Down under

When my brother called and asked if I would be interested in spending a couple of weeks in Australia, I couldn't say yes fast enough. We ended up covering a lot of territory (although only a small slice of Australia), and this is some of what I saw.

The rocky coast of New South Wales south of Sydney

Pebbly Beach, Murramarang National Park, New South Wales

Tower Hill Game Reserve, Victoria

12 Apostles, Great Ocean Road, Port Campbell National Park, Victoria

Cradle Mountain-Lake St. Clair National Park, Tasmania

Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge, Sydney

Aborigine busker, Circular Quay, Sydney

Railing metalwork, Circular Quay, Sydney

Sydney Harbour Bridge at night

More people

Flowers

I've been surprisingly busy of late, but I thought I'd add a dash of color.

People

Sometimes it's the people that make the make the strongest impressions on my memories of a place.

One of the ghats along the Ganges in Varanasi, India

A street vender in Taipei, Taiwan

Weaving on a hand loom in Antigua, Guatemala

Jaldhapara Wildlife Sanctuary, India

At the market in Panajachel, Guatemala

A dancing sloth bear and its trainer along the road to Fatehpur Sikri, India

The caves at Elephanta Island near Mumbai, India

Blanket merchant, Copan, Honduras

A border crossing between Guatemala and Mexico

Baksheesh and beauty

These are the two words that stand out in my mind when thinking of India. I don't think I could describe my experiences without mentioning the little tips and bribes that make everything work and the amazing things I saw.

Taj Mahal at dawn, Agra

Taj Mahal, Agra

Khajuraho

Khajuraho

Khajuraho

A white rhino bathing at Jaldhapara Wildlife Sanctuary

Darjeeling

Overlooking Darjeeling and the Himalayas from Tiger Hill

La ruta Maya

Thanks to my brother, I've been able to make a number of trips over the years to visit and explore parts of Mexico and Central America.

Hunahpu, one of the hero twins of Maya mythology, from the mural at Las Pinturas, San Bartolo, Guatemala

K'uh Ik, a Maya wind deity, from the Acropolis on the Western Plaza, Copan, Honduras

El Arco de Santa Catarina and Volcan Agua, Antigua, Guatemala

Temple I, Tikal, Guatemala

Temple IV, Tikal, Guatemala

A caiman at the reptile preserve in Monterrico, Guatemala

Temple of the Inscriptions, Palenque, Mexico

More places

Here are a few more of my favorite pictures of European landmarks.

Kukenhof Gardens near Lisse, The Netherlands

The Eiffel Tower

The Leaning Tower of Pisa

Trevi Fountain, Roma

The Tower of London

One of the ravens at the Tower of London that preserve the realm