Diana Australis' photos

From Chairman Mao in Kashgar, Xinjiang, China. In November last year. He still has pride of place here! The old bicycles have been replaced by super fast electric motor scooters. One needs to be very cautious when proposing to cross a road! Happy Easter and peace to all ❤️

Kashgar, in Xinjiang, West China. There is a bench beside the cart, behind the trio chatting. Part of the old Silk Route city …..remote and ancient. Have a wonderful week❤️

From Fairy Meadows, the high altitude summer grazing meadows at 3,300 meters. It ends at the giant 39sq km Raikot Glacier at the face of the 8,126m Nanga Parbat massif. It was well worth the hair-raising Jeep drive and subsequent nightmare horse ride to get here and stay a couple of nights in this extremely beautiful place. It is also a stop on the access to Nanga Parbat base camps. Nanga Parbat is commonly known as the Killer Mountain as it has taken the lives of many professional mountaineers attempting to summit it. A happy Friday and a super weekend from this crazy busy woman ❤️

This is the traffic bridge, a suspension one, which we crossed a couple of times on the Indus River in far north Pakistan. It is actually a fairly typical example…I have crossed many of these, many times. As the vehicle proceeds across, the whole bridge sways and bounces. I have added the pic from last Friday of what this bridge looks like from a distance, for scale. It is the only accèss to a number of small villages on a steeply ascending and curving dirt track up to almost 3800meters. One has to have a very skilled driver. One wrong move drops you down huge precipices ! Have a super fantastic Friday, and a weekend to remember, happily, of course!

Taken in Kashgar, Xinjiang, China. These two camouflaged guys came and took my hands. They had a photo shoot team with them. I have no idea what they were doing(language barrier). So I just played along while the cameras clicked. Sher Baz snapped this with a phone. It made me laugh. They did let me go! Hope it amuses you. Happy Sunday…Diana

A car bridge over the Indus River on the Skardu road in Baltistan, far North east Pakistan. This bridge is the sole vehicle access for all transport up a steep, narrow hairpin dirt track which winds through tiny hamlets to a high village at 4200meters. It crosses this lower mountain and climbs into the higher ones behind. Closed in winter, isolating the inhabitants, and very dangerous with any rain….one to hold tight and trust the driver! It is autumn, and a bit grey..we watched the skies closely as we went up and down the track, fearing rain. Happy happy Friday, and an exhilarating weekend to you! ❤️

A group of older Uighur men catching the last rays of cool autumn sun in Kashgar, far wrest China. Interesting faces with tales to tell in a tightly controlled Han Chinese area. Have a joyous week!

A small town high in the mountains of Baltistan, Pakistan. This is in a very remote and conservative area of the country. When I travelled here 25 years ago, I saw no schools and no females. School was some boys in a field with a man with a slate, writing words to learn. Women were within the homes or compounds. Female literacy there was about 5%. Now there are schools, and girls’ schools all through the region. The walls of the schools have a mix of murals, pictures and slogans to emphasise the importance of education. It is very difficult to photograph females here, even children, so I sneaked this one. These little ones are in a school with the statements of Malala Yousufzai on the walls…one pen one teacher, one book etc. It is great to see progress! Happy Wall Wednesday to all.

Tashkent market in the bakery section. The ladies taking a well deserved break after a very busy morning of work kneading and shaping doughs. Enjoy the new week! Diana xxx

HFF. A large livestock market is held every Sunday in Kashgar, in Xinjiang in Western China. This is basically Central Asia…thé old Chinese Turkestan as it was historically known. The sheep with their long faces and dangling ears are quite pretty..the standard here. They also have very fat bottoms! May your Friday be frivolous in some little way, and your weekend quietly wonderful. Peace and love…Diana

From Fairy Meadows, North Pakistan. At 3,300 meters. Looking out at the north face of the 8,126m Nanga Parbat massif at the extreme end of the Himalaya. From the massif runs this giant Raikot Glacier, which covers 39sq kilometres. Because of its extreme altitude, this glacier is not retreating. It was well worth the hair-raising Jeep drive and subsequent nightmare horse ride to get here and stay a couple of nights in this high altitude grazing land. It is also a stop on the access to Nanga Parbat base camps. Nanga Parbat is commonly known as the Killer Mountain as it has taken the lives of many professional mountaineers attempting to summit it. Have a cracking Friday and a worry free weekend ❤️ There is a fence there…it stops you falling headfirst down a steep abyss into the glacier.

At around 4000m here, in the Himalaya, looking out across the Indus to the Karakoram Range. The mountains rise steeply and abruptly from the deep and treacherous valley below carved out by the mighty Indus River, near its headwaters. The air is thin, thé sky endless and there is a flush of autumn across the low trees and bushes. A most remote area reached by terrifying jeep track, requiring a leap of faith as usual. Very untouristed. I love north Pakistan very much!

At 3800meters in the high altitude Basho Valley in Baltistan, far north Pakistan. On a stunningly beautiful, though crisp and cold, autumn day. May your Friday be a cheerful and happy day, and your weekend a wonderful one. Thanks for the visit. ❤️

An older photo from rural central India, just before an election with political slogans and symbols painted on it. A common occurrence in rural villages. Have a mighty midweek!

A villager in a semi rural street in Baltistan, in the town of Khapalu, Pakistan A typical street in terms of architecture in these remote places. The fence is part of the local chicken shop, where you choose your chicken which is freshly killed for you. It is closed here. Have a marvellous Friday and a cracker weekend. Diana ❤️

Autumn in the Indus Valley in Baltistan, far north Pakistan. The land of amazing high peaks and astonishing landscapes. And bizarre words on rocks! Happy midweek all xxxxx

HFF…no, not lying..there is a guard fence along the highway, visible if the photo is viewed very large. This is ascending the Highway in far north Pakistan, with autumn colours and the mighty 6-7000m Passu Cones as background. The Ismaili Wakhi communities live in villages along this river valley. It is not far from where my darling Wakhi family lives. I love it so much up here. Have a peaceful, happy and productive weekend. Love ❤️

In the ‘old city’ reconstruction in Kashgar, in the remote Taklamakan Desert of China, the walls in one set of alleys are completely covered with carpets , exposed to the rain, as here, and the weather. It is bizarre but very interesting and attractive to roam through. And most colourful. Carpet weaving is one of the traditional crafts of the region. The coloured doors lead into residential housing. Happy midweek from summer in Australia.