Rajput Guard, City Palace, Jaipur. 1 June 1986
This guard at the City Palace was quite happy to pose. You can see a faint wisp of smoke from exhaling his beedi (Indian cigarette).
I did a search and found a photo of possibly the same guard taken in the 1990s.
My photo has deteriorated over time and those black dots on his uniform is unfortunately a fungus on my transparency slide film.
Lameroo Lodge, Darwin, NT. September 1985
This was the first place I stayed in when I arrived in Darwin on the 19th of September 1985. I’d been dropped off right outside it by my ride that I’d hitched from Katherine. It was in the heart of town whereas the youth hostel was 12kms out. I shared a room with three others for $6. Stayed there for about 10 days.
Larrakeyah Lodge, Darwin. October 1985
This was the former sisters or nurses quarters attached to the old Darwin Hospital on Lambell Terrace, not too far from the casino. I moved in with two Canadians – Andrew (pictured, with Helen from England) and Lenny. We rotated beds clockwise – someone got the uncomfy floor. Occasionally we had a couple of extras sleeping on the floor too. Fan overhead on full bore like a propellor, still too hot. Spent 2 weeks there before moving into our own flat in Smith St.
Botanic Gardens, Darwin. 29 September 1985
Lenny, Andrew & Stephanie (from Germany) flushed after throwing the frisbee around. We went up the hill to get inside the Amphitheatre where INXS and the Reels were playing. We crawled under two fences but were met by security guards. $15 was too much for us.
Harau Valley, Sumatra, Indonesia. 7 January 1986
Met the others [Alain & Evi] near the clocktower [in Bukittingi] at 7.45am. A cloudy, misty morning, no rain. An oplet [shared taxi] to the bus terminal, then a bus to Payakumbu, 36kms away. From there an oplet to another terminal. Then we walked to another terminal for an oplet ride to the Harau Valley.
From there we walked 5ks through the valley, flanked by sheer rock-faces, quite high [~300m] with spectacular waterfalls. Some tranquil farm scenes, a lot of water buffalo. Ran the gauntlet of “hellos” yet again from everyone especially little kids. “Apa kabars” from us in return.
Got to the base of our first waterfall, then climbed a steep path for a panorama of the valley. A guy sold us drinks and peanuts up there.
Walked another 3ks to see 3 more waterfalls. The force of the water at the base created a lot of wind & spray. Men with rifles were shooting birds from the tree-tops.
We came back cutting across rice paddies for a short-cut. Most of the time there was light rain. Had soup, tea and some biscuits in a small shop. Hitched a ride in a truck to Payakumbu before bussing back arriving at 6pm.
Borobudur temple, Java, Indonesia. 24 December 1985
Woken at 5.15am. Rained all night and still drizzling when Alain, Evi, Chris & Caroline & I left [Dewi’s Homestay, Yogyakarta] walking to the bus stop. Took a bus to the Borobudur turn-off and then another to the temple. Had breakfast around 7 before walking into the complex. Only recently finished shops selling souvenirs, well-kept gardens & pathways leading to the temple on a hill.
Quite magnificent, has just been reconstructed after almost collapsing. [Not sure what that reference was for, but checked its recent history and was surprised to see it was victim to a terrorist attack in January of that year. The stupas show signs of where they may have been reconstructed]. Weather was drizzle but cleared, wispy clouds making the surrounding mountains & volcanoes very photogenic. [The shot above shows Mt Merapi on the right, our destination for that afternoon, with a dawn summit on Xmas day].
Took over 20 shots mainly on the tripod. A lot of the stone carvings are very interesting, well preserved or restored.
As time went on more and more tourists arrived, swarming over the structure. Left around 10.30, the light by then was dull and hazy.
Nuptse from Lobuche, Everest trek. 1 May 1986
The peak of Nuptse (altitude 7,861m) appears to dominate the horizon when viewed from outside the Trekker’s Inn lodge at Lobuche, (altitude 4,940m). Nuptse is connected to and considered the western peak of the Lohtes-Nuptse massif and in turn the considerably higher Chomolungma – only 2km behind it.