thoughts on photos

I've been sorting through my photos and naming them (they are now on the website); so now its time to reflect a little on what they show; and to insert a few of the best into this blog.

there's the picture of Queenie who had dinner at some caves near Kunming I went to -in fact every half-decent tourist site in China seems to have a need to prove they are fully-decent by showcasing and naming all the celebrities who have visited (normally Chinese ministers/party members)

there's the one taken in the Yunnan minorities museum. one minority used objects as a way of expressing themselves -so they gave different things to people (each thing had a different meaning). This weaved leaf means 'i had already fallen in love with you before i met you'.

there are some of bright lights in quiet parks with just the sound of old people playing music; there are some of lines and lines of minibuses at the tourist stop (monastery) that you have to to stop at on the way to the main attraction, there is beautiful shilin (stone forest) which has been nicely left alone in places and also well designed in others, there's the views of modern cities like kunming and of the Mekong River (that provides water to most of south-east Asia) or the Yangtze River (that provides water to 350m Chinese).

there's the one with the contents of the woman's shopping next to the bus (it was on the roof and inside) we took to xishuangbanna. she explained she was buying it to trade; the local entrepreneur! (didnt leave much room on the bus for us though) and the one of the village hiding in the jungle! There was the classics of seeing chris take his shoes and socks off to wade throught the river and the fascinating ones of the little kids in the poor villager's house and of their basic house.

there are plenty of colourfully clothed minoroty people who we met on the trails and on buses, of the temples that were practically empty, of the endless rice paddies/terraces and of the ingenuitive bags that were used to carry things (using their heads and shoulders). There is the great one of the woman with a massive hole in her ear (i remember hearing about these kinds of people when i was 12! -its a culture thing) and the many of the families working in the quarries. There are lots of markets (including the killing of live chickens) and many of dali and lijiang's wonderfully designed 'old' towns.

there are great photos of villagers washing their clothes in rivers and in lakes (often with washing powder) and the stunning pictures of Tiger Leaping Gorge that took my breath away (in more ways than one) as well as onese showing the built, and the building, of houses in Zhondian (AKA Shanghri-la) old town. There are the snow capped peaks that border Tibet, the mountain huts and the magnificent Glacier. There are the pictures of the floors we slept on in xishuangbanna and in the monastery by the glacier and then back to Kunming with the muslim quarter being destroyed to be replaced by?

there are also those of the great fruits that require peeling (therefore safe to eat ont eh streets) but are easy to peel with the right technique, and that look so strange. There's the one of the street market, where, with a little peering inside the tiny shops; you realise that there is not just a sink to wash the vegetables in, there is a bed to sleep in; and some toothpaste next to the sink!

then there are the panoramas; of cities, of countryside, or temples and of schools. All bring back memories and more thoughts. have a browse if you want on the website (link below, remember free regsitration) or i'll post a few of the best up here in a minute.

and what of what was not caught on film? well some was caught on video (digital cameras, ey!); but the rest is in the memory; most likely to be pushed back once new experiences come along, but never to leave. And of the people that were met (Chris and Victoria were awesome travelling buddies for a few days, Dan and Chris' parents were also great) on the street and on the buses - well they are what makes a country a country, and a place a place.