If you want to feel like you’re walking through an alien landscape this place has to be top of the list. The thermal vents in the Ayuni Desert really are surreal. When we were there, other than our group, there wasn’t a sign of another soul anywhere.
The most amazing thing about these thermal vents was the total lack of barrier. Ten years on, I wonder if they’re still left completely open for people to wander between with no safety barriers whatsoever. I expect, and hope, they probably are.
If you look to the left, you’ll see a Welshman doing his best fall into boiling water.
Even under a gloomy grey sky, the Ponte Vecchio is still worth a look.
Brasov’s main square is beautiful and has a bit of a German feel to it. This is due to the influence of Saxon traders who made their home here in the middle ages. The square is punctuated by a large fountain and Brasov city hall in the center.
This was one of my favorite photos from Bolivia, taken on my little Olympus point and shoot. I had this photo blown up and hanging on my wall for years.
It’s the view over Sucre, Bolivia taken from within a beautiful old Spanish portico. While there, I committed the ultimate sin of haggling over the price of an embroidered rug, reaching a price and realizing I’d forgotten my wallet. It was pretty embarrassing, fortunately one of my travel buddies happened to come round the corner and was able to lend me the cash. The rug I got had it’s edges mysteriously burnt while it was in storage at a hostel. A perfectly round hole was burnt through my bag and into the edges of my folded rug. It wasn’t too bad, added character at least, and I actually still have it on display under the glass of my coffee table.
This is Coddu Vecchju, one of the giants’ tombs found scattered around Sardinia. They’re built way back in the Bronze Age by the Nuragic civilization. The Nuragic are named after their circular forts called Nuraghe.
I got to Ely’s Harbour a little late to catch the sunset, but these dinghies were still lit quite nicely.
The Italian island of Sardinia is one of the playgrounds of the rich and famous. That is if you go to the beaches, in summer. If you go in the winter and explore the interior you see a completely different picture. Sardinia’s interior is rural, rugged and mountainous. You’ll see more sheep than people, and more interestingly shaped rocks than sheep. The harsh landscape is dotted occasionally by tightly packed villages.
I think I’ve just convinced myself I need to make a return trip. I was there during university and went on this trip specifically to get some practice in with what was, at that time, my brand new Canon Rebel.
Brasov is a beautiful little city. Upon arriving I spotted a Hollywood styled “Brasov” sign up on the hill and decided I wanted to go up there. So I did, and I took today’s picture. After getting back down I spoke to a local who said you should never go up there because the hillside is crawling with bears… oops.
This is another of my old pics shot with a tiny point and shoot. I’d love to go back here again. We were on our way to the Ayuni salt flats when steam appeared on the horizon. Before we knew it we were stepping out of our jeeps in front of gurgling, churning, stinky wasteland like nothing I’d ever seen. Then, our jeeps drove on, to pick us up on the other side. We were actually allowed to walk right through these geysers, not a safety barrier in sight. It was pretty amazing, but you definitively had to watch your step.
