China and Southeast Asia gallery

The predominant images of China are dominated by its huge population, by the dramatic pace of urbanisation and industrialisation, but vast areas of China tell a very different story. Southeast China in particular has spectacular mountain scenery around the Yangtse River and south to the border with Burma (Myanmar) there are many isolated but self sufficient ethnic minorities with characteristics very different from the Han majority. All the images here were taken by my talented friend and fellow Tour Leader Carl Welsby

Backgrounds and Architecture Gallery

A collection of images from the natural and the human world especially the geometric forms found in Islamic architecture. The structure of lichens is of endless fascination, and they are easily found in most landscapes if you take the care to look. The strictures in Islam against the representation of living creatures produced an ingenuity of construction and of pattern that almost makes the onlooker dizzy with detail, and a source of continuing pleasure.

Wildlife Gallery

This gallery has a lot to live up to, as our exposure to incredible wildlife photography is commonplace now. I was, of course not in a position to wait hours or days for a particularly spectacular picture, so the images are those taken by a passing admirer rather than a devotee. Read more . .

Pakistan Gallery

I visited Pakistan in 1984-5, at a time when the military ruled the country via the harsh and unpopular General Zia-ul-Haq. Just across the northwest border the Russians were embroiled in a war in Afghanistan that would be fatal to the failing USSR. I travelled with a girlfriend from Karachi up to the tribal areas around Quetta, Peshawar and Swat in winter time. Read more . .

Scandinavia Gallery

I drove 3 week camping tours through Sweden, Finland and Norway over the course of 5 summers, becoming so accustomed to the ground that I could barely sleep in a bed for weeks after each series of 4 tours. It is of course a part of the world renowned for spectacular scenery, but a great deal of that is large scale, and I found a new delight in the micro landscapes. Because of the rapidly changing seasonal conditions there I was lucky to revisit places in varying light and seasons, finding plants flowering or berries in profusion on my next trip. Read more . .

India Gallery

The collection of photographs from India, a tiny selection of those I have, is eclectic in nature, as is the country. I spent a total of 7 years in this fascinating, maddening place, adding up all the 3 and 6 month stints working there. The main areas I visited were in the North and West, and in the South; I do not have much to show for the middle bits. The diversity – desert to jungle to city and village is a reflection of Indian geography and society. Read more . .

Hungary Gallery

A landlocked country in middle Europe, Hungary is stranded by language which is almost impenetrable. It has high hills in the north, much of it covered by beech forest, some on top of very extensive limestone cave systems, with tiny hamlets, some barely touched by the 21st century. The Puszta is the name for the great Hungarian plain, located in the south, is the start of the vast expanse which becomes steppe as you travel eastward. Read more . .

Cyprus Gallery

The island of Cyprus is actually a very rural one away from the teeming beaches of the south coast, once you get out and explore on foot. Historically a centre of trade, especially in copper, coveted by all surrounding powers through time, the island presents stark contrasts. Tiny villages carry on much as ever, rooted in tradition; gleaning some supplies from the surrounding forests.

Landscapes range from sere heath land to proper montane forest getting a fair share of snow even in the Mediterranean. I only visited the north of Cyprus in the divided city of Nicosia, through the NATO ‘green line’ checkpoint that has existed since the 1960’s and continues today.

A number of pics in this gallery are from another Mediterranean island, Corsica, where I had a brilliant time leading walking tours partly along the coast and then into the interior near Corte, and the u Tavignano gorge.

[Show slideshow]

Central Asia and Russia Gallery

I visited this vast area during the latter years of the former USSR when all the newly formed republics were still under the direct sway of Moscow. My overriding impression was that the people we met were genuinely fearful of the aggressive stance of the west. Read more . .

Algeria and Egypt Gallery

These photos are predominantly of life in desert landscapes, by their nature. Egypt presents difficulty for the novice tour leader in the sheer amount of history that one needs to grasp, although its geography is largely limited to the Nile valley, the Western desert is fascinating, too. Read more . .

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Amateur Emigrant

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