flats of Uyuni), lays a small island full of Cactus that are hundreds of years old and stand several metres high. This photo is taken from the highest point of the island, looking out across the mesmerising alien like environment that lay in front of me.

Many indigenous locals live on the islands in the worlds highest lake, Lake Titicaca. Here they grown corn, and live off small patches of land where they farm cattle. This photos is of children running and playing amongst the mornings collection.

Life in Iquitos can get pretty rough in outer Iquitos where land is lost for nearly half a year as the Amazon floods. Their houses (built on wooden logs) float, with decaying planks of wood and canoes being the only way to move around.

On the slopes of Machu Picchu, looking back towards the terraces of the once thriving lost Kingdom of the Incas.

The sun rising over the Salar de Uyuni, in western Bolivia. Over 14,000 square kilometres of salt lake that floods for 6 months of the year. As the sun peers over the horizon, the hexagonal salt crystals light up bright red, illuminating all around us. Absolutely Beautiful.

The heart of Iguazu Falls – the “Devils Throat”! Here in the wet season, over forty million litres per second can fall here. Creating a thundering roar from miles away. A mesmerizing site.

Iguazu Falls. One of the worlds most magnificent waterfalls that stretch kilometres on the Argentina/Brazil border. You’ll spend all day going from one spectacular view to another.

On the west coast of the Peruvian desert is a little town called Huanchaco. Possibly home to the very first surfers on the planet (that scooted back in after a days fishing on their Caballitos de Totora), approximately 3,000 years ago. Long before it was even dreamt of in Hawaii.

In the deep south west of Bolivias plateau, lay ruins, discarded and long forgotten about.

Deep in the north west Colombian jungle lays Ciudad Perdida (“Lost City”) that’s covered in thick jungle and a shroud of mist.

Two young brothers gaze over the boats edge as it coasts down the Amazon River.

Literally in the middle of no where, days from anything, the main frame of our four wheel drive suddenly snaped. Tying it down with rope, while it may seem futile, was the only solution we had.

One of my favourite little towns in Colombia, just south of Barranquilla, a colonial town is filled with gorgeous cobbled streets and traditional colonial houses with brown doors and shutters.

The depths of the largest Favela in Rio de Janeiro. This panorama shot really shows the deep poverty riveted in the worlds most beautiful capital.

In the deep south west of Bolivia’s plateau, sits high altitude lakes flanked by volcanoes. An absolute beautiful site to see.

After a couple of days of difficult trekking through the Sierra Nevada, in Colombia’s north east, we finally come to rest at these huts for the night. Waking up has never been so beautiful.

A small community of indigenous Berber people live high up in the Atlas mountains, away from the hustle and bustle of civilisation. Up at these altitudes it’s often a very dry and harsh farming life to be lived in solidarity.

Nomads that live deep in the Tunisian desert, regularly up and move their belongings and cattle in slow moving caravans. A VERY hard life.

Self portrait at the very top of northern Africa, the summit of Mt. Toubkal of the Atlas Mountains, reaching 4167m.

The camels – packed and ready to ship off into the Sahara for several hours where the night will be spent in a local Berber community that live out amongst the dunes.

After hours on an evening bus through the middle of no where in the northern Sudanese desert, the bus stopped as this is the place. Casted out with nothing other than a backpack, piece of carpet to sleep on, and a head torch to wander through the desert at night with, thats exactly what happened. After wondering for what seemed like an hour or two, the pyramids were no where to be found against the blackness of night. Only from the help of a local villager that must of seen the head torch from a distance, were the Pyramids found. Huge triangles silhouetted the backdrop that was smattered with stars. Here they are. Rising my head off from my pack, and my body off from the sandy carpet which was my bed for the night, I had the most glorious morning to rise to. A sunrise over the Pyramids of Meroe

A typical street of Tunis as you wander into the medina, the capital of Tunisia. Blue and white colours litter every turn, and ooze a classical mediterranean feel. An absolute charm to get lost amongst.

A typical street in the northern Moroccan town Fes. Here you can very easily get lost, as one nearly identical street leads into another and before you know it, you are far from where you may have wanted to be. Though it’s hard not to be mesmerised by the dusty stone coloured blocks as they pile up around you. You can’t help but feel you’ve been transported back hundreds of years.

The title says it all. Luke Skywalker’s home as a kid where he grew up on the moisture farm on the planet Tatooine. Here I stayed for several nights and watched the hoards of tourists enter by day while I had the entire place to myself at night. The town it self, Matmata, is actually quite beautiful. “Troglodytes” (the homes in the ground such as this) are built absolutely everywhere. They are built by the local Berber community that lives there to shield away from the intense summer heat when it strikes. These often have connecting tunnels that span several pit areas. Living and bed rooms are kept very cool in these caves area’s of the central pit.

Far out in the southern Tunisian desert, only accessible by four wheel drive, stands the original studio that was erected by George Lucas and his film crew for the making of Star Wars. No one actually lives within this specific place, but the site has been maintained for the making of the new movie, and for keeps sake.

In the depths of southern Tunisian desert hides a little Berber town of Matmata, where the local indigenous community largely live underground in “Troglodytes”. This photo is not just an ordinary photo of a Troglodyte, but in fact the famous Star Wars Moisture Farm from the planet Tatooine that Luke Skywalker grew up on. Here I stayed for several nights, and basically had the entire place to myself.

A ‘snake charmer’ in the central square of Marrakech, Morocco, performing his street act.

Quick fact Check: ‘Snake Charming’ isn’t actually real (the snakes are not actually hypnotised). The melody of the flute is purely for show, as snakes can not actually hear sound. The swaying of the snake as it stands is a standard natural defence mechanism by the snake as it mimics the motion of its potential ‘predator’. Unfortunately, most snakes in these scenarios have been subjected to cruelty and defanged.

An inquisitive local Sudanese lady comes out to interact as I take pictures of the surrounding area. She has recently been married, and is currently living inside these ruins with her partner for her honeymoon.

Market Shisha store in the town of Luxor, Egypt. Here you can literally get any type of Shisha, from bras to glass to ceramic. Take your pick.

Deep in the Saharan desert, miles away from anything other than waves of dunes, the sun sets leaving the sky a beautiful deep purple before fading to night, letting the thousands of stars to shine untainted above.

A crazy bending road that’s found in the Moroccan countryside as you start getting deep within the Gorges Dades Valley.

As the sun sets behind the mountains, high up in the northern Atlas Mountains in Morocco, the sky turns a magnitude of colours before night encroaches.

As the car speeds through the open roads of the Atlas mountains in Eastern Morocco on several week road trip, twilight sets and creates such spectacular evening after evening.

Friends reunited after a long time a part, in the north east Saharan deserts of Morocco

In the far desert reaches of Matmata, Tunisia, live a small community of Berber’s that live under the ground in traditional “Troglodyte” structures. These Troglodytes are generally are large open air pit that’s dug in the ground and around the circumference is artificial caves that are dug to make connecting passageways and rooms to sleep and live in.

At the bottom of a canyon next to softly flowing mountain stream, lays amazing mud brick accommodation that is flanked between two giant cliff faces above.

Deep in the Atlas mountains in Morocco lay beautiful mud brick cities hidden beneath a sea of palm trees thriving of desert streams that run through the mountain valleys.

The mud-brick city of Ait Benhaddou is a fortified city (or ksar), along the previous caravan route between the Sahara and Marrakech. Ait Benhaddou lays next to the Ounila River with the backing of a large hill that it leans up against, and is known for its kasbahs. Till this day there are quite a few families that live here.

Typical village mud brick houses that fill the valleys in the Atlas mountains.

The only way to get around in Marrakech!

Chaos at every turn is found in the back Medina’s of Morocco’s Marrakech. Motorbikes zooming through the streets at ludicrous speeds, garments and goods hanging on every wall and the assortment of foods dotting the footpaths will bombard all your senses here.

A boy, playing with a discarded tyre and a stick, runs through the dusty streets of a little village just outside of Karima, on the banks of the Nile.

On the east coast of Tunisia sits a little town called Sousse. The characteristic bricked town sits on the edge of a peninsula, surrounded by water.

Eight kilometres of walls surround the old City of Fes. Built to help defend the city from attacking hordes in the 8th Century.

A long the west coast of Morocco lays a beautiful little town that’s surrounded by a fortress sized wall. The streets inside boast culture with locals busy selling their merchandise and trading goods and food.

In the middle of the Tunisian desert, in the heart of the town El Djem, lays one of Rome’s grandest structures. A Colesseum. Nearly identical to the one in central Rome, however here you are virtually alone and free to explore the beauties of this historical structure all to yourself.

Against the blue background of the Chefchaouen buildings, a local walks in bright red clothing. Colours at you in this beautiful little village just burst at you from every direction. A surreal cultural experience.

The backstreets of Marrakech are filled with locals going every which way on all forms of transport. Whether its a donkey or a motorbike that zooms passed at half the speed of light. These back streets are full of character and culture.

Once a week and late at night, Petra gets lit up by hundreds and hundreds of candles. A mesmerising site as you gaze up at the mind blowing Treasury that flickers in the candlelight.

Petra consists of several dozen, if not hundreds of caves that are built into the mountain. This photo is from within one of these caves, peering down on a lower level at part of the ancient abandoned town.

Down on the docks, the sun sets slowly over the harbour and lights up the beautiful town of Old Jaffa – a section of Tel Aviv, Israel. Here a scooter rests against the brick wall. A common form of transport for locals here.

In the heart of Jerusalem, the ‘Dome of the Rock’ sticks out like a sore thumb with its glistening gold coloured dome roof.

Peering down over the tobacco fields riddled through the limestone mountains in Vinales, Cuba.

In the depths of south west Venezuela, just outside the little village Canaima, a lagoon sits hidden by the surrounding remoteness.

Indigenous excavating an important Pre-Columbian archaeological site in western Bolivia. Tiahuanaco is recognized by Andean scholars as one of the most important precursors to the Inca Empire between 300 BC and AD 300

Jokulsarlon is an extraordinary glacier lagoon that’s home to countless picture-perfect luminous blue icebergs. It would have to be one of the most unique places on the planet and certainly up there with the most beautiful. Jokulsarlon is located one-and-a-half kilometers inland on Iceland’s remote southern coast, between Hofn and Skaftafell.

An abandoned farmhouse decaying slowly all by itself, forgotten, located in the middle of no where on the southern coast.

The Pyramids of Karima standing alone in a blistering hot desert in central Sudan. Apart from a small settlement ten kilometres away, there is nothing for several hours in any direction. These ruins are a true testament to solidarity.

In the poor outer section of Iquitos sits the low lying suburb called Belen, where huts are built with and on wood, so when the amazon floods for 6 months of the year, they float and not drown. Rotting wooden planks and canoes are the only method of navigating in this poverty struck area of the world.

Indigenous excavating an important Pre-Columbian archaeological site in western Bolivia. Tiahuanaco is recognized by Andean scholars as one of the most important precursors to the Inca Empire between 300 BC and AD 300.

Far out in the southern desert of Huacachina Peru, there are ever lasting sand dunes to the horizon. Here I climbed one of the larger ones and watched the sun set below the horizon.

Huacachina, Southern Peru, there lays a beautiful oasis in the shadow of the worlds biggest sand dunes, that tower over the Pyramids of Giza.

This is as far as the road will take you in Peru. Here in Pucallpa, you are already deep in the jungle, but this is the start of the Amazon basin, where the only way onwards from here is by boat. This photograph in particular is of myself taking off on a cargo boat on a 5 days journey down the Amazon River to Iquitos, leaving behind the poor community of labourers that work on the muddy banks day in day out.

Peering down on Bolivia’s perilous “Death Road”. Waterfalls, landslides, collapsing edges flank everywhere you go down this narrow, bumpy 70km long road in Bolivia’s Andean mountains. This photo is a self portrait of myself peering down into the unknown.

Gazing back upon the giants I’d trekked over several hours before hand. This area of the Peruvian Andes is home to arguably some of the best scenery worldwide. The Andes Cordellera Blanca.

High up in the Andes in Northern Peru, you round the final mountain peak and are presented with this rewarding view. A valley extending far into the distance that houses beautiful teal blue lakes flanked by giant snow capped peaks!

Walking through the magical colours of Cartagena, on Colombia’s northern caribbean coast, you are presented with magnificent architecture on every street.

A local from Sorrento peers through the coffee tree’s that are dotted on the side of a mountain in Colombia’s famous coffee region.

6 days of trekking through the jungle, we finally arrived at Ciudad Perdida (the Lost City). Here, overgrown and hidden by the jungle these beautiful stone structures scatter themselves high up on the side of a mountain.

Deep in the South Eastern jungles of Venezuela, this waterfall thumps down in the Canaima Lagoon.

Canaima lagoon at sunset in remote jungle of Venezuela.

The highest waterfall in the world, Angel Falls. Located in the depths of the south east Venezuelan jungle.

Angel Falls, the tallest waterfall in the world. Water spills out from the top the table top mountain and free falls over 1 kilometre before it finally reaches the ground in a fine mist. This would have to be one of the most mesmerising sites one could see.

Literally in the middle of no where in south western Bolivia, this is where we burst our 4WD tyre. Alien like landscape flanks me in all directions.

An indigenous Bolivian, forced to integrate into the chaotic city of La Paz, Bolivia’s capital.

The sun rising over the Salar de Uyuni, in western Bolivia. Over 14,000 square kilometres of salt wastelands. As the sun peers over the horizon, the hexagonal salt crystals light up bright red, illuminating all around us.

Absolutely Beautiful!

A cathedral on top of a hill in Vik looks out over the volcanic black beach, flanked by mountains on both sides.

Trekking through fresh snow high up on a mountain in winter time Switzerland.

The sun temporarily comes out on a winters day, from inside the Tower of London, with the London Tower in the backdrop.

Driving southern Iceland, you are presented with scenery like this at every turn. One of the most beautiful places on earth. One alien like vista after another.