The Backpacking Years Photo Gallery - Part Two

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

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

Has anyone got a Nissan Micra for sale?

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