pictures from everywhere

 pittsburgh i think

 behind spring's bloom, a skyscraper disappears into the clouds

 autumn colors and reflections

 a view of bangkok from a hotel room

 some apartment buildings on the outskirts of a southern asian metropolis

 summertime concerts in the park seem to be a universal norm

  a sudden deluge caught me off-guard as i ducked into a convenience store for shelter

 a rack of clothes being dried on a pier in a waterside community

 an old lady cooks and sells fried bananas from a boat

 a busy commerce center for tourists

 mother and calf cooling off from the heat in algae-green water

 beijing in the winter

in the many corridors of the forbidden city many smaller houses beckon 

 the great wall at the onset of winter

 even the modern reconstruction effort of a section of the damaged wall is an awe inspiring feat

one of many live-music-filled lounge clubs on a bar street that runs along a lake front

a foreign dignitary and body guards visit the heavenly temple

took a break from the cold and spent some time in a northern town in this southeast asian country

looking out through the haze of dust and pollution to the south east of this northern city

the countryside is all around within a minutes drive - farm scenes like this are common

the border to laos is a few hours drive away - here a few huts line the banks of the mekong

a modern day extravagance built by an eccentric artist for tourists and locals to marvel over for the years to come

a peculiar flowering tree - locals dry the petals and eat them like a snack

sitting in a slow long boat going up the mekong river to the intersection of myanmar laos and thailand

a family scene albeit in a made-for-tourists village run by the modern-day kayan tribe

a strange fusion of old and new fashion sensibilities is displayed by these two twin sisters 

while i do not condone the treatment of some of these majestic mammals in these attractions - i do marvel at the intelligence they exhibit in an attempt to earn tourist dollars

this little guy is really painting a portrait of his friend

this one was staring me down - not sure if he wanted bananas or was trying to control me with his overdeveloped cerebral cortex

i believe this was a couple that had come up to hmong country to take some wedding photos in their native town 

the opium trade has long dwindled down but a few poppy plants still remain

the old town is just littered with wat's - too many to count - each meticulously taken care of and generously financially supported

and yet another 

and yet another 

and yet another 

and yet another 

and yet another 

and yet another 

and yet another - each one more majestic than the one before

shoes outside a very popular temple in the hill overlooking the city

a dog contented to lay on the roadside on a cool morning laze

a butterfly doing what it does 

a red curry of some sort 

 

a family shopping for souvenirs or a way to get through another day without laundry

zip-lining through the jungle - one of the few undiscovered joys in life

small city on a tropical island

an old fort that guarded the city many years ago

the courtyard in that fort looks decidedly civilian

the view looking up from a swimming pool on the 7th floor

creepy artwork at an upscale shopping mall at the center of town

a local delicacy is presented as a two pound slab of meat and bone

bamboo at a nearby taoist temple

pizza napoli is prepared just divinely in this part of the world

an afternoon session of tequila tasting at a watering hole near the hotel

the local neighborhood as seen from my window

not sure how the bicycle is made to stand upright in the rain and wind

a museum dedicated to the history of the immediate region

a post modern church built in honor of a recent hometown saint

a jeepney seen behind a rain-drenched car window

a clearing where kids are playing a pickup game of volleyball

an urban beautification program consisting of recycled bottles and plants

a street vendor takes a break to read up on the progress of the typhoon sweeping through the region

a rooster standing proudly on a working well

street children at a corner of busy streets

view from a taxi

walking to a private island for a lunch of grilled seafood and beer

a sandbar at low tide

a tourist snorkler inundated by fish

weather up ahead of my boat

pleasure craft anchored above a coral reef