Articles
Indonesia May 2010
Indonesia is a photographers dream and a cyclists nightmare. I suppose it was our own fault we decided to cycle. Having crossed Sumatra from east to west, over the mountainous spine of the island, the Indian Ocean coast was relatively flat at first, with wonderful sights like this colourful fishing boat at anchor in the early morning. No-one cycles any more. This rapidly developing economy has spawned a nation of motorcyclists. Often one per family will do – the most we saw was five people on a bike, and it serves as a truck as well – towing a wheelbarrow and carrying a sheet of what would have been called in the old days (and probably still is, but it’s 2400 by 1200 millimetres,) eight by four plywood. But I digress. The point is we were the novelty – only children and poor people use bicycles, which made us strange, or as it would appear amongst some kids, a laughing stock. It also meant that whenever we turned up at a hotel we were offered the cheapest accommodation first, and we had to try and upsell ourselves!
Indonesia is a photographers dream and a cyclists nightmare. I suppose it was our own fault we decided to cycle. Having crossed Sumatra from east to west, over the mountainous spine of the island, the Indian Ocean coast was relatively flat at first, with wonderful sights like this colourful fishing boat at anchor in the early morning. No-one cycles any more. This rapidly developing economy has spawned a nation of motorcyclists. Often one per family will do – the most we saw was five people on a bike, and it serves as a truck as well – towing a wheelbarrow and carrying a sheet of what would have been called in the old days (and probably still is, but it’s 2400 by 1200 millimetres,) eight by four plywood. But I digress. The point is we were the novelty – only children and poor people use bicycles, which made us strange, or as it would appear amongst some kids, a laughing stock. It also meant that whenever we turned up at a hotel we were offered the cheapest accommodation first, and we had to try and upsell ourselves!
Karijini National Park Western Australia 2008
A typical scene in north Western Australia, blue sky, gum tree, termite mound and earth stained red by rusting iron. No it’s not that there’s lots of wrecked cars or failed industry, it’s just that the iron content of the earth is so high. Here there are whole mountains made of iron, or rather iron ore, but ore so rich you can pick it up with a magnet. Thank goodness for the National Parks like Karijini, where the ironstone canyons are preserved, unlike nearby Mount Tom Price which is gradually being dismantled by Rio Tinto Iron Ore, and taken by the company’s 2.4km long train on the company's railway track to the coast where at the company’s port it’s loaded onto ships to feed the hungry furnaces of China’s booming industry. One day there will just be a huge whole in the ground where this mountain once stood.
A typical scene in north Western Australia, blue sky, gum tree, termite mound and earth stained red by rusting iron. No it’s not that there’s lots of wrecked cars or failed industry, it’s just that the iron content of the earth is so high. Here there are whole mountains made of iron, or rather iron ore, but ore so rich you can pick it up with a magnet. Thank goodness for the National Parks like Karijini, where the ironstone canyons are preserved, unlike nearby Mount Tom Price which is gradually being dismantled by Rio Tinto Iron Ore, and taken by the company’s 2.4km long train on the company's railway track to the coast where at the company’s port it’s loaded onto ships to feed the hungry furnaces of China’s booming industry. One day there will just be a huge whole in the ground where this mountain once stood.
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