Buddha cave, Laos

This cave is about one our North of Vientiane, on the road to Vang Vieng. Nice spot for a picnic. Photo taken in 2011.

Three women on their way to a wedding in Hanuabada, the village housing the original inhabitants of what is now Port Moresby, PNG. In their hands they have lots of paper money (high value), which is part of the enormous bride price that the family of the groom has to pay the other half. Weddings are preceded by endless negotiations between the two extended families, which continue during the happy day. Thousand of dollars can change hands. Photo taken in 1983.

Back on the air, after more than a year......
This is a bridge over an artificial lake in Putrajaya, the administrative capital of Malaysia.
It is a newly built city with lots of interesting neo-classical architecture. Personally, many of the buildings feel as if they belong in Gotham City. Trying to impress, impose while keeping you locked out. Over-designed is another adjective that comes to mind. This particular bridge was never finished, overtaken by a number of other, bigger ones. Look carefully and you see that the bridge was never connected at either end. The building in the background, appearing to be suspended on the bridge, is a convention center. Photo taken in 2009.

Kiribati houses

Kiribati is an atoll nation in the Pacific, more or less at the intersection of the equator and the international date line. (The ti is pronounced s, so say ki-ri-bas). The land area of Kiribati is extremely small while the country as a whole covers the same area as the US. Its 100,000 people live in the main atoll chain in the west, formerly know as the Gilbert islands. The main island ("capital") is Bairiki, while the commercial center is the neighboring island of Betio. Life is very simple; most people fish and very little grows in the coral ground. The photo shows a typical scene that can be observed on many of the islands. Kiribati is vulnerable to climate change and sea level rise; many of the islands experience increased coastal erosion, and one island north of Betio is already inundated most of the time. Photo taken in 1992

Yap Council

Group of men in front of the municipal council chambers in Yap State, Federated States of Micronesia. They had just finished a meeting with us on the development prospects of the state. Photo taken in 1995.

Nepali village

A Nepali village precariously situated on a ridge at about 2,800 meters altitude. Life is hard in these villages, with a shortage of arable land and a harsh climate. This village lies about two days walking from the nearest road. Photo taken in October 1997, a the onset of winter.

Bali temple face

The literal face at an old temple complex somewhere on Bali. I have forgotten where it is exactly. The whole complex was carved out of rock in ancient times. This struck me because the nose was missing.......... Photo taken in 2006.