I spotted this nice fellow under a bridge crossing a small rivulet near the hotel.
As this was the mouth of the small river, and the water presumably quite brackish, I guess that this is a crocodile rather than a caiman, but I’m by no means sure.
Maybe someone more knowledgeable can enlighten me?
Actually, the way this animal looked was quite “cute”, and neither of us seemed to be scared although we were only a few meters away from each other…
An impressive evening sky seen from Playa Tambor on the Pacific side of Costa Rica (actually located on the Nicoya Peninsula).
A golden Buddha is contemplating the city life from a quiet spot in a barber’s shop.
Seen in Wiesbaden
A glorious winter day provides a good opportunity for the participants to show off their beauty…
Last year’s images:
Wiesbaden: Carnival 2007 - I
Wiesbaden: Carnival 2007 - II
Photos from the Carnival parade 2006
and
http://www.travelphoto.net/a-photo-a-day/wordpress/2006/02/25/carnival-in-wiesbaden/
South African Dance Performance, Shamwari
Dancer at Shamwari
This performance wass held in Shamwari Park, one of the many game parks along the Garden Route, South Africa.
Decidedly touristy, but a very nice photo opportunity and good fun.
Ugly and never shown in profile this dwarf-like god looks very un-Egyptian, and indeed it is suspected that he was imported from somewhere else, maybe other parts of Africa.
Still, as a protector of homes and childbirth, Bes was quite popular although no temples were dedicated to him.
He also acted as god of war and music.
This high relief of Bes (also spelt: Bisu or Bez) is at the entrance to the Dendera temple of Hathor (near Luxor)
A Gamelan orchestra performing in Ubud, Bali.
For ears used to European classical music, this sounds very strange and noisy, but the atmosphere of such a performance is truly unique.
For a long time, it was believed that the Colca Canyon was the deepest canyon on earth, but it turned out that the nearby Cotahuasi Canyon is even deeper.
In any case, the Colca Canyon is an attraction and walking there is a unique experience.
It is quite a strenuous effort, however, - after all it is situated at a height of approximately 3500 meters and acclimatisation is essential.
More on the Colca Canyon at Wikipedia.
More pictures from Peru on my main site and in this blog:
http://peru.travelphoto.net/
http://www.travelphoto.net/a-photo-a-day/wordpress/category/photos/peru/
It is a very relaxing experience to walk along a levada through woods and fields.
The levada Nova in the Western part of Madeira is quite an easy walk and very varied.
Local agencies organise the walks, but it is quite easy to do a walk on your own as well: although there are hardly any signposts, the “levada” carrying the water across the island usually clearly identifies the correct way.
More Levada images:
http://www.travelphoto.net/a-photo-a-day/wordpress/2008/01/03/walking-the-levada-nova-madeira/
http://www.travelphoto.net/a-photo-a-day/wordpress/2004/03/22/madeira-levada-wanderung/
The stone circle is about 5000 years old and today consists of 38 stones of varying size.
I’ve seen it in good and bad weather and don’t know which atmosphere to prefer.
more about the Castelrigg circle and more pictures of the stone ring and the sheep:
http://www.travelphoto.net/a-photo-a-day/wordpress/2006/11/12/sheep-at-castlerigg-stone-circle/
http://www.travelphoto.net/a-photo-a-day/wordpress/2005/08/21/castlerigg-stone-circle/
Even more facts at Wikipedia.
A rusty statue seen in a Bad Hersfeld park.
Actually quite cute, isn’t he?
This fellow is hoping for carrots and you actually can see a few deep inside the hippos mouth.
The teeth are quite impressive, and fortunately you cannot smell the animal’s breath…
The Suricates or Meerkats (German: “Erdmännchen”) are everybody’s darlings…
The Marabou Stork may not be among nature’s most beautiful photo models, but it’s fascinating to watch and seems to be quite intelligent…
A nice day to relax on the lawn…
I took all these photos (and many more) at the Opel Zoo in Kronberg, not too far away from Frankfurt (Germany).
An “electrico” or traditional Lisbon tram. There are many expensive tours on double decker buses, but a ride with electrico 28 will also bring you to most attractions and actually get much closer to some of them.
It’s also much cheaper - and more fun!
The sign on the tram says “colinas de Lisboa” - “Hills of Lisbon” and indeed, it has a steep hill to climb.
Like Rome, Lisbon is built on 7 hills and there are “Miradouras” (”golden views”) almost everywhere.
The Atlas mountains on the way to Ouarzazate.
More photos from Morocco
The photos on this site are copyright by Laurenz Bobke.
A cheap and entertaining way to see Lisbon from another angle is to take the ferry to Cacilhas.
Here I was lucky enough to see quite an impressive sky over the “Ponte 25 de Abril” bridge just before sunset.
An ancient picturesque “shopping mall” for the imperial household.
Today, you can see only tourists instead of the empress and the imperial concubines - but then who would have had the privilege to see this in the 18th century?
This is one of the major attractions of the Summer Palace where you can easily spend a whole day…
St. Peter’s Basilica and the Angels’ bridge leading to it across the Tiber (Italian Tevere) river.
A moment after a short but heavy rain, light breaks through the clods in the Troodos mountains. A tiny bit of the sea is visible in the background.
Agios Georgios is not far from Paphos where I spent a fascinating 1 week holiday.
The water is crystal clear and the coast extremely beautiful - although you do not find the perfect white or golden sand beaches of other holiday locations on Cyprus.
More photos from Agios Georgios.
The Nubian museum in Aswan is one of the most interesting museums I have visited -much more inspiring than the famous, crammed Egyptian museum in Cairo.
Here, all items are shown in the best light - very similar to the equally beautiful Luxor museum.
Outside the museum itself, there are some traditional buildings to be seen, like the small mosque on the picture.
Wandering around the compounds at night is an almost magical experience.
The Diana Fountain on Piazza Archimede at night.
Syracuse at night is a photographer’s paradise. The lights of the harbour and the illuminated monuments create a very special atmosphere.
The photo above was taken with my Minolta Dynax 9 in the blue hour on Fujichrome Velvia using the camera flash and a remote controlled flash as fill-in.
The drive to Ouarzazate is a standard excursion from Marrakesh - and highly recommended.
There are some breathtaking views from the Atlas mountain and beautiful landscapes anywhere.
The tourist buses are comfortable - but if I ever get there gain, I’ll try to find a taxi instead - so that I can make more photo stops and exactly where I want them.
Here you can see the typical small tuft of black hair on the ears of the lynx.
This is easily the biggest cat species in central Europe and a very impressive sight.
Another typical feature of the Lynx is its short, stubby tail.
Again, these pictures were taken at the “Fasanerie” in Wiesbaden, Germany.
When I visited Clonmacnoise, the weather changed rapidly. Here, I got a shot of the surroundings, just a moment before rain started pouring down.
Fortunately, the AV-show was interesting and the rain had disappeared when we came outside again.
The “Fasanerie” in Wiesbaden is home to animals that used to live in the region such as the Wisent (a form of buffalo), wolves and even some bears.
more photos taken at the “Fasanerie”, Wiesbaden: racoon, young foxes.
more photos from Wiesbaden at A Photo a Day.
I also have a special site only showing photos from Wiesbaden.
More about Wiesbaden:
Official website of the city
The salient facts at Wikipedia.
Arles has many sights to offer - a roman amphitheatre, many churches and an ancient and formerly very important cemetery.
A very good way to relax in between is to take a stroll along the Rhône river.
A monkey right outside the Dambulla (Sri Lanka) caves.
Looks like he might have been the role model for Mr. Spock?
I just liked the light on the withered bark of the tree…
Doesn’t it almost look like a face?
The lunar eclipse, seen a few minutes ago in Wiesbaden from my kitchen window.
Fortunately the clouds broke although there always was a little bit of a hazy cloud screen making the photo somewhat less sharp than desirable.
Minolta 7d, Tokina 80-400, image cropped.
The “valley of the moon” (that’s what “valle de la luna” means) is situated in the Atacama desert, not too far from San Pedro de Atacama.
Indeed, some parts of the valley look as though there was no life on Earth…
Oh, and - of course - there are more “valles de la luna” in other Spanish speaking parts of the world (Bolivia, Argentina…), but this is the most famous one.
Aït-Ben-Haddou maybe is the most famous “Ksar” in Morocco.
This fortified village has been featured in many Hollywood productions although Ksar Ouled Soltane in Tunisia may be even more famous.
Surrounded by olive groves, Menara Gardens makes for a very scenic change from the bustle of central Marrakesh.
Even though the water of the pool in front of the pavilion looks somewhat murky. it’s still one of the most romantic places the city has to offer.
You can see the door in the red wall on both photos, by the way.
Punta Arenas is the southernmost city in the world.
Seems that the brightly coloured roofs have to make up for the rough climate…
Gion Corner in Kyoto may not be the most authentic place for Japanese Theatre, but it’s a good way to see different styles of theatre in one evening - and photography is allowed.
Bunraku is the art of the Japanese puppet theatre - one puppet may require several puppet players although there’s always a lead player who sometimes is fully visible.
View of the sea in Patagonia (Southern Chile).
Although the waether is not exactly inviting, the atmosphere is something unforgettable…
