One of the best things about Hong Kong is the fabulous array of unidentified-no-longer-swimming-objects for sale in the market stalls. Nestled in the stalls, amongst all the various sea creatures, I spotted a few that I could identify: dried squids, a whole shark skin. … #explore #sale #Photography #gross #travel #unidentified #markets #discover #HongKong #fish #shark

Sometimes while walking around Hong Kong, the leaves on the ground would lift themselves off the ground and float around in the air until I realised that there was no breeze, just 98 percent humidity and that the leaves were in fact butterflies. Purple butterflies, blue butterflies, glistening butterflies, tiny pale butterflies and large drifting butterflies- Hong Kong has them all. It reminded me of how I fell in love with them in South America, reading One Hundred Years of

The night market in Cairns opens at 4pm and closes around 11. Why? It’s a night market because, in the dark, its creepy products will have the most impact on unsuspecting tourists. “Ten bucks”, says my friend upon my arrival in Australia, “the first kangaroo you see will be dead by the side of the road.” As it turns out, the first one I saw was dead, skinned and on sale as a rug in the night market. Some of the other horrifying items were kangaroo scrotum keyring, umbilical c

Usually I’m a fan of overland transport. It’s easier, cheaper, more scenic and way more environmentally friendly. Often, you can just show up to the bus station, buy a ticket, hop on and you’re off. Flights involve checking in, baggage restrictions, waiting around, and, usually, at 30000 feet, a distinct lack of view. Plus, when you finally arrive, you find you’re not in the actual city, you’re still a costly taxi ride away from anywhere of interest. As it turns out, however

Apparently Southern Pacific Humpback whales have incredible eyesight, brown eyes that can see up through the water. When they launch themselves out of the water and spin in the ai, or breach, they are thought to be checking they are travelling in the right direction. They are attracted to bright colours and are friendly enough to swim up to a boatload of tourists even when local laws insist that the boats must not motor within 100 metres of the whales. Once up close, they see

#city #outside #wander #Photography #architecture #urban #travel #discover #capital #Lisbon #colours #Portugal

#city #London #photo #Britain #Photography #dusk #perfect #wanderlust #travel #capital #shots #sunrise #viewpoint #light #view

#explore #travelwriting #Dublin #Photography #architecture #pictures #travel #Ireland #europe #cities

I’ve wanted to visit Glasgow ever since I first heard it compared to Liverpool. Liverpool, my first great city love outside London. When I first moved to Liverpool I was too young to fully appreciate the negative reputation it had or to understand the car thieving stereotype of Scousers. Over the years I fell in love with the city and its people. Now I’ve finally found the time to visit Glasgow, however, I find myself hit by the city’s reputation. Glasgow has historically bee

#explore #buildings #urbanexploration #Photography #urban #wanderlust #urbex #travel #Wild #overgrown #urbandecay #discovery #Portugal #europe

I’m just an artist Who got stuck Lost in a painting Where images are no longer enough And the yearning for words only grows. A short poem inspired by the communication difficulties of living abroad. Little tip: Painting and poetry help with this. #art #communication #wordy #abroad #loneliness #shortpoem #travel #poetry #poet #language #metaphor

The girl who dreams of darkness Ran away From people who kept her still Went astray When we opposed her will The girl who dreams of darkness Fears consisitency And breathes the desire of pain Always reistence And long to lie down in the rain. The girl who dreams of darkness Tries to understnad Unable to express her side But only holds up her hand To the howling of the moon inside. The girl who dreams of darkness Could never explain Trapped the cultural demands And so she drai

He remembered How breezy life can be When you just let things slip by If you don’t grip too tight Nor stand too loose If you can cry But not make crying your world. Two men overlook their village in Parewadada, Nepal This is the first in my series of poems from around the world. I used to attempt to write poetry when I was a kid and it was all horrendously cheesy and largely ripped off from pop songs my friends liked at the time. Given time, I grew out of this phase. But in t

The peace is broken by the arrival of a fishing boat. It motors up to the estuary shoreline, two men throw two anchors. Immediately, a crowd of locals gather. Men in rolled up jeans and soggy shirts begin to throw rays as large as themselves onto the beach. The slap of dead fish landing on sand fills the air. A few women sharpen their knives on rocks and slice the ray meat from their skulls. Locals, children, hotel staff, tourists, dogs and cultures alike watch. As more fish

Once school is over, the kids head back home. The younger children can play outside in the fields. Or do schoolwork… The women usually occupy their time with housework. My host father, retired from the army, is a priest. He goes out to spread his wisdom to the community and receives gifts in return. One of the few women with a job with Global Action Nepal laughs on her front veranda. Her smartphone lies next to her. Any child who can get hold of a smartphone delights in takin

Hinduism is the largest religion in Nepal. In almost every week that I lived here, there was a festival or occasion of some sort. The largest was Teej for which we organised a dance competition with several local schools. Women celebrate Teej by dressing in red and dancing. Girls young enough to still be in school fast in order to get a good husband in the future. Older women abstain even from water in the belief that it helps their husband’s health. Our host mum valiantly fa

Income is very low in Nepal because so many people rely on subsistence farming. In Lamjung, many people have their own fields in which they grow rice, corn, tomatoes, pomegranate, cucumbers, coffee, tea, limes, cotton, jackfruit, pineapple, pears, onions, and many other foods. Other products, including the staple of lentils can be bought in the nearest towns. Most families own a buffalo to plough the fields and provide milk.  Despite the lack of traffic, the air is rent with

When you know nothing about a country, it is difficult to imagine what it will be like. When you know a few sparse facts about a place, it is easy to imagine, however unconsciously, that this applies evenly to all people of all backgrounds in all landscapes. It is easy to fall victim to the single story. And imperative to challenge it. I was first introduced to the idea of the single story upon my return from Nepal. I had spent three months volunteering on a development proje

An hour’s walk up from the village of Boot in Eskdale Valley rests a collection of ancient stone circles. Uneven, jagged and lying almost higgledy-piggledy among the grassland, they certainly wrestle for position as one of the wildest places I’ve visited in England. Eskdale Valley in the Lake District was once covered in forest but some of the earliest settlers in Britain were responsible for stripping it of trees. These Bronze Age people also left their mark in the form of s

This is one of my Nepali counterparts, Shamila. She is 18 years old and this is her first time leaving home for so long. She comes from a relatively liberal family and yet is still isolated during menstruation, banned from temples and forced to wash her own plates outside in the belief that this will prevent her contaminating the water pipe. She, like a true hero, uses this to her advantage; she lounges around for several days a month, demanding that her brothers bring her gl