Tag Archives: Mountains
High and dry – Atacama Travelogue, Part II.
Our hostal lies at a crossroad on the edge of town. Go right and it’s ruta 23, the lagunas, Socaire and, ultimately, Argentina. Go straight on ruta 27 and again it’s the Argentinian border, as well as the Bolivian one. … Continue reading
Posted in Americas, Chile
Tagged America Latina, Andes, Antofagasta, Atacama, Atacamenos, Calama, Cejar, Chaxa, Chile, Clint Eastwood, Copper, Cordillera de la Sal, David Gilmour, Desert, Desierto, Enel, Flamenco, Flamingo, Kim Stanley Robinson, Kunza, Lagoon, Laguna, Latin America, Licancabur, Lithium, Minerary, Mines, Moon Valley, Mountains, Nine Inch Nails, Nissan, Norte, Norte Grande, NP300, Pampa Union, Piedra de Coyote, Pueblo, Salar de Atacama, San Pedro, San pedro de Atacama, Sergio Leone, Sky, Sun, Valle de la Luna, Volcano, Vultures, Wind turbines
21 Comments
High and dry – Atacama Travelogue, Part I.
It’s said to be the driest desert in the world outside of Antarctica. So dry that certain riverbeds haven’t seen a drop of water in more than 120,000 years, some weather stations have never recorded any rainfall and, even where … Continue reading
Posted in Americas, Chile
Tagged America Latina, Andes, Antofagasta, Atacama, Atacamenos, Calama, Chile, Clint Eastwood, Copper, Cordillera de la Sal, David Gilmour, Desert, Desierto, Enel, Kim Stanley Robinson, Kunza, Latin America, Licancabur, Minerary, Mines, Moon Valley, Mountains, Nine Inch Nails, Nissan, Norte, Norte Grande, NP300, Pampa Union, Piedra de Coyote, Pink Floyd, Pueblo, Salar de Atacama, San Pedro, San pedro de Atacama, Sergio Leone, Sky, Sun, Valle de la Luna, Volcano, Vultures, Wind turbines
12 Comments
The worst-named animal in the world.
As far as names are concerned, few animals have had it as bad as the Orca. Popularly known as “killer whale” – a connotative appellative if ever there was one – they don’t fare much better from a scientific point … Continue reading
Posted in Europe, Iceland
Tagged Ólafsvík, Blackfish, Calf, environment, Europe, Fishing, Fjord, Herring, Iceland, Killer whale, Láki, Láki tours, Mammals, Marine Mammals, Matriarchy, Mountains, North Sea, Orca watching, Orcas, Orcinus orca, Photography, Sea, seagull, Snæfellsnes, Snow, Tourism, Travel, Trawler, Westfjord, Whale, Whale watching
26 Comments
Grundarfjörður.
Iceland doesn’t score very high in terms of cityscapes. Granted, there are corners of beauty peppered here and there in Reykjavik but there’s no denying that, besides those exceptions, towns and villages all around this island have a utilitarian air. … Continue reading
Posted in Europe, Iceland
Tagged Aurora, Europe, Fjord, Grundarfjörður, Harbour, Iceland, Island, Kirkjufell, Light, Lights, Mountains, Night, People, Photography, Snow, Stargazing, Stars, Street photography, Trails, Travel, Winter
17 Comments
Genghis’ Camp.
This didn’t feel like Central Asia. The road was smooth, the ride quiet, the old Mercedes van that did the honours as our marshrutka, or collective taxi, wasn’t packed to the gunwales. Our driver, a faded Denver Broncos hat planted on … Continue reading
Posted in Central Asia, Kyrgyzstan
Tagged Ala tau, Central Asia, Cholpon Ata, Ethno Park, Felt tent, Food, Gorge, Issyk Kul, Jailoo, Jew's Harp, Kyrchyn, Kyrchyn Jailoo, Kyrgyzstan, Lake, Lenin, Lenin statue, Mountains, Music, Nomad, Throat singing, Tien Shan, WNG, World Nomad Game, Yurt
19 Comments
Fireworks, mountains and sleeping elephants. Wrapping up 2017, in pictures.
The last trip of the year has just ended; the rucksack’s been duly unpacked and its contents unceremoniously thrown into the washing-up pile, hoping for some merciful hands to put them into the washing machine without the whites turning pink … Continue reading
Posted in Asia, Central Asia, China, Europe, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, London, Overlooked locations, Piemonte, Random memories, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, UK
Tagged 2017, 2017 Fireworks, 2017 in photos, 2017 London Fireworks Photos, Alps, Aqespe, Aral, Aral Sea, Aralsk, Asia, Asian elephant, Bactrian camels, Camel, Central Asia, Colombo Fort, Disappearance of Aral sea, Elephant, Fireworks Pictures, Italia, Italy, Jin Mao Tower, Jing Mao tower, Kyrgyzstan, Land Cruiser, London, London Mayor, Mountains, Murghab, National park, New Year's Eve Fireworks, North Aral Sea, NYE, NYE Fireworks, Pamir, Pamir Gap, Pamir Highway, Shanghai, Shanghai Tower, Shanghai World Financial Center, Sleeping elephant, Sri Lanka, Sri Lankan railways, Tajikistan, Train, Train travel, Udawalawe
20 Comments
Potholes, bribes and a Foreign Office advice. Riding the marshutka to Yerevan.
It is said that Paul of Tarsus, whilst riding from Jerusalem to Damascus, was blinded by an intense light, spoke with a divine entity and, there and then, found his faith and converted to Christianity. Now, I haven’t been blinded … Continue reading
Posted in Armenia, Caucasus, Georgia
Tagged Armenia, Azerbaijan, Caucasus, Foreign Office, Georgia, Kirants, M16, Marshutka, Mercedes, Mountains, Nagorno-Karabach, Tbilisi, Villages, Yerevan
14 Comments
Honey, scenic roads and wrong turns: A brief guide to driving in the Balkans
The road is a perfect combination of smooth tarmac, beautifully designed hairpin bends and quick straights that seem to say “Come on, get loose on that accelerator”. A bit of traffic is coming the other way – trucks, mostly, and the … Continue reading
Posted in Balkans, Bosnia Herzegovina, Croatia
Tagged Balkans, Bosnia, Bosnia Hercegovina, Cars, Croatia, Europe, Google maps, Mountains, Overtaking, Road Trip, Sarajevo, Zagreb
7 Comments
The alpine tunnel for the afterlife.
It wasn’t supposed to be dug this high. The idea, originally, was for the tunnel to be at least 400 meters lower, at an easier 1000 meters of altitude, where it could’ve been used almost all year round, but that … Continue reading
Posted in Europe, Italy, Piemonte
Tagged Afterlife, Alpi, Alps, Biella, Federico Rosazza Pistolet, Freemason, Italia, Italy, Jesus, Massoneria, Mountains, Occult, Oropa, Piedmont, Piemonte, Rosacroce, Rosazza, Rosicrucianism, Valle Cervo, Virgin Mary, Winter
7 Comments
