Diana Australis' photos

Village river crossing, Phandar Valley. Gilgit Baltistan, Pakistan. Thank you so much for any visit and or comment…truly appreciated. Wishing you a fantastic Friday, and a weekend filled with cheerful moments and happy photographic opportunities

The Kalash are an Indo-Ayrian minority group in Pakistan, living in remote valleys adjacent to the Pakistan border. As non Muslims they come under pressure from extremists who feel these women should be in hijabs and be subservient. They are, in the contrary, confident, boldly dressed in their traditional clothes, and educated. Education is very highly valued. This is a school. Kids have UNICEF bags. The back view of the girls in their daily headgear coming off the field from a game of cricket in school PE lesson. The picture at the bottom is an imposter ( me) at a village ceremony with local friends.

A Kalash girl in a remote area of hard-to-reach Pakistan, adjacent to the Afghan border. The Kalash are a small ethnic minority (14000 people) who are not Islamic. They follow their own polytheistic religion, and culture, which is under huge pressure from a hardline Islam seeping across the Afghan border. The women and girls wear these colourful dresses all the time, even as school uniforms, together with the eye-catching headdresses. They are loud, open and cheery. Also well educated. We spent several days in their remote valleys of the Hindu Kush mountains with them in an area named Kafiristan. This girl had just come home from school and was playing. Happy Friday, and a wonderful weekend to all.

The mind boggling details on yet other Pakistani trucks. The leader photo is a close up of the extraordinary detail on the front of a fairly new vehicle. They look amazing sailing along the roads! The bottom one is an Imran Khan truck

Pakistani trucks are extraordinary. The amount of art and decoration on them defies description. This oldie is one of the veterans plying the road. Every bit of the vehicle is painted, embellished, and decorated with wild extravagance, down to tinkling chain skirts and hand carved and painted doors. They are like giant sailing ships on the road, with the prow at the top often full of goats, people and/or cargo. Modern ones are equally overly decorated. It is a definite art form, and owners are inordinately proud of their trucks, carefully maintaining and updating the decor. I absolutely adore them.

From Shimshal, at 3500 meters in the high Pamir mountains up near the Pakistan border with China. The thrifty subsistence farmers here use every scrap of precious wood to be found…for heating and cooking..,and for gates! Trees are scarce at this altitude Thanks for any welcome visits and comments, which are truly appreciated. Enjoy your Friday, and may the weekend be full of photographic treasures!

The village at 3500 meters in the High Pamirs, near the China border in Pakistan. The village at the end of the road I posted a video of. It is a land of rock and snow melt. It is shut off during winter with temperatures around -40C. The hardy villagers grow wheat and potatoes, apricots, stone fruits and walnuts. They raise sheep, cattle and yaks, which spend the summer in the much higher Pamir pastures several days from the village. In winter there is danger from bears, snow leopards and wolves. Have a super Friday and a most agreeable weekend

In the Karakoram Range in Gilgit-Baltistan, North Pakistan. Here, there is almost no flat land. Have a fantastic week. Love from Australia

Hussaini Suspension bridge, North Pakistan and below…me facing my terrors Wishing a happy Friday and a really enjoyable weekend to everyone. Thank you for your visit. </a

Shimshal is a very remote valley in far North Pakistan. It is at 3500meters in the high Pamirs, near the border with China. It saw its first car in 2003 when the locals built a 57 km road to connect with the Karakoram Highway. Prior to that all goods were portered in via a perilous Silk Route track high on the cliffs, with terrifying river crossings. My husband hiked in along that track in 1989 so we wanted to check out the valley today…where he met some people he first encountered then. Then road here has a drop into a raging river on one side, and rock overhangs on the other. We did it in, and out again.

View over high alpine meadow to 8,126m Nanga Parbat (The Killer Mountain) in the Western Himalaya. This is in the North east of Pakistan in the Baltistan area.

Hunza. North Pakistan. I have just today come home from 6 weeks in the remotest parts of Pakistan. I will get back to visiting and commenting soon. Have had no internet. Have a fabulous Friday and weekend. Big hugs to all. Huge gaps in the foot treads, an unsteady ‘ fence’, raging glacier melt river far below, and 500meters to the other side…not for the faint of heart. Plus a fierce wind. The locals run across carrying baskets

Morondava, Madagascar Just looking at a few favourite travel pics. This is a magical spot. It felt so very special to watch the light changing at sunset. Sending hugs and best wishes…❤️

North Pakistan, Hunza. Near the border with China and Tajikistan. This is a scan of an old photo, but I am going back there in September and October. Can hardly wait for the adventure! Sending a Friday hug and wishes for a pleasant weekend. Hopefully not too hot and no fires near you. Diana

HFF to all. It is very cold here just now, so a photo of a lazy sun washed afternoon in Havana seemed a happy memory to warm me up today! Wishing a lovely weekend…warm, happy and filled with enjoyable moments..and fruitful photo ops. Best hugs Diana

Big hugs to all…keep safe and well. ❤️❤️❤️

Kyabram tank art, Victoria, Australia. This is part of a rural silo trail of painted silos and concrete water tanks. It has a splendid depiction of a Major Mitchell cockatoo, one of our beautiful native parrots. Behind a wire fence. HFF to all, and a wonderful weekend….from the singing snapper! I am on a solo driving trip at present…singing as I drive!

HFF….Jaffna area, Sri Lanka. Testimony to the protracted civil war. Have a kind Friday, and a safe and happy weekend. Best wishes from Australia. Not often present here, sorry. Spending much of my time practising voice and singing Baroque Music and arias instead of photographing. ❤️