Category: Quick reads

During the annual Druk Wangyel Tshechu festival near Thimphu, Bhutan, members of the Royal Bhutan Army perform traditional masked dances.

Bhutan, Thimphu, Druk Wangyel Tshechu festival

Photo of Super Diego – one of the most virile beasts in the Galápagos Islands, and father of over 1,000 Española Island giant tortoises.

Ecuador, Galápagos islands

Bayon is a Khmer temple in the Angkor complex, Cambodia. The temple is famous for its serene and smiling stone faces on the upper terrace and central peak.

Cambodia, Angkor Wat

Ma Wan Town, also known as Ma Wan Main Street Village, was once a bustling fishing community on the island of Ma Wan, Hong Kong. But today it’s a ghost town.

Hong Kong, Ma Wan Town

The Wang Saen Suk ‘hell garden’ in Chonburi, Thailand, is a terrifying vision of the Buddhist underworld.

Thailand, Chonburi, Wang Saen Suk

In 1971 archery was declared the national sport of the kingdom of Bhutan. Today, you’ll see people firing arrows everywhere you go.

Bhutan, Thimphu

A marine iguana swims alongside our boat in the Galápagos islands.

Ecuador, Galápagos islands

A ‘villain hitter’ in Hong Kong curses my enemies by writing their names on a piece of paper, then hammering it with a shoe.

Hong Kong, villain hitter

Two clowns or Atsaras wrestle at the Druk Wangyel Tshechu festival near Thimphu, Bhutan.

Bhutan, Druk Wangyel Tshechu festival

A cantankerous llama on a remote farmstead near the city of Puno, Peru.

Peru, Puno

A meal of freshly picked witchetty grubs, roasted on an open fire.

West Papua, Korowai tribe

Koi carp fight over morsels of food in Yu Garden, Shanghai.

China, Shanghai, Yu Garden

A miniature toilet is used as a bowl for serving spaghetti bolognaise at the Poop Cafe (Ddong Cafe) in Seoul, South Korea.

South Korea, Seoul, Ddong Cafe (Poop Cafe)

A marine iguana sunbathes in the Galápagos islands.

Ecuador, Galápagos

A matriarch from the Dani tribe, dressed in traditional gear, leads a dance in Papua, Indonesia.

West Papua, Baliem Valley

Museo de El Carmen in San Ángel, Mexico City, Mexico.

Mexico, Mexico City, San Ángel

A miner carrying blocks of sulphur climbs from the crater of the Kawah Ijen volcano in Java, Indonesia.

Indonesia, Java, Kawah Ijen volcano

The Sagano Bamboo Forest in Arashiyama – on the outskirts of Koyto, Japan.

Japan, Arashiyama, Sagano Bamboo Forest

A shrine to Mayan deity and folk saint, Maximón, in Santiago Atitlán, Guatemala.

Guatemala, Santiago Atitlán

Gotokuji temple in Tokyo’s Setagaya Ward.

Japan, Tokyo, Gotokuji temple

A farmstead near the Peruvian city of Puno, close to the border with Bolivia.

Peru, Puno

Retro Space Saka Hall in Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan.

Japan, Sapporo, Retro Space Saka Hall

Bolivia’s Sol de Mañana (Morning Sun) is a geothermal field.

Bolivia, Sol de Mañana

The artificial island, Odaiba, in Tokyo Bay, Japan.

Japan, Tokyo, Odaiba

Musée Fragonard in Paris, France.

France, Paris, Musée Fragonard

Mamutik Island, off the coast of Kota Kinabalu in Sarawak (Borneo), Malaysia.

Malaysia, Kota Kinabalu, Mamutik Island

Camp Leakey in Kalimantan (Borneo), Indonesia.

Indonesia, Kalimantan (Borneo), Camp Leakey

The summit of the Pacaya volcano in Guatemala.

Guatemala, Pacaya volcano

The sun rises over Angkor Wat in Cambodia.

Cambodia, Angkor Wat

The sun sets over a group of Moai statues on Rapa Nui, commonly known as Easter Island.

Chile, Easter Island

Yoyogi Park, near the fashionable Harajuku district of Tokyo, Japan.

Japan, Tokyo, Yoyogi Park

Camp Leakey in Kalimantan (Borneo), Indonesia.

Indonesia, Kalimantan (Borneo), Camp Leakey

A village chief from the Dani tribe, Baliem Valley in West Papua

West Papua, Baliem Valley

Summit of Kelimutu, Flores, Indonesia

Indonesia, Flores

A proboscis monkey in Bako National Park, Sarawak (Borneo), Malaysia.

Malaysia, Bako National Park

Dogs dressed in jumpers and sunglasses in downtown Osaka, Japan

Japan, Osaka

Traditional dance in Ubud, the cultural capital of Bali, Indonesia.

Indonesia, Bali, Ubud

The Tomohon Extreme Market, near the city of Manado in Suawesi, Indonesia, is one of the world’s most notorious markets.

Indonesia, Sulwesi, Tomohon Extreme Market

Danza de los Voladores, Mexico City, Mexico

Mexico, Mexico City

A statue covered in moss at the Hozenji Temple in Osaka, Japan.

Japan, Osaka, Hozenji Temple

Kalong Island, Komodo National Park, Indonesia

Indonesia, Komodo National Park

A guard at the Joint Security Area (JSA) in the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) between North and South Korea.

South Korea, Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ)

Mandala Suci Wenara Wana or Monkey Forest in Ubud, Bali, Indonesia.

Indonesia, Bali, Mandala Suci Wenara Wana (Monkey Forest)

A whale shark in Donsol, the Philippines.

Philippines, Donsol

A wild Komodo dragon on Rinca, Indonesia.

Indonesia, Komodo National Park, Rinca

Borobudur, Java, Indonesia

Indonesia, Java, Borobudur

Balinese dancer in Ubud, Indonesia.

Indonesia, Bali, Ubud

Thaipusam procession in Singapore

Singapore, Thaipusam

Kawah Ijen volcano crater in Java, Indonesia

Indonesia, Java, Kawah Ijen volcano crater

Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Cambodia, Phnom Penh, Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum