4/28/15

233 / Kathmandu & Pokhara




Heartbreaking to see the photos from Nepal,
& realising the plight of the people there






in Bhaktapur many of the old buildings were wrecked 
including in the main square






these are from my stay in 2012






no news yet about the beautiful Shechen monastery
which is next to where I stayed in Boudhanath, I think theres been 
some damage to the big stupa there






& while people I know in Pokhara are safe,
there are grave fears for the villages, 
the death toll continues to rise,
everyone in Nepal will be affected for years to come






Macchapuchare
the Holy mountain, in the Annapurnas






232 / perfect days




a few more from Boulder Beach 






we've had a series of beautiful clear days, cool evenings
How come we are so lucky to be here?






hope its good where you are too.
Send love & donations to Nepal!

4/26/15

231 / Nepal




On Saturday 25th there was a 7.8 earthquake in Nepal,
with many big aftershocks, well over 4000 injuries, 
& nearly 2000 deaths, & untold houses & historic
buildings wrecked






it is such a beautiful country, & people,
this will make it an even harder life for many






Like all parts of the Himalayas, earthquakes are a fact of life






the mountains are still moving. When I visited Pokhara
in 2012, this was the view from my guesthouse roof






the plan is to visit again in October, but who can say..






There are many ancient Hindu & Buddhist temples 
& monasteries, with exceptional wood carving, 
metal work & statues






I wish that everyone who has been, & loved it, 
(surely everyone?)
will donate generously






Nepal needs our help



4/25/15

230 / messages




Part of one headland at Boulder Beach looks
& feels like pumice stone






maybe all of it is part of the gigantic volcano of 
a very long time ago  (before people & other beings)






now there are small details brought by the tides 
or dropped by trees






the leaf section at right is from a Pandanus, 
must have dreamt of tigers






my friend found a tiny mask..
all kinds of subtle messages, wherever one looks:
our world is infinitely interesting, isn't it?


4/22/15

229 / great day




With a friend to my favourite beach, lovely clear day,
big seas probably part of the severe weather system
thats been hitting Sydney






at Boulder Beach it hits the rocks 






sometimes looks as if the rocks rise from the deeps,
the air so clear & energising 






the stones make a wonderful sound, as they tumble back down 






& I want to stay there all day.
Got help adding another device, but the password situation is
not much fun, as I'm not methodical about it.




4/17/15

228 / coucal




Think this is the mother Coucal - she's just caught a baby 
water dragon, for her endlessly hungry chick, already nearly as big,
while the mother is looking quite ragged & thin.
They're quite heavy birds, & not such good flyers.




4/14/15

228 / the Pass




Went to the beach without a camera, it was fantastic -
so had to try again next morning, light completely different 
though also lovely. Those are the hills to the west of Byron Bay






the attraction was the rocks at one end, near the Pass, rocks which are
usually buried in sand. The evening before, at low tide, was a different story,
this is all I can show






more sculptural than other rocky cliffs around here, I guess because that
corner of the bay has more curling tides






 many photos anyway, & maybe will carry a camera
more often. I always do when travelling, 






forgot there is always something new, even in
places we know well.
 early in the morning on the radio.



4/11/15

226 / moods




The rock pillars at Fingal






touched by sunset light






stormy sea






& quiet


4/8/15

225 / the coast




Making some effort to organise my 5 XHD, even though 
I've a low tolerance of such tasks






these are at beaches around Byron Bay






it still amazes me how different they are each time,
not least because of passing moods,






but also wind, tides, light etc






& time





4/6/15

224 / water




Took a boat down the Mekong to Laos, in 2009
what a great river






& so interesting to see the ways its lived with:
rivers are so like the (crucial) large veins in bodies..






We stopped in the captivating Luang Prabang 






luckily, just before it went very up-market






am sure there are still many monks;
sometimes travel can seem like a dream, am happy to have
a lot of photos of those dreams






back in Thailand, temple reflections


4/2/15

223 / the best shop




I did wonder what happened at the end of the day..
did they have to put the stock away?






anyway, it looked very inviting






& even more so, close up






but when you step back, theres the sense 
you might miss something extraordinary..
that's the art of display, isn't it?

Meant to visit this shop, didn't find time