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The Sri Siva Subramaniya temple in Nadi, Fiji. This temple is the largest Hindu temple in the Pacific and also the largest in the Southern Hemisphere. It's really easy to visit as well as it is a short taxi ride from the main airport in Nadi. I've visited here twice, once in 2011 and again in 2019, and go out of my way to pay it a visit as it truly is a gorgeous building. #Travel
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The "Three Sisters" rock formation above the Jamison Valley in the Blue Mountains of Katoomba, Australia. The Blue Mountains are easy to get to from Sydney (by train or car) and offer incredible views, a wide range of biodiversity, waterfalls, and much more. I took this photo back on a visit there in 2007 and hope to make it back there again sometime soon. #Travel
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The Giza Necropolis in Egypt, with the three main large pyramids and several smaller pyramids shown. One of the facts I didn't realize before I visited here was the the pyramids were all originally covered with smooth polished white limestone. You can still see portions of this stone at the top of the second pyramid. Most of the white limestone was carted away over the years to be used to build other buildings in Cairo, however. I visited Cairo and the pyramids back in 2009…
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The Gūr-i Amīr mausoleum (Amir Temur maqbarasi/گورِ امیر) in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. This mausoleum is the final resting place of the conqueror Timur and was the inspiration for other Mughal tombs such as the Taj Mahal. I visited this mausoleum during a tour throughout the region back in 2014 that took me through all of the 'stans.' #Travel
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The incredible ruins of the 15th century Inca citadel of Machu Picchu. I visited this Peruvian UNESCO World Heritage site in 2010 and was able to take photos without other people in the shots as we arrived at the site extremely early in the morning. By the time we left, the place was crowded and a shot like this wouldn't be possible. #Travel
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A traditional Basotho hut near the Sani Pass in the African mountain nation of Lesotho. The small landlocked nation of Lesotho was actually the inspiration for the fictional country of Wakanda in the film Black Panther. I visited here back in 2008 on a trip from Durban up into the Drakensberg mountains and over the 2876m (9436 ft) high pass into Lesotho. #Travel
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A Highland tribe performing at the Mount Hagen 'Sing-Sing' in 2016. A 'Sing-Sing' is a gathering of local tribes that showcases their culture, dance, traditional dress, and music, and is unlike anything I've seen anywhere else. This tribe shown was one of hundreds and there were thousands of total participants at this one event when I was there. #Travel
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Mosi-oa-Tunya, "The Smoke that Thunders," (aka Victoria Falls) on the Zambezi river that separates Zimbabwe from Zambia. I visited these incredible waterfalls back in 2011 on a trip through Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. The falls are a must see if you are in Southern Africa and it's worth visiting both sides to get different perspectives on the power and majesty of these falls. #Travel
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The Chilean civilian city of Villa Las Estrellas on King George Island in Antarctica. This city is one of only two in Antarctica that has a civilian population, and you can find a post office, a bank, a gymnasium, and even an elementary school here. The far side of the settlement (with the grey and red buildings) is the Russian base of Bellingshausen (Беллинсгаузен) and you can see a Russian Orthodox church at the top of the hill in the back. I visited Antarctica in 2012 and…
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Inside the Khor Virap (Խոր Վիրապ) monastery located in the Ararat plain in Armenia, right next to the border with Turkey. This monastery is famous as the location where Gregory the Illuminator was imprisoned in a dungeon by the king of Armenia. He was released after 14 years and later convinced the king to become the first country in the world to officially become a Christian nation in the year 301. #Travel
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Who pulled the plug? Ships stranded during low tide on the Bailiwick of Jersey (Bailliage dé Jèrri,) the largest of the Channel Islands just off the coast of France. Jersey is a British Crown Dependency but is NOT part of the United Kingdom, so it operates with its own financial, judicial, and legal systems. The tidal variations here are some of the largest in the world, so when the tide goes out it almost doubles the size of the island. I visited Jersey and the similar…
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The beautiful Lake Agnes as viewed from near the famous Lake Agnes Tea house in Banff National Park, Canada. The entire Banff area is a nature-lover's paradise, with majestic mountains, bountiful wildlife, and numerous hiking trails. I visited Banff multiple times in my youth and came back for a relatively recent visit in 2012 when I took this photo. It's been too long without a visit and I really need to get back there again soon! #Travel
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Uhuru Peak at sunrise on the rim of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. I took this shot in 2012 on my trip up the Marangu route to the peak of this highest mountain in Africa. This view of the peak was taken from the Horombo Camp, the 2nd highest camp on the route. Two days later at sunrise I would be standing on the top looking down on Africa. #Travel
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The Neveh Shalom Synagogue next door to the Mosque Keizerstraat in Paramaribo, Suriname. The first Jews to Suriname arrived in the area in 1639 and built one of the first synagogues in the Americas upstream in a place named Jodensavanne, the ruins of which you can still visit. It's interesting to note that the floor inside this particular synagogue is covered in sand, which is typical for synagogues in the Caribbean. I took this photo back in 2013 on a trip across the…
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The moon rising over the Watzmann mountain as seen from the town of Berchtesgaden, Germany. Berchtesgaden is a gorgeous old Bavarian mountain town with an unfortunate WWII-era past of serving as the location of the Kehlsteinhaus (aka Eagle's Nest) and the Obersalzberg Nazi mountain retreat. Modern Berchtesgaden is delightfully beautiful, and I had the pleasure of visiting it back in the Spring of 2012. #Travel
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Gwanghwamun Gate (광화문) of the Gyeongbokgung Palace (경복궁,) the most beautiful and grandest of the palaces in Seoul, South Korea. Much of the palace complex, including this gate, was rebuilt over the past several decades after the original buildings were destroyed over 100 years ago. I visited here in 2011 and it is easy to get to the palace on the Seoul metro so I specifically set aside time for a long visit to this incredible Korean cultural treasure. #Travel
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A photo of the elegant Sydney Opera House at dawn that I took back in 2007. I've been fortunate to have been able to visit Sydney dozens of times over the past few decades and enjoy it every time I'm able to get there. Sydney has a pleasant climate almost year-round, is very water focused, and is surrounded by some gorgeous bush-land. In addition, there are multiple lively neighborhoods all over the city such as Bondi, Newtown, Manly, Chinatown, The Rocks, and much more.…
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A scoring hoop for the ancient Mayan game of ōllamaliztli (Pok-ta-pok, pelota maya, pitz) in the ruins of Chichen Itza, México. To score a goal, you needed to bounce a rubber ball through the hoop without using your hands or feet (only hips, knees, elbows, wrists and shoulders.) This particular hoop is six meters (20 feet) high up the wall, which gives an idea how difficult it was to score in this game. A modern version of this game called Ulama is still played in México and…
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Camels in front of the elaborate Al-Khazneh (الخزنة/"The Treasury") temple in Petra, Jordan. Carved out of solid rock by the Nabateans nearly 2000 years ago, the temple can be reached via a long walk down what is called the Siq, essentially a narrow gorge 1.2 km long. I highly recommend if you visit Petra to enter the Siq as early as possible so that you will be one of the first to reach the Treasury. You won't see the temple until the very end of the walk when you are just…
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Observatories on the summit of Mauna Kea on the island of Hawai'i. Mauna Kea is actually the worlds tallest mountain, rising a whopping 10.2 km (6.3 miles) from the base on the ocean floor to the peak. It's height above mean sea level is only 4,207.3 m (13,803 ft,) so it is nowhere near the world's highest. Because of the high elevation, star-gazing opportunities are second to none here, hence the proliferation of observatories here. Mauna Kea is also one of the few places…
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Domes on the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood (Церковь Спаса на Крови) in St. Petersburg, Russia. This gorgeous church was built on the location where Tsar Alexander II was assassinated in 1885. The entire city of St. Petersburg is stunning and well worth a visit. I've unfortunately only been there once in 2010 but have plans to revisit again. #Travel
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Stained-glass windows inside the Debre Libanos (ደብረ ሊባኖስ) monastery in Ethiopia. Ethiopian Orthodox Christians believe that a piece of the True Cross is kept here. Nearby lies the cave that Saint Takla Haymanot (ተክለ ሃይማኖት,) the founder of the monastery, spent 29 years inside. The grounds of the monastery are fascinating to visit and it sits in a beautiful area of Ethiopia just outside of the capital, so relatively easy to access. I visited here back in 2011 and have…
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The picturesque beach of Anibare Bay in the Pacific island nation of Nauru with its distinctive corral pinnacles shown. At only 21 square km in size, Nauru is the third smallest nation in the world after Vatican City and Monaco. It takes less than an hour to circle the entire island by car. This was the second to last country in the Pacific that I visited back on an extensive trip throughout the region back in 2019. #Travel
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Bagpipers marching through the South African gold-mining town of Kaapsehoop in the Mpumalanga province. These pipers marched through the town and into the old cemetery to honor the South African war dead from WWI. This entire area of South Africa is stunning with high mountain vistas, abundant wildlife, and quaint villages such as Kaapsehoop. I stopped here on a trip up to visit Kruger National Park back in 2018. #Travel
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A rare shot of the Sydney Central Business District (CBD) taken on a flight path that is seldom used. The pilot himself was excited and announced that we would have a great view of the CBD on the right of the plane and I was lucky enough to be seated next to a window on that side. You can clearly see Sydney Harbour, the Opera House, and the Anzac bridge. For me, Sydney is in my person top five list in terms of world cities...it's simply a fantastic place to visit and I look…
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The moment of totality during the North American total solar eclipse of 2017 as viewed from the Sawtooth Wilderness area of Idaho. I camped overnight deep in the mountains to get this shot as I knew that the area had the least possible chance of cloudy conditions. There is simply no way to describe a total eclipse, you really need to experience it to understand it. It's a feeling of awe combined with some deep ancestral fear. Totality only lasts around two minutes but those…
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Back in late 2019 I was privileged to attend and be the only non-Malawian present at a ceremony of the Gule Wamkulu, a Nyau secret society of the Chewa people in Malawi. This photo of a Gule Wamkulu dancer dressed as a baboon is just a small sample of the incredible costumes and dancing that took place at this ceremony, which was attended by nearly the entire village. The Gule Wamkulu dress as living or deceased humans or animals and the Nyau dancers attempt to communicate…
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The 1300 year old Cheomseongdae Observatory (첨성대) near Gyeongju, South Korea. This ancient star-gazing platform is the oldest standing observatory in Asia and one of the oldest in the world. Gyeongju was the capital of the ancient Korean kingdom of Silla, which ruled over much of the Korean peninsula for close to 1000 years. I visited here in 2013 on a trip from Seoul to Busan. #Travel
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Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh, Scotland from a visit I made back in 2013. This Palace is the official residence of the British Monarch in Scotland and the Queen spends a week here at the beginning of the summer. The entire city of Edinburgh is a delight to walk through and around and retains an old world charm to it that has been lost in some of the other larger cities in the UK. #Travel
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The Victorian-era Woodford Square Fountain in Port of Spain, Trinidad. Woodford Square is the heart of the city and the country of Trinidad and Tobago itself. While technically a Caribbean nation, Trinidad and Tobago is unique in that it has a very heavy Indian influence to it. I highly recommend a visit here to experience steelpan as well as the unique local cuisine. I took this photo back in 2013 as I toured through several nations in the area. #Travel