Grand Escapades
Travel Photography & Travel Experiences of Africa, South America, the Middle-East & Asia
Fishermen on Inle Lake, Myanmar
Travel Photography is as diverse as Travel Experiences can be, and this very diversity is probably its main specificity. You actually have to cover almost all possible fields of Photography: Portraits / People; Landscapes; Architecture; Wild Life; and maybe Sport in some countries. Continue Reading →
Jal Mahal, the “Water Palace”, Jaipur
Rajasthan has immensely changed since my first trip back in April 2012! The first thing that immediately stroke me was the mere fact that now tourism is mainly local. The most surprising fact was maybe how well organized & clean the major spots of Rajasthan now are. Only once we were back to Delhi had we the impression we had escaped this “sanitized experience”. Then, what were hidden gems 10 years back are now surrounded with 5 stars resorts full of SUVs, catering for the new middle / upper class of India discovering their own country. All in all? Rajasthan is far easier to travel than it once was, and quicker! Better infrastructure and improved organization make your life so much easier. Of course, it will appear less confusing and more “On the main touristic tracks” than it was 10 years ago. Continue Reading →
Popular Swing on the Beach at Sunset in Gili Air
Bali is a popular destination, deservedly! Stunning beaches, evergreen rice terraces, high volcanoes, spiritual and nonesuch temples, colorful markets, overloaded motorbikes, … This on an island incredibly easy to travel, catering for all budget, and offering pleasant experiences for high-end honey-mooners and hardcore backpackers, first-time Asia tourists and experienced travelers, beach-bums and culture-avid discoverers alike. Continue Reading →
Wat Mahat That, Ayutthaya, Thailand
I spent 16 days in Thailand in February 2017, and visited Bangkok, Ayutthaya, Chiang Mai, Koh Lanta & Railay Beach. Yes, this only gives me a few glimpses of Asia’s most popular destination, and this is very much On The Beaten Track! It was a nice experience, though, and I could shoot a few really nice pictures… Continue Reading →
Woman picking tea leaves, near Ella
We spent 5 days on the Northern Cultural Triangle (Anuradhapura, Mihintale, Polonnaruwa, Sigiriya & Dambulla), which was the bear minimum to be able to somehow discover those places. Then followed 3 days to get a glimpse of the Highlands and the Tea Plantations (Kandy, Nuwera Eliya & Ella). Last but not least, we headed south for one and a half day rest on the beach & whale watching in Mirissa and to discover Galle.
Here you find a Selection of 47 Pictures of Sri Lanka…
Floating over Bagan’s 4.000 temples in a Hot Air Balloon, Bagan, Myanmar
I used every single one of the 28 days the eVisa was allowing me to stay in Myanmar in February 2015 and visited first the Southeast of the country (Golden Rock, Hpa An & Mawlamyine), before heading to the Northeast (Pyin Oo Lwin, train over the Gokteik Viaduct, Hsipaw) and finally discovered during the last two weeks the more popular and touristic part of the country (Mandalay, Bagan, Inle Lake & last but not least Yangon). Continue Reading →
Taj Mahal, Agra, India
In April 2012 I had my first brush with India, to be precise Eastern Rajasthan: for 11 days I gazed at the most incredible Moghul architecture in Agra and Jaipur. I also threw in a bit of wildlife by visiting Ranthambhore National Park. When I returned in March 2013, I headed for the Southwest of Rajasthan for 12 days, to marvel at these impressive forts & palaces in Udaipur, Kumbhalgarh, Bundi, Chittorgarh and last but not least Pushkar & Ajmer. Delhi was my hub during both trips.
In March 2015, I went back to Rajasthan for one full month, and made an extensive loop through this area of India: Delhi, Agra, Fatehpur Sikri & Abhaneri, Jaipur, Pushkar & Ajmer, Chittorgarh, Udaipur, Kumbalgarh & Ranakpur, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Bikaner & Nawalgarh. I ended the trip in Amritsar (Punjab) to marvel at the Golden Temple.
In Chengyang, a Dong Village near Sanjiang, Guilin region, China
We traveled the 30 days our visa permitted throughout China’s southwestern provinces in Mai 2008: Guangxi (Guilin, Yangshuo), Sichuan (Chengdu, Leshan, Emei Shan), Yunnan (Lijiang, Dali, Kunming, Yuanyang) & Xishuangbanna (Jingling). This was definitely not enough! Nevertheless, we now know it can be easily done without a common language. This introduction to China also was an immense eye opener and some of the negative concepts we had of this country we corrected or simply vanished! Continue Reading →
We visited Vietnam twice: in 2003, we spent 4 weeks there, discovering the main highlights of a country that was already popular but not overrun: Ho Chi Minh City, Cu Chi Tunnels, the Mekong Delta, Nha Trang, Hoi An, Hue, Hanoi, Halong Bay and last but not least SaPa.
In 2015, Gilles spent 5 weeks there alone, and tried to visit, along with the main “highlights”, some lesser known parts of the country: Can Tho, Ho Chi Minh City, Hoi An, Danang, Hue, Phong Nha Ke Bang National Park, Tam Coc, Halong Bay, Hanoi, Sapa & Bac Ha. Continue Reading →
Our two trips to Cambodia could not have been more different from each other: in July 2008, we crossed the border from Laos on foot and checked out mainly Phnom Penh and of course Siem Reap, where we spent one week exploring many Angkor Temples. We finally crossed the Tonlé Sap to Battambang before heading overland to Thailand. In December 2014, we again spent one week in Siem Reap to see the most famous and the more remote temples of Angkor. We then made a 10 day loop through Northwest Cambodia, where we were mostly the only tourists. We headed then to Phnom Penh, and finally Kampot & Kep on the Coast before heading to Vietnam. Continue Reading →