Author: James Handlon

Overseas Traveller, Would-be Mountaineer, Skier, Hiker & Occasional Idiotic Adventurer.

Foto Friday – The Chand Baori step well Rajasthan, India

On By James HandlonIn Foto Friday3 Comments
21112746305_bd670c1b6f_k

This step well is located opposite the Harshat Mata Temple, constructed in 800 c. and is one of the deepest and largest step wells in India. It was built in the 9th century and has 3500 narrow steps in 13 stories and is 100 feet deep. It was the most amazing sight to come across in the middle of rural India, literally in the middle of some fields.

The main trouble in attempting to get a photograph that really showed off the true size and scale of the structure was in getting a wide enough angle of shot to pay justice to it! I failed, but I still like this shot! You can however get some idea of the scale of the place from the tiny people seen wandering around the top levels.

Foto Friday – Big Buddha (Po Lin Monastery), Lantau Island

On By James HandlonIn Foto FridayLeave a comment

20924230498_c864f651e5_o

Tian Tan Buddha, also known as the Big Buddha, is a large bronze statue, at 85ft high it sits on a throne of lotus leaves – the Buddhist symbol of purity – and was completed in 1993, it is located at Ngong Ping, Lantau Island, in Hong Kong.

The statue overlooks the nearby Po Lin Monastery and symbolises the harmonious relationship between man and nature, people and religion. It is a major centre of Buddhism in Hong Kong.

A crazy ride via a cable car gets you from the mainland across to the island, alternatively you can hike up into the mountains from the shoreline below having crossed by boat to reach the Buddha. I took literally dozens of shots while I was on Lantau but this is still my favourite, The Buddha looks so serene when viewed directly from the foot of the steps but also so very very powerful.

Don’t die without a question!

On By James HandlonIn QuotesLeave a comment

“Every man ought to be inquisitive through every hour of his great adventure down to the day when he shall no longer cast a shadow in the sun. For if he dies without a question in his heart, what excuse is there for his continuance?” – Roald Amundsen

Foto Friday – Yosemite Falls

On By James HandlonIn Foto Friday1 Comment
6083132961_d33b5edf3d_o.jpg

I love this shot taken back in 2006 during a road-trip around California in a stupidly long 31ft camper van. Yosemite Falls is the highest measured waterfall in North America. Located in Yosemite National Park in the Sierra Nevada of California, it is a major attraction in the park, especially in late spring when the water flow is at its peak.

Yosemite is one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited and an absolute must for outdoor lovers and photographers alike the world over.