Mark Coughlan, travel photographer, backpacker, photos, backpacking, traveller, round the world

Kumbh Mela Photo Gallery

2010-03-08T21:58:00.004Z

My full photo gallery from my trip to the magnificent, spiritual Hindu pilgrimage, the Kumbh Mela is now live on my website: http://www.imagetheearth.co.uk

After photographing the Ardh Kumbh Mela in Allahabad in 2007, I just had to be at the Maha Kumbh Mela in Haridwar in February 2010. The Maha Kumbh Mela which only ever happens every 12 years and is attended by around 60 million people. Held in Haridwar, Northern India it is the largest gathering anywhere in the world.

Any feedback is as always very welcomed! Please have a look: http://www.imagetheearth.co.uk

Thanks
Mark

Jasmine Evie, 3 1/2 months!

2010-02-07T23:18:00.008Z

Merry Christmas....

2009-12-25T20:13:00.003Z

From our the 'Mamas and Papas' Warehouse it seems!

Jasmine Evie - Latest....

2009-12-10T17:08:00.000Z

A few shots earlier this week when I was 'in charge' of babysitting one morning.

Moving to Mars: A Million Miles from Burma

2009-11-23T21:23:00.002Z

A look at the experiences of two Karen refugee families who have lived for 20 years in a Thai camp and are about to move to Sheffield.
It will be shown on E4 in January.

Jasmine Evie - New Photos

2009-11-17T18:18:00.018Z

Jasmine Evie - Day 1 - 5

2009-10-21T21:20:00.007+01:00

Day One
Just a couple of minutes after her birth.

Day Two

Day ThreeApparently she looks like me. Poor little thing.

Day FourNanny Craddock with her third Great Grandchild.

Day FiveThe calm before the storm.

Jasmine Evie

2009-10-18T23:59:00.002+01:00

The new addition to the family has (finally) arrived.
Jasmine Evie was born on Saturday at 6pm, a mere 10 days late, weighing in at 7lbs 13oz.

The photo above was taken within a couple of minutes of her birth.

Terrible timing as I not only missed a QPR home match, but one of the best performances (4-0 win) in years apparently. Still, pretty good day all round.

More photos tomorrow....

Notting Hill Carnival 2009 - Photo Gallery

2009-08-31T20:51:00.017+01:00

Today was my annual press/photography duties at the Notting Hill Carnival. Below is a small selection of the hundreds taken. Feel free to comment on here or on my Facebook/Twitter page.
CLICK TO ENLARGE AN IMAGE!

London Mela 2009 Photos Gallery!

2009-08-17T16:31:00.018+01:00

Below is a selection of shots taken yesterday at the 2009 London Mela. Click to enlarge!

imagetheearth.co.uk - Brand new, revamped website.

2009-08-04T21:10:00.005+01:00

I'm pleased to finally share with you all my brand new, revamped website, that has just gone 'live' - http://www.imagetheearth.co.uk

All flashed up the site boasts a smoother navigation the site is more user friendly. If you're into social networking, there is a link to the 'Mark Coughlan Photography' Facebook and Twitter pages.

As always any feedback and suggestions are gratefully received.

Please have a look (it took bloody ages) - http://www.imagetheearth.co.uk

Burma VJ: Reporting From a Closed Country

2009-08-03T22:14:00.000+01:00

I was fortunate to see this wonderful documentary at the ICA in London on Saturday - admirable, courageous, brave and deserving to be screened to a wider audience. If you get an opportunity try and see it and show your support.

Official Trailer

Evidence of military brutality smuggled out of Burma is raw and compelling.

The smudged, smuggled footage of recent turbulence in Iran and China that has been circulating on the web gives a topical edge to Burma VJ, Anders Ostergard’s eye-opening and inspiring look at an underground cadre of guerilla film makers who have risked their lives to document the freedom struggles of people in ‘Myanmar’.

In summer 2007 a group of monks there led a rebellion, triggered by price hikes for fuel, against the dictatorship that has ruled the nation for four decades. Immediately, foreign news reporters were banished and the internet was censored. A brave group, calling itself The Democratic Voice of Burma, armed itself with digicams to record demonstrations, give voice to protestors, and to capture evidence of military brutality.

That footage, smuggled to Norway via Thailand, is raw and compelling. The story of how it was sneaked out is worthy of the best thrillers. Burma VJ is crucial testament to the will of a suffering people to ensure the world does not forget them.

Sukhdev Sandhu, Telegraph.co.uk

Offical website: http://www.burmavjmovie.com/

Baishaki Mela 2009 - Bangladeshi New Year, London.

2009-05-10T21:47:00.010+01:00

Firstly, Happy Bangladeshi New Year to everyone!
I managed to get a press pass for today's Baishaki Mela in 'Bangla town', just off Brick Lane.
In the two hours I was there I managed to take quite a few photos from the main stage. For now here is 8 photos with the promise that there will be more later in the week with a name of each artist.
Click on all images to enlarge, all images copyright Mark Coughlan

London Marathon 2009

2009-04-27T18:21:00.006+01:00

Jesus the Marathon was too hot and very tough going. On the London Marathon website they claim it was "the hottest conditions ever experienced in the 26-year history of the race."
I struggled at 16 miles, the heat was just too much. I was easily on target for my aim of a 3:45 finish, but I really had to knock that on the head, drop the pace as I felt I would get into big trouble in the next few miles. Miles 16-20 was tough going, I felt empty, sick and incredibly hot. I ended up coming in at a comfortable pace at 4:15.
Very frustrating that after four hard months training that the weather impacted so much as training went really well and I knew I could have done a 3:45.Apparently 750 people failed to finish with 350 taken to hospital. Unbelievable number of people collapsed on the side of the road.

I'm hanging up my 'Marathon trainers' now, I trained so hard for today over the past 4/5 months but the heat just zapped me mentally and physically so just finishing it became the achievement.

On the positive, it seems I've caught the sun!

London Marathon Update

2009-03-22T18:31:00.004Z

Five weeks to go and the latest issue of "Marathon News" has just arrived. This edition contains full details on every aspect of the race day and gives me my registration sheet with notification of my race number - 22923.

For the first time, I'm starting to cack it slightly.

Sussex Beacon (Brighton) Half Marathon

2009-02-22T17:36:00.007Z

Those that have been following my progress on Twitter will be well aware of my impending participation in the London Marathon this coming April. My ability to sprint is in no doubt following a turbulent 'yoof', running from the Rozzers in the ghetto's of West London.

The training has been going better then expected, today was the Sussex Beacon Half Marathon in Brighton and a chance to assess how the preparation is really going.
I have a bit of a habit of storming off at the start of races so today I got eye strain looking at my Garmin to ensure I religiously stick to 5 minute kilometres for the entire race.

I finish bang on my target of 1 hour, 45 minutes and pretty much a constant pace throughout, though the nasty hills at mile 8 and 11 made the final couple of miles a bit of an effort. Total distance was 21.38kms.

Two photo's I was unaware were taken and probably sums up my post race thoughts immediately after crossing the line....

Rageh Omaar in Iran

2009-02-16T21:07:00.001Z

Rageh Omaar embarks on a unique journey inside what he describes as one of the most misunderstood countries in the world, looking at the country through the eyes of people rarely heard - ordinary Iranians.

It took a year of wrangling to get permission to film inside Iran but the result is an amazing portrayal of an energetic and vibrant country that is completely different to the usual images seen in the media.

Featured on BBC3, below is the full documentary split into 10 minute segments for easy viewing.

Rageh Omaar, Inside Iran - Part 1/10

Rageh Omaar, Inside Iran - Part 2/10

Rageh Omaar, Inside Iran - Part 3/10

Rageh Omaar, Inside Iran - Part 4/10

Rageh Omaar, Inside Iran - Part 5/10

Rageh Omaar, Inside Iran - Part 6/10

Rageh Omaar, Inside Iran - Part 7/10

Rageh Omaar, Inside Iran - Part 8/10

Rageh Omaar, Inside Iran - Part 9/10

Rageh Omaar, Inside Iran - Part 10/10

The Real Slumdog Millionaire!

2009-01-25T19:03:00.004Z

With 'Slumdog Millionaire' headlining the news this week with its Oscar nominations, a wonderful feature was on Sky News this week when reporter Alex Crawford interviewed a real 'Slumdog Millionaire' - when a Rickshaw driver from Mumbai actually won one million rupees on the Indian version of 'Who wants to be a Millionaire'.

Around the World in 80 Faiths - Episode Three

2009-01-25T18:54:00.002Z

The third episode - Part 3/8 - Africa
Pete Owen Jones continues his year long religious odyssey with a gruelling journey exploring the spiritual traditions of Africa. Pete sets off hoping to get a glimpse of man's first experience of the divine. His journey begins with the ancient practice of Voodoo in Benin, where Pete is confronted by ritual practices that contradict his own deeply held religious convictions. He is forced to decide whether he should even take part.

In the continent where all human life began, he travels to Botswana to meet the San Bushmen, inheritors of the earliest religious faith on earth. In South Africa he discovers surprising new developments in religious belief when he meets the members of the 12th Apostolic Church and is stunned to find Afrikaners who believe the world is about to come to an end. In Ethiopia he finds a group of one of the worlds youngest religions - Rastafarians who have set up a Utopian community in this harsh and unforgiving land.

It is a six-part series is on BBC Two, Tuesday's at 9pm.
In case you missed the third episode, you can watch it below, split into ten minute segments for easy viewing. Episodes one and two are also on my blog in case you've missed the series so far.

Around the World in 80 Faiths - Episode Three - Part 1/6

Around the World in 80 Faiths - Episode Three - Part 2/6

Around the World in 80 Faiths - Episode Three - Part 3/6

Around the World in 80 Faiths - Episode Three - Part 4/6

Around the World in 80 Faiths - Episode Three - Part 5/6

Around the World in 80 Faiths - Episode Three - Part 6/6

Home for the Elderly: Brand new website!

2009-01-19T17:50:00.005Z

I'm pleased to announce that the brand new website for the charity 'Home for the Elderly' is now online. Please visit our website for information how you can help support us and how you can make a donation or sponsoring a nursing bed.

http://www.homefortheelderly.org

Notes:
Pashupati Briddhshram ("Old Home") is the largest old people's home in Kathmandu, Nepal - Home to 238 residents, but only 9 care workers.

These neglected souls live in appalling, inhumane conditions. Some are blind, mentally ill or physically disabled, with many requiring constant medical attention and care.

Due to a lack of funding the home is marred by an acute shortage of everything, from a basic water supply, electricity and care workers.

Home for the Elderly was established to help fund essential criteria of the "Old Home" including nursing beds, heating, electricity generators and medical supplies.

http://www.homefortheelderly.org

Around the World in 80 Faiths - Episode two

2009-01-16T21:52:00.004Z

The second episode - Part 2/8 - The Far East
In this episode of the series, Pete encounters the exotic and inscrutable religions of the Far East, from anarchic Buddhist Naked Man and Shinto Fire festivals in Japan to enlightening Taoist monks in the mountains of China.

He visits an obscure Shamanic sect in South Korea, and finds out how war helped to create the biggest church in the world. In Buddhist Thailand he explores the meaning of non-attachment, and in Vietnam he comes under the spell of a divine eye, before giving money away to a mother goddess.

It is a six-part series is on BBC Two, Tuesday's at 9pm.
In case you missed the second episode, you can watch it below, split into ten minute segments for easy viewing.

Around the World in 80 Faiths - Episode Two - Part 2/6

Around the World in 80 Faiths - Episode Two - Part 2/6

Around the World in 80 Faiths - Episode Two - Part 3/6

Around the World in 80 Faiths - Episode Two - Part 4/6

Around the World in 80 Faiths - Episode Two - Part 5/6

Around the World in 80 Faiths - Episode Two - Part 6/6

Scenes from the Gaza Strip

2009-01-07T20:25:00.005Z

Scenes from the Gaza Strip - View more of an incredibly powerful collection of photographs from the Gaza Strip featured on 'The Big Picture' on Boston.com. Gallery>

Around the World in 80 Faiths - BBC Series

2009-01-06T21:01:00.003Z

Another fabulous travel series from the BBC has started this week, they really should be applauded for some great travel related TV in the last few years.
The latest one - Around the World in 80 Faiths where Anglican vicar Pete Owen Jones presents the definitive guide to faith on earth, with eighty rituals across six continents in the space of a year. It is a six-part series is on BBC Two, Tuesday's at 9pm.
In case you missed the first episode, you can watch it below, split into ten minute segments for easy viewing.

Episode 1 of 6 - Part 1/8 - Australasia and the Pacific Ring of Fire
Pete travels to Australasia to find out how tribal faiths have survived into the 21st century. He goes into the Australian outback in search of the meaning of aboriginal dreaming, to Indonesia for the elaborate funeral of a woman who died 20 years ago; to Sydney to witness the survival of ancient persecuted faiths like the Iraqi Mandeans and witchcraft, and to the remote volcanic islands of Vanuatu in the Pacific ring of fire to unravel the mystery of the cargo cult.

Around the World in 80 Faiths - Episode One- Part 1/6

Around the World in 80 Faiths - Episode One- Part 2/6

Around the World in 80 Faiths - Episode One- Part 3/6

Around the World in 80 Faiths - Episode One- Part 4/6

Around the World in 80 Faiths - Episode One- Part 5/6

Around the World in 80 Faiths - Episode One- Part 6/6

Berlin Marathon fundraising update: Painting day for Orphans in Cambodia

2008-12-12T22:00:00.007Z

"Team Runny Honney" - A small band of merry-men including myself and 11 foolish "athletes" where put together to run the Berlin Marathon and in doing so raise money for the Cambodia Trust, an organisation our intrepid leader John Honney works for in the warmth of Phenom Penh.
A quite staggering final amount raised is in the region of £20,000. I can't thank the good people who sponsored my personal efforts in participating in the marathon and helping towards the tremendous amount of money raised.

In a heart warming email from John is details on how some of the money has been spent on organising a painting day for local Orphans in Phenom Penh, Cambodia.

The photo above along with the following note from John pinged into my inbox this week:

Hi All,
A long story, but on Saturday just gone, I organised a painting day, originally for 40 orphans, but by the end of the day we must have had double that splishing and splashing all over the place.
I will do a fuller account in due course, but for now, a few piccies are attached for a little 'ahhh' moment.

Cheers

JH

The Backpacking Years Photo Gallery - Part Three

2008-11-09T18:05:00.009Z

The Backpacking Years: View the complete gallery

In the third part of "The Backpacking Years" photo gallery, here are photos 9-12 with a description/background on each of the shots.

After 12 days trekking, Everest Base Camp is only one more day away. Before the final day is an afternoon climb to the top of Kalla Pattar which is covered in prayer flags for the best view of Mount Everest and the Himalayas.

A favourite Kiwi past-time - enjoying a "tinny" at the rugby, Otago versus the British Lions at Carisbrook Stadium, Dunedin, New Zealand.

Thumbs up from a novice monk at Wat Xieng Thong in Luang Prabang, Laos.

A backpacking highlight from New Zealand - a Whale watching excursion from Kaikora, South island.

The Backpacking Years: View the complete gallery

The Backpacking Years Photo Gallery - Part Two

2008-10-24T20:02:00.006+01:00

The Backpacking Years: View the complete gallery

Firstly, a massive thank you to everyone who has expressed their positive feedback on the new gallery of photos from the archive, "The Backpacking Years". While the photos are a trip down memory lane for me, for many of you they are photos you are seeing for the first time, taken a good 4-5 years ago.

Below is photos 5-8 with a description/background on each of the shots.

As this elderly chap was not the only one, it seems that sleeping through the mid-afternoon sun atop of a temple in Durbar Square is very much the thing to do in Kathmandu, Nepal.

Stretching for miles, the most majestic of drives in New Zealand's south island during the winter months between Mount Cook and Lake Tekapu. This photo was a winner in a Lonely Planet competition back in 2005.

There was a never ending line of novice monks wanting their photos taken so they could admire themselves on the LCD screen - the power of Digital camera - at Lavrin Sum temple in Erdene Zuu Khiid, Mongolia.

A young girl who collects recyclable rubbish at Angkor Wat, takes a break from her odious job in the late afternoon sunshine, Cambodia.

The Backpacking Years: View the complete gallery

The Backpacking Years Photo Gallery - Part One

2008-10-14T09:02:00.007+01:00

The Backpacking Years: View the complete gallery

Could it be a case of itchy feet yet again?
I've recently found myself looking through some of my earlier photography taken on my first couple of backpacking/Round the world trips back in 2004 and 2005.

I have picked a selection of shots from the archive, some you may have seen before and others for the first time. Some of the photos were taken with film prior to the digital world catching hold of my imagination.
For your viewing pleasure, I have put 28 photos together to form a new gallery on my website, titled "The Backpacking Years".

Grouped into sets of four, I will give a little background on each photo. Please do add your comments below or feel free to email me your thoughts/feedback.
On a cycle ride into the remote countryside around Yangshou, Southern China we passed a group of dumbstruck kids who look as if they've never seen Westerners before.

This Memorial stupa on the outskirts of Phnom Penh is a gruesome reminder of Cambodia's brutal past at the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek. The stupa contains over 8000 skulls exhumed from mass graves.

Breakdancers at New York's 42nd Street subway station entertain the crowds with an excellent performance. I have video clips that I will upload and add to the blog in due course!

A Hindhu man's morning bathing ritual on the steps of the Ghats on the the holy river Ganges in Varanasi, India.

The Backpacking Years: View the complete gallery

Berlin Marathon 2008: Mission complete!

2008-10-06T12:23:00.007+01:00

It was all going so well up to the 23/24kms mark. I was a couple of minutes ahead of my pace, with an aim of 3:45 finishing time, so as I approached half way I stopped for two minutes to have a drink at 19kms where Anita was waiting. Big mistake.
When I headed off my right hamstring tightened to such an extent I thought I'd been shot in the back of the leg by a German sniper. I battled on despite having to stop for a massage on 25kms and then every 5kms thereafter to stretch, I somehow got over the finish line.
I got home in 4:02:29, slightly disappointed but glad to make it round as the last 15kms were mentally very tough.

I actually completed 27 miles, almost an extra mile, as my trusty watch gizmo tells me, I guess taking into account that you don't run in one straight line but spend much of your time weaving from one side of the road to the other trying to pass groups of people it all adds to your actual distance. When you bear that in mind and the stops for a message and stretch I should be pleased with my time.

Thanks to everyone that once again kindly sponsored me, this time raising £400.00 for The Cambodia Trust. This together with the money raised through The Rickshaw Run in January and the Mongol Rally in the summer has seen my fundraising exceed £5,000.

The Cambodia Trust
Justgiving: Mark Coughlan Berlin Marathon 2008

The Girl With Two Faces: A Bodyshock Special

2008-10-04T21:35:00.003+01:00

In early March 2008, a perfectly healthy baby was born in rural India. But baby Lali was no ordinary child, against odds of 50 million to one this little girl was born with two faces.
This revealing documentary forming part of Channel Four's excellent 'Bodyshock' series follows the Singh family in a race against time as they try to reconcile their mistrust of modern medicine with their desire to keep their daughter alive and healthy.

Lali was born to the impoverished Singh family in the rural village of Saini Sunpura, 50 kilometres from New Delhi, where life has stayed much the same for centuries.
To watch the entire episode click here or watch the seven minute clip below.

Slumdog Millionaire: UK premiere/release

2008-10-04T18:54:00.006+01:00

Below are two short preview clips from the forthcoming UK premiere of Slumdog Millionaire. Showing at Leicester Square Odeon on Thursday October 30th 2008 ahead of a nationwide release in January 2009.

Slumdog Millionaire (2008) The film tells the story of Jamal Malik, an 18 year-old orphan from the slums of Mumbai, who is about to experience the biggest day of his life. With the whole nation watching, he is just one question away from winning a staggering 20 million rupees on India's Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? But when the show breaks for the night, police arrest him on suspicion of cheating; how could a street kid know so much? Desperate to prove his innocence, Jamal tells the story of his life in the slum where he and his brother grew up, of their adventures together on the road, of vicious encounters with local gangs, and of Latika, the girl he loved and lost. Each chapter of his story reveals the key to the answer to one of the game show's questions.

Sujata Banerjee Dance Company - A Sacred Thread

2008-09-22T11:23:00.005+01:00

I've just purchased tickets for a forthcoming production by the Sujata Banerjee Dance Company at the Southbank Centre.
The name of the show is "A Sacred Thread" and is to be performed on Wednesday 15th October at 8pm. Tickets are very limited, so be quick if you want to attend the performance.

SUJATA BANERJEE DANCE COMPANY - A Sacred Thread
Wednesday 15 October 2008, 8pm

This innovative dance theatre work uses the multi-layered fabric of Kathak, narrative and original music to retell the story of an extraordinary woman from the 18th century who made an enormous impact in society. Shobna Gulati, the TV actress from Coronation Street, plays the lead role. Through the powerful medium of dance, drama and music the programme explores current issues concerning women and gender equality, children and human rights, and environment and sustainability. The programme is directed by the renowned theatre personality Nona Shepphard and uses special compositions of Pandit Birju Maharaj.

Southbank Centre Official website (Tickets)

The German Invasion - Berlin Marathon 2008

2008-08-28T12:20:00.005+01:00

I knew that the years running around the housing estate slums of West London from the Rozzers would one day come in handy. The next challenge ahead in my ever complicated life, is shifting my 14 stone frame around the streets of Berlin in the forthcoming Marathon on the 28th September.

It's all John Honney's fault by the way. As you may have read about our chief organiser in my latest blog post "If it wasn't for John Honney...", he has assembled a team of a dozen QPR supporters to participate iin the Berlin Marathon for The Cambodia Trust - a charatable organisation he is currently working with in Pehnom Pehn.

Having being enlisted as a member of the said assembled QPR crew some 15 months ago, the fact that only five weeks to go has left me feeling panic with plenty of bowel movements.

I've set myself the modest target of raising £500.00 for The Cambodia Trust. To help me achieve this total I once again turn the the good people I call friends who have already this year dug deep that has seen my efforts in the Rickshaw Run and Mongol Rally raise over £6,000.
If you would like to chuck a small amount of coins into the hat, you can do so at my JustGiving webpage - The German Invasion

To help raise my set target I've also got a fully signed QPR shirt from the 2007/08 season, complete with signatures of the entire squad including Gigi De Canio, our manager at the time. This shirt is being auction on a supporters website, please get in touch if you would like more details.

Thanks again for your support!

Mark
Cambodia Trust Website
JustGiving - Mark Coughlan, The German Invasion

If it wasn't for John Honney.....

2008-08-28T11:51:00.002+01:00

He's a pretty inspirational fella is my mate John. He's someone who should take a pretty hefty share for the inspration over the years and for the desire to travel that even to this day is what drives me.

I first met john back in 2003 over an cheeky ale in the Bush Ranger pub (RIP), what was then a pwopa boozer but now some pouncy Starbucks yuppy type called the "Dog pissing on stinging nettles" or something.
At the time John had just returned from his latest round the world trip, this time to South America and I was a fresh faced, disenchated youngster seeking more out of life, adventure and culture (as if Shepherds Bush didn't offer that).

John has (finally) got himself a website/blog which is a truely facinating read.

Without spoiling what I hope you will all read on his blog, John is currently working for The Cambodia Trust in the Cambodian capital, Phenom Pehn - Living life as it should be, getting the most out of it whatever is thrown at you.

I just hope that when I get *cough* as old as John, that I'm still fulfilling life to the max as he clearly is.

Have a good read - John Honney: Planet Honneywood

Life on the Edge: No Country for Young Girls?

2008-08-19T20:15:00.004+01:00

Click here to view a trailer of the documentary: No Country For Young Girls?

Showing on BBC World News on Augsut 19th at 1930 GMT. Repeating at 1530 GMT on Thursday 21st August and at 0130 GMT on Friday 22nd.

As Vaijanti goes on a journey across India, she must decide if it's booming economy can offer her and her daughters a fair and prosperous future. Or will she decide that India is no country for young girls, and go back to her husband?
In the shadow of the Taj Mahal, Vaijanti must decide if she can leave her husband and make a life of her own.

Vaijanti, who's 27, fled her husband's home in the city of Agra, after a bitter row - she already had one daughter, and his family wanted her to abort another.

But Vaijanti decided she'd had enough - and went ahead with the pregnancy. Now she's living with her parents, and two young daughters. But with no income of her own, she's undecided whether to go back to her husband or not.

Vaijanti wants to know if things are as bad for girls in the rest of India - why are so many families determined not to have girl children?

If India is one of the world's booming economies - thanks to its embrace of globalization- aren't these old-fashioned prejudices dying out?

As 'Life' takes Vaijanti on a journey across India, she must decide if its booming economy can offer her and her daughters a fair and prosperous future.

Or will she decide that India is no country for young girls, and go back to her husband?

Before the Rains

2008-08-14T19:11:00.006+01:00

Before the Rains - a beautifully shot film against the stunning Kerela, South Indian backdrop. No longer in the cinema but a copy of the film should be easy enough to pick up from Southall.

Directed by Santosh Sivan, Before the Rains is set in 1930s colonial India and stars Linus Roache as Henry Moores, a spice grower who's desperate to finish building an important road before Monsoon season begins. Henry is also having a passionate affair with his young housekeeper, Sanjani (Nandita Das), which he has to hide from the local villagers because of her arranged marriage to the vicious Rajat (Lal Paul).

However, Henry's bliss is short-lived, first because his wife Laura (Jennifer Ehle, lovely as ever) arrives from England with their young son in tow, and secondly because Rajat's discovery of Sanjani's affair puts everyone's lives in danger. Seeking refuge, Sanjani turns to Henry for help, but he's desperate to hide the affair from Laura, so he asks his right-hand man, T.K. (Rahul Bose) to help Sanjani get to safety, with disastrous results.

Before the Rains website

Mark Coughlan Photography - New business cards

2008-08-14T16:22:00.007+01:00

As the website got a facelift, it was as good a time as ever to have some new business cards printed to promote my work as a photographer and the website itself.
As you will see from the sample above, I chose the striking image of the women who had fainted after praying to exocise evil spirits, demons, torments and seek redress at the temple of Sufi Saint, Bahadur Shaheed in Varanasi, India.

Image the Earth website - re-designed!

2008-08-14T16:09:00.008+01:00

Just prior to departing on the Mongol Rally, my website went through a bit of a re-design.
For those that haven't yet seen the new layout, if you could reward my hours of work and have a look at the new look website it would be very much appreciated!

You will see an "Add this" link, which enables you to share and bookmark my website as one of your favourites and through social networking sites such as Facebook, Digg, Myspace and many more.

Any views, comments, suggestions are as always very welcomed!

Image the Earth - Mark Coughlan Photography!

Camera kit for the Mongol Rally

2008-07-15T21:53:00.005+01:00

It's that tiime again, the eve before another trip and the logistical nightmare that is packing all my camera equipment.

Squeezed into my LowePro bag and two additional camera lens holders are the following items coming with me on this trip:

Canon D30 Camera/Body
Canon EF 24-70mm f2.8 L IS USM Lens (plus hood)
Canon EF 70-200mm f2.8 L IS USM Lens (plus hood)
Canon EF 85mm f1.8 Lens (plus hood)
2 X 2GB Scandisk memory chips
4 x 1GB Scandisk memory chips
Canon Speedlite 430EX Flashgun
5 Camera Batteries
Battery charger
Camera cleaning kit

A Year in Tibet - Episode Three

2008-07-08T21:10:00.004+01:00

Here is the third of five episodes on the wonderful documentary, A Year in Tibet. I trust you've all enjoyed the first and second episodes recently posted on here.
It's winter time in Gyantse, New Years day preparations at the monestary and poor "Osa" is seriously ill and his family fear for this life.

Again, this episode is split into six 10 minute segments for easy viewing. Check "Latest blog posts" to view the first and second episode. Happy viewing.

I will upload the rest of the episodes in due course - check back soon!

A Year in Tibet - Episode Three- Part 1/6

A Year in Tibet - Episode Three - Part 2/6

A Year in Tibet - Episode Three - Part 3/6

A Year in Tibet - Episode Three - Part 4/6

A Year in Tibet - Episode Three - Part 5/6

A Year in Tibet - Episode Three - Part 6/6

...and the winner is....

2008-07-08T21:00:00.004+01:00

After some research and some much needed advice I am now the owner of the Canon 24-70mm f2.8L Lens.
Finally I got hold of a virtually brand new lens, in absolute mint condition all for the very resonable price of £550. Cheap in comparsion the the listed price of just under £900 and the average Ebay price of £650.

To finance (in part) the cost of the new lens I've parted company with my Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM Lens.

The downfall of Chelsea....

2008-06-18T20:17:00.004+01:00

I know it has nothing whatsoever to do with travelling, photography or backpacking and not the usual blog post on here.... but this is hilarious. Lets all laugh at Chesea!

U'Rsssssss

Canon 24-70 mm f2.8 L or Canon 24-105 mm f4 L IS Lens

2008-06-16T14:44:00.006+01:00

Another trip beacons, so it's inevitable that I must purchase a new camera lens. It's what I do.
I've been looking for a new general purpose medium focal length zoom lens and have whittled the choices down to two possibilities:

Canon 24-105 mm f4 L IS Lens
Canon 24-70 mm f2.8 L LensRoughly the price difference is about £100, with the 24-105mm the cheaper of the two costing roughly £600 online.

I've read plenty of reviews, but I guess the best people to answer this are other photographers with one or both lens to point me in the right direction.

Thoughts, comparisons, recommendations - anyone?

KHAKEE - The best of Indian Bollywood!

2008-06-13T22:22:00.008+01:00

When I travelled to India back in 2004, on one my many since trips to the sub-continent, I went to the famous Raj Mandir cinema in Jaipur to catch the latest Bollywood blockbuster.
So good was the film that four years on I managed to pick up a DVD of the movie from a recent trip to Southall.

If anyone is in West London anytime soon, I'd highly recommend asking one of the many DVD shops to source a copy. Failing that, a quick Google search and you will easily be able to order a copy (or ask me for mine!)

I've found a few clips from the movie to give you all a little taste for the movie and Bollywood movies in general. This, in my opinion the best I've seen to date.

About the Movie
DCP Anant Shrivastav (Amitabh Bachchan) has been assigned the mission to escort terrorist Iqbal Ansari (Atul Kulkarni) from Chandangarh to Mumbai. His terrorist organization are determined to obtain him again. The plan for this is led by Yashwant Angre (Ajay Devgan), a ruthless killer and a former police officer. Anant's team consists of Inspector Shekhar Sachdev (Akshay Kumar), rookie cop Ashwin Gupte (Tusshar Kapoor) and two more inspectors. Soon Mahalakshmi (Aishwarya Rai) joins them as she is the only witness to have seen Yashwant. The team are armed and ready to go but danger lurks everywhere as the terrorist organization are determined to make sure the officers do not make it to Mumbai. The trip turns into survival when the team are attacked at various times. Finally the team make it to an abandoned cottage in the forest but there is a shoot out and the team are heavily outnumbered. Shekhar tries to force an exchange but against Anant's and Ashwin's judgement. Finally Ansari, after weeks of frustration, reveals that the terrorists are also out to kill him. He reveals a corrupt world involving the police and politicians. The officers soon realize the enemy they have been fighting is closer to them...In the end, Shekhar is killed by Mahalakshmi and her associate Angre. This killing spites anger into Anant and he hunts down each one of the corrupt officers and in the end, captures Angre after a fight during which, Despite Anant needing his medication often, he wins, and Angre is successfully captured. The movie ends as Angre is tried and sentenced to prison, and is being carried to his sentence; when he decides to flee, as a nut is lose in the bar to which he is handcuffed in the police van. Angre has Ashwin on gun point using a constable's rifle, when Ashwin reveals that Angre's lose nut was a setup to allow the killing of Angre, and that the bullets of the rifle had been emptied. Ashwin then shoots Angre, and reports his death as murder in an encounter.

A Year in Tibet - Episode Two

2008-06-13T21:34:00.004+01:00

The second episode in a five-part BBC4 documentary on life living in and around the Tibetan town, Gyantse.

Below is the second episode of the five part documentary, again split into six 10 minute segments for easy viewing. Check "Latest blog posts" to view the first episode which was recently added.

I will upload the rest of the episodes in due course - check back soon!

A Year in Tibet - Episode Two- Part 1/6

A Year in Tibet - Episode Two - Part 2/6

A Year in Tibet - Episode Two - Part 3/6

A Year in Tibet - Episode Two - Part 4/6

A Year in Tibet - Episode Two - Part 5/6

A Year in Tibet - Episode One - Part 6/6

BBC4 documentary "Bombay Railways"

2008-06-13T21:05:00.007+01:00

Having watched the BBC4 documentary called "Bombay Railways", I've found a 20 minute segment on the fascinating two-part observational documentary. The programme looks at the incredible organisation that is the Bombay Railway, with stories of the people who keep the trains running 24 hours a day, those who survive because of it - and those who die on it.
The documentary is repeated on BBC4 sporadically so keep checking!

A Year in Tibet - Episode One

2008-06-12T20:32:00.000+01:00

Not sure if many of you managed to catch the wonderful series that was on BBC4 in March - A Year in Tibet.
It was a five-part documentary series following a year in the life of the society living in and around Gyantse, Tibet's third largest town.

After a search on youtube I've managed to find the entire documentary and will post it on my blog for your viewing.

Below is episode one of the five part documentary, split into six 10 minute segments for easy viewing. See how the Monks deal with the stray dogs at the Monastery ahead of the Panchen Lama visits - eeeew!

I will upload the rest of the eposides in due course - check back soon!

Sit back and enjoy.....

A Year in Tibet - Episode One - Part 1/6

A Year in Tibet - Episode One - Part 2/6

A Year in Tibet - Episode One - Part 3/6

A Year in Tibet - Episode One - Part 4/6

A Year in Tibet - Episode One - Part 5/6

A Year in Tibet - Episode One - Part 6/6

Yak to the Future in the Surrey Advertiser!

2008-06-01T18:17:00.002+01:00

Our lunacy is now common knowledge to all the (old) folk of Godalming and Surrey. Splashed accross page two of the local rag we are pictured in what will no doubt be a regular, worried looking pose throughout central asia, or on the hard shoulder of the A2 on the way to Dover. For those with bad eyesight, here is what the paper had to say on our forthcoming trip as we don't do our bit for the evironment!

To Mongolia in 'umbrella on wheels'
On 19 July, three young men from Godalming and Haslemere will depart from Hyde Park, to race 10,000 miles from London to Mongolia in a twenty-year-old Citroen 2CV, to raise money for charity.

Mark Coughlan, Joe Turner and Tim Hopkin, will compete against 200 other teams taking part from all over the UK. They will head east passing through countries such as; Iran, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan on their way to Mongolia.

The two charities they aim to raise funds for are the Pashupati Briddhsshram Home for the Elderly, in Kathmandu, Nepal, a government run home for 236 residents in urgent need of resources. The second, the Mercy Corps Mongolia, is an organisation that supports rural communities and herding families through economic, educational and agricultural programmes.

The team is looking for sponsorship in the form of donations from individuals, items from their wish list that they will need for the journey or corporate sponsors. They hope to raise a total of £5,000 for their chosen charities.

Mark, said: “We are all very excited about the trip and passionate about our chosen charities. The money that we raise will make a huge difference to so many lives. We have already received some corporate sponsorship from The Great Big Event Company, Witley, Polaris Consulting Limited, Guildford and ShareNow.com but we need more to hit our target.

If you are interested in sponsoring Mark and his team and would like to find out more, please visit the website at www.yaktothefuture.com.

Has anyone got a Nissan Micra for sale?

2008-05-18T21:30:00.002+01:00

Will we make it? Well judging by yesterdays disasters we're not too sure. After only 30 miles into the journey home I was parked up on the hard shoulder just short of Swindon awaiting the RAC rescue van to arrive. Heading to Mongolia we expect a fair few punctures en-route. Especially in the pot holed roads of Kazakhstan, but not on the bloody M4 motorway!

Anyway that was the least of the problem. After the RAC chappy had repaired the puncture(and telling me how his Dad pulled a lap dancer the night before while his Mum was on holiday. It must be a Swindon Yokel thing) the car then wouldn't start up, with the battery dead. Out come the jump leads and eventually I was off. However with the battery as good as knackered, the windscreen wipers stopped working, which didn't help in the rain, then the indicators weren't working, and finally to top it off I had to drive the last hour getting flashed by every oncoming car as the lights didn't work!The good news is that on the motorway the car got up to a whopping 65mph, and in doing so over taking (with no indicators) two horse boxes!

The day itself was good fun. On arriving at the dealership the owner was nowhere to be seen. Instead we had two workers fresh off the bus from Poland. A little driving through the Somerset countryside feeling like we were going to tip over on every corner and driving up any hill was in 1st gear making an almighty racket.Parking up at the abandoned University car park to take some photos as you are now seeing, a car pulls up with a lady and her family. "That is the Mongolian flag" she said with surprise, "I'm from Mongolia!". I kid you not, how bloody bizarre was that. Having been to Mongolia myself in 2005, we talked about where I had been and she even knew the people (guide, hotel owner in UB) that I met in Ulaan Bator. Very spooky!

If anyone wants to buy a Citroen 2CV, please get in touch ASAP!!

More: Yak to the Future website

Jaipur bombings kill 63 people

2008-05-14T20:50:00.007+01:00

Indian authorities imposed a daylong curfew in the historic city of Jaipur on Wednesday, the day after serial bombs tore through the pink-walled center of this western Indian city, killing 63 people and wounding more than 100.

Police officers and civic leaders shooed people off the streets in hopes of avoiding any Hindu-Muslim tension, and foreign tourists were restricted to their hotel rooms.

It was the first terrorist attack in many months. There were no further leads on who may have been responsible for the Tuesday evening bombings, eight explosions in all, according to A. S. Gill, director general of police for Rajasthan state, of which Jaipur is the capital.

“The intention obviously was to create communal disturbances,” he said, adding that nothing of the sort had yet materialized. “It’s totally peaceful.”

The police were interrogating several people, Mr. Gill said. The explosives had been attached to bicycles, the mangled ruins of which were found at the site.

India has already blamed “foreign terrorists" for the bombings, a phrase that usually refers to neighbor and nuclear rival Pakistan. Pakistan, however, has offered swift condemnation.

The blasts stand to test the peace process under way between the two countries, particularly under the stewardship of Pakistan’s newly elected government. The Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee is due to visit Islamabad, the Pakistan capital, next week.

The bombs targeted the dense warrens of the 18th century walled city. One bomb went off in front of a temple to the Hindu god, Hanuman, which is particularly crowded with worshippers on Tuesdays. Others exploded within minutes of each other at busy intersections and in markets thronged with shoppers, including the popular Johri Bazaar, lined with jewelers. The dead and wounded included both Hindus and Muslims.

The police said nearly 40 funerals were expected to take place on Monday, and the curfew was intended to prevent inflaming communal passions.

In the pink stucco bazaar of the walled city on Wednesday morning, shops that normally peddle sweets, gold, and curled Rajasthani slippers were all shuttered. Onlookers wandered through the lanes to ogle at the bloody remains, only to be chased away when the curfew took effect.

“Hey brothers, why are you crowding around?” Ram Babu Agarwal, the member of a peace committee shouted.

“There is no communal thinking, only human sympathy,” declared Anwar Shah, a burly member of the Johri Bazaar mosque committee, as he patrolled the streets of this neighborhood hectoring people to stay inside.

The Indian federal government dispatched explosives experts Tuesday night, and put several major cities on alert, including New Delhi.

Although Jaipur, known as the pink city, is a popular tourist destination, mid-May, the peak of the Indian summer, is not a busy season, and no foreigners were killed or injured in the blast, according to police and hospital officials here.

Jitender Narwani, 31, had been offering prayers at the temple, when one of the bombs went off. Shrapnel punctured his legs.

Shahid, 16, a candle maker, had gone for a sip of water from a public tap in an area called Tripolia market when there was another blast.

Subhana Khan, 4, was shopping with her mother and two aunts in Johri Bazaar; they were all about to board a rickshaw at the time of another explosion. All but the little girl were killed.

The last major bombing in India was in August, when a pair of bombs went off in an outdoor auditorium and restaurant in the southern city of Hyderabad, killing more than 40.

Two years ago, serial blasts along the commuter train line in Mumbai, the country’s commercial capital, killed nearly 200.

Similar terrorist attacks aimed at religious sites in recent years have not succeeded in setting off sectarian violence. The Hindu holy city of Varanasi was struck by a pair of bombings in March 2006, killing 14. More than two dozen people were killed in September 2006 in a series of explosions in and near the largest mosque in Malegaon, and a blast killed two worshipers in one of the holiest Muslim shrines in Ajmer, also in Rajasthan, last September.

The curfew in Jaipur kept foreign tourists off the streets. A Spanish tour group was instructed to spend the day inside the Le Meridien Hotel on the edge of town before being taken by bus to another hotel in the evening for dinner.

David Manzanares, a tour leader, said his 104 people in his charge had been taking the events in stride. “We are Spanish people, we are used to having these kind of events,” he said. “Enjoy the pool. Have a samosa, See what happens.”

No sooner had he rattled off those instructions than a dust storm came swirling in from the Rajasthan desert, clearing the poolside and felling tall trees on the road.

More Articles in World »

Aid Groups Say Myanmar Food Stolen by Military

2008-05-14T20:27:00.005+01:00

Local workers for a German aid organization unloaded rice into a warehouse in Yangon on Wednesday. Copyright Getty Images

The latest from Myanmar, from the NY Times
The directors of several relief organizations in Myanmar said Wednesday that some of the international aid arriving into the country for the victims of Cyclone Nargis was being stolen, diverted or warehoused by the country’s army.

The United States military’s Joint Typhoon Warning Center said there was a possibility that “a significant tropical cyclone” — a second big storm — would form within the next 24 hours and head across the Irrawaddy Delta, the region that suffered most from the first storm that struck on May 3.

In Yangon, the main commercial city, winds were already beginning to whip up Wednesday evening, but it was unclear how strong the storm would become.

Thailand’s prime minister, Samak Sundaravej, flew to Yangon on Wednesday to persuade Myanmar’s leaders to allow more foreign aid workers into the country. The members of the military junta told him they were in control of the relief operations and had no need for foreign experts, he told reporters after returning to Bangkok, The Associated Press reported.

The government said there were no outbreaks of disease or starvation among the hundreds of thousands of people affected by the cyclone. In Yangon, Mr. Sundaravej met the prime minister, Lt. Gen. Thein Sein, The A.P. said.

The aid directors in Myanmar declined to be quoted directly on their concerns about the stolen relief supplies for fear of angering the ruling junta and jeopardizing their operations, although Marcel Wagner, country director of the Adventist Development and Relief Agency, confirmed that aid was being diverted by the army. He said the issue would become an increasing problem, although he declined to give further details because of the sensitivity of the situation.

International aid shipments continued to arrive Wednesday, including five new air deliveries of relief supplies from the United States. Western diplomats said their representatives at the airport were making sure the cargo was unloaded efficiently and then trucked to staging areas.

The fate of the supplies after that, however, remained unknown, because the junta has barred all foreigners, including credentialed diplomats and aid workers, from accompanying any donated aid, tracking its distribution or following up on its delivery.

Myanmar state radio reported Wednesday that the death toll from the May 3 cyclone had risen again, to 38,491, Agence France-Presse reported, with 27,838 people still missing. The toll has been increasing daily as more of the missing are identified as dead. The United Nations has estimated that the toll could be more than 60,000.

The International Red Cross estimated Wednesday that the cyclone death toll was between 68,833 and 127,990, according to the A.P.

There were rumors in the capital on Wednesday that special high-energy biscuits donated for distribution in the disaster areas had been replaced by cheaper, off-the-shelf crackers. But Mr. Wagner and the others said they had not heard of high-quality foodstuffs being stolen and replaced by inferior products.

Although aid flights are now regularly seen arriving at the Yangon airport, international rescue teams and disaster-relief experts for the most part are being kept away from the country. A small French rescue team has arrived in Yangon, although it was unclear whether it had received official permission. The government announced that it would allow in 160 relief workers from neighboring countries, including India, China, Bangladesh, and Thailand. But diplomats and representatives of aid missions said that visas for overseas experts were still being denied.

Mr. Wagner said he and his agency’s foreign staff members were now barred from the Irrawaddy Delta, even to areas where the group has ongoing projects dating from before the storm. Fortunately, he said, he has Burmese staff who are permitted come and go through an increasing number of military checkpoints.

The Adventist group specializes in rainwater collection, water filtration and sanitation — just the kinds of expertise most needed now — and Mr. Wagner said outside experts were needed to train local people in the proper use of filters, pumps and hygiene practices.

Reports have been mixed about how much aid was actually getting through to the delta. One longtime relief coordinator in Myanmar said Tuesday that 30 percent of the people in the damaged areas had been reached. But other agencies were encouraged about recent improvements in deliveries, especially those groups with projects and local staff already in place, and the agencies with established working relationships with the government.

Vote for me! - Canon, The Assignment photography competition

2008-05-12T16:11:00.000+01:00

I've just entered a brand new photography competition and need your help to be in with a chance of winning it!

The Assignment is a new European photography competition from Canon which challenges amateur photographers to submit their best work. There are four categories - Portrait, Landscape, Sport and Macro - and 19 European countries are taking part.

My chosen photo which is part of the portrait category, is of the young girl traditionally dressed I took in Cochin, south India. She was one of a number of dancers who were waiting nervously back stage before performing a traditional dance to the onlookers at an New Year's Eve celebration.

The initial part of the competition seems more a popularity one than one based on actual talent, as only the most popular photos as voted by the public will get as far as the judging stage.

To be in with chance of getting that far I need the help of you good people. If you can, please visit the link below and vote for my entry. The only set back is you need to register on the site before you can vote.

Click here to vote for Mark Coughlan in The Assignment competition!

Thanks a bunch and I'll buy you all a drink!

Cyclone’s Toll in Myanmar Is Raised to Nearly 32,000

2008-05-12T13:21:00.000+01:00

Members of the Burmese military unloaded supplies from a U.S. Air Force C-130 military cargo aircraft at the Yangon airport.

As the authorities in Myanmar raised the cyclone death toll to nearly 32,000 and admitted one American military aircraft with the first delivery of large-scale aid, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon pressed the junta to let international assistance and aid workers into the country without hindrance and expressed “deep concern and immense frustration” with what he called “the unacceptably slow response to this grave humanitarian crisis.”

In unusually blunt language for a United Nations leader, he said, “This is not about politics, it is about saving people’s lives. There is absolutely no more time to lose.”

The sharp comments from Mr. Ban came on a day when the authorities in Myanmar allowed a United States military aircraft to land with relief supplies Monday, crossing a barrier that has prevented the delivery of large-scale aid to more than a million victims of the May 3 cyclone, even as state television has put the death toll at 31,938 with 29,770 people missing.

But the United Nations raised its estimate Monday to between 62,000 and 100,000 dead.

Mr. Ban said that he had been trying for four days without success to reach the country’s senior general, Than Swe, and had sent a second letter to him Monday alerting him to the United Nations’ efforts to provide help and its need for “greater access and freedom of movement.”

He said too that the countries of the region have “a special responsibility and a special role in securing the full cooperation of Myanmar’s government.”

John Holmes, the undersecretary general in charge of emergency said that while there had been “slight progress” in granting visas to relief workers, only 34 of more than 100 applications had been approved.

United Nations officials said that the distribution of most deliveries of international relief supplies were still being blocked to the most badly affected parts of the country. They say help is reaching fewer than one-third of those in need.

A group of high-level officials greeted the unarmed C-130 transport plane carrying in the first American aid, in an extraordinary scene of cooperation between two nations whose only relations in recent years have been acrimonious.

In a sign that this was more than simply a cargo delivery, the aircraft also carried Adm. Timothy J. Keating, the commander of the United States military in the Pacific.

In a telephone interview, Admiral Keating said that it had been years, if not decades, since an American military officer of his rank had visited Myanmar.

He said the United States had about a dozen medium- and heavy-lift military helicopters on standby in Thailand, ready to assist. In addition, he said a three-ship naval task force with another dozen transport helicopters was 24 hours away, and ready to help relief efforts.

“We told them we could come in during the day and leave at night, that they could put Burmese officials on our planes and ships, and that we would provide our own fuel,” Admiral Keating said. “We told them we wouldn’t stay a day longer than they wanted.”

Meanwhile, reports out of the Irrawaddy Delta, the worst-hit area, continued to signal a growing and gruesome catastrophe, according to Western diplomats in Yangon.

People whose homes, farms and food stocks were destroyed have been making their way to more than half a dozen refugee camps north of the delta, although these were more like gathering places rather than organized camps, with food, water, shelter and medical assistance.

“It’s grim, and getting grimmer,” said one Western diplomat in Yangon. “The vast majority of people out there haven’t been reached. It’s a challenge to get stuff there anyway. Now it’s a double challenge.”

Another worry is the start of the rainy season, which usually begins in mid-May. Rice stocks need to dry, and new rice needs to be planted. Aid workers said there was one possible upside to more rain: people without fresh water might be able to collect rainwater for drinking.

A government spokesman said that the United States delivery of mosquito nets, blankets and water on Monday would be ferried by Myanmar military helicopters to the worst-hit areas. Two more shipments were scheduled to land Tuesday.

By their stubbornness in refusing to allow the rapid distribution of relief supplies, the generals who rule Myanmar are turning the cyclone that struck more than a week ago from a devastating natural disaster into a man-made disaster of huge proportions.

As the disaster grows and pressure from the outside world intensifies, the junta faces a dilemma.

If it opens its doors to large numbers of foreigners, it may never be able to seal the country again against the outside influences and interference it dreads.

By keeping foreign assistance out, though, the generals must be ready to accept the deaths of hundreds of thousands more people, according to foreign relief officials. At the moment, this is the choice it appears to be making. But even if there are divisions within the leadership over policy, most analysts say the junta is likely to maintain its grip.

“I don’t think anything is going to happen,” said Terrence Lee, an expert on regional militaries from the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Nanyang Technological University. “They have too much invested in the regime to have any ideas of jumping ship.” It is a truism that any change must come from within the power structure.

“I believe the junta is really walking on thin ice and has been since the attacks on the monks last September,” said Josef Silverstein, an expert on Myanmar at Rutgers University, referring to a violent crackdown on peaceful pro-democracy demonstrations.

But, he said, “the mechanism for change will be from within the junta itself. I don’t see how any civilian group or individual can influence the outcome given the extent of power and control the junta has.”

The change could range from a coup at the top that might bring little change in policy, to a liberal opening that could even involve cooperation with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the pro-democracy leader who has spent 12 of the past 18 years under house arrest.

In any case, the military would remain in charge.

The military pervades almost all the workings of government and business and even Mrs. Aung San Suu Kyi has said that the military would have to be involved in any future power structure.

The four pillars of the military’s world view, said Mr. Lee, are nationalism, paranoia, self-reliance and ethnocentrism. All of these seem to be in play now.

The cyclone challenges the image the junta projects — and its self-perception — as an all-powerful protector of its people and their defender against a foreign presence. When relief shipments have arrived, the junta has in many cases insisted on distributing it, and newspapers carry photographs and reports of military officers handing out foreign aid.

The Burmese expatriate grapevine is filled with reports that the junta is divided, that younger or more liberal officers have had enough and that change will finally come.

There is no real evidence for this.

One exile found meaning in a recent photograph on the front page of the government mouthpiece, The New Light of Myanmar, which showed four top generals facing the camera.

“Than Shwe and Maung Aye were smiling,” this hopeful analyst said, referring to the two top generals in the junta. “But the other two generals were not.”

Aung Naing Oo, a Burmese political analyst and refugee who is based in Thailand, reads a pattern of indecisiveness and possible internal conflict into an initial confusion over whether to allow the American relief flight.

On Thursday, the United States Embassy in Bangkok was ready to announce an agreement, only to find that Myanmar seemed to have changed its mind.

Then on the following day, permission for the flight was given.

But for now, such differences have appeared to be only ripples on the surface. The solidity of the 400,000-strong military, known as the Tatmadaw, runs deep.

The military cements the loyalty of its officers with a combination of privileges and harsh punishment, as well as isolation from any understanding of the outside world. Officers live in a cocooned, privileged world where they can send their children to special schools and take part in the corruption that amounts to a major sector of the economy.

Without a military connection, it is difficult to rise in life. Myanmar is not just a military-run state; it is a military state.

Apart from a purge in 2004, there have never been serious rifts in the military, experts say. Even if there are divisions of opinion or revulsion over policy, they say, the structure is likely to remain intact.

Aid Flows to Myanmar as Death Toll Rises

2008-05-06T15:13:00.007+01:00

Photo: Copyright Vorasit Satienlerk/Reuters

In almost 12 months to the day that I left to spend a month in Myanmar, South East Asia's untouched gem, comes the news is that at least 22,000 Burmese have died and up to a million people have been left homeless by the catastrophic cyclone that battered the country.

From the New York Times: Tuesday 7th May 2008
The death toll from a powerful cyclone that struck Myanmar three days ago rose to 22,500 Tuesday, with a further 41,000 people still missing, the government said, and foreign governments and aid organizations began mobilizing for a major relief operation.
Shaken by the scope of the disaster, the authorities said they would delay a vote in the worst affected areas on a new constitution that was meant to cement the military’s grip on power.

The death toll was the latest in a steadily escalating official count since Cyclone Nargis struck Myanmar early Saturday, devastating much of the fertile Irrawaddy Delta and Yangon, the nation’s main city.
At a news conference in Yangon, the minister for relief and resettlement, Maung Maung Swe, said 41,000 people were still missing in the aftermath of the cyclone, which triggered a surge of water inland from the sea.

“More deaths were caused by the tidal wave than the storm itself," he said, in the first official description of the destruction. “The wave was up to 12 feet high and it swept away and inundated half the houses in low-lying villages. They did not have anywhere to flee.”

A spokesman for the United Nations World Food Program said that as many as one million people might have lost their homes and that some villages were almost totally destroyed.

The constitutional referendum was still to go ahead on May 10 in other parts of the country but would be delayed until May 24 in the worst affected regions, where more than a third of the population live.

The postponement of the vote, a centerpiece of government policy, along with an appeal for foreign disaster relief assistance, were difficult concessions by an insular military junta that portrays itself as all-powerful and self-sufficient, analysts said.

"It suggests that they realize that they’ve got a real problem on their hands and have limited capacity to deal with this," said a Western diplomat in Yangon, speaking on condition of anonymity because of his embassy’s policy.

At a news conference, Kyaw Hsan, Myanmar’s information minister, conceded the difficulties.

"The task is very wide and extensive and the government needs the cooperation of the people and well-wishers from at home and abroad," he said.

"We will not hide anything," he said. "Please ask the people not to be duped by rumors or fabrication."

In an effort to stem profiteering as prices rose for food fuel and building materials, he said, "We are coordinating and cooperating with businessmen. We appeal to entrepreneurs and businessmen not to cash in on the disaster."

Residents of Yangon reached by telephone described a city in tatters, with fallen trees, a lack of power and water and, in the poorer outskirts, badly damaged homes. Tank trucks were selling water from Inya Lake, in the center of the city, they said.

The high winds blew roofs off the cages at the zoo, one person reported, and a baboon or gibbon was spotted Monday sitting on top of a giant plastic ruby in the middle of a traffic circle near Shwedagon pagoda.

"He refused to get down," the resident said, speaking anonymously because of a government ban on unofficial news. "This afternoon, when my driver and I drove by — the ruby and the monkey were gone!"

State radio said the referendum would be delayed for two weeks in badly hit areas that include the Irrawaddy Delta and much of Yangon.

These areas are centers of repressed opposition to the junta, and now potential centers of anger over what is described by both residents and foreign diplomats as an ineffectual government response to the cyclone.

Residents have described a mood of anger and a grim resignation at the junta’s power since the military shot into crowds last September to quell a huge non-violent pro-democracy uprising led by Buddhist monks.

At least 31 people, and possibly many more, were killed during that uprising, and thousands were detained, including large numbers of monks.

There were several accounts over the weekend of monks leaving their monasteries to help clear away storm wreckage, even as the military offered little help to residents.

International aid groups were assessing the country’s needs and preparing shipments of food and materials that included roofing materials, plastic tarpaulins, mosquito nets, water purifying tablets and medication to prevent outbreaks of cholera and malaria.

"We hope to fly in more assistance within the next 48 hours," said the World Food Program spokesman, Paul Risley, speaking in Bangkok. "The challenge will be getting to the affected areas with road blockages everywhere."

A military transport plane was scheduled to arrive Tuesday with emergency aid from Thailand.

A number of other nations and organizations, including the United Nations, the European Commission and Myanmar’s powerful neighbor China, said they were prepared to deliver aid.

In Geneva, a United Nations spokeswoman, Elisabeth Byrs, said that Myanmar had said it would welcome aid supplies and that disaster assessment officials were now awaiting visas to enter the country.

“Our biggest fear is that the aftermath could be more lethal than the storm itself," said Caryl Stern, who heads the United Nations Children’s Fund in the United States.

The organization, UNICEF, said it had sent five assessment teams into affected areas and that relief supplies were being prepared for delivery.

The United States, which has led a drive for economic sanctions against Myanmar’s repressive regime, said it would also provide aid, but only if an American disaster team was invited into the country.

The policy was presented by the first lady, Laura Bush, , along with a lecture to the junta about human rights and disaster relief.

"This is a cheap shot," said Aung Nain Oo, a Burmese political analyst who is based in Thailand. "The people are dying. This is no time for a political message to be aired. This is a time for relief. No one is asking for anything like this except the United States."

Photo: Copyright Hla Hla Htay/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

From the New York Times: Monday 6th May 2008

Myanmar struggled Monday to recover from a cyclone that killed more than 3,900 people and perhaps as many as 15,000.
Foreign Minister Noppadol Pattama of Thailand met with Myanmar's ambassador on Tuesday, according to Reuters. After the meeting, Mr. Noppadol said that 15,000 people had been killed and another 30,000 were missing.

If those numbers are accurate, the death toll would be the highest from a natural disaster in Asia since the tsunami of December 2004, which devastated coastlines in South Asia and claimed 181,000 lives.

On Monday, three cabinet ministers told diplomats the death toll could reach 10,000 people in the delta region, an area that is home to nearly half of Myanmar’s 48 million people, according to Richard Horsey, a spokesman for the United Nations disaster response office in Bangkok.

State radio reported that Saturday's vote on a draft constitution would be delayed until May 24 in 40 townships around Yangon and seven in the Irrawaddy delta, which bore the brunt of the killer storm, according to The Associated Press. It indicated that in other areas the balloting would proceed as scheduled.

Tens of thousands of people were homeless after the cyclone, and food and water were running short.

“Stories get worse by the hour,” one Yangon resident, who did not want to be identified for fear of government retribution, said in an e-mail message. “No drinking water in many areas, still no power. Houses completely disappeared. Refugees scavenging for food in poorer areas. Roofing, building supplies, tools — all are scarce and prices skyrocketing on everything.”

Officials said they would open the doors of their closed and tightly controlled nation to international relief groups. So far, most foreigners and all foreign journalists have been barred from entering the country.

They also said the referendum would proceed. “It’s only a few days left before the coming referendum and people are eager to cast their vote,” an official statement said Monday.

But witnesses and residents said the military had been slow to respond to the devastation of the cyclone, and some suggested that the government’s performance could affect the vote.

Residents of the country, formerly known as Burma, said that they were being pressured to vote “yes” and that riot police officers had been patrolling the streets before the cyclone in a show of force that was more visible than their relief efforts afterward.

Nine months ago, security forces had fired into crowds, killing dozens of people, to disperse huge pro-democracy demonstrations led by monks, and in the months since, the government has carried out a campaign of arrests and intimidation.

State-owned television had reported early Monday that 3,934 people died in the cyclone, called Nargis, which swept through the Irrawaddy Delta and the country’s main city, Yangon, formerly Rangoon, early Saturday. The broadcast said nearly 3,000 were missing, all of them from a single town, Bogale.

“What is clear,” Mr. Horsey said Monday, “is that we are dealing with a major emergency situation, and the priority needs now are shelter and clean drinking water.”

A spokesman for the World Food Program said the government of Myanmar, which severely restricts the movements and activities of foreign groups, had given the United Nations permission to send in emergency aid.

At the United Nations, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said he had mobilized a disaster assessment team to determine Myanmar’s most urgent needs.

A human rights group based in Thailand, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma), which has provided reliable information from Myanmar in the past, said soldiers and police officers had killed 36 prisoners in Insein prison to quell a riot that started after the cyclone tore roof sheets off cell blocks, Reuters reported. The report could not be independently confirmed.

The junta that rules Myanmar has closed the country off from the outside world and maintained its grip on power through force, while its economic mismanagement has driven the country deeper into poverty.

Some government-run enterprises or businesses with links to the government have already required their employees to vote in advance.

Exile groups said some residents had told them they were angry about the weak response of the military, which had seemed strong enough when the task was to crack down on citizens.

CNN news report on Cyclone hit Myanmar

2008-05-05T15:44:00.000+01:00

Latest video footage courtesy of CNN news, reporting on storm ravaged Myanmar, where thousands are feared dead after Cyclone Nargis hit on Saturday.

Maoists win the elections in Nepal...

2008-04-24T17:09:00.004+01:00

Taken from the BBC website:
The Maoist party of former rebels in Nepal has for the first time explicitly claimed victory in the country's national elections.
The Maoists' leader, Prachanda, said he would head a new government, with the monarchy abolished.

Officials in Nepal say the former rebel Maoist party has won elections to the country's new assembly.
With all the votes counted, the Maoists have won almost 30%, with their nearest rivals taking 21%.
An official announcement on the final make-up of the assembly is expected shortly, with the Maoists' percentage projected to give them about 220 seats.

The Maoist leader Prachanda has said the first meeting of the assembly will abolish Nepal's 240-year-old monarchy.
"It is my desire to be the president," news agency Reuters quoted Prachanda as saying.
"But since there is no provision in the present constitution, we will have to reach some agreement with the other political parties," he said after meeting UN officials and foreign ambassadors in Kathmandu.
Monarchy's end
The elections were held on 10 April and as the results began coming in, it became clear that Maoists would emerge as the number one party.
Last Saturday, Prachanda claimed victory and said he would head a new government.
The two other big parties have been badly beaten but the Maoists want to include them in a coalition government.
Many of the traditional politicians of the defeated parties have so far been reluctant to enter into a coalition with the former rebels.
The Maoists have said that King Gyanendra would be accorded economic, social and cultural respect as a citizen of Nepal if he co-operated with the abolition of the monarchy, which is due soon.
Earlier, Prachanda said he wanted to meet the monarch to persuade him to step aside and move out of the royal palace rather than being forced to do so.
All of Nepal's main political parties had agreed before the election that King Gyanendra would be removed from his throne, ending centuries of monarchy in the Himalayan nation.

It's been an expensive week....

2008-04-12T17:52:00.004+01:00

With four months until I depart on the Mongol Rally, the biggest expense in taking part in the challenge was forked out - A whopping £460.80 for seven visas, all at a heart stopping click of a mouse.

Using a Visa Service company, the following visas are now being processed from a small office somewhere in London:

Iran --> £122.00, 10 days
Turkmenistan --> £39, 5 day transit visa
Uzbekistan --> £70.80, 15 days
Kyrgyzstan --> £59, 1 month
Kazakhstan --> £50, single entry, 1 month
Russia --> £68, single entry, 1 month
Mongolia --> £52, 30 days from point of entry (anytime during a given 90 day period)

** Note, this doesn't include a Turkish visa (bought on the border), unavoidable bribes and taxes!

The annoying part of this massive outlay in dosh is that we will just be driving through many of these countries as fast as possible enroute to Mongolia. As the Mongol Rally is in fact a race, and that we hope to make it to Ulaan Bator for Saturday 16th August, we have had to decide which countries to spend extras days in. Iran, Uzbek and Kyrgyzstan have our votes, and we have scheduled a couple of days off (if all goes well) in these two countries.
In applying for these visas you need to stipulate an "Entry date", so a rough itinerary has been drawn up which looks incredible ambitious.

Histotic election for Nepal

2008-04-10T21:13:00.006+01:00

Nepalese vote in a histotic election - the first in 22 years

Taken from the BBC website:
People in Nepal have completed voting in elections that will decide the future direction of the country.
The polls are for an assembly that is expected to re-write Nepal's constitution and abolish its monarchy.
Officials say polling has been mostly peaceful, although three people including an independent candidate were killed in poll-related violence.
Results are expected over the next 10 days. Officials say that polling has been postponed in 10 constituencies.
They say that the postponement was because of voting irregularites.
Concern
Correspondents say that Thursday's voting was in contrast to the run-up to the polls, which was marred by violence. On Tuesday at least eight people were killed in election violence, which prompted international calls for calm.

The BBC's Charles Haviland in Nepal says that turnout in much of the country seemed high.
The three deaths, all in the south-east of the country where ethnic tensions have been high for more than a year.
EU electoral observers and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon have been among those expressing concern.
Thursday's elections are Nepal's first polls since 1999 and follow a 2006 ceasefire agreed between the government and Maoist rebels.
Around 17.6 million people are eligible to vote.
Despite reports of minor incidents, observers say there are indications of a high turnout.
"I came to vote here today believing this process will settle political instability for good," Mukunda Maraseni, a 40-year-old bank employee who was waiting to cast his ballot in the capital, Kathmandu, told the Associated Press news agency.
Some of those killed in the run-up to the polls were Maoist workers shot by the security forces.

But one was an election candidate who died in uncertain circumstances near the south-eastern town of Nepalgunj.
King Gyanendra seized absolute power in 2005 but was forced to give up his authoritarian rule the following year after weeks of pro-democracy protests.
He has since lost all his powers and his command of the army.
It is hoped the election will consolidate the end of the Maoist insurgency, which stopped two years ago, says the BBC's Charles Haviland in Kathmandu.

The campaign trail in Nepal...

2008-04-09T22:06:00.004+01:00

The fate of the world's only Hindu monarch is about to be decided. Elections are being held in Nepal on Thursday, but if Nepalis vote to abolish the monarchy in the Himalayan kingdom, some Nepalese politicians are vowing to fight to the death in a religious war.

Ahead of Thursday historic elections, Nepal's first in 22 years, "People and Power" goes on the campaign trail in Nepal.

Home for the Elderly - New Charity.

2008-04-08T20:01:00.004+01:00

Some of you may be aware that I am in the process of starting a charity to promote and enhance the final years of life of the old people at Pashupati Briddhshram in Kathmandu, Nepal.
The aim of "Home for the Elderly" is to raises money to directly purchase essential supplies and equipment for the 'Old Home'. Every penny will be spent locally in Nepal on much needed items that will offer dignity and comfort in the final years of life for the Elderly people.
Learn more about what the charity is aiming to achieve on our new official website.

I spent three days in Kathmandu in January where I photographed the plight of the Elderly at this home and the inhumane conditions which they live in - which has inspired me to start this charity. Photos from the 'Old Home' can be viewed here.

What I desperately need is help people that would like to get involved in this project. It is still very early days so I'd really to hear from anyone who has perhaps visited the home when on holiday in Kathmandu, anyone who has the skills in setting up a charity and/or anyone who cares for the elderly people and would like to make a difference through this charity work.

Please take your time to view the new website and get in touch if you would like to help in anyway.

A year in Tibet...

2008-04-08T19:28:00.004+01:00

Not sure if many of you managed to catch the wonderful series that has just finished on BB4 - A Year in Tibet.
It was a five-part documentary series following a year in the life of the society living in and around Gyantse, Tibet's third largest town.

If you're quick, you can catch a couple of the episodes on BBC iplayer now.

If you are too late, you've missed a facinating series, but fear not - here is a 10 minute clip fromthe first programme to give you a flavour. Hopefully the series will be released on DVD at a later date.

A Year in Tibet

The Girl with Eight Limbs....

2008-04-08T13:54:00.007+01:00

So many people that I have spoken to about this programme missed this incredible story, recently on Channel 4 as part of their 'Bodyshock' series of documentaries.

Here is a brief introduction to the video clips below:
Two-year-old Lakshmi was born with one of the world's rarest physical abnormalities. Joined at the pelvis to her half-formed conjoined twin, she has four arms and four legs. In her remote Indian village she is revered as a living god. With exclusive access, this film follows Lakshmi's family on an epic emotional journey from their rural home to a hospital in Bangalore where her parents must decide whether to proceed with potentially life-threatening surgery to remove her extra limbs.

I have split the one-hour programme into 10 minute segments for easier viewing:

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

Part Five

We're famous!

2008-03-22T22:11:00.003Z

Yep, at last, we're famous....we'll to those that attented the QPR vs Stoke City match and happen to buy a match programme that is.

In a section of every match programme cleavery titled "On 'R' Travels", this is where supporters send in photos of themselves wearing a QPR shirt, normally on a bench in some Brit resort in Spain, in Disneyland or at some European Football ground.

So in case you missed it, on page 13 carefully positioned between what looks like Donald Duck and Mickey Mouse, you see "Team Shatabdi Express" in all their glory!

New photos: Stuck Mojo, London

2008-03-16T21:53:00.000Z

All images - Copyright Mark Coughlan

Atlanta's finest, Stuck Mojo returned to the UK for the first time in nearly three years to play at the Camden Underworld, London on March 13th as part of their European tour. After the release of their latest album ‘Southern Born Killers’ with a debut for the new lead singer Lord Nelson, the 45 minute set included:

2 Minutes of Death
Twisted
Metal is Dead
Open Season
Rising
Throw the Switch
Enemy Territory
Southern Pride
Here comes the Monster
Not Promised Tomorrow

A full photo gallery from the show is online now: Stuck Mojo - Camden Underworld 2008

Team Shatabdi Express: The facts...

2008-02-20T14:04:00.003Z

I've added up the number of litres, listed everything that went wrong, the amout of money raised and the question that we got asked the most by non-Indians - what the hell is the "Shatabdi Express"!

(1) Our chosen team name "Team Shatabdi Express" is named after "Superfast" passenger train, connecting major cities in India. The "Shatabdi Express" is regarded as India's fastest and most prestigious train.

(2) We departed Cochin, southern India on 1st January 2008, one of 64 teams that took park in the race.

(3) 16 days and 5 hours later, covering a total of 4,494kms and quite a few scrapes and bumps we made it Kathmandu, Nepal, team number 44.

(4) Not exactly the most eco-frendly of aventures, the entire journey took a total of 158.4 litres of petrol and 68 parts of oil to complete.

(5) Thanks to the kind generosity of our sponsors, we raised over £1,500 for two charities - Mercy Corps & the Railway Children.

(6) Our route went a little something like this:
Cochin > Munnar > Sathaymangalam > Mysore > Sravanabelgola > Hiriyur > Hampi > Raichur > Nizamabad > Mansar > Khatni > Varanasi > Bodhgaya > Barauni > Siliguri > Darjeeling > Janakpur (Nepal) > Hetauda (Nepal) > Kathmandu

(7) Some of our mechanically "issues" included:
1. Cracked windscreen (not my fault).
2. Smashed left indicator (my fault), dent to front bonnet (my fault).
3. Stolen windscreen wiper.
4. Industrial melody horn stopped making a melody, then stopped making any noise, then fell off.
5. CD/MP3 player stopped working twice.
6. Parts of the fabric roof had to be sewn together the rest held down with gaffer tape.
7. Judging by the noise the exhaust was making at the end. I'd say there was a problem....
8. Snapped clutch cable.
9. Ran out of petrol on four occasions, thinking it was "over-heating" the first few times.
10. ....and the small matter of the brakes stopped working (see point 2).

New photos: Team Shatabdi Express in the Rickshaw Run 2008

2008-02-18T15:37:00.006Z

All images - Copyright Mark Coughlan

Finally you may say, but at long last photos from the actual Rickshaw Run 2008 are now online.
http://www.ashepherdsbushmaneatsfromacan.co.uk

This is Team Shatabdi Express in all their glory. I limited the gallery to only 28 photos, as I'm sure there are only so many photos that you would want to see of us two either next to or in the Rickshaw.

Bear in mind that, despite manually setting the camera up, I was at the mercy of Anita's or a wandering-by local Indian's photography skills to take a lot of these shots.

http://www.ashepherdsbushmaneatsfromacan.co.uk

Thanks for looking!

New photos: Somewhere in Between

2008-02-18T11:34:00.007Z

Hi all,
Online now is a brand new photo gallery for your viewing pleasure on my main site: http://www.ashepherdsbushmaneatsfromacan.co.uk

This time, they are photos from the Rickshaw Run itself, with photos of of us both doing Shepherds Bush proud, coming in a few days....so for now -

Somewhere in Between
Those of you who have signed up to my blog will have had an update and a sneak preview of what I considered to be the best five photos from this gallery taken when travelling through India, as they have been up on my portfolio for the last week or so (see 'Travel').
Online now is the full gallery of 30 photos on http://www.ashepherdsbushmaneatsfromacan.co.uk

I haven't done a description for each photo as I normally do, mainly due to the time it takes to do so, but should you have a particular interest in one by all means drop me an email. Most of these places I couldn't find on the map, but simple referred to as "Somewhere in between..."

Hope you enjoy them, and feel free to coment/feedback on what you think.

All images - Copyright Mark Coughlan

A sneak preview....

2008-02-15T15:25:00.003Z

http://www.imagetheearth.co.uk

A bonus for only those of you signed on this blog is a "head's up" preview of some of the photos taken while actually doing the Rickshaw Run.
Photos taken as I stopped at villages, towns, tea shops and cafes in the middle of nowhere. Most of these places I couldn't find on the map, but simple referred to as "taken somewhere in between..."

A brand new gallery will go "live" this weekend on www.ashepherdsbushmaneatsfromacan.co.uk, aptly called "Somewhere in Between" . These are non-Rickshaw photos.

From this forthcoming gallery, I have chosen what I consider the best five photos to put on my portfolio, which you can see now.

So, go on have a peep, under "Travel" you have five brand new photos to whet your appetite for now...

This weekend approximately 35 photos will make up this gallery. Furthermore, you will finally see photos from the Rickshaw Run race itself as I represented West London's finest slums.

For now, enjoy a sneak preview - http://www.imagetheearth.co.uk

All images - Copyright Mark Coughlan

New photos: Home for the Elderly

2008-02-02T12:21:00.009Z

All images - Copyright Mark Coughlan

http://www.imagetheearth.co.uk
It is impossible to put into words, just how bad the conditions that these elderly people have to live in, while they sit, lay and wait to die.
Living quarters are dark, damp and cold. The lucky ones, still able to move rest in the sun to keep warm, while the unfortunate ones simply lie in bed each and every day.
Their beds are a thin matress on a wooden base suported by four small piles of bricks.

The lack of dignity in their final years is heart breaking yet these deeply religious people are warm and friendly, pressing their palms together in greeting/religous gesture at every opportunity to say "Namaste".

I ended up spending two full days at the home, sitting, listening, trying to communicate with the residents.
Prior to my arrival in Nepal, I was in communication with with Deepak Adhikari a friend and journalist in Kathmandu who accompanied me on my first day to the "Old Home".
This was an opportunity to meet with the Officials, workers and volunteers with Deepak taking on the invaluable translator role for the many questions I had.

Looking forward to the future, myself and Deepak are looking to set up a foundation of some sort, a charity
if you like to help improve the conditions at Pashupati Briddhshram.
With so many (and rightly so) childrens charitities throughout Asia, it's the elderly who seem to get forgotten.
The plan is to start slowly. The advantage of setting up this foundation is that every penny we raise will be spent locally, on specific needs for the "Home" - be it a gas stove, some proper nursing beds for the sick and bed ridden or a generator to maintain electricity at all times.
I'm sure there are many people reading this that may have visited the home when visiting the temples and cremation ghats at Pashupati.
If you would like to get involved with setting up a foundation/charity project or you know someone that would like to, please get in touch and let's see if we can get this idea off the ground.

I hope the photo gallery that is now online, offers you an insight to Pashupati Briddhshram and puts into pictures what I have tried to write here. If you would like any more information, feel free to get in touch.

http://www.imagetheearth.co.uk

Thanks

New photos: Rag Pickers

2008-01-28T17:19:00.007Z

All images - Copyright Mark Coughlan

http://www.imagetheearth.co.uk
Before heading home to Blighty, I had a quick stop-off in Delhi for a few days to do some volunteer work for the Railway Children.
Meeting with a previous contact and since then a friend, I hooked up with Shekhar, himself a former runaway child who lived at New Delhi Station.

Probably not the best of timings on my behalf, I arrived as Delhi geared up for their annual Indian Independance Day with heightened security throughout Delhi, especially at the train stations. This resulted in a lack of opportunities to see and observe the children at the railway stations as they had all but been kicked out by the police in an effort to spruce up the place.

Spending my time between contact centres throughout Delhi, I spent two part days high above the city at "Highway" dump yard to do a project on "Rag Pickers" which is the latest gallery now on my portfolio.

http://www.imagetheearth.co.uk

Enjoy!

New photos: Bahadur Shaheed

2008-01-24T15:35:00.006Z

All images - Copyright Mark Coughlan

http://www.imagetheearth.co.uk
Whilst taking on the challenge of driving a Rickshaw the length of India in the name of charity, adventure and insanity, I also had several editorial projects in India and Nepal.
Some I had been asked to cover and others ones that I wanted to pursue myself.

The first of these was a temple I have read much about was the shrine of Bahadur Shaheed, a Muslim Sufi Saint situated just outside Varanasi, Northern India.

The incredible spectacle occurs only on Thursdays, so impeccable timing was required as we left Cochin on our Rickshaw some 10 days earlier.
I afforded myself a few hours observing and shooting the rauqous atmosphere. Devotees of all ages immerse themselves in uncontrolable trances, some with such vigour and violence that it ends with them fainting.

Hundreds of pilgrims, both Muslim and Hindu converged on the temple with the courtyard and entrance to the actual shrine full to capacity.

A full photo gallery and introduction are now online at http://www.imagetheearth.co.uk

Feedback is as always very much appreciated.

Day Sixteen: We've made it!

2008-01-16T18:35:00.001Z

RICKSHAW RUN 2008
Day Sixteen: Wednesday 16th January 2008

Not sure where the other road was, but it became apparent pretty soon after leaving this morning that we were on the mountain road. 9 hours to do 142kms as we climbed to 2500 metres almost entirely in 1st and 2nd gear. Though it was a hard drive, the best day and saved for the last day of the trip with stunning views of the Himalayas and passing idyllic little villages with lots of waving and cheering. What goes up, must come down as we crawled around hair pin bends into Kathmandu.
Arriving at 5pm local time we reached the finish line at Rum Doodles pub parking up next to rickshaws that earlier today had crashed and rolled on the mountain pass with nothing left of the roof!
After 16 days, 4 hours and 45 minutes, travelling a total of 4,493kms through the entire length of India to Nepal, the adventure is over and we made it in one piece! An incredible journey and one of the best things we have ever done, which we would recommend to anyone else that equally has a screw loose.

Personally we would like to thank all our individual sponsors and Polaris Consulting. Every penny raised in doing this challenge will go directly to the Railway Children and Mercy Corps.

We're off to pat ourselves on the back with steak and chips, then onto the end of race party to get hammered, compare bruises and stories from the road.

Day Sixteen: Hetauda to Kathmandu
Total Daily Distance: 142kms
Total so far: 4493kms
Total Distance to go: 0kms

Day Fifteen: The home straight...

2008-01-15T21:11:00.000Z

RICKSHAW RUN 2008
Day Fifteen: Tuesday 15th January 2008

A late start today after "sightseeing" around Janakapur, it was a pretty easy drive as we wanted to make it to Hetauda, only 150kms to leave roughly 200kms for the final day.

Plenty of petrol stations enroute, but none with any petrol is causing a few concerns that we will actually run out of fuel in the middle of nowhere. The auto-rickshaw continues to be a real crowd puller in Nepal as there is no such thing here, so should we break down we really will be up shit creek. Perhaps we should have had that service before we crossed the border. Oh well.

A few teams are in town tonight, a contingent of Spianish teams who we pass and get over taken by throughout the day and the Scottish chaps who we didn't recognise with their clothes on!

Apparently there are two roads to Kathmandu. One 150kms up and over the mountains the other 250kms around the moumtains. No-one is sure where the turn off is, so we'll head out tomorrow and see where we end up, but judging by the noise of the exhaust, we could do with going the flat way round rather than trying to get up a mountain!

Day Fifteen: Janakpur to Hetauda
Total Daily Distance: 149kms
Total so far: 4351kms
Total Distance to go: 149kms

Day Fourteen: In the slammer....

2008-01-14T22:45:00.000Z

RICKSHAW RUN 2008
Day Fourteen: Monday 14th January 2008

Trouble at the border - after proceeding through probably the most relaxed border crossing we have ever done, we meet with a couple of other teams who fill us in on the latest drama on the Rickshaw Run.
It seems that one of the teams have spent the previous two nights doing porridge in a slammer at the border. Their crime was hitting a pedestrian full on at top speed. Judging by the state of their rickshaw it must have been an almighty thump. The windscreen was completely smashed and the massive dent to the front bonnet looks like someone gave it a good kicking for a couple of hours. As the day goes on the story is that it was a policeman they hit, though that might be an exaggeration, and that the chap is in neurological hospital.

The road today was in remarkably good condition with little traffic compared to India. Well, that was untill 6pm and the turn off to Janakapur when the 30kms of road (?) was like an earthquake had happened five minutes ago.

Day Fourteen: Siliguri to Janakpur
Total Daily Distance: 331kms
Total so far: 4178kms
Total Distance to go: 322kms

Day Thirteen: Tea and cakes for two....

2008-01-13T20:55:00.001Z

RICKSHAW RUN 2008
Day Thirteen: Sunday 13th January 2008

Trust us eh. After making it through a political demonstration enroute, we arrive in a fog filled, bitter cold Darjeeling with no views of the Himalayas as we can only see 10 yards in front of us.
After a few cups and tea and enough cakes to give Anita belly ache (that'll teach ya fatty) and the customary visits to view Monastaries we headed down again after a brief visit.

Tomorrow we head into Nepal for the final 600kms to Kathmandu. Will the rickshaw make it? Well, judging by the deafening rattling and sqeeking the thing is making which if you had your eyes shut you'd think it was a diesel truck, who knows!

Wish us luck!

Day Thirteen: Siliguri to Darjeeling to Siliguri
Total Daily Distance: 0kms
Total so far: 3818kms
Total Distance to go: 682kms

Day Twelve: A devasting lost....

2008-01-12T23:01:00.002Z

RICKSHAW RUN 2008
Day Twelve: Saturday 12th January 2008

I don't know if it's just because I knew that at the end of today we would reach the border and therefore mentally feel that the home straight was ahead of us, but it was a hellish day today. Tonights final 100kms in the dark was probably the toughest to date. While the roads were bad, they were probably no worse than many we encountered. It just seemed that we hit every pot hole, nearly went into the back of every vehicle that came too close.

Even more devastating news is that among the pot holes tonight the flag and flag pole has gone. Probably injuring a by-stander what with it's size, we noticed the startling news on parking up at the hotel. What was going to be an official flag changing ceremony inbetween the Indian and Nepalese border points is no more. As Anita will tesitfy, I became rather close to that flag and to lose it on the last day....
Oh and we lost one of our (non) melody horn speakers as well.

After 12 days of driving for 12-14 hours a day we have tonight reached a town only 20kms away from the India/Nepal border. Making it in decent time allows both us and the rickshaw a day off tomorrow as we will get a taxi up the 86kms of long and winding road to Darjeeling.

The hotel is proper nice though, but I have rather low standards now.

Day Twelve: Barauni to Siliguri
Total Daily Distance: 380kms
Total so far: 3847kms
Total Distance to go: 653kms

Day Eleven: Elightenment and daisy chains...

2008-01-11T23:06:00.000Z

RICKSHAW RUN 2008
Day Eleven: Friday 11th January 2008

Another free morning, to explore and become enlightened as we visit and sit under the tree where Buddha himself found enlightenment and founded Buddhisim as it is today. The site of thousands of monks all praying and meditating, coupled with the usual western looking odd balls was quite an awe-inspiring sight.
A town that boasts the most beggars ever to congregate in one place, we were fully enlightened and at peace and ready to move on.

Shortly out of town and heading North-East towards the border, we stop to watch a school sports day. As is the case in India when anything of slight interest occurs, crowds of locals all pushing and shoving surrounded the races, being kept back (rather forcefully with sticks) by the organisers. The whole thing was like a mosh pit at an Iron Maiden concert. What was only going to be a 10 minute stop off, turned into two hours as we got given lunch and had to stay to watch some terrible singing at some ropy "Cultural show" where we were asked to join the performers on stage and we were presented to the crowd and given a daisy chain of flowers.

We end the day god knows where. All I know is the carpet stinks in the room and if the waiter knocks on the door one more time my enlightenment and peacefulness will soon disappear.

Day Eleven: Bodhgaya to Barauni
Total Daily Distance: 226kms
Total so far: 3467kms
Total Distance to go: 1033kms

Day Ten: Rubber croissant...

2008-01-10T21:45:00.000Z

RICKSHAW RUN 2008
Day Ten: Wednesday 10th January 2008

An early start, but a morning off from driving the rickshaw. We spent the morning at the Bahadur Shaheed temple 12kms from Varanasi, mainly for some editorial photography I have been requested to do. Our rickshaw driver points out with great pride a McDonalds which has made its way here.
After eating (or trying to eat) the most stale, rubber croissant in India we headed off from Varanasi to Bodhgaya, the spiritual home of Buddhism.

A trouble free drive with just a couple of issues. The first tonight when the highway came to a sudden end without any warning, with our rickshaw driving straight into a building site and coming to a stop perched precariously on top of a pile of rubble. The second when the rickshaw came to an abrupt halt at full speed (nearly killing a following motorbike). Restarting the rickshaw it went and did it again. As we are not exactly mechanically minded I came to conclusion it was an air block (we'd just filled up with petrol), so I shook the rickshaw back and forwards for a few minutes. Since then, it hasn't happened again. Anyone got a scooby?

Day Ten: Varanasi to Bodhgaya
Total Daily Distance: 271kms
Total so far: 3241kms
Total Distance to go: 1259kms

Day Nine: Fed, watered and washed....

2008-01-09T22:16:00.001Z

RICKSHAW RUN 2008
Day Nine: Tuesday 9th January 2008

At last! - Hot water, comfortable bed, carpet, no squat toilet, no mosquitos in the room, food that is something other than rice and something....we've arrived in Varanasi!
After somehow ending up on the National Highway towards Kolkatta after a couple of wrong turns in pitch darkness, we do what the Indians do and simply turn around and drive in the wrong direction back down the dual carriage way and continue down the slip road the wrong way with cars and trucks beeping the bejesus out of us. We pitch up at on old stamping ground at 8pm.

You either love or hate Varanasi, for us it's our third visit to what we consider the most fascinatng place in India. We meet an old friend in "Bully" our previous rickshaw driver.

Day Nine: Khatni to Varanasi
Total Daily Distance: 394kms
Total so far: 2970kms
Total Distance to go: 1530kms

Day Eight: Close shaves....

2008-01-08T23:34:00.001Z

RICKSHAW RUN 2008
Day Eight: Monday 8th January 2008

Its a bloody miracle how I've not run someone over so far. Night time driving in India is seriouly not recommended. You just have to see the carnage on the roads in daylight from the night before with lorry, trucks, and dogs splattered across the roads.
At night, Indians like to take a walk down the middle of the equivalent of the M1 motorway. Then you have the cyclists, who have no lights, who you only see with a split second to react. You then have the tractors, and slow moving trailers with no back lights or brake lights that when you are bombing along at 40/50km/ph you only see with a second to spare. Add to this the oncoming traffic who always have their lights on main beam, so you are blinded until the oncoming vehicle passes, while trying not to hit a pedestrian or cyclist.

Way too many close shaves to mention. Seriously, my luck is going to run out some time soon.

Got feasted upon my one mosqutio last night, sooooo itchy.

Day Eight: Mansar to Khatni
Total Daily Distance: 351kms
Total so far: 2576kms
Total Distance to go: 1924kms

Day Seven: Accidents galore...

2008-01-07T22:05:00.000Z

RICKSHAW RUN 2008
Day Seven: Monday 7th January 2008

News of another accident start to filter through. A friend on the "Clacton-on-Sea Mystery Tours" team has texted me to say he turned his rickshaw over when doing 60km/ph (must have been downhill). The result is he has no skin on his arm and the team are pretty shaken up. The rickshaw has been repaired and they are back on the road, determined to get to Kathmandu.

Today was just one of those days when we thought someone was tryng to tell us something. On caining in up the National Highway we pass head on collisions between trucks that look like there would be no chance of survivors. We must have passed 3-4 incidents, some happening within an hour of us passing them the usual crowds of on-lookers that India provides.

A day when we knew there would be little hightlights due to driving up the motorway, we stumbled across a massive livestock fair with proper full-on barneys braking out between sellers and buyers.
We end today 100kms north of Nagpur, roughly two thirds of the way up India.

Day Seven: Armul to Mansar
Total Daily Distance: 447kms
Total so far: 2225kms
Total Distance to go: 2275kms

Day Six: Crash, bang, wallop...

2008-01-06T21:34:00.000Z

RICKSHAW RUN 2008
Day Six: Sunday 6th January 2008

After resigning to the fact that we really could come last in this race, the team "Chapati Chasers" pull up alongside us at a petrol station this morning. A welcome relief, and to think they apparently hammered it up to Goa in a 24 hours drive from the start line.

Today and the next two days is all about making up some time so that we can enjoy the Northern part of India, as there really isn't much in the middle in comparsion to the south and north.

After finally getting on the NH7 it was full steam ahead to Hyderabad, when a few wrong turns later, plus nearly two hours, we eventually get passed what was called "a bastard of a place' on numerous occasions. The only good news and slightly diluting my rickshaw rage was the Indian version of Dominos we found just as we were leaving the city.

The day took a rather sour and nasty turn from here on. Some 30kms out of town at some ramshackle of a dirt town where we stopped the team Chapati Chasers passed us again. On following on 10 minutes later we see they've been involved in a nasty accident, turning the rickshaw over three times in swerving to avoid a car that pulled out. Their rickshaw was a wreck and the driver was sent off to a local hospital with a severely cut knee to the bone and rolling in agony. Their Rickshaw Run had come to a rather sudden and abrupt ending as they decided to head home. A few hours later, while he headed off for x-rays we continued on our journey with a bit more caution.

What happened to that team could have so easily happened to us as time and time again, Lorries (worse culprits), cars, tractors, cyclist, motorbikes - you name it, pull on to the road without looking giving you 2- 3 seconds (if that) to brake or swerve to avoid. We've had some very close shaves already on this trip, which give or take a few seconds would have seen similar results to Chapati Chasers.

Day Six: Raichur to Armur
Total Daily Distance: 452kms
Total so far: 1778kms
Total Distance to go: 2722kms

Day Five: Keeping India moving....

2008-01-05T22:54:00.000Z

RICKSHAW RUN 2008
Day Five: Saturday 5th January 2008

Today, Team Shatabdi Express taxi service was born. Doing our bit to keep India moving we have been picking up local villagers enroute and dropping them off at their destination along the way. Unlike some teams who 'pimped' their rickshaw to look like they're sponsored by Monster Munch we decided to 'pimp' our rickshaw so it actually looks like an actual rickshaw. This results in people trying to hail us down all day long with us obliging on most occasions.

We still haven't made it to to Hyderabad, but we are only (he says) 200kms short of it. Mainly due to the 12kms tailback for Lorry gridlock enroute to Hampi. After some how missing the road to Hampi we got there for a quick look around.

Tonights hotel is an all time low. Words cannot describe how bad it was. On the ground floor slap bang next to an outdoor party/concert with a toilet that made you want to barf everytime you went.

Day Five: Hiriyur to Raichur
Total Daily Distance: 420kms
Total so far: 1326kms
Total Distance to go: 3174kms

Day Four: A giant penis....

2008-01-05T22:35:00.002Z

RICKSHAW RUN 2008
Day Four: Friday 4th January 2008

Hurrah, we are not last! - Leaving the hotel this morning we see another team rickshaw parked up at a hotel! Now we're probably just second last.

If we were not any further behind we decided to take a visit to Sravanbelagola temple, the most famous of Jain temples, some 100kms north of Mysore. After scaling a mountain to get to the top we see a giant statue of a man with an equally giant penis.
We are heading cross-country toward the highway linking Bangalore and Hyderabad, through some enchanting little villages all harvesting rice fields with fruit and veg markets seemingly the norm on Fridays. We eventually stopped for the night at an Indian version of Travel Lodge on the NH4 at 11pm.

At times we dare not stop for the crowd control issues. It seems that everywhere we go, be it a petrol station, roadside village, local school or for a 'Jimmy Riddle' by the side of the road we manage to create a crowd. As fascinated as they are with us, it seems the CD and MP3 player complete with hit Hindi tunes is the real draw.

Day Four: Mysore to Hiriyur
Total Daily Distance: 351kms
Total so far: 906kms
Total Distance to go: 3594kms

Day Three: Everything that could go wrong...

2008-01-03T22:03:00.003Z

RICKSHAW RUN 2008
Day Thress: Thursday 3rd January 2008

No two days are ever the same, and never has a truer word been said. After a great day on the road yesterday today's day was cut short. We've had a few issues. Here goes:
1. Cracked windscreen (not my fault),
2. Smashed left indicator (my fault), dent to front bonnet (my fault),
3. stolen windscreen wiper,
4. Industrial melody horn no longer making a melody,
5. CD/MP3 player not working anymore.
6. ....and the small matter of the brakes not working anymore (see point 2).

After somehow getting to Mysore without killing ourself and anyone else (see point 6) the rickshaw had a visit to a garage in town. A few hours later and it is as good as new. Only problem is that we are now probably a good day behind every other team because we drove no further than 1pm.

To top it all off, we got pulled over by the Police (not a first for me) and fined 100 rupees for driving the wrong way down a one way street.

Grrrrrrrr.....

Day Three: Sathaymangalam to Mysore
Total Daily Distance: 154kms
Total so far: 555kms
Total Distance to go: 3544kms

Day Two: Vindication

2008-01-02T21:31:00.002Z

RICKSHAW RUN 2008
Day Two: Thursday 2nd January 2008

It seems our decision of taking the route through the mountains of South India was a right one. This mornings drive we were treated to a glorious drive through never ending lush green tea plantations. This would rival the rice hills in Vietnam for some of the most spectacular sights in Asia. Not surprisingly we got seriously way-laid. Forgetting for the most part of today that this is in fact a race, we swanned around like we were on some over 60's coach party to Bournemouth.

Stopping at the living quarters of some of the workers at the Plantations, we were shown proudly round a dozen family houses, including pointing out the toilet, TV and in some really proud instances, a 1970's Hi-Fi system.
We also had two mechanical issues today. Our knowledge knows no bounds. We diagnosed that the reason for the rickshaw coming to a sudden halt twice in 5 kms was due to over heating. So there we were sitting on the side of the road explaining to passer-bys that the engine was too hot when 30 minutes later the engine wouldn't even start. Hence the brain wave - we ran out of petrol.

Pressing on in the afternoon we still didn't make it to Mysore, our intended destination. Instead we rolled into a run down little town at 10pm when the clutch cable broke. But how is this for a bit of luck, at the exact spot where the cable snapped was right in front of a rake of local rickshaw drivers, who within 10 minutes had located a new cable, and fitted it! On starting up the engine we asked if they knew of a Hotel in the town, only for them all to point at the building directly in front of us with a massive "HOTEL" sign! Hurrah!

Day Two: Admali to Sathymangalam
Total Daily Distance: 274kms
Total so far: 401kms
Total Distance to go: 4099kms

Day One - ....and their off!

2008-01-02T19:14:00.002Z

RICKSHAW RUN 2008
Day One: Tuesday 1st January 2008

This being India, things never start on time. So it was no great surprise that the race eventually got off at 1pm. Two stalls later and we were off with the other 65 teams.
We have made it some 26kms short of our intended finish point for day one. The mammoth task of completing the 4500kms is starting to hit home a bit. Not helped by our decision to take the mountainous route out of Cochin via the tea plantations, travelling up over 1000 metres on long, winding roads rather than do what probably 80% of the other teams headed up the sensible (flat) West Coast.

So, it's a 6am start for us tomorrow as we hope to make it to a Jain temple in Sravanbelagola, some 100kms north of Mysore by the end of day three.

Day One: Cochin to Adimali
Total Distance: 127kms
Total Distance to go: 4373kms

Upsetting to locals....

2008-01-01T19:00:00.002Z

RICKSHAW RUN 2008 - PRE-RACE

After a mini-shopping spree at the Indian version of Halfords and Sainsburys, not to mention spending hours finding the right lead/adaptor to make the Ipod work, the beast was ready to go. Pumping out the latest Hindi pop hits, and industrial melody horn and painted as requested with a few interesting spellings of some of the names of our indivdual sponsors (it's India!).

Our first driving lesson went remarkably well considering. Its a bastard to start the thing, and equally so stopping it without stalling. With that in mind we caused (in fact we still are) all sorts of chaos at junctions throughout the city. The idea (according to me) is try not to stop or use the brakes and it's fine!

New Year Eve was spent on some posh hotel lawn getting acquainted with all the other Rickshaw Runners, including (no suprises) the gobby Aussies and over the top Americans. However, the night came to a rather abrupt ending when minutes after midnight three chaps from Scotland lead a mass strip off and sprinted to the pool. Being a holy Hindu/Muslin country the hotel manager didn't take kindly to the actions, with the music switched off and our boat home leaving a lot sooner than advertised.

Posted 1st January 2008

Petrol cannister and Gaffer tape...

2007-12-28T18:59:00.000Z

Armed with every day holiday essentials, we head to Heathrow tomorrow with rolls of gaffer tape, bungee cables, tow rope and a petrol cannister - causing all sorts of security alarms no doubt.

Our first day in Cochin will be getting acquainted with our three wheeled purchase and hopefully be pleasantly surprised by the "pimping" that has taken place thanks to the marvel that is email. However, India being India it probably looks nothing like the design, or as is more likely the case from experience of India, is that no-one has done anything.

It is here on my blog that there will be daily (I hope) updates on our movements - both in the Rickshaw and bodily - so you fine folk in Blighty can sit back in envy or laugh at us as we cruise the Indian Sub-Continent or breakdown/get lost/pull a temper tantrum just getting out of Cochin!

Use the subscribe button opposite to add your email address so an 'alert' email will be pinged to you when I've added to the blog over the next 2-3 weeks.

Posted 28th December 2007

Supporting the Railway Children, India

2007-12-20T18:53:00.001Z

One of the charities who we are supporting by doing the Rickshaw Run is the Railway Children. After a quick search on Youtube, I've found a small video clip that will hopefully highlight to you all the fantastic work that the Railway Children do in India, and how your sponsorship will be used.

The Railway Children is a UK based charity that helps the runaway and abandoned children who live in or around the world's railway stations.
They have centres in India and provide a point of contact for these children by giving them shelter, healthcare, education, training and protection. Anyone who has ever travelled in India will have come into contact with the children who live around the train stations and relate to the work undertaken by this charity.

We have both been astonished by the support we have received from you all and can't thank you enough, you will see from the video clip that sponsorship really will go to a great cause.

In the beginning....

2007-12-16T22:00:00.002Z

I've always rejected the idea of having a blog, so I'm starting off small... unwilling even, and see how I get on. Don't expect massive enchanting novels, for that you can point the finger of blame at my time spent at Kris Akabusi High School in West London.

Unsurprisingly, the foremost of thoughts at present are pretty much in getting everything in place to tackle the Rickshaw Run 2008. With less then two weeks before we hit India and start racing the length of the country in the equivalent of a lawn mower, things are slowly coming together.

So far its a case of:
Nepalese Visa, tick.
International Drivers Permit, tick.
Indian (and now Nepalese) flag bought on ebay for 96 pence, tick.
Map from Waterstones, tick.
Extra batteries and memory cards, tick.

I'm slowly working my way through the 6 hours of the highly recommended DVD "The Story of India" by Michael Wood. You may have seen the series on BBC2 a few months back, if not you can pick it up on Amazon. It throws up potential places of interest to pass through that even we haven't thought of. Watching it only makes you realise that you could spend years backpacking/travelling India and still only scratch the surface.

All this does is further ignite the desire to spend a few years in the Indian Sub-Continent to do it justice. With its size, clamour, sensual overload and diversity, India is the most intriging, facinating country on earth, where you quickly develop an abiding passion for it.

Lots on the agenda before Christmas. I eagerly await the delivery of a new (bloody expensive) camera lens, yet another day of pushing and shoving at the Indian embassy and trying to gain a bit more sponsorship.

Posted 16th December 2007

About me.....

2007-12-15T17:48:00.001Z

Two of my great passions in life are travel and photography. I believe that travel broadens our view of the world. Experiencing other cultures, meeting people from other communities and other countries and seeing the beauty, and sometimes ugliness of the world drives me to capture my experiences through photography.

Through my photography I strive to document my own personal experiences, to capture scenes and events as I see them and to share with others the beauty and diversity of the world I've seen. As the images of other photographers have inspired me to explore the world, I hope my own contributions will inspire others to do the same.

I feel privileged to have visited some of the most inspiring countries this world has to offer including Myanmar (Burma), Mongolia, Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Bolivia to name but a few.
I keep my images simple and contemporary and use bright, vivid colours, interesting shapes and textures to bring my work to life.

Of late I've gone down the 'Adventure' route, participating the the Rickshaw Run 2008 and this summer I've assembled a team to tackle the Mongol Rally.

I hope you enjoy the website and reading the blog.

Mark
Image the Earth Photography