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		Australia : 0726l Sydney Harbour, with the opera house dominating the view.     Australia : 0903p The Curtain Fig Tree, also known as a ficus tree, this tree puts down branches that bury into the ground and act as a bonus root system.     Australia : 1127p A sunset out in the desert at Coober Pedy, a very interesting Wild West-style town that produces 80% of the world's opals.     Australia : 1201l Uluru (Ayer's Rock), the world's largest rock, at sunset. It is sacred to the local aborigines.     Australia : 1214p I am perched here on the edge of King's Canyon, not far from Uluru.     Best of : 0322l New Zealand - A beautiful shot of the lake by Queenstown, south island. You can see here why the Maoris called New Zealand 'Aotearoa', Land of the Long White Cloud!     Best of : 0631p New Zealand - I'm almost to the top of Mt. Ngauruhoe, a volcano in Tongariro National Park.     Best of : 1502l Indonesia - Sunset on Rinjani volcano, Lombok. In the distance can be seen Mt. Batur on the famous island of Bali.     Best of : 9b13p Thailand - The Vegetarian festival in southern Thailand, apart from featuring great vegetarian food, is also the host of some weird religious parades and displays of self-mutilation! Party on ...     Best of : 9o17l Cambodia - I was lucky enough to come across a dancing troupe being filmed in front of the Bayon and I got some photos like this one even without having a zoom lens.     Best of : ac19p China - The trek through Tiger Leaping Gorge was my favourite part of China. This photo was dubbed 'Indiana Meaney' by some friends.     Best of : ak07l Tibet - The remarkable leathery faces of pilgrims at a religious festival in the hills near Lhasa.     Best of : ak12l Tibet - Prayer flags encompass a view of the Potala.     Best of : ao34p Pakistan - The view from Abdegar, a stiff hike from Passu (the green area to the right across the river), with a great view of the opposing mountains and glacier.     Best of : aw05l Nepal - A view from Kala Pattar, at 18,500 feet. This peak is the usual objective at the end of the Everest trek with some amazing views. Everest is not visible in this photo, it would be off towards my right. Ama Dablam is the peak on the left.     Best of : ay26p Nepal - A little waif from the beautiful town of Bhaktapur near Kathmandu.     Best of : bf34l Nepal - Nyeeargghhh! What is it??? Don't worry, it's only a double exposure of Dominic and Bodhnath, with their eyes almost perfectly aligned. And you thought Dominic would be improved if he had Buddha's eyes!     Best of : bj06l India - Morning view of the Taj from the river behind it.     Best of : bm13p India - The sun setting over a lake in Udaipur.     Best of : bv09l Iran - Iran has more liberal policies as far as women go than most of its Moslem neighbours but it is strict on dress. I bet these three feel nice and cosy in the middle of the summer in the desert, oh yah!     Best of : by12l Turkey - I took this photo with an 8 second exposure at the Chimaera, a natural eternal flame that sprouts from a hillside near Olympos and which apparently cannot be extinguished (the gas reignites by itself if the flame is quenched, scientists are not sure how). Ben, second from left, gets the prize for staying the stillest!     Cambodia : 9l09l The Killing Fields near Phnom Penh. These pits are where thousands of bodies were buried.     Cambodia : 9l29p A child at the Bayon, Angkor, with one of the temple's many eerie, gargantuan faces of Avalokitesvara (the Buddha of Compassion) smiling high above him.     Cambodia : 9l30p The Bayon reflected in a pool of water.     Cambodia : 9l36p Avalotikesvara and Mike Meaney.     Cambodia : 9l37p Avalotikesvara, three of his baldy followers and Mike Meaney.     Cambodia : 9m19p Angkor Thom is a temple that has been left the way explorers found it, with massive tree roots growing all through the stone work. A very atmospheric place.     Cambodia : 9o01p A monk posing outside Angkor's most famous temple, Angkor Wat. Angkor Wat is the world's largest temple and is said by many to be one of the most inspired and spectacular monuments ever conceived by the human mind. I wouldn't disagree.     Cambodia : 9o17l I was lucky enough to come across a dancing troupe being filmed in front of the Bayon and I got some photos like this one even without having a zoom lens.     Cambodia : 9o26l The dancing troupe poses for a group photo outside the Bayon.     Cambodia : 9o37l On the left can be seen a 900 year old carving of two apsaras (dancers) and to its right the modern day version.     Cambodia : 9o38p Two apsaras looking out an Angkor Wat window at another dance troupe.     Cambodia : 9p01l Apsaras are not allowed to show their teeth while performing, they are expected to have a permanent, close-lipped, enigmatic smile on their face. It was only after people stopped photographing these girls that they broke out into beautiful smiles.     China : 9y28p Geee, isn't she cute.     China : 9z17l The landscape near Guilin and Yangshuo contains the most dramatic karst scenery you will find. It is a great place for bike riding too.     China : ab10l Yum yum, left over bones and offal from a filthy Chinese market. Pass the salt.     China : ac05l The Chinese government are very honest about the fact that they lie to their people!     China : ac19p The trek through Tiger Leaping Gorge was my favourite part of China. This photo was dubbed 'Indiana Meaney' by some friends.     China : ac28l The Stone Forest near Kunming has some very unusual rock formations.     China : ad08p Tiger Leaping Gorge again. If you'll look carefully you'll see James on the left with his arms stretched wide.     China : ad10l Meaney thinks nothing of getting up close and personal with one of the world's deepest gorges!     China : ae01l The World Heritage town of Lijiang is a lovely place and you can still find some older people there that wear traditional clothes.     China : ae23l A slender, green forest on the slopes of the sacred Mt. Emei.     China : af05l This toilet has more privacy than some I've seen. I mean, at least it has a wall between each hole!     China : af07l A beautiful bridge near Chengdu.     China : af15p Wheeeee!     China : af19p The Great Buddha of Leshan was for hundreds of years the world's largest statue. It is carved into the rock of a cliff.     China : ag06l Buy shite, get your shite here, we sell nothing but shite, the best value shite in town!     China : ag07p A fur seller insisted on me trying on his wares.     China : ag11l The Terracotta Warriors, Xi'an. This army of over 6,000 lifesize clay figures are meant to guard, in death, China's first and most hated emperor, Qin. He was also responsible for building the major part of the Great Wall.     China : ag12l Visitors are not supposed to take photographs of the warriors because the authorities want to screw tourists by having to pay $20 for an exclusive photo. Bollocks to that I say!     China : ag18p Huashan, another sacred mountain, is classic China, full of temple-topped peaks joined to each other by vertiginous staircases. It's a pity it was misty the day I visited it.     China : ag29l Shaolin Monastery is the home of Kung Fu. Matt and I give our own interpretation of the discipline.!     China : ag32p Some people just ain't got no respect.     China : ag37l You might expect Shaolin Monastery to be an oasis of peace. It's not. It's grossly commercialised for the masses of Chinese tourists that visit each year and contains a modern 360 degree movie theater, a cable car ride, tons of tacky tourist junk stalls and this incongruous silver aeroplane. What's it doing here??     China : ah09p Watch out for those Terracotta Warriors chaps, backs to the wall!     China : ah11l Tiananmen Square, the world's largest city square. At one end can be seen the entrance to the Forbidden City where the emperors once lived. The entrance now has a painting of Mao-Tse Tung over it, you can barely make it out.     China : ah15l The Great Wall. Most of the wall has been carted away by locals for building their houses and stuff but there is still large bits left. And it is not the only man made object visible from outer space.     China : ai02l The Great Wall is enhanced by having me in the picture too!     China : ai16p The Mao painting at the entrance to the Forbidden City. Despite the gross damage he did to China Mao is still revered by most people.     China : ai35l The beautiful Temple of Heaven, Beijing.     China : am33l Towering sand dunes at Dunhuang, in the desert north of Tibet.     China : an36p A statue of Mao-Tse Tung in Kashgar in the very west of China.     Egypt : cc09l Need I say it? The Sphinx.     Egypt : cc10l I give you the Pyramids!     Egypt : cc11l A few of the voracious leech-like camel ride sellers that you cannot avoid at the Pyramids.     Egypt : cc14l Each night they put on an impressive sound and light show at the Pyramids.     Egypt : cc24p Sunset by a lake near the relaxing spot of Siwa Oasis near the Libyan border.     Fiji : 0208l I stayed up in the highlands with a native Fijian family for a few days, this was my accomodation.     Hong Kong : 9z27l Within minutes of landing in Hong Kong I was lucky enough to bump into a friend I met in Thailand, Andy, who took me on some great walks in this mountainous state.     Hong Kong : aa01l No it's not a boat, it's a shopping mall of course, it just looks like a boat! The concrete Whampoa Plaz, situated on dry land.     Hong Kong : aa06p The Kowloon coast is quite beautiful.     Hong Kong : aa14l An abandoned and atmospheric house that I discovered on one of the walks.     Hong Kong : aa28p The twin towers of the Lippo Bank building.     India : ar02l The Golden Temple at Amritsar, the holiest site of worship for Sikhs. Pilgrims (including foreign tourists) are allowed to stay and eat at the temple for free! As if India wasn't cheap enough?     India : ar19l An unusual geological formation on the road to Ladakh. The winding road at the bottom gives an idea of the scale.     India : ar26l Twelve dogs in Leh, Ladakh, sleeping in the shade together.     India : ar38p Ladakhi people are essentially Tibetans with weird hats.     India : as08l Unbelievable is not it? This is the second highest road in the world, not so far from the highest, the road into the Nubra Valley, Ladakh.     India : bg15l This is the river Ganga, formerly known as the Ganges, at Varanasi.     India : bg32p Soapy men bathing themselves in the Ganga at Varanasi.     India : bg34l Varanasi, the holiest city in India. Many people come here to die and be cremated. You can see the smoke from a fresh toasting over on the left!     India : bh06l Khajuraho has some beautiful temples covered with ornate carvings. Some are explicit in nature such as this. Warning     India : bh15p A lizard finds a home on one of the ornate Khajuraho carvings.     India : bh24l The Indians of old were, eh, great animal lovers!     India : bh26l Squinting at computer screens all day will damage your eyes! P.S. Send me an e-mail if you can figure out what's going on here.     India : bi06l The world's greatest monument to love, the Taj Mahal (literally 'Head Palace'). It was built around 1650 by Shah Jahan for his wife Mumtaz Mahal (meaning 'Jewel of the Palace') who had died at the age of 39 giving birth to their 14th child, the poor woman.     India : bi36l This is the cheap backpacker area of Agra, home of the Taj. Camels are still used in place of donkeys here.     India : bj06l Morning view of the Taj from the river behind it.     India : bj10l The Taj Mahal, Agra.     India : bj30p I bumped into Rob and Kristie by accident in Nepal after not having seen them since meeting them on the Siberut Island trek 13 months before. We ended up travelling through India for 6 weeks together.     India : bj36l The Palace of Winds in Jaipur. This building is mainly a facade with little of interest inside.     India : bk03l They happened to be making a movie when I visited the main palace in Jaipur, the two stars are on the left.     India : bk06l The movie stars.     India : bk18p Sunset by the lake in Pushkar, out in the desert in Rajasthan.     India : bk25p Another Pushkar sunset.     India : bl15l I wonder if this couple really think that hairstyle suits their son?     India : bl19l A boy from Jaisalmer.     India : bl25l Dung! That's what it is in case you're wondering. Once it is dried in the sun it can be used as fuel for fires.     India : bl30l Rob and Kristie in the ornate Jaisalmer fort.     India : bl36l Sunset above Jaisalmer fort and spires of a Jain temple. Jainism is a popular India-only religion, a blend of Buddhism and Hinduism. They hold all life precious and some devout priests go so far as to wear guards in front of their mouths in case they swallow an insect by accident. They also sweep in front of themselves as they walk so as not to crush any creature with their feet!     India : bm03l Bhang is the Indian name for hashish. Jaisalmer fortunately has a bhang shop authorised by the government, cows like hanging out there.     India : bm08l The blue walls of the old city of Jodhpur with the palace/fort in the distance.     India : bm13p The sun setting over a lake in Udaipur.     India : bm33l The Bibi ka Maqbara, the poor cousin of the Taj Mahal. It was built by Aurangzeb, son of Taj builder Shah Jahan, as a monument to his own wife. It will give you an idea of what was spent on the Taj if you know that Aurangzeb spent 300 times less on this structure than was spent on the Taj.     India : bm34l No, those aren't spices, that's colourful stuff for daubing on your forehead.     India : bm35l Lawnmower Man 3! This gives some idea of how cheap labour is in India. These guys are actually mowing the lawn.     India : bn01l A Buddhist cave at Ellora. This was completely carved out of a cliff of rock.     India : bn15l The crowning glory of Ellora, the Kailasanata temple. This is a complete building of two stories with ornate decorations all carved from the one piece of rock! You can see the cliff of volcanic rock that it was carved from on either side of the photo.     India : bn31l Please e-mail me your guesses at what this sign is for!     India : bn32l Colonel Sanders watch out, Colonel Slanders is on your ass!     India : bo31p A gopuram (gateway) of the rather remarkable Minakshi Temple in Madurai. The temple is built in the 'Vijayanagara' style and to Western tastes it might be said to represent the pinnacle of kitschs! The sheer impressive size of the temple saves it, it is reputed to be decorated with 33 million carvings     India : bo33p Some of the 33 million carvings of the Minakshi temple in Madurai.     India : bq06p The temple of Konark has some interesting carvings, can you figure this one out?     India : bq10p The main temple at Bodh Gaya, the world's holiest Buddhist pilgrimage site. It is here that Buddha became enlightened under the Bo tree.     India : bq11p This is the spot where Buddha became enlightened. The tree here now is supposed to be something like the great-great-grandson of the original tree under which Buddha realised the truth of the universe, went beyond suffering and broke out of the cycle of rebirth! Good on yer bro!     India : bq15p A park in the middle of Calcutta is home to a thriving warren of rats.     India : bq20p Do you really think I'm going to drop my business from that height, all the way down onto a bare piece of porcelain. There'd be bits flying everywhere!     India : br30l A frosty field on the trek to Phalut, north of Darjeeling. Our friends Aaron and Annabel can barely be seen at the top left.     India : br33p I guess the wind played a part in causing these unusual icy formations on the tree.     India : br35l Niall with Kanchenjunga, the world's 3rd highest mountain, clouded over on the right.     India : bs03l Me with Kanchenjunga.     India : bs14l Barber, I think I'll have a number zero please!     India : bs16l Steady, steady, easy does it.     India : bs17l Er, I'm not sure if this was a good idea.     India : bs20l What the hell!     India : bs30l I'm back in Varanasi here with Niall, fairly hairless but not for long. I reckoned the bald look wasn't for me so that was the first and last time I've had the head shaved.     India : bs35l Some women doing their morning bathing ritual in the sacred waters of the Ganga.     India : bs36l Some girls doing the washing. Advantage here is they can wash their bodies as well as their clothes in one fell swoop. Righteous!     India : bt04p The second time I visited the Taj Mahal I was lucky to come across this bunch of Rajasthanis, from India's most colourful state.     India : bt19l The mountains above Dharamsala. Dharamsala is the home of the exiled Dalai Lama of Tibet and where I did an excellent course in Buddhism at the Tushita centre. Dharamsala is also home to India's best cakes and cappucinos, bonus!     India : bt21l Don't say this too fast, you might get in trouble.     India : bt25l A Tibetan mandala. It is a religious picture, this one is made from grains of coloured sand. The monks are carefully tapping the particles onto the table to painstaking form the image that will be used in a ceremony led by the Dalai Lama.     India : bt29l No, I'm not suddenly back in Sydney. This is the Bahai Temple in New Delhi. Bahaism is a sort of global religion that welcomes peoples of all faiths to worship in its temples which are free of images and icons. I wonder which building inspired this one?     Indonesia : 1416l We spent a couple of nights on a boat on the way to the island of Komodo, famous for having the world's largest lizards, the Komodo Dragons. As you can see we had a nice sunset one night.     Indonesia : 1433l Standing on the edge of the crater of Mt. Rinjani, Lombok island, you can see within a crescent lake as well as a perfectly formed baby volcano. One of the great sights of Indonesia.     Indonesia : 1502l Sunset on Rinjani volcano, Lombok. In the distance can be seen Mt. Batur on the famous island of Bali.     Indonesia : 1508l The terraced rice fields on beautiful Bali.     Indonesia : 1630l Standing on the edge of a volcanic crater, you can see withing three volcanos (Mt. Bromo is belching steam at the left) and in the distance beyond the crater is Mt. Semeru which coughs out smoke every half an hour or so.     Indonesia : 1636l Looking down into the crater of Mt. Bromo on the island of Java.     Indonesia : 1710p The dusty atmosphere and porous roof allowed me to capture this nice image at some kind of factory (bread?) near Solo, Java.     Indonesia : 1810l Borobodur is the world's largest Buddhist monument on the Moslem island of Java. It's not a building, you cannot go inside.     Indonesia : 1826l In Jakarta my 6 week travelling companion Ed (far right) and I were hired as extras in an Indonesian historical movie epic, playing the part of Dutch soldiers.     Indonesia : 1837l I didn't realise when I was hired that I would have to pretend to die screaming in agony engulfed in flames. It took us just two takes to nail the scene!     Indonesia : 1920l I was invited to attend a local independence day parade near Bukittinggi, Sumatra, and before I knew it I had been drafted to take part in a martial arts demonstration in front of local dignitaries and thousands of people! I'm second from the left.     Indonesia : 2017l Lake Maninjau, Sumatra, a nice spot to relax in, lies in the crater below me,     Indonesia : 2037p I went on a trek to Siberut Island, home of the Mentawai tribe, for my 30th birthday. Here Lala, our number one medicine man, is bashing the daylights out of a bark strip in order to make a loin cloth.     Indonesia : 2108l One day the girls on our Siberut trek left to go fishing with the tribeswomen. They were nice and clean and wore leaves over their breasts. They returned 2 hours later like this, covered in mud!     Indonesia : 2109p Did you want a close-up of those girls? You got it!     Indonesia : 2117l Here am I with one of the Mentawai medicine men.     Indonesia : 2127l My 30th birthday dawned and it was time for the men to kit out in their loin cloths and go hunting for wild boar!     Indonesia : 2128l Fancy the rear view better? Such cheeky men!     Indonesia : 2130l These guys look downright scary. Notice the mosquito bites on my upper arm, yummy!     Indonesia : 2134p We could do well in a circus, whatcha think?     Indonesia : 2226l Mmmmm, Sumatran centipedes, my favourite! No, I didn't actually eat it.     Indonesia : 2232l This one came out very well, a bunch of Siberut island trekkers huddled over the photographer, Bone, who was lying on the ground. My face ruins the whole happy feel to the photo though, heh heh!     Indonesia : 2329l The volcanic crater behind us (Me, Bone, Jurassic Norm) has some interesting shades, maybe due to sulphur deposits.     Iran : bu08l The Arg-e-Bam, an excellent fort in Bam.     Iran : bv05l Emam Khomeini square, the world's second largest (which one is the largest?), is at the center of the great city of Esfahan.     Iran : bv09l Iran has more liberal policies as far as women go than most of its Moslem neighbours but it is strict on dress. I bet these three feel nice and cosy in the middle of the summer in the desert, oh yah!     Iran : bv27p Soon after the Ayatollah Khomeini took over Iran the street behind the British Embassy was renamed to 'Bobby Sands St.' after a famous I.R.A. convict that was elected to the British Parliament while on hunger strike, shortly before he died.     Iran : bw16p A 9 storey painting of the American flag in Tehran. Instead of stars there are skulls, the stripes form the smoke trails of falling bombs and the Farsi below reads 'Marg Bar Amrika' (death to America)! A fairly direct statement I would say.     Ireland : cc31l Home at last! The dream is over! But, hey, at least my Mom was happy it was over. She didn't know I was coming home so she was quite surprised when she answered the door and found me there. It took here quite a few seconds to recognise me.     Ireland : cc32p My Dad, 83, was happy too.     Ireland : cc35p Happiest though must have been my surrogate mother, my sister Mary. And that's all folks ... thanks for watching.     Israel : ca01l An ultra-orthodox Jewish family by the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem.     Israel : ca09p A typical night scene in the old walled part of Jerusalem.     Israel : ca14p The Dead Sea. Mike Meaney floats at last.     Israel : ca22l This is the very spot where Jesus is believed to have been born.     Israel : ca29l This is believed to be Calgary. The tomb where Jesus was buried is also within this same church. As such it should be the most famous church in Christianity but have you heard of the 'Church of the Holy Sepulchre'?     Jordan : ca32p Remember the final scene of 'Indian Jones and the Last Crusade'? Well, it was shot here, at the great city of Petra, built into cliffs by the Nabataeans.     Jordan : cb08p The most famous building of Petra is the Treasury building. There is nothing much except a couple of square bare rooms inside.     Lebanon : bz19l This is the promenade in Beirut.     Lebanon : bz25p Downtown Beirut still has plenty of examples of buildings shot to pieces during the war.     Lebanon : bz30l The Kadisha gorge, the highlight of my three days in Lebanon.     Macau : ab01l The main town square in Macau. This Portuguese colony is due to be handed over to China on July 1st, 1999.     Malaysia : 9a01l This is a tea plantation in the Cameron Highlands. Tea only grows in hilly areas.     Malaysia : 9a08p The Petronas Towers, Kuala Lumpur, the world's tallest building (the spires on top unfairly put it ahead of the Sears Tower, Chicago). Watch out for the newest world's tallest building, the Shanghai World Financial Centre, a truly amazing edifice.     Meaney Family : family/nana Nana, my mother's mother.     Meaney Family : family/mam_dog A portrait of my mother with pup Jackie on her lap.     Meaney Family : family/mam_graduation My mother on her graduation day, with a degree in music.     Meaney Family : family/mam_dad_posed Mam and Dad on their wedding day, 1948.     Meaney Family : family/mam_dad_wedding Mam and Dad, at the church, wedding day, 1948.     Meaney Family : family/mam_dad_wedding_5 Mam and Dad, wedding day with Margaret Johnston, Uncle Paddy and ???.     Meaney Family : family/mam_dad_wedding_all The wedding party, 1948.     Meaney Family : family/nana_fur_coat Nana in the famous fur coat.     Meaney Family : family/dad_mary_pram Dad giving Mary a 'coochy-coo'.     Meaney Family : family/dad_mary_pram2 Dad and Mary again. Keep an eye on the bunny blanket.     Meaney Family : family/mam_dad_mary_nuns Mam, Dad, Mary and nuns.     Meaney Family : family/mary_dad_nun Mary, Dad and Aunty Nuala.     Meaney Family : family/mary_mam_field Mary and Mam in a field.     Meaney Family : family/mary_mam_nan_greatnan Four generations, Mary, Mam, Nana and Greatnana.     Meaney Family : family/mary_nana Mary and Nana.     Meaney Family : family/mary_nana_mam_bottle Nana feeding Mary with Mam in the background.     Meaney Family : family/mary_nuns_arms     Meaney Family : family/mary_nun_fun Mary having fun with Aunty Nuala.     Meaney Family : family/brian_pram The newly-arrived Brian.     Meaney Family : family/mary_brian_pram Mary and Brian. Bunny blanket is still wearing well.     Meaney Family : family/brian_pram_toe Brian, an early convert to yoga.     Meaney Family : family/brian_mary_nuns_knee Brian on Aunty Teresa's knee, with Mary in tow.     Meaney Family : family/dad_mam_brian_nun Brian with parents and Aunty Nuala. Mary's head is visible in bottom left, an example of how not to take a photo.     Meaney Family : family/brian_chubby_cheeks A chubby-cheekd Brian. Isn't he so cute?     Meaney Family : family/brian_joe_jude_santa Brian, Joe and Jude at Santy. Jude looks like his daughter Shannon here.     Meaney Family : family/dad_mam_couple Dad, Mam and unknown couple.     Meaney Family : family/family_halpins1 With the Halpin family - 1.     Meaney Family : family/family_halpins2 With the Halpin family - 2.     Meaney Family : family/family_halpins3 With the Halpin family - 3.     Meaney Family : family/family_halpins4 With the Halpin family - 4.     Meaney Family : family/joe_communion Joe's holy communion photo. Joe is really enjoying it.     Meaney Family : family/joe_communion_ball Joe must have got a leather ball for his holy communion.     Meaney Family : family/joe_communion_family The family just looks incomplete to me, what do you think?     Meaney Family : family/joe_communion_granny_family Joe's communion day with Granny and Grandpa.     Meaney Family : family/joe_communion_nana_family Joe's communion day with Nana. In case you were wondering who the star of the whole photo is Jude helpfully points him out.     Meaney Family : family/me_christmas69 Me, with Santa, 1969.     Meaney Family : family/me_christmas71 Me, with Santa, 1971.     Meaney Family : family/mike_communion_class Mike's holy communion class.     Meaney Family : family/me_dom_graduation Me and Dominic, graduating from college.     Meaney Family : family/mam_brian_sinead_robert Mam, Brian and his two eldest, Sinead and Robert.     Nepal : at05l Durbar Square, Kathmandu. Note that the photos from now on were taken with my new camera, a Canon EOS 50 (aka Elan II) with 24-85mm and 75-300mm lenses, taking over from the awesome but limited Yashica T5 (aka T4 Super D) with 35mm Carl Zeiss fixed lens.     Nepal : at18p Women huddled together in Durbar Square to watch a festival. If you look carefully you might spot several nose rings.     Nepal : av27l A valley view on the Everest trek.     Nepal : aw05l A view from Kala Pattar, at 18,500 feet. This peak is the usual objective at the end of the Everest trek with some amazing views. Everest is not visible in this photo, it would be off towards my right. Ama Dablam is the peak on the left.     Nepal : aw10l Another beautiful view south from Kala Pattar over a sea of clouds.     Nepal : aw16l This was taken on Kala Pattar with Mt. Pumori behind me.     Nepal : ax26p One of me taken on Gokyo peak with a big mountain in the background.     Nepal : ax28p Serious mountain climber!     Nepal : ax29p Non-serious mountain climber!     Nepal : ay09p Mt. Everest at last seen from Gokyo Ri.     Nepal : ay10l The view from Gokyo Ri looking down on Gokyo and the lakes. Gokyo is probably the most interesting part of the Everest trek with the most to see here.     Nepal : ay26p A little waif from the beautiful town of Bhaktapur near Kathmandu.     Nepal : az13l More Bhaktapur kids.     Nepal : az31p No it's not a beached whale, it's my old friend Dominic who joined me for a month in Nepal. Here he is at the start of the Annapurna Sanctuary trek. Notice the little girl by the shack ...     Nepal : az33p Another waif.     Nepal : ba01l This photo was captured using a double exposure. With my 300mm zoom I photographed the moon and then, on the same frame, took a wide-angle photo of this mountain.     Nepal : ba08p When Dom travels to famous places he always feels the need to baptise them with his holy water (or should that be his 'holey' water?). 'I anoint thee Annapurna Sanctuary!.'     Nepal : ba15l No it's not chocolate and ice cream, it's a mountain at sunrise.     Nepal : ba20l An ice formation at Macchapuchare Base Camp formed while we were snowed in for a day on our way to Annapurna Base Camp.     Nepal : ba29p Ploughing our way in the morning up to Annapurna Base Camp. Yes, the sky is so blue it's almost black. I think the photo looks a little unreal because the sky makes it look as if it is night but from my shadow you can see the sun is already quite high.     Nepal : ba32l The reflection in a trekker's glasses.     Nepal : bb03p A winter wonderland, the guesthouses of ABC with Macchapuchare in the distance.     Nepal : bb08l An interesting Annapurna peak.     Nepal : bb21p It's climber extraordinaire Dominic Tynne assessing the possibilities of a newly devised Annapurna south face route!     Nepal : bb23l Dominic and I at ABC.     Nepal : bb36l On my own a little higher up at ABC.     Nepal : bd06l Macchapuchare, the fish tail mountain, is sacred and cannot be climbed. It is seen here at sunset.     Nepal : be07p Royal Chitwan National Park is famous for its rhinos which can be safely spotted from elephant back.     Nepal : bf20p A buffalo sacrifice, body on the left, head on the right!     Nepal : bf26l A supposed Sadhu, a holy man that lives completely on the charity of others. This one survives on looking cute and then demanding 10 rupees if he sees a tourist taking a photo.     Nepal : bf31l Bodhnath, Kathmandu, one of the world's largest stupas (Buddhist monument). Look carefully at the eyes because ...     Nepal : bf34l Nyeeargghhh! What is it??? Don't worry, it's only a double exposure of Dominic and Bodhnath, with their eyes almost perfectly aligned. And you thought Dominic would be improved if he had Buddha's eyes!     New Zealand : 0322l A beautiful shot of the lake by Queenstown, south island. You can see here why the Maoris called New Zealand 'Aotearoa', Land of the Long White Cloud!     New Zealand : 0326p An autumn scene in a park.     New Zealand : 0406l The moment after taking my leave of the Pipeline bungy jump platform, 340ft above the river below.     New Zealand : 0408p A few seconds later I am but a speck. You can see the boat below that I was then lowered onto and detached from the bungy. Stats - 4 seconds to end of rope, 2.8 g's pulled, 75mph reached.     New Zealand : 0432p Some glaciers in New Zealand come down nearly to sea level and it's quite easy to go walking on them with a proper guide and equipment.     New Zealand : 0509l Punakaiki pancake rocks, unusual geometrically patterned rock formation on the south island west coast.     New Zealand : 0612l This is taken from my tandem skydive from 9,000ft above Taupo, north island.     New Zealand : 0631p I'm almost to the top of Mt. Ngauruhoe, a volcano in Tongariro National Park.     New Zealand : 0701l Another shot in Tongariro NP with Bart, my companion for the whole of the New Zealand trip. The mountain in the background, Ruapehu, has erupted twice since this picture was taken.     New Zealand : 0706p Volcanic lakes are often vividly coloured, like these green lakes. A person can be seen just above the second lake.     Pakistan : ao22l Many spectacular views are but a short walk away off the Karakoram Highway in the north of Pakistan. Black dirt covers most of the glacier below me.     Pakistan : ao26l There are some interesting bridges like this one near Passu. At a fast pace it took a full ten minutes for me to cross this one.     Pakistan : ao27p A full-frontal of the bridge.     Pakistan : ao34p The view from Abdegar, a stiff hike from Passu (the green area to the right across the river), with a great view of the opposing mountains and glacier.     Pakistan : ap02l The Hunza valley is a beautiful sight when viewed from Eagle's Nest. Mt. Rakaposhi. 7,788m, is visible (overexposed) in the centre.     Pakistan : ap32p This mountain lake was so clear that you can see down to its colourful bottom.     Pakistan : bu04l This bus is decorated in a fashion typical of Pakistani buses and trucks.     Sri Lanka : bn36l The beautiful beach at Unawatuna on the southwest coast.     Sri Lanka : bo16l The delightful hill country of Sri Lanka is carpeted with picturesque tea estates.     Sri Lanka : bo25l These elephants are all orphans, victims of poaching. They are cared for at a special centre.     Syria : by36l Here I am in Palmyra emulating that famous statue of a discus thrower. How did I do?     Thailand : 9a27p The beautiful spot of West Railay beach near the town of Krabi.     Thailand : 9a28l East and West Railay beaches. This area has one of Thailand's most beautiful beaches, is a rock climbers paradise and though on the mainland the beaches cannot be reached overland due to high mountains cutting them off.     Thailand : 9b07p Little waterfalls in a Thai park.     Thailand : 9b13p The Vegetarian festival in southern Thailand, apart from featuring great vegetarian food, is also the host of some weird religious parades and displays of self-mutilation! Party on ...     Thailand : 9b14p This barbed-wire-wrapped guy is in a trance. His friend looks like he's in a bit of a state as well.     Thailand : 9b29p This unusual limestone rock is featured in the final scenes of the Bond outing 'The Man With the Golden Gun.'     Thailand : 9c10l Here I got up close and personal with an inmate of Bangkok's snake farm.     Thailand : 9d18p I guess I'm not showing much respect here, doing a take-off of Buddha.     Thailand : 9d22l Sukhothai is an ancient archaeoligical site, full of great temples, in the centre of Thailand. Here it is at sunset.     Thailand : 9f26p The north of Thailand is home to various hill tribes. Here is one woman with her baby carried in a traditional sling.     Thailand : 9g02p This woman is from a hill tribe that is big into silver would you believe?     Thailand : 9g12l A woody, shady lane.     Thailand : 9h03l Ancient Sukhothai is all lit up for the festival of lights, Loy Krathong.     Thailand : 9h28l The finale of Loy Krathong, the festival of lights, is a sound and light show with many participants and plenty of fireworks.     Thailand : 9i08l Near the Hilton Hotel, Bangkok, is this temple of fertility, filled with interesting statues, by none of which I was intimidated!     Thailand : 9i18l Wat Arun, the Temple of Dawn, which lies along the Chao Phraya river that runs through Bangkok.     Thailand : 9i21l Patpong, Bangkok's infamous red light district, is a tourist shoppers paradise as well as home to some, er, interesting clubs.     Thailand : 9i23p How many women are in this photo? None!     Thailand : 9i26p A golden statue in the grounds of the fabulous Grand Palace of Bangkok.     Thailand : 9i28p Ornate golden door, Grand Palace, Bangkok.     Thailand : 9j02p Some unusual trees at the Grand Palace.     Thailand : 9j10l Here I am trying to tune in Radio Bangkok.     Thailand : 9j12l An unusual tree with a Buddha face in it.     Thailand : 9j25l Some statues in the strange Hindu-Buddhist sculpture garden at Sala Ku Kaew.     Thailand : 9k05l My camera for the first year had a fixed 35mm zoom lens, pretty useless for wildlife photography but this lizard stayed still even when I got within a foot of it allowing me to get this photo.     Thailand : 9k17p The beautiful Erawan Falls national park is a myriad of cascading falls and emerald pools, one of the best places I visited in Thailand.     Tibet : aj12l The roof of the great Jokhang Temple, Lhasa. It is Tibet's most sacred place of worship.     Tibet : aj19l From the roof of the Jokhang Temple you can see over to the Potala Palace.     Tibet : aj20l The Potala Palace, Lhasa, the winter residence of the Dalai Lama. One of the world's greatest buildings.     Tibet : ak07l The remarkable leathery faces of pilgrims at a religious festival in the hills near Lhasa.     Tibet : ak08l Notice the woman on the right and see why people think Native Americans came from the Asia, maybe even from Tibet!     Tibet : ak12l Prayer flags encompass a view of the Potala.     Tibet : al38l The Tibetan Everest base camp at 5,200 metres (18,100 feet). It is possible to drive up all the way to it, our Landcruiser can be seen on the right.     Tibet : am02l From the world's highest monastery can be seen the dramatic north face of Mt. Everest (a tad overexposed on this shot).     Tibet : am09l A view from Tingri, 4,000m. The triangular peak a little to the right of the chimney is Everest. This is the view of Everest that you get from the famous toilet.     Tibet : am23p The red building is part of a monastery. The white structure beside it is a communal toilet. Imagine 15 monks using that at the same time!     Tibet : am26l Two dogs in Shigatse, Tibet's second largest town.     Turkey : bx05p The Flintstone landscape of Cappadocia. People made their homes within the rock.     Turkey : bx06l Cappadocia.     Turkey : bx08l You can see here various windows in the rock, the local people carved their way inside and all the way up and lived in these rocks Flintstone-style!     Turkey : bx14l Some of the rocks in Cappadocia have interesting shapes.     Turkey : bx22l In Pammukale you'll find these interesting lime formations. At the top left are pools (they're actually quite large though they don't look it here) that you could once bathe in, spa-style, until the authorities recently stopped it due to damage to the rock.     Turkey : bx25p Ephesus is said to be the best preserved Roman ruins on the Mediterranean.     Turkey : bx35l I'm in Istanbul here posing in front of the Blue Mosque (it's blue on the inside silly, I know it's grey on the outside, sheeesh!).     Turkey : by12l I took this photo with an 8 second exposure at the Chimaera, a natural eternal flame that sprouts from a hillside near Olympos and which apparently cannot be extinguished (the gas reignites by itself if the flame is quenched, scientists are not sure how). Ben, second from left, gets the prize for staying the stillest!     USA - Southwest : southwest/AntelopeCanyonPanorama_l Looking up at the roof of a slot canyon called Antelope Canyon     USA - Southwest : southwest/AntelopeCanyonUs_p Jackie and I in Antelope Canyon     USA - Southwest : southwest/AntelopeCanyonWall_l The beautiful contours on the wall of Antelope Canyon     USA - Southwest : southwest/AntelopeCanyon_p Another view of the slot canyon     USA - Southwest : southwest/BigSurUsPanorama_l Jackie and I on the Californian coast, south of Big Sur     USA - Southwest : southwest/BigSur_l Coast of California south of Big Sur     USA - Southwest : southwest/BryceHoodoosOnly_l The hoodoos (rock formations) in Bryce Canyon     USA - Southwest : southwest/BryceJackieHoodoos_l Jackie observing the spectacle of Bryce     USA - Southwest : southwest/BryceMikeBestThereIs_p Me on my 34th birthday wearing my 'I'm The Best There Is But I'm Not Available' t-shirt.     USA - Southwest : southwest/BryceMikePanorama_l A Bryce panorama     USA - Southwest : southwest/BryceRainbow_p A rainbow above Bryce Canyon     USA - Southwest : southwest/BryceSwitchbacks_p Switchbacks down a trail into Bryce     USA - Southwest : southwest/BryceThorsHammer_p A hoodoo called Thor's Hammer     USA - Southwest : southwest/BryceUsHoodoos_l Jackie and I at Bryce     USA - Southwest : southwest/Bucky_p Bucky, Paul and Linda's dog. Called after Buckminster Fuller, this dog can play soccer!     USA - Southwest : southwest/DeathValleyJackieSaltLake_p Jackie on the cracked and dry mud of Death Valley     USA - Southwest : southwest/DeathValleyMikeDunes_l The sand dunes of Death Valley     USA - Southwest : southwest/DeathValleyRoad_l Roads don't come much straighter than this, Death Valley, California     USA - Southwest : southwest/DeathValleyZabriskiePt_l View from Zabriskie Point, Death Valley     USA - Southwest : southwest/GrandCanyonClassic2_l A classic view of Grand Canyon     USA - Southwest : southwest/GrandCanyonClassic_l Another classic view of Grand Canyon     USA - Southwest : southwest/GrandCanyonJackieFromBelow_l Jackie at Grand Canyon     USA - Southwest : southwest/GrandCanyonJackieLedge_p Daredevil Jackie perched on the edge of the canyon     USA - Southwest : southwest/GrandCanyonJackiePanorama_l A Grand Canyon and Jackie panorama     USA - Southwest : southwest/GrandCanyonJackiePanorama2_l Another Grand Canyon and Jackie Panorama     USA - Southwest : southwest/GrandCanyonJackieSeated_l Jackie on the edge again     USA - Southwest : southwest/GrandCanyonJackieUsTree_l The two of us at Grand Canyon     USA - Southwest : southwest/GrandCanyonJackie_l Jackie and Grand Canyon     USA - Southwest : southwest/GrandCanyonMike_l Grand Canyon and Mike     USA - Southwest : southwest/GrandCanyonRockFace_l Rock faces of Grand Canyon     USA - Southwest : southwest/LosAngelesJackieHollywoodSign_p The Hollywood sign     USA - Southwest : southwest/LosAngelesJackieMelHand_l Jackie and her second favourite person, Mel Gibson     USA - Southwest : southwest/LosAngelesMikeClintHand_p Mike and the second toughest person in the world, Clint Eastwood     USA - Southwest : southwest/MariposaJackieTelescope_p Jackie in a sequoia tree, Mariposa Grove, Yosemite     USA - Southwest : southwest/MariposaUsRoots_l Roots of a falled sequoia, Mariposa Grove, Yosemite     USA - Southwest : southwest/MexicoSeagull_l Seagull down Mexico way     USA - Southwest : southwest/MexicoUsPaulLinda_l Paul, Linda and the two of us in Mexico     USA - Southwest : southwest/MonoLake_l Mono Lake, east of Yosemite     USA - Southwest : southwest/MonoLake_p Mono Lake, east of Yosemite     USA - Southwest : southwest/MontereyJellyfish_p Jellyfish in the Monterey Bay Aquarium     USA - Southwest : southwest/SanDiegoTori_p Tori, Linda's African Grey parrot     USA - Southwest : southwest/SanFranciscoGoldenGate_l Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco     USA - Southwest : southwest/SanFranciscoUsLombardSt_p Us at Lombard Street, San Francisco, twistiest street in the world     USA - Southwest : southwest/SierraNevadas_l The Sierra Nevada mountains that run down through California     USA - Southwest : southwest/VegasNewYork_l New York, New York casino, Las Vegas     USA - Southwest : southwest/VegasParis_l Paris Paris casino, Las Vegas     USA - Southwest : southwest/VegasStratosphere_p Stratosphere, Las Vegas     USA - Southwest : southwest/VegasUs_p Jackie and I in Las Vegas     USA - Southwest : southwest/VegasVenetianCanal_l The canal in the Venetian casino     USA - Southwest : southwest/VegasVenetianHall_l The entrance hall of the Venetian casino     USA - Southwest : southwest/YosemiteJackieHalfDome_l Jackie and Yosemite     USA - Southwest : southwest/YosemiteJackieTall_p Jackie     USA - Southwest : southwest/YosemiteMoss_p Moss covered trees, Yosemite     USA - Southwest : southwest/YosemitePointUs_l Yosemite Point with Half Dome in the background     USA - Southwest : southwest/YosemiteSunsetPanorama_l A sunset panorama, Yosemite     USA - Southwest : southwest/YosemiteUsVernalFalls_p The only water that was falling in Yosemite, Vernal Falls     USA - Southwest : southwest/YosemiteValleyPanorama_l Yosemite Valley     USA - Southwest : southwest/ZionAngelsLanding_p The narrow ascent to Angel's Landing, Zion     USA - Southwest : southwest/ZionJackieAngelsLanding_l Jackie atop Angel's Landing     USA - Southwest : southwest/ZionJackieCanyon_l Beneath Angel's Landing looking out on Zion Canyon     USA - Southwest : southwest/ZionJackieChain2_p Jackie climbing to Angel's Landing     USA - Southwest : southwest/ZionJackieChain_l Jackie and the chains     USA - Southwest : southwest/ZionUsPanorama_l Zion panorama     USA - San Diego : 0130l April 5th 1996, the day before taking off on the trip. I took it easy with Andy and Paul in Paul's pool. Remember those faces ...     USA - San Diego : 0131l You must now match the faces in the previous photo with the, er, cheeks here. Can you guess which one is mine?     Vietnam : 9p36l The Mekong Delta provides sustenance for millions of Vietnamese who live amongst its network of small rivers. Notice the child's cool haircut.     Vietnam : 9q11l Bunches of incense sticks drying in the sun.     Vietnam : 9q18l Mmmm hmmm, appetising snake flesh! Finger lickin' good.     Vietnam : 9q29l This is a typical boat used on the Mekong Delta. The boat's rowing system allows the woman to get her full body weight behind the stroke (as long as she keeps her balance!).     Vietnam : 9q33p Here I am with a friendly one year old python, already 55lbs in weight.     Vietnam : 9r11p The Great Cao Dai Temple, Tay Ninh. Caodaism is a fusion of a number of religions and they employ a Catholic hierarchy, you'll notice the bishops and cardinals etc. sitting down the front! One of the Westerners they revere is Victor Hugo (Les Miserables)!     Vietnam : 9s15l There are many nice beaches along Vietnam's coast, here's one (can't remember where though, oops).     Vietnam : 9s28l The hats worn here are typical of Vietnam and are rarely seen outside of this country.     Vietnam : 9u30l This photo is taken near Ninh Binh where waterlogged rice fields nestle up to tall limestone hills.     Vietnam : 9v08l Ninh Binh is the site of some extensive karst landscape, a geological formation of limestone rock, the same as Ireland's Burren region.     Vietnam : 9v18l In Sapa I was presented with this lovely bouquet of marijuana! No wonder I'm smiling.     Vietnam : 9v19l I am just after buying a new hat from this hill tribeswoman.     Vietnam : 9w02p A H'mong girl. The three marks on her forehead are from a traditional healing treatment. A flame is used to create a vacuum in a glass that is upturned and placed on the skin, the vacuum causing blood to be pulled to the surface. This girl was probably suffering from headaches.     Vietnam : 9w24p The Sunday market at Bac Ha near Sapa is a riot of colourful hill tribespeople. Here is two of their colourful children.     Vietnam : 9w26p Colourfully dressed women shopping for colourful dresses.     Vietnam : 9w29p Asians have been carrying babies on their backs for thousands of years, long before Westerners cottoned on to the idea.     Vietnam : 9x11l From a valley near Sapa you look down on waterlogged rice fields cut into the hillside.     Vietnam : 9x25l The sinking sun reflects off the rice terraces.

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