Vega de Sotres A late-afternoon Spanish sun slants over walkers on an ancient track in the magnificent Picos de Europa in Asturias.
This is a long way from the Southern Spanish beaches of the Costa del Sol that are favoured by crowds of NorthernEuropean visitors who want to sit in the sun!
Here, at the opposite end of the country – in Asturias, Northern Spain – stunning craggy mountains rise up in all directions. The wilds are punctuated only by small mountain villages and collections of ancient shepherd’s huts, connected by narrow winding roads and walking tracks. Thanks to a typical Atlantic climate, temperatures tend to be moderate, and there is a chance of rain or snow throughout most of the year. Visitors to this part of the country are looking for rugged outdoor activities like mountain climbing, canyoning, kayaking, and hiking.
The Picos de Europa are part of the Cantabrian Mountains in northern Spain. They stretch across the autonomous communities of Asturias, Cantabria, and León, and are almost wholly contained within an eponymous national park. First established in Cantabria in 1918, and expanded to its current size in 1995 and 2014, the park achieved UNESCO Biosphere Reserve status in 2003.
The almost 650 square kilometre (just under 250 square miles) park includes 11 rural villages, making it Spain’s only inhabited nature reserve. People have lived in this demanding environment for many generations. They still make artisanal foods and drinks, operate traditional cottage industries, and follow their herds of goats and lambs into the wild pastures – all while surrounded by over 200 jagged limestone peaks higher than 2000 metres (1.24 miles), and divided from their neighbours by deep and spectacular gorges. The region is isolated enough that it is still reputedly home to Cantabrian brown bears (Ursus arctos pyrenaicus) and Iberian wolves (Canis lupus signatus) – not that we ventured far enough into the more remote regions to spot any! On one walk, however, we did see a small herd of the more common rebeccos (Cantabrian chamois – Rupicapra pyrenaica parva).
I was in the region for an Introductory Spanish course at the Peak Me language school in Panes, not far outside the Picos de Europa National Park. Our small group did class work in the mornings, and then went for hikes in the afternoons with a guide from Canoe Adventure Trophy.
The tiny village of Panes is well placed to take advantage of some well-marked walks through the magnificent scenery nearby. On our third afternoon, for example, we drove north and then walked a section of trail along the Cantabrian Coast (see: An Afternoon Walk in España Verde). And, the town itself – especially with its arboretum, the Botanical Garden of Panes, a project developed over the previous five years by the Peñamellera Baja City Council – was a great place for my morning walks, and longer explorations.
On our penultimate day at the school, we took our last walk into the Picos de Europa, following a section of the Vega de Sotres and the Ruta de la Reconquista.
Do join us!
Panes Botanical Gardens Our class orientation walk took us past the wonderful green spaces along the Deva River(iPhone6).
Iglesia de San Andres de Sieḥu Panes has several churches – I’m not sure if this Medieval stone building is still operational (iPhone6).
Village Walk The back streets are narrow and winding, crowded with tall, colourful buildings (iPhone6).
Ermita de San Juan de Ciliergo Another walk takes me past the ruins of an old church, first built in 1184. (iPhone6)
“A Little Estate” Outside the main street of Panes, the properties – mostly farms and apple orchards – look quite historic.
Panes From the hills, there are nice views back over the town and the mountains.
Classroom Daydreams Even while class is in session, I can enjoy views over the nearby hills (iPhone6).
Tunnel House In the afternoon, we follow the road into the Picos de Europa, past an extraordinary tunnel house, high over the Río Cares in Poncebos(iPhone6).
On the Vega de Sotres Our transport drops us just outside the village of Sotres, and our guide Vivi leads off down the trail.
Invernales del Texu We pass a collection old cabins and livestock barns or majadas, built by local shepherds as ‘winters’ to protect themselves – and their goats and sheep – from the inclement mountain weather. Buildings like these are still in regular use (see: The Last of the Vegas de Sotres).
Cows on the Bend There is a fork in the trail: that path follows the Vega de Urriellu to Pandébano and beyond, …
Nuestro Guíe Vivi – Our Guide Vivi … whereas we are following another section of La Ruta de la Reconquista (The Reconquest Route). After a battle in Covadonga in 718 to reclaim the Peninsula from the Muslim conquest, a handful of Cantabrian and Asturian rebels who were cornered fled across the Picos de Europa using this route. Unfortunately, they were ultimately buried by a landslide in Cosgaya.
Jagged Rocks Classified as alpine karst, the meadows are punctuated by jagged limestone peaks and rivers of scree.
Walkers on the Path The Río Dujeis far below us as we find a good pace downhill. Coming back might not be so easy!
Grassy Slope These mountain grasses are what attracted the wandering shepherds.
Rocky Ridge Glaciers rolled through these mountains – leaving behind jagged ridges above, racing rivers below, and some perennial snow patches hidden away.
No Ensucien el Agua – Don’t Dirty the Water
Stone Buildings – Stony Crags More of the Invernales del Texu to protect shepherds against the cold. According to Wikipedia, the walls are [made] without mortar, but they look pretty solid.
Rebeccos If you squint, you’ll see the Cantabrian chamois (Rupicapra pyrenaica parva) on the hill; it is starting to darken, and they are a fair distance.
Rocky Bight As we make our way back up the hill, the shadows lengthen …
Huts in the Valley … and the last light barely warms the rocky mountaintops.
Apples for the Cows This man was originally from the French end of these northern mountains and valleys, so I was able to chat with him. He told me he comes out every day to make sure the nursing mums get a fresh apple or two to supplement their diets.
Mountaintops and Rooftops When we return to our starting point, our van is waiting to drive us to Sotres, which, at 1050 metres (3445 feet), is the highest village in Asturias.
Main Street – Sotres It is seven-thirty in the evening – but the Spanish eat dinner late, so we stop for a quick drink in the charming hotel that is named for the nearby mountain, Peña Castil.
Back in Panes, I have time for a shower before we head to a restaurant across the river to partake of the local specialties – notably the local cheeses and natural cider (sidra). This cider has to be poured from a great height to oxygenate it – and then must be drunk in one go, as soon as it is poured.
Feluccas on the Nile It’s a trick of perspective: these traditional wooden sailing boats on the Upper Nile at Aswan seem to dwarf the grand hotels on the waterfront and the multi-level floating cruise boats docked along the shoreline.
There is something magical about being on the water!
I especially love the different perspective it give to an unfamiliar landscape when I’m travelling.
The Nile River is the very heart of Egypt’s civilisation and history: when in Egypt, a boat trip on the Nile is a must. Tourist riverboats cruise between Luxor and Aswan, and I had enjoyed my trip south, up the river, sipping G&Ts like someone out of an Agatha Christie novel as the fertile banks slipped past (see: Peregrine Egypt). Our cruise boat was currently rafting up against another, larger one, in Aswan, and we had shuttled to smaller wooden outboard vessels for the trip further up-river to the sacred Temple of Isis (see: The Temples of Philae).
It was late afternoon, and we were to be treated to a peaceful sail on a traditional felucca around the many islands scattered across the relatively shallow waters here, just below the Aswan Low Dam.
Feluccas are traditional wooden sailing boats with oars and a latin-rig triangular sail set on a long yard, mounted at an angle on the mast. Feluccas are an iconic sight on this part of the Nile, where they have plied the waters since the time of the Pharaohs: stepping aboard one is like stepping back in time. With their flat bottoms and low draft, they can silently sneak into shallows and over sandbars, getting close to the banks of the river and the shorelines of the many islands.
Our trip took us around islands full of birdlife, and allowed us views up to the historic 7th-century fortress Monastery of St Simeon and to the more modern Aga Khan Mausoleum on the western bank. Feluccas rely on the northerly currents and the predominantly southerly breeze: because the wind usually subsides at night, we were docked back in Aswan before dark.
The next evening, after a fabulous morning exploring the temples at Abu Simbel (see: Abu Simbel), we were on the water again: this time in a simple wooden outboard to be ferried to a Nubian village for dinner in a local home.
All part of the Upper Nile experience!
Nile River Cruise Boat Multi-story cruise boats operate like floating hotels up and down the river between Aswan and Luxor. This one was my home for four magical nights.
Tourist Boats On one of the many islands in the Nile, simple wooden boats – of the type we took to the Philae Temples that morning (see: The Temple of Isis) – are tied up and waiting for customers.
Little Egret – Egretta Garzetta The egret watching the water from the dock is a long way from white: probably a function of the pollution in the air and water.
Man on the Phone Many local men still wear the galabeya (or jellabiya), the traditional loose-flowing Egyptian kaftan that originated here in the Nile Valley.
Felucca on the Dock On the dock, our boatman is unfurling the large triangular canvas sail on our boat in preparation for our arrival.
Men on a Felucca Preparing the boat for sailing takes some co-ordinated work.
Boatman on the Tiller Once the the boat is out in the wasters of the Nile, our boatmen get to relax a bit.
Felucca in Aswan It is a beautiful afternoon, and we are not the only felucca on the river.
Afternoon Stillness
Black-Winged Stilt – Himantopus Himantopus Some of the islands here in the Nile, just below the Aswan Low Dam, host a rich variety of birdlife.
Purple Heron – Ardea Purpurea Egypt is home to a number of bitterns, egrets, and herons. This purple heron is almost hidden in the grass, …
Grey Heron – Ardea Cinerea … and a grey heron nearby stands out less than the garbage in the river.
Egyptian Geese – Alopochen Aegyptiaca Also known as Nile geese, these strikingly beautiful birds blend in with the rocks in the river.
Felucca and Islands in the Nile
Camel on the West Bank High on the desert dunes, we can see the outlines of the abandoned 7th-century fortress Monastery of St Simeon.
Boatman on a Drum In the afternoon sun, our boatman entertains us with traditional Nubian music.
Pied Kingfisher – Ceryle Rudis Hiding on the darkening shoreline, a pied kingfisher watches for prey.
Aga Khan Mausoleum The mausoleum of Aga Khan III, the 48th Imam of the Ismaili sect, also known as Sir Sultan Muhammed Shah (1877 – 1957), sits high on a hill.
Felucca in the Twilight As the light drops over the Nile …
Boatman in the Twilight … our boatman steers us home for dinner.
Man on the Dock The next evening, after a morning at Abu Simbel (see: Abu Simbel), we are back on the docks to get on different type of Nile tourist boat.
Felucca on the Nile Lateen-rigged boats dot the water.
Nubian Boatman Our boat pulls away from Aswan …
Mural at the Entry … and drops us at the Nubian Village on the other side of the river.
Moonrise As twilight falls, the moon rises over the narrow streets and painted multi-story buildings.
Adobe Building Like many of the buildings in the Nubian village, our host’s house is colourfully patterned adobe.
Our Host It is too dark inside to get a good photograph of our Nubian host, but not quite dark enough to dim the wildly colourful walls.
After dinner, we made our way back through dark, narrow streets to the wharf to ride our boat back to Aswan on the other side of that mighty magic river.
Woman with Greens The smiles are as warm and welcoming as the vegetables are fresh! Wandering around the Mount Hagen Market is a joy.
Any regular visitor to these pages will know I love local markets.
I love the colour, the chaos, and the insight they give into people’s daily lives (see: Weekly Wanders Markets). So, I was very pleased to have the opportunity to visit the fresh food market in Mount Hagen.
We weren’t still supposed to be in Mount Hagen. I was in Papua New Guinea with a small group of photography enthusiasts and photographer Karl Grobl from Jim Cline Photo Tours. The annual Sing Sing Festival had finished the day before, and we were meant to be on an airplane back to Port Moresby, en route to Milne Bay. We had checked out of our hotel rooms early, and were on a minibus for the airport with our baggage when the word came through: our flight had been cancelled. The pilots were on strike.
But, that is the beauty of travelling with a small group and a local ‘fixer’: re-arranging plans is someone else’s problem! We were presented with a list of options, and chose to visit the market while our accommodation for the extra night was sorted out for us on our behalf.
It was a double-win: there is a market on the edge of town that we had driven past daily that looks as if it is knee-deep in mud, vegetable refuse, and half-wild pigs. I thought we were heading to that one. So, it was a real bonus when we pulled up outside the large hangar housing the clean and orederly Mount Hagen Market.
We were sent in with minders because the area is popular with pick pockets and raskols. But, the locals were warmly welcoming, and seemed fascinated that we’d want to photograph them and their wonderfully fresh-looking food.
Do join me!
Oranges Outside Even outside the covered hangar, fruit and vegetables are neatly stacked.
Oranges Oranges in tropical climates often have a little (or a lot!) of green in their peels: the chlorophyll dies off in cooler temperatures as the fruit ripens, but in warmer climates they can stay green, or turn green again. These will be sweet – with bright orange flesh.
Saleswoman in the Market Inside the market, it is dark, but not much cooler.
Galangal Everywhere you look, fresh foods are neatly bundled …
Carrots … or stacked. You can hear the crunch …
More Galangal … and smell the freshness!
Woman with Galangal I love how the sales people are happy to pause in their work and smile for my camera – even though they know I’m not shopping.
Papuan Man at the Market
Young Papuan Woman
A Beautiful Smile
Tattoos Many women wear inky-blue facial tattoos in patterns of lines and dots. As far as I could establish, they are purely aesthetic and hold no particular meaning.
Women with Cauliflower and Beans Agriculture dominates Papua New Guinea’s rural economy, with more than five million rural dwellers earning a living from subsistence agriculture. Here in The Highlands, the rich soils are particularly kind.
Smiling Woman in Tattoos
More Carrots
Market Tables
Australian Hat It always amazes me how people can wear woollen hats in the tropics!
Strawberry Stacks
Strawberries on a Stick
Cucumber Piles
Woman in a Colourful Hat
Woman and Market Bags
Woman in Green
Woman in a Headscarf That smile is contagious!
Subsistence agriculture is the backbone of Papua New Guinea’s food production sector, giving employment to 85% of the population, and accounting for about a quarter of the national GDP. Although the country produces cash crops like coffee, cocoa, coconut and oil palm, markets like this one are just as important – both in terms of economic input, and in terms of social cohesion.
Certainly, this market is a joy to visit, and I left warmed by the smiles of the people working and shopping there.
Seagull in Mono Lake Wading among the limestone tufa outcrops in the concentrated, salty waters of Mono Lake, a California gull (Larus californicus) is at home for the summer.
High in California’s Eastern Sierra – between 1945 metres (6,380 feet) and almost 4000 metres (13,061 feet) – the Mono Basin perches at the north end of the Mono–Inyo Craters volcanic chain. This endorheic drainage basin was created over the last five million years by repeated volcanic activity and the forces of tectonic movement on the earth’s crust.
The hauntingly beautiful Mono Lake, a vast inland sea extending more than 168 square kilometres (65 square miles), sits surrounded by volcanic craters and sagebrush at the heart of this basin. As a terminal lake with no outflow, the collected waters from the surrounding mountains have endured millennia of evaporation to become saltier than the oceans and as alkaline as household ammonia. This has lead to unique endemic species: single-celled planktonic algae, Mono Lake brine shrimp, alkali flies, and a number of nematodes. These attract migratory birds, many of whom nest here in summer. The lake hosts one of the largest California Gull rookeries in North America, as well as countless other shorebirds, waterfowl, songbirds, and raptors.
This is an area of unique and rugged grandeur – and no stranger to continued volcanic activity, with eruptions occurring every 250 to 700 years. While Mono Lake was formed at least 760,000 years ago – and up to 3 million years ago, depending whom you read – much of Paoha Island, the island in the middle of the lake, was uplifted by eruptive activity only 130-260 years ago.
I was visiting a friend who lives part of the year in this magnificent area. We had explored the South Tufa Area of the lake, with its otherworldly tufa towers of limestone rising out of the salty waters the evening before (see: Evening over the Tufa Towers).
On this particular summer morning, we were driving to various overlooks, checking out the Mono Basin Scenic Area Visitor Center, and walking in search of gulls in a different section of the Mono Lake Tufa State Natural Reserve.
Come along!
Sagebrush and Mountains The Mono Basin is a high plateau, bounded by the High Sierra mountains to the west.
Overlooking Mono Lake The basin is bounded on the east by the Cowtrack Mountains.
Lee Vining Canyon A number of waterways feed into Mono Lake from the surrounding mountains.
Hills above Mono Lake
Rubber Rabbitbrush – Ericameria Nauseosa This is desert country, and rubber rabbitbrush thrives in the coarse, alkaline soil here. It is a source of food for animals, and some Native Americans people used the flowers for dye and the stems for baskets.
Burned Trees I don’t know if this is from a controlled burn or a previous forest fire: fires race through these areas regularly.
View from the Visitor Center Back at Mono Lake, we stop in at the Mono Basin Scenic Area Visitor Center.
About the Tufas Displays inside the centre explain how the tufa towers in the lake are formed.
Basket Art Other exhibits show off arts and crafts from local products.
‘Mono Lake’ by Ansel Adams Yosemite National Park and the Ansel Adams Wilderness are very close by here. Ansel Adams (1902 -1984) is known to most photographic students as the man who helped establish photography as a fine art, and who promoted the conservation of these American wilderness areas.
More Rubber Rabbitbrush and Sage Back outside, the heat takes my breath away: …
Mini-Tufas in Mono Lake … this is a high-altitude desert, with daily and seasonal temperature extremes, and much of the annual precipitation falling in winter as snow.
Grasses As we walk around the lakeshore, the vegetation changes dramatically.
Tiny Tufas The tufa towers – built up when calcium-rich freshwater springs under the lake bubble up and react with the carbonates in the water to make calcium carbonate, or limestone – are not as tall on this side of the lake as the ones we had explored in the South Tufa Area the evening before (see: Evening over the Tufa Towers) …
Seagulls on the Tufas … but the California gulls are at home amongst them.
Gull and a Moon Rock Some writers have compared this terrain to Mars, but it made me think of the moon, in all its rugged glory.
Gulls among the Tufa Islands The surface of the dense waters is thick with alkali flies – one of the reasons birds are so happy here.
Brewer’s Blackbirds – Euphagus Cyanocephalus
Nature’s Artworks: Sculptured Rock Gulls are thick on the crags in the background, where we (and predators) cannot go.
People on the Shore In spite of the noise of the birds, there is a real feeling of ‘quiet’ about this place.
Giant Blazing Star – Mentzelia Laevicaulis These beautiful plants are well-loved by bees, moths, and birds. The roots, seeds, and leaves had extensive uses in Native American medicine.
Shimmering Landscape As we head back up into the hills, the lake retreats into a heat haze.
It truly is a magic landscape, where the light and colours are constantly changing.
Thanks to the concerted efforts of the non-profit Mono Lake Committee to preserve Mono Lake, and the consequent formation of the Mono Lake Tufa State Natural Reserve in 1981, the area is protected.
This however, is no match for climate change and years of drought. Like so many other uniques landscapes, the area is at risk.
I’m glad I got to visit it before it is damaged further.
Morning Ablutions Every morning, devout Hindus descend the stairs of the Varanasighats to wash their sins away in the holy waters of the Mother Ganges. (Astute readers will recognise this re-processed photo as a copy of one that is in my masthead slideshow.)
Sunrise is the beginning of something …
The pilgrims on the Varanasi ghats along the Ganges are absolutely absorbed in their preparations of offerings to the Mother Ganga, in their ritual ablutions in the sacred waters, or in their pre-dawn meditations. Time loses all meaning.
Pilgrims have been travelling here to bathe in the Ganges River since time immemorial, and many of the ritual practices – with their roots in Hindu mythology – have changed little in the last 4000 years. Varanasi is the holiest of the seven Sapta Puri – holy pilgrimage sites in Hinduism. Naturally endowed with spiritual powers since the site was reputedly founded by Shiva, Varanasi can bless you with moksha – liberation from the cycle of birth and death.
While the spectacular evening Ganga Aarti on Dashashwamedh Ghat attracts both pilgrims and tourists in great numbers (see: Life and Death on the Varanasi Ghats), the devotional rituals along the river start before dawn.
So, long before sunrise – with the benefit of a headlamp – I made my way through the dark and quiet streets to Assi Ghat, where shrines were already being tended, lamps were being lit, and homages were being paid.
Tending the Shrine It is early, and the streets are dark just off Assi Ghat in Varanasi. But, already women have risen to tend to the holy shrines in honour of Shiva.
Morning Aarti In the absence of the kind of audience I saw the evening before at Dashaswamedh Ghat, Hindu priests perform their morning aarti.
Candelabra An aarti is a devotional ritual that uses fire as an offering – in this case, to the Goddess Ganga, or Mother Ganga.
Garlands Years after my visit, the State Government expanded and formalised the morning aarti, founding the Subah-e-Banaras program in 2014. The patience and care that was taken to prepare the rituals I watched had nothing to do with audience – and everything to do with ones own relationship with the Gods.
Lighting Offerings Young children sell diyas – small lamps with a candle surrounded by flowers.
Ritual to the Mother Facing the river, the lit lamps are circled clockwise, to chants or prayers, …
Offering to Maa Ganga … before being set off into the river. Diyas symbolise goodness and purity; lighting them dispels the darkness.
Old Woman and her Kumbh Pilgrims to the Ganges all have water vessels with them so they can carry a bit of the precious river away for further rituals.
Wooden Boats on the Ganges Finally! The sky is taking on new colours as the sun slowly makes its way around the horizon and through the haze.
Copper Kumbh
Old Man and his Kumbh It always amazes me how different the sadhus all are!
Old Man and a Sacred Stick The stick this man carries is not substantial enough to be a staff, but is clearly important.
Stilllife Found: Brass Kumbh
Morning Meditation Seated, draped, and still, this figure was finally touched by light as the sun rose.
Woman Making an Offering The women making offerings all have baskets full of bits and pieces …
Paraphernalia … and assorted utensils, all of which have a special role.
Morning Prayers The sun (surya) is the visible God in Hinduism.
Sacred Waters So, combined with the waters of the Mother, this is an auspicious time and place.
Water Pot
Even as a non-Hindu outsider, I felt something in the air, and wandered the ghats in a dream-like state.
Whenever I revisit the ghats – whether through my photos or simply in my memories – I return to that sense of stillness, outside of time’s march. As we all struggle through these challenging times, this can only be a good thing!
So, as one day slips into the next, and one year drifts into another, I wish you a beautiful sunrise – and a healthy Happy New Year.
- Performing the Ganga Aarti from Dasaswamedh Ghat, Varanasi
- Buddha Head from Shwedagon Pagoda, Myanmar
- Harry Clarke Window from Dingle, Ireland
- Novice Monk Shwe Yan Pyay Monastery, Myanmar
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Certainly, this market is a joy to visit, and I left warmed by the smiles of the people working and shopping there.
