Autumn Storm, Perth
First day of Autumn and summer is just getting started…
Molloy Island Astro Photography
The south-west of Western Australia is an incredibly remote place. Molloy Island lies near Cape Leeuwin in Augusta, a desolate, wind-swept town that is subjected to freezing winds straight off the Southern Ocean. It’s very quiet, with very little light pollution from the surrounding areas. These were all taken with a 30 second exposure, around […]
Jasmin for Andrea Rose Hair Design
Jasmin the pink pixie by Andrea Rose Hair Design.
Summer Storm, Perth, Western Australia
After a slow start to summer the hot weather has hit Perth with a vengeance. The usual high pressure systems have been floating in off the ocean since Christmas, however the last few weeks has also seen a series of tropical lows floating down the coast from the north. The result has been near constant […]
Wilyabrup, Margaret River, Western Australia
We hit the Margaret River region this week and happened upon a freak swell. This stretch of coast can handle some pretty epic waves but Wilyabrup was out of control. Quite possibly the biggest surf I’ve seen in Australia…
Moonrise over Ortaköy, Istanbul
I’ve been through Istanbul more times that I can remember but I’ve never made the journey up to the Bosphorous Bridge. Until now… Like most visitors to Istanbul, I presumed I was crossing from Europe to Asia when I walked across the bridge linking Sultanahmet with Galata. Not so… It’s only taken me five trips […]
Hagia Sophia, Istanbul, Turkey
With Jasmin a little underwhelmed by yesterday’s visit to the Blue Mosque, I thought I’d save the best until last… Next door is the magnificent Hagia Sophia. Constructed in 537AD, it’s considered the epitome of Byzantine architecture. A dome thirty metres in diameter sits sixteen stories up, floating on forty arched windows that stream light […]
Blue Mosque – Sultan Ahmet Camii, Istanbul
It’s been 14 years since I last set foot inside the Blue Mosque, and I’ve been wanting to take Jasmin there for years. It is a stunning architectural icon, looming over the Istanbul horizon for some five centuries. Inside it’s one giant room, with an incredible array of curves that somehow manage to support the […]
Cihangir – Beyoğlu, Turkey
Set on a steep hill between the business district of Taksim and the Bosphorus waterway, Cihangir is the beating heart of Istanbul. The neighbourhood is a bohemian enclave of cafes, galleries and creative spaces that have popped up in what remains of the rapidly gentrifying suburbs of the greater Beyoğlu district. Amid the ramshackle houses and […]
Süleymaniye Mosque, Istanbul, Turkey
Dominating the hill in Eminönü (on the European side of Istanbul) is the great Süleymaniye Mosque. Often overlooked by tourists in favour of it’s little brother the Sultan Ahmed Mosque (The Blue Mosque in the downtown tourist district), it is almost always quieter and every bit as impressive. Built in 1550 by the master architect […]
Essaouira, Morocco
Formally known as Mogodor, Essaouira is a walled medieval trading port on the Atlantic coast of Africa. It’s a charming little town with winding cobblestoned laneways and a gentle sea breeze that blows the stench of a thousand years’ worth of fish guts across the fortified ramparts. There’s half decent surf here too when the […]
Hedgehog!
Today we found this little fella swimming laps in the pool. We rescued him and he promptly rolled up and went to sleep. Naaaaawww, lookaddim….
Ben Youssef Madrasa and Dar Menebhi Palace, Marrakech, Morocco
Founded in the mid-14th century(!), the Ben Youssef Madrasa is the largest madrasa (Islamic college) in Morocco. Along with the Dar Menebhi Palace next door, it forms part of a sprawling historical complex in the old quarter of Marrakech.
Marrakech, Morocco
We’re currently in Morocco for a yoga retreat with The Yoga Vine. I could show you the pics, but you probably don’t want to see fifteen people doing the Happy Baby, so here’s some pics of the crazy Marrakesh souks instead.
Akihabara, Japan
Akihabara Electric Town, otherwise known as Akiba, is mental. It’s like a cartoon porn version of Bladerunner. It grew from a post-war black market that sold illegal radio parts, but is now synonymous with otaku (geeks), gothic lolitas, anime and every video game ever…
Kamikōchi, Japan
Situated in a picturesque valley in the Nagano prefecture of the Northern Japan Alps, Kamikōchi is designated as one of Japan’s National Cultural Assets, and is on the list of ‘Special Natural Monuments’ and ‘Special Places of Scenic Beauty’. There’s restricted access to cars, so it’s an incredibly peaceful place to spend a few days. […]
Takayama, Japan
There’s only so much time you can spend in big cities before they all start to look the same, so we headed to the atmospheric Hida Takayama in the central Honshū alpine region. Situated on the banks of a picturesque river, the historic district of Sanmachi Suji is lined with wooden merchants’ houses dating to […]
Arashiyama, Japan
An easy train ride away on the outskirts of Kyoto lies the Arashiyama bamboo grove. It’s a photographers delight if you can get it without the crowds. We hit it at sunrise, catching an early morning train out of the city as the commuters made their way in the opposite direction. An eery light filters […]
Mount Penanjakan – Bromo Viewpoint #2
Hired an Ojek (motorbike taxi) to take me to Viewpoint #2 today, about halfway up the caldera. It was a bit of a hike from the carpark, but I had the place to myself for most of the morning. Clear skies and freezing cold, but worth it. Glad I stayed another day as it was […]
Mount Bromo, Java, Indonesia
The Landcruiser ‘Shorty Forty’ car park at the base of Mount Bromo… …and viewed from the summit: Poten Temple… The beginning of the climb, at the back of Mount Batok…
Mount Penanjakan, Java, Indonesia
Total mission to get to, but probably the most amazing site I’ve ever seen. This is the view of sunrise from Mount Penanjakan (Viewpoint #1) at 5am. Mount Bromo erupting in the foreground, and Mount Semeru erupting in the far distance… The entire Tengerra Caldera… the town of Cemero Lewang on the left, the Sea […]
Ubud Bugs, Bali, Indonesia
Nephilia pilipes, according to Clusterpod, my resident bug specialist. It’s the same genus as the Australian golden orb-web weavers… Female Straight-edged Red Parasol, Neurothemis terminata terminata. You can tell by the yellow tips on the wings (pterostigma)… Male Straight-edged Red Parasol (red tips)…
Villa Awang Awang, Ubud, Bali
Delayed flight to Bali. Arrived at midnight. Drove for an hour to who-knows-where. Went to bed tired, hungry and grumpy. Woke up here… issues appear to have been resolved! Villa Pererepan is part of the Awang Awang Villas, located in a quiet village near Ubud, Bali. This villa is designed around the Fibonacci sequence, and […]
Bali bound!
This place is shit! Been here 3 hours and it’s already pissing me off. The food is crap and everything smells like poo. It’s full of Aussies in bad maxi dresses getting shit-faced on beer. All of the locals stare at me with an uneasy distrust. I don’t fit in here. Can’t wait to leave. […]
Gladstone, Shark Bay, Western Australia
Gladstone is a love-it-or-hate-it kind of place. Featuring nothing more than a couple of camp sites and a drop toilet, it’s a hot, festering, fly blown shit-hole during the day. At night time, Gladstone comes into it’s own. Sleeping under the stars in such a remote location is absolutely spectacular, and we were lucky enough […]
Gardens by the Bay, Singapore
We had time before our flight to check out the new Gardens by the Bay on the waterfront in Singapore, featuring two of my favourite things… rare plants and insane architecture! How can you go wrong? We arrived early and were quite literally the first ones through the door, which allowed us to get some […]
Critters on Koh Lipe, Thailand
Friendly locals at Serendipity…
Serendipity, Koh Lipe, Thailand
This is the private beach in front of our bungalow. Life is good.
Butterfly, Luang Prabang, Laos
This little fella was just showing off… he flew down and landed on our picnic table, and then proceeded to pose while I got trigger happy. He even waited until I put my long lens on. What a champ. Check out his curly tongue! Taken with a Canon 70-200mm f4L @ 200m F/4.
Inle Lake Butterfly
We visited a floating temple on Inle Lake, but I got distracted chasing this butterfly around. #short attension span
Shwezigon Paya, Nyaung U, Myanmar
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So ahhh… we got engaged.
Popped the question whilst sitting on a temple in Bagan, Myanmar. She said yes by the way.
Gokteik Viaduct, Shan State, Myanmar
Jasmin puking. Me squirting. Thus begins three weeks of food poisoning. Did I mention we had a 9-hour train trip? 6am, Pyin Oo Lwin train station… I chivalrously decided to give Jasmin the window seat, lest she unleash yesterday’s chocolate milkshake upon her fellow passengers… of which there were many, seeing as we chanced upon […]
Pyin Oo Lwin, Shan State, Myanmar
We decided to ditch the big smoke of Mandalay and head up into the highlands of Shan State. Pyin Oo Lwin is a pleasant enough hill town with an epic manicured garden and a large ethnic Muslim (ie. Indian / Bangladeshi) population. Stupidly, we got lost trying to find the garden, and stopped for a […]
Mandalay, Myanmar
Today we hired a chauffeur-driven limo (pictured below) to do the rounds of Mandalay… Mahamuni Paya, the most revered site in Mandalay. Jas wasn’t allowed in to see the Buddha, but was able to watch on television. The wonders of technology… Our private transport was clearly superior to the local share taxi… Amarapura is the […]
Volkswagens never die
…they just end up in Myanmar.
Yangon, Myanmar
Shwedagon Paya: 99m tall, all gold, with a 76 carat diamond on top. There’s 5,448 diamonds and 2,317 rubies in the top umbrella alone…
Doddi’s Beach, Mandurah, Western Australia
Trippy cloud cover at Doddi’s Beach in Mandurah, Western Australia…
The Basin, Rottnest, Western Australia
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Erawan Waterfalls, Kanchanaburi, Thailand
Excerpt from an email to my Mum… Today ranks among my favourite travel days ever. I hired a motorbike and rode out to the Erawan Waterfalls… it’s one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen. I got up before daybreak (can you imagine it – me, up before sunrise) and got there before it […]
Kanchanaburi, Thailand
Finding the Thonburi train station in Bangkok is a mission in itself (there’s two main train stations, and Thonburi is the one on the OTHER side of the river), but if you get there early enough you can catch a rickety old train to Kanchanaburi, about three hours out west towards the Myanmar border. The […]
