Travel Photos? So much to Remember

India ©Solange Hando

This is Khardung La in Ladakh, which claims to be the highest road pass in the world. Set on an old trade route, it is the gateway to the Nubra Valley but closed in winter.

You need a special permit to drive up the steep meandering road with precipitous drops, especially dramatic on single lane sections. Not much traffic up there but the odd overloaded bus or local authorities who always have the right of way. 

Namibia ©Solange Hando

South of Namibia's capital, Windhoek, that was an easy stop but truly exciting as you step out on the southernmost latitude where you can see the sun directly overhead. It wasn't quite the summer solstice just yet but knowing that the Capricorn stretches 36788 kms around the earth was impressive.

Eswatini ©Solange Hando

This is in Eswatini, the former Swaziland, one of Africa's smallest countries, bordered by Mozambique and South Africa. This was the final day of the annual Reeds Festival where after renewing the royal enclosure, women from across the country perform for the king.

'They all dance for the king,' said my friend, 'then by the end of the day he will choose his next wife.'

'Would you like to join?'

                                                               Canada ©Solange Hando

This is the amazing Athabasca glacier spreading out from the Columbia, the largest icefield in the Rockies. You can drive up there from Jasper or Lake Louise then enjoy a dizzying skywalk above the gorge, followed by a ride on the giant Ice Explorer. Then you can walk a few steps on the glacier, listening to rumbling avalanches and creaking crevasses as snowy peaks tower above you, at over 3000 metres.

                                                                     Reunion Island ©Solange Hando

Set in the Indian Ocean, this is a French Island between Madagascar and Mauritius, just 63 by 45 kms but one of the most active hotspots on earth.

This was my first trip in a microlight, circling and dipping around craters, ravines and the mighty Furnace Peak which erupts several times a year.  I was terrified but I loved it. Awesome...

                                                                       Madagascar ©Solange Hando

Four hours from Antananarivo, the capital, this is Lemur Island, on the edge of the Andasibe National Park. It's a refuge for wounded or endangered lemurs, including the ring-tailed above who decided to perch on my head. Approach the grasslands in a canoe and they venture right to the edge, exploring any stranger with their soft padded feet. 

                                                                     Himalayas ©Solange Hando

I love the Himalayas and this is taken on the fabulous flight from Kathmandu to Paro in Bhutan, the closest international airport to the kingdom's capital, Thimphu.

See the pyramid summit of Everest, 8849 metres, at the back, rising above the Nuptse wall to the left and the Lothse Peak to the right.

If you ever fly this route, make sure you get a seat on the left-hand site on the way to Paro.