Taiwanese snow dome, and it's life-sized!

Taipei 101 - it is so high up

This is the second tallest building in the world - about 500 metres high or 101 floors. The lift goes like a rocket - 60 kilometres an hour, which does not sound like much if you are in a car, but when you are going straight up, it is fast! THe photo cannot do it justice. And the whole experience made me exhausted - this statue has the right idea.

An idea for heavy drinking environmentalist (Taipei)

Now if you are serious about the environment, and like a beer or two, here is a great idea from Taipei for recycling.

How ducky (or swany)

This is one of the lakes in Hanoi - the second largest - with a big park around it. The park is about the only place without motor bikes. And if you like, you can go out on the lake. Perfect weather (again) as you can see.

Vietnamese bonsai garden

This is me (with eyes closed) and one of the many bonsai that the Vietnamese love making. They are usually big (much bigger than Japansese bonsai) - up to 2 metres tall. I like them a lot.

By the lake in Hanoi

There are lots of spots in the park around the lake in central Hanoi to have coffee - this is just one of them.

This is Split (Pt 2) (glamour shots)

Shots from the old city - Diocletian's palace from 300 AD turned into a town, but slightly less spacious than he would have had it.

This is Split, Croatia Pt 1

Gorgeous, weather wonderful.

Tirana, Albania skyline

Some shots from my apartment in Tirana. Perfect weather here means that you can see the enormous mountains in the background. Hard to believe that winter is only weeks away.

Sunny Madrid

I was in Prague ever so briefly ...

to see my old friend Paul (alias Tedworth) who moved there from Sydney 7 years ago. We had a very fun night together and the 7 year gap seemed like nothing. Sadly, no time for a Kafka tour.

Dushanbe, Tajikistan

They love mosaics in Dushanbe, at least in the old days.

Never mess with an armed property lawyer

Is the pen mightier than the sword? I am about to find out with the help of my trusty Kyrgyz instrument.

At the Georgian restaurant in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

I have not made it to Georgia, but I guess this guy is in Georgian national dress. Wonderful food full of ground walnuts and lamb mince, with a little chilly, cumin and dill. Wine is rubbish.

On the waterfront - Baku

Old city Baku

Shots of the old part of Baku.

Baku or bust II

Here are some shots from the hotel balcony of Baku's centre. That is the Caspian Sea.

Beach Bum

Before leaving for Europe and central Asia, I spent a bit of time at the beach. Not exactly busy, as you can see but perfect for walking.

Buckets hard at work

Is this the job description for a cat? Sleep, look darling, ask for food, then sleep? If so, I am applying for that job as asap as possible. The winter sun is so nice and gentle - he is making the most of it.

Bob and Randi at the gallery

Some nice shots of me with Bob and Randi at their gallery in winter (my tummy is making a special appearance in the shot with Randi).

An old friend

It was a surprise to turn the corner and see this rather nice and rather large sculpture by Clement Meadmore (also from Australia)in Ikebukuro, Tokyo. Warm day as you can see.

Height of my sporting career - under 8s soccer

Sunset over Antarctica

It might sound like nothing, but flying over the Antarctic, seeing thousands of miles of white/blue ice is just amazing. It is "awesome" in the old fashioned sense of the word. But best viewed, I think, from the warmth and safety of a plane. This shot is from the flight from Buenos Aires to Sydney, where we dipped down so far south that the sun was setting in the middle of the day.

Big flower sculpture in Buenos Aires

This is a shot of a big flower sculpture that an architect designed, constructed and gave to Buenos Aires. There are always people there looking at it. It opens and closes with the sun. It looks like the tourists are praying to some ancient sun god or something. The shots also show what perfect weather we are having, part of the parks and how many tall buildings there are here - the city is full of large residential buildings. I guess that is how they fit 15 million people into the city.

Me and Evita

The pretty dogs; the dogs are pretty

So all those things I learnt in Spanish lessons - los perros bonitos, los perros son bonitos, etc - were not wasted. I have seen some fat cats, pretty girls, happy boys and big houses. Just as long as no one speaks to me, I am fine.
Back to the dogs - Buenos Aires is full of them and they all live in apartments, so dog walking businesses do very well. And just the right weather for walking dogs, as you can see.

I can't get enough of topiary dragons - see why

These dragons are next to the lake in cental Hanoi. The person who designed them had a nice sense of whimsy. And who said communists don't have fun? Imagine getting someone in Sydney to approve something playful like this.

Me and some revolutionary friends

Vietnam must be one of the last few places where the revolutionary statues are not just historical artefacts. Lots of people were getting their photos taken under these revolutionary heroes, so I thought I would join in.

Living the high life in Hanoi

It is not everyone who can get a plastic table and stool on the footpath and a bottle of warm water, but when you have connections, life can be pretty good.

Not Florence, but still a room with a view

A view of lots of roof tops, but below there are people everywhere - racing around on their bikes and squeezing every little bit out of life and what they have.