The small coastal city of Joetsu on Japan’s north coast highlights some of the problems facing modern Japan.
Adrift on Mt Myōkō
Earlier this year I tagged along with the Australian/International off-pissed ski team to the slopes of Myokokogen. Matt chose Myoko because the guidebook gave it four and half snowflakes out of five in the ‘powder’ category. Also because our plan called for us to go from there to Kyoto and then onto Tokyo and we wanted to make sure our itinerary doubled as a tongue twister.
Kyoto, Japan’s Spiritual Capital
The old capital of Kyoto is home to about 1600 temples and countless smaller shrines.
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China’s Firewall and the Siku Quanshu
The National Library of China holds an artifact that represents what must be the most ambitious attempt to control information in history.
Mt Huashan, China
Huashan is a mountain located about 120 kilometres east of Xi’an- China’s old capital. It’s home to some very dicey walking tracks, a really spectacular set of cable cars, a tea house perched on a cliff face and a photo studio with some genuine occupational health and safety issues.
Chengdu & the Chinese Dream
The entry point for my brief tour of China was the southern Province of Sichuan-famed for its incredibly spicy food and baffling theatrical performances. I flew into the capital Chengdu at the start of October and explored the city between bouts of rain before venturing out into the nearby mountains.
Climbing in Ton Sai, Thailand
When I first decided to visit Ton Sai ten or so years ago I discovered getting there was a little tricky.
Diving with Sharks
On South Africa’s western cape we visited the coastal towns of Kalkbaai, Hermanus and Gaansbai.
Africa’s Charismatic Megafauna
In South Africa, the saying goes, ‘wildlife must pay its way’. It’s not enough to be endangered you have to generate revenue to be conserved.
Ceres Valley, South Africa
Another bleary-eyed morning spent rock-hopping in the pre-dawn light to get to a vantage point before sunrise.
Sani Pass, Lesotho
Sani Pass is a stretch of road on the border of South Africa and Lesotho. The stretch of road between the South African border post and the summit is one of the most treacherous roads I’ve ever come across.
Drakensburg, SA
Between Johannesburg and Port Elizabeth we spent a few days exploring the great Drakensburg Escarpment that cleaves its way way along the eastern cape and forms the border of South Africa and Lesotho.
Byzantine Bunkers
Across Europe and Russia you can find the remains of bunkers and air-raid shelters- a legacy of the Second World War and the Cold War that followed. In Cappadocia, in central Turkey, you can find much older and much more extensive underground shelters.
Iconoclasm & the Burger King
In the valleys of Cappadocia are hundreds of cave churches from the early years of Christianity.
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The Refugees of Çavuşin
On a cliff overlooking the small town of Cavusin a Turkish flag flies amidst the ruins of a village.
Part 2: The fall of Trebizond
After the fall of Constantinople the two remaining Byzantine states- the Despotate of Morea and the Empire of Trebizond- came under renewed pressure.
Part 1: The Fall of Constantinople
In the mountains around Trabzon you can find fragments of an empire that traces its origins back to ancient Rome.
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Taksim Square Protests, Part II
The previous set of photos was taken on Istiklal avenue approaching Taksim Square.