I’ve been madly uploading images to the new database still and it’s actually been a wonderful way of reminding myself of where I’ve been and what images I’ve taken!

With that in mind here’s some fantastic images from an overland trip in Mongolia to Khovskol Lake. I’m still familiarizing myself with the gallery setups here. Hopefully the images rotate when you refresh but if not see the whole gallery at this link. We came across a reindeer herder whose little foal had an abscess on her leg. We miraculously had a vet amongst us who performed on the spot surgery – hence a few gory images in this gallery.

Feel free to email Jo at admin@visitedplanet.com with your comments/thoughts/photo aspirations. See and learn more at www.visitedplanet.com

I read “Tuesdays with Morrie” some time ago about a former student visiting his professor who was dying from Lou Gehrig’s disease (ALS).

For the last six months I’ve been visiting a friend in hospital dying from AIDS on Saturdays after lunch. It became a routine: bike ride, market, Rudy. There is little that is honourable, decent or dignifying about AIDS and watching the slow deterioration in this friend has been agonising.

Like in the story, I enjoyed immensely the time we had together, even though Rudy was no philosophiser on life. His face would light up when he saw me, he’d whinge and complain about family members to me in confidence and we’d go downstairs in his wheelchair so he could smoke away to his heart’s content. Yes I took him – why should he have been denied a few simple joys in his last months? A nip of Baileys and a good dose of chocolate were our other great shared joys. Read more

Yesterday was Mother’s Day and in the vein of celebrating mothers, here are some images from around the world that show us how important they are everywhere.

Bhutanese woman and child Near Bhumtang valley. This lady was with a group of women waiting out the rain near a monastery so their children would not get wet.

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I worked in Mongolia in 2007 for an NGO. Every year one of the sub groups within our organization hosted a picnic for all the families that took part in their program for animal breeding and vegetable growing.

Arriving at the picnic by truck, Zuunkahra

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