Startrails over Cerro Tronador, Patagonia: Here is a shot that took about one hour to prepare (not including the 6 hr drive and 5 hr hike/ski :) and 16 minutes to take. This is Cerro Tronador, an extinct volcano (though the area is still quite active) of 3400m/11,000ft. It sticks 1500m /5000f...68755 view(s)
Sunrise from Chimborazo, Ecuador: This image was shot in the early morning at the point farthest away from the center of the earth -> Mt Chimborazo in Ecuador, just before sunrise.
The mighty glacier-covered volcanoes Cotopaxi, Cayambe & Antisana can be seen on the horizon...
---...13362 view(s)
Everest from Rongbuk Monastery: About 8km from Basecamp and more than 25 from the summit of the world, the Chinese have built a hideous hotel. Next to the Rongbuk Monastery the red building stand out from the colourless surroundings as a sore on a clear skin.They serve great noodle...9734 view(s)
Makalu from Mount Everest after sunrise: One of my most popular images on ExposedPlanet is the image of Makalu at sunrise, taken from the 3rd step of Everest. Makalu is the 5th highest mountain on earth, so there are not too many places from where you can look down on it.
I had taken a s...9338 view(s)
Mount Everest from BaseCamp, Tibet: It is Everest season and here is one of my favorite images of "Chomolungma", the mother Goddess of the Earth.
This post is to celebrate 2 things:
- that some of my friends will be very close to the summit at this moment (good luck and be safe!)
...9295 view(s)
Makalu from the third step on Everest: Makalu is the 5th highest mountain on earth. Looking down on it means you are higher, in this case about the 3rd 'Step' on Everest. Seeing the sunrise chasing away the nightly cold over the cloud sea is incredible and makes you feel more alive than e...8830 view(s)
Young Maasai man performing the adumu, also know as the 'jumping dance', Tanzania: Young Maasai man performing the adumu, also know as the 'jumping dance'. Shot in a Boma in Tanzania
Eunoto, the coming of age ceremony of the warrior, can involve ten or more days of singing, dancing and ritual. The warriors of the Il-Oodokilani...7729 view(s)
Seattle Skyline: Even though I love nature most, I am still fascinated by cities. How they start, how they grow. As far as American cities go, Seattle is very nice. Interestingly enough the beauty of a city like Seattle is often defined by the lack of city: the parks...7651 view(s)
Surinam family in French Guyana: During the civil/jungle war in Surinam in the 1980's many people fled to neighbouring French Giuana. Only the mother of this family still speaks a bit of Dutch, the kids never learnt it.
This friendly bunch took us into their homes for the night e...6117 view(s)
Mexican Chili Peppers: A collection of shots from different Mexican chili peppers, all taken in the nice market of Tijuana.
Tijuana has a bad reputation, but we spent some nice days, safely walking around, visiting the market, beach, museum of modern art and many more. ...6083 view(s)
Saint Basil Cathedral on Red Square, Moscow: I am back :) Sorry for the long dry spell, but I was busy leading a team in Russia. Of course I took my camera, so the next week or so I will post some images of the largest country on earth, starting of with the most famous sight: St Basil's cathed...5963 view(s)
Panorama of the Horseshoe Bend of the Colorado River, Arizona.: More impressive than the Grand Canyon is this Horse-shoe-shaped cutout that the Colorado river made in the Arizona earth.
The colours and sense of scale are wonderful, I tried to capture this in a series of 5 images, merged together, as even the 1...5718 view(s)
Happy Nepali Girl, Kathmandu: Due to the powerstruggle between the Maoists, the government and the puppets of the King in Nepal, the situation was tense on the streets. Strikes were followed by curfews and the Nepali could not go out of their houses, while we as tourists could wa...5465 view(s)
Nepali Girl with amazing eyes close up: This is the first image I am uploading. This little girl suddenly crossed our path when we were on our way to the wonderful Swayambunath temple complex in Kathmandu (mixed Buddhist & Hindu). There was a curfew due to the Maoist problems and the stree...5419 view(s)
Indian boy swimming in Agra: The water of the river was dirty, but the children enjoyed the play and the cooling down in the heat. When seeing the big camera, some ran away, while others, like this kid, were curious enough to come closer.....4892 view(s)
Sunset in the Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia (2): Here is another shot, taken just a few moments after the previous shot. The Salt flats are usually white or cream-coloured, but the setting sun gave everything a warm pink glow......4629 view(s)
United Airlines Rainbow at Chicago O Hare airport: I really cannot remember if this was at Washington Dulles or Chicago airport, anyone?UPDATE: as a few people have pointed out in the comments, this is actually in Chicago. I changed the title of the post, but the wrong title will remain on teh photo,...4460 view(s)
It's a sign! In Thamel, Kathmandu, Nepal: Thamel is the tourist district in Kathmandu and a maze of small streets filled with restaurants, internet cafes and shops selling all kinds of handicrafts.Of course everybody want attention to their small shops, hence the signs (Made in German!It mig...4448 view(s)
Mexican dancers backstage, Cancun, Mexico: Veronica (in the back) and her friends are dancers in the Maria Felix dance company. Together with their colleagues they perform several times per week in exclusive resorts around Cancun, whirl-winding through many Mexican regions in dance and clot...4421 view(s)
Taj or Trash Mahal, India: I have many more images of this wonderful piece of art and the greatest monument of love in the world and will post some later to show its beauty and the story behind it. But now I will focus on an uglier aspect of India.When we were traveling by che...4388 view(s)
Glaciers on the Rwenzori mountains, Uganda: The ancient Greeks and Egyptians already wondered about the source of this strange river coming out of the Sahara desert. They though that there must be a range deep inside the African continents, which they called The Mountains Of The Moon.The searc...4385 view(s)
Inside a Masai house, Tanzania. About kerosene lamps and solar-powered LED lights: A young Masai explains about his living situation and his house, which consists of a mud-covered sticks with nearly no light coming in. His boma (town or settlement) is situated near the NgoroNgoro crater in Tanzania. In the next room his young wife ...4303 view(s)
Swimming in the Cenote, Yucatan: In the Yucatan peninsula are many of these so-called 'cenote's' or sink holes, where ground water and rain have eroded the soil into giant caves. This particular one is very special as it has a hole on top, where the roots from the tree that is growi...4212 view(s)
First Class flight to Antarctica: This is likely the most expensive flight on earth, combined with likely the least amount of comfort... Inside this Russian Ilyushin freight plane are about 40 people, headed for Antarctica. Most climb Mt Vinson, others to reach the South Pole on skis...3980 view(s)
Sunset over Cho Oyu from Everest: I finally have some time to edit some older images that never saw the light in public, but I think are worth sharing as they show the beauty of our planet and I realize not everybody gets the chance to see this personally!
From the upper flanks of...3954 view(s)
Most popular past week:
Most commented images:
Buddhists Butterlamps in Dharamsala: China's bloody contempt for the world: Tibet is on fire. The past weeks many Tibetan monks have been killed brutally by Chinese forces, most of them in Lhasa, the capital of Chinese-occupied Tibet. You will not hear much about it unless we let people know, as Tibet is now closed...22 comment(s) | 1058 view(s)
Makalu from the third step on Everest: Makalu is the 5th highest mountain on earth. Looking down on it means you are higher, in this case about the 3rd 'Step' on Everest. Seeing the sunrise chasing away the nightly cold over the cloud sea is incredible and makes you feel more al...15 comment(s) | 8830 view(s)
Taschi Dzom Hells Angels: A group of tourists arrived in a cloud of dust on their old Royal Enfield motorbikes. They were traveling from Lhasa to Kathmandu over the dusty Friendship Highway, only named so because of the altitude...They stopped in Taschi for a while ...13 comment(s) | 1529 view(s)
Makalu from Mount Everest after sunrise: One of my most popular images on ExposedPlanet is the image of Makalu at sunrise, taken from the 3rd step of Everest. Makalu is the 5th highest mountain on earth, so there are not too many places from where you can look down on it.
I had...13 comment(s) | 9338 view(s)
Holy man at Pashupatinath temple in Kathmandu, Nepal: One of the many 'holy man' that can be found near the holiest Hindu place in Nepal, the Pashupatinath temple, knw fro their open air cremations.These holy men cover themselves with human ashes....12 comment(s) | 2823 view(s)
Mount Everest from BaseCamp, Tibet: It is Everest season and here is one of my favorite images of "Chomolungma", the mother Goddess of the Earth.
This post is to celebrate 2 things:
- that some of my friends will be very close to the summit at this moment (good luck and b...12 comment(s) | 9295 view(s)
Monte Rosa from Mont Blanc, Alps: When summiting Mt Blanc, we saw the sea of clouds as published earlier. But when looking east, we could see across Italy, towards the Monte Rosa group.The rising sun cast different shades of shadows across the ranges creating a surreal effe...11 comment(s) | 920 view(s)
Corniche on the summit ridge of Denali, Alaska: The giant overhanging cornice/conriche on the summit ridge of Denali, the highest mountain of North America, at about 6150m/20,200ft...11 comment(s) | 1544 view(s)
Little Nepali Boy: This little Nepali boy did not say much, but was interested in me and my camera. Soon after, they continued their play on the dusty trails (there are no streets here) of the Khumbu Valley, Nepal....11 comment(s) | 939 view(s)
Nepali Girl with amazing eyes close up: This is the first image I am uploading. This little girl suddenly crossed our path when we were on our way to the wonderful Swayambunath temple complex in Kathmandu (mixed Buddhist & Hindu). There was a curfew due to the Maoist problems and...10 comment(s) | 5419 view(s)
Tibetan kids in love: When relaxing in Taschi Dzom, we took some hikes through the fields to see the life of the Tibetans. Of course the children were intrigued by our cameras and the white skin -hellomoney! Even when they were begging for money, they were reall...10 comment(s) | 3139 view(s)
Sunrise from Chimborazo, Ecuador: This image was shot in the early morning at the point farthest away from the center of the earth -> Mt Chimborazo in Ecuador, just before sunrise.
The mighty glacier-covered volcanoes Cotopaxi, Cayambe & Antisana can be seen on the horizon...10 comment(s) | 13362 view(s)
Climbers with sleds on Antarctica: Just after leaving BC the route up Vinson slowly ascends the glacier. No mules, no porters, but every member wil carry their own gear and the team supplies on a sled, making the ascent tougher than it might appear.The sun never sets, but on...9 comment(s) | 1238 view(s)
Drowned church in Graun, Italy: Last summer I was cycling across Italy and the Alps, and when I finally reached the top of the Reschenpass, suddenly the fog cleared a bit to show me this strange scenery. Apparently it was a well-known tourist spot, but with the constant r...9 comment(s) | 2580 view(s)
Tibetan girl with sweater: Happy new year everybody! May you all have a wondrous 2008, filled with joy.This is the same little girl as is portrayed with her little friend on one of the most popular images on the site (see the 'Archive' button on top of the page). Hop...9 comment(s) | 2557 view(s)
Happy 2011 part 1: jumping for joy in Bolivia, looking back and ahead: With Ivanas jump for joy on the Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia, I want to wish everybody who reads this blog a wonderful 2011.
Though 2009 seemed destined to be the most powerful year in my personal history (even beating 2008!), the past year...9 comment(s) | 3417 view(s)
Happy 2011 part 2: Amigos from the Galapagos: Can we just be friends?: After the long list of past and present in the previous post, here is a view ahead for all of us, illustrated by these small guys.
I loved my visit to the Galapagos, it was truly an old dream come true. We managed to visit the main islan...9 comment(s) | 2914 view(s)
Chogolisa Basecamp, Pakistan: Chogolisa is known as Bride Peak and it is here that famous climber Hermann Buhl died. I went on a non-commercial expedition with 8 South African members and us 2 dutch climbers. After all the crowds on the -beautiful- hike in on the enormo...8 comment(s) | 1327 view(s)
Panorama of Nepalese Himalaya with Everest from Namche Bazaar: This is a composite image, I think from 6 or 7 images, covering about 180 degrees from a windy hilltop in the Khumbu Valley, taking with a Canon EOS5 and probably the 50mm or 70mm lens. To teh left, lovely village Khumjung can be seen, subj...8 comment(s) | 2048 view(s)
Happy Valentine: blooming cardon cactus in Baja California: Thought it might be appropriate today to send some flowers..
The tall Cardon cactuses on the Mexican Baja California peninsula flower in March-June. The small flowers open up in the afternoon and close in the morning as they are dependen...8 comment(s) | 3215 view(s)
Chinese borderguard at Tibetan border: The border between Tibet & Nepal is called the Friendship Bridge, connecting the 2 sides of the roaring river. Nowadays Tibet is Chinese, a situation that will not be resolved soon. The Chinese are different from the Nepali and you can tell...7 comment(s) | 929 view(s)
Hindu Girl in Kathmandu: Pashupatinath is the holiest Hindu place in Nepal. This is where the cremations take place, just hours after the deceased have passed away. Different places for different castes, it is a coming and going of groups of relatives who burn thei...7 comment(s) | 1983 view(s)
Crowd climbing up towards Northcol on Mount Everest, Tibet: Happy New year, all! Somehow this image felt right for New Years Day, do not know why actually.Anyway, this is one of the best parts of the climb of Mount Everest from the North -Tibetan- side. A maze of huge chunks of ice and snowy plateau...7 comment(s) | 1202 view(s)
United Airlines Rainbow at Chicago O Hare airport: I really cannot remember if this was at Washington Dulles or Chicago airport, anyone?UPDATE: as a few people have pointed out in the comments, this is actually in Chicago. I changed the title of the post, but the wrong title will remain on ...7 comment(s) | 4460 view(s)
Global culture (2): little girl jumping puddles in Tibet: One more about customs that are shared by many different cultures worldwide, this one also from the same small village in Tibet. The girl was intrigued by our large videocamera that we used to shoot some interviews, but when she saw the mud...7 comment(s) | 1474 view(s)
Most popular today:
[wpp limit=7 pages=0 range="daily" order_by="views" thumbnail_selection="wppgenerated" thumbnail_width=50 thumbnail_height=50 stats_views=1 stats_comments=0 do_pattern=1 pattern_form={image}]
Most viewed images:
[wpp limit=25 pages=0 range="all" o
Startrails over Cerro Tronador, Patagonia: Here is a shot that took about one hour to prepare (not including the 6 hr drive and 5 hr hike/ski :) and 16 minutes to take. This is Cerro Tronador, an extinct volcano (though the area is still quite active) of 3400m/11,000ft. It sticks 1500m /5000f... 68755 view(s) 
Everest from Rongbuk Monastery: About 8km from Basecamp and more than 25 from the summit of the world, the Chinese have built a hideous hotel. Next to the Rongbuk Monastery the red building stand out from the colourless surroundings as a sore on a clear skin.They serve great noodle... 9734 view(s) 
Mount Everest from BaseCamp, Tibet: It is Everest season and here is one of my favorite images of "Chomolungma", the mother Goddess of the Earth.
This post is to celebrate 2 things:
- that some of my friends will be very close to the summit at this moment (good luck and be safe!)
... 9295 view(s) 
Makalu from the third step on Everest: Makalu is the 5th highest mountain on earth. Looking down on it means you are higher, in this case about the 3rd 'Step' on Everest. Seeing the sunrise chasing away the nightly cold over the cloud sea is incredible and makes you feel more alive than e... 8830 view(s) 
Young Maasai man performing the adumu, also know as the 'jumping dance', Tanzania: Young Maasai man performing the adumu, also know as the 'jumping dance'. Shot in a Boma in Tanzania
Eunoto, the coming of age ceremony of the warrior, can involve ten or more days of singing, dancing and ritual. The warriors of the Il-Oodokilani... 7729 view(s) 
Seattle Skyline: Even though I love nature most, I am still fascinated by cities. How they start, how they grow. As far as American cities go, Seattle is very nice. Interestingly enough the beauty of a city like Seattle is often defined by the lack of city: the parks... 7651 view(s) 
Mexican Chili Peppers: A collection of shots from different Mexican chili peppers, all taken in the nice market of Tijuana.
Tijuana has a bad reputation, but we spent some nice days, safely walking around, visiting the market, beach, museum of modern art and many more. ... 6083 view(s) 
Saint Basil Cathedral on Red Square, Moscow: I am back :) Sorry for the long dry spell, but I was busy leading a team in Russia. Of course I took my camera, so the next week or so I will post some images of the largest country on earth, starting of with the most famous sight: St Basil's cathed... 5963 view(s) 
Panorama of the Horseshoe Bend of the Colorado River, Arizona.: More impressive than the Grand Canyon is this Horse-shoe-shaped cutout that the Colorado river made in the Arizona earth.
The colours and sense of scale are wonderful, I tried to capture this in a series of 5 images, merged together, as even the 1... 5718 view(s) 
Happy Nepali Girl, Kathmandu: Due to the powerstruggle between the Maoists, the government and the puppets of the King in Nepal, the situation was tense on the streets. Strikes were followed by curfews and the Nepali could not go out of their houses, while we as tourists could wa... 5465 view(s) 
Nepali Girl with amazing eyes close up: This is the first image I am uploading. This little girl suddenly crossed our path when we were on our way to the wonderful Swayambunath temple complex in Kathmandu (mixed Buddhist & Hindu). There was a curfew due to the Maoist problems and the stree... 5419 view(s) 
Indian boy swimming in Agra: The water of the river was dirty, but the children enjoyed the play and the cooling down in the heat. When seeing the big camera, some ran away, while others, like this kid, were curious enough to come closer..... 4892 view(s) 
Sunset in the Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia (2): Here is another shot, taken just a few moments after the previous shot. The Salt flats are usually white or cream-coloured, but the setting sun gave everything a warm pink glow...... 4629 view(s) 
United Airlines Rainbow at Chicago O Hare airport: I really cannot remember if this was at Washington Dulles or Chicago airport, anyone?UPDATE: as a few people have pointed out in the comments, this is actually in Chicago. I changed the title of the post, but the wrong title will remain on teh photo,... 4460 view(s) 
It's a sign! In Thamel, Kathmandu, Nepal: Thamel is the tourist district in Kathmandu and a maze of small streets filled with restaurants, internet cafes and shops selling all kinds of handicrafts.Of course everybody want attention to their small shops, hence the signs (Made in German!It mig... 4448 view(s) 
Mexican dancers backstage, Cancun, Mexico: Veronica (in the back) and her friends are dancers in the Maria Felix dance company. Together with their colleagues they perform several times per week in exclusive resorts around Cancun, whirl-winding through many Mexican regions in dance and clot... 4421 view(s) 
Taj or Trash Mahal, India: I have many more images of this wonderful piece of art and the greatest monument of love in the world and will post some later to show its beauty and the story behind it. But now I will focus on an uglier aspect of India.When we were traveling by che... 4388 view(s) 
Glaciers on the Rwenzori mountains, Uganda: The ancient Greeks and Egyptians already wondered about the source of this strange river coming out of the Sahara desert. They though that there must be a range deep inside the African continents, which they called The Mountains Of The Moon.The searc... 4385 view(s) 
First Class flight to Antarctica: This is likely the most expensive flight on earth, combined with likely the least amount of comfort... Inside this Russian Ilyushin freight plane are about 40 people, headed for Antarctica. Most climb Mt Vinson, others to reach the South Pole on skis... 3980 view(s) 
Buddhists Butterlamps in Dharamsala: China's bloody contempt for the world: Tibet is on fire. The past weeks many Tibetan monks have been killed brutally by Chinese forces, most of them in Lhasa, the capital of Chinese-occupied Tibet. You will not hear much about it unless we let people know, as Tibet is now closed... 22 comment(s) | 1058 view(s) 
Taschi Dzom Hells Angels: A group of tourists arrived in a cloud of dust on their old Royal Enfield motorbikes. They were traveling from Lhasa to Kathmandu over the dusty Friendship Highway, only named so because of the altitude...They stopped in Taschi for a while ... 13 comment(s) | 1529 view(s) 
Holy man at Pashupatinath temple in Kathmandu, Nepal: One of the many 'holy man' that can be found near the holiest Hindu place in Nepal, the Pashupatinath temple, knw fro their open air cremations.These holy men cover themselves with human ashes.... 12 comment(s) | 2823 view(s) 
Monte Rosa from Mont Blanc, Alps: When summiting Mt Blanc, we saw the sea of clouds as published earlier. But when looking east, we could see across Italy, towards the Monte Rosa group.The rising sun cast different shades of shadows across the ranges creating a surreal effe... 11 comment(s) | 920 view(s) 
Corniche on the summit ridge of Denali, Alaska: The giant overhanging cornice/conriche on the summit ridge of Denali, the highest mountain of North America, at about 6150m/20,200ft... 11 comment(s) | 1544 view(s) 
Little Nepali Boy: This little Nepali boy did not say much, but was interested in me and my camera. Soon after, they continued their play on the dusty trails (there are no streets here) of the Khumbu Valley, Nepal.... 11 comment(s) | 939 view(s) 
Tibetan kids in love: When relaxing in Taschi Dzom, we took some hikes through the fields to see the life of the Tibetans. Of course the children were intrigued by our cameras and the white skin -hellomoney! Even when they were begging for money, they were reall... 10 comment(s) | 3139 view(s) 
Climbers with sleds on Antarctica: Just after leaving BC the route up Vinson slowly ascends the glacier. No mules, no porters, but every member wil carry their own gear and the team supplies on a sled, making the ascent tougher than it might appear.The sun never sets, but on... 9 comment(s) | 1238 view(s) 
Drowned church in Graun, Italy: Last summer I was cycling across Italy and the Alps, and when I finally reached the top of the Reschenpass, suddenly the fog cleared a bit to show me this strange scenery. Apparently it was a well-known tourist spot, but with the constant r... 9 comment(s) | 2580 view(s) 
Tibetan girl with sweater: Happy new year everybody! May you all have a wondrous 2008, filled with joy.This is the same little girl as is portrayed with her little friend on one of the most popular images on the site (see the 'Archive' button on top of the page). Hop... 9 comment(s) | 2557 view(s) 
Happy 2011 part 1: jumping for joy in Bolivia, looking back and ahead: With Ivanas jump for joy on the Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia, I want to wish everybody who reads this blog a wonderful 2011.
Though 2009 seemed destined to be the most powerful year in my personal history (even beating 2008!), the past year... 9 comment(s) | 3417 view(s) 
Happy 2011 part 2: Amigos from the Galapagos: Can we just be friends?: After the long list of past and present in the previous post, here is a view ahead for all of us, illustrated by these small guys.
I loved my visit to the Galapagos, it was truly an old dream come true. We managed to visit the main islan... 9 comment(s) | 2914 view(s) 
Chogolisa Basecamp, Pakistan: Chogolisa is known as Bride Peak and it is here that famous climber Hermann Buhl died. I went on a non-commercial expedition with 8 South African members and us 2 dutch climbers. After all the crowds on the -beautiful- hike in on the enormo... 8 comment(s) | 1327 view(s) 
Panorama of Nepalese Himalaya with Everest from Namche Bazaar: This is a composite image, I think from 6 or 7 images, covering about 180 degrees from a windy hilltop in the Khumbu Valley, taking with a Canon EOS5 and probably the 50mm or 70mm lens. To teh left, lovely village Khumjung can be seen, subj... 8 comment(s) | 2048 view(s) 
Happy Valentine: blooming cardon cactus in Baja California: Thought it might be appropriate today to send some flowers..
The tall Cardon cactuses on the Mexican Baja California peninsula flower in March-June. The small flowers open up in the afternoon and close in the morning as they are dependen... 8 comment(s) | 3215 view(s) 
Chinese borderguard at Tibetan border: The border between Tibet & Nepal is called the Friendship Bridge, connecting the 2 sides of the roaring river. Nowadays Tibet is Chinese, a situation that will not be resolved soon. The Chinese are different from the Nepali and you can tell... 7 comment(s) | 929 view(s) 
Hindu Girl in Kathmandu: Pashupatinath is the holiest Hindu place in Nepal. This is where the cremations take place, just hours after the deceased have passed away. Different places for different castes, it is a coming and going of groups of relatives who burn thei... 7 comment(s) | 1983 view(s) 
Crowd climbing up towards Northcol on Mount Everest, Tibet: Happy New year, all! Somehow this image felt right for New Years Day, do not know why actually.Anyway, this is one of the best parts of the climb of Mount Everest from the North -Tibetan- side. A maze of huge chunks of ice and snowy plateau... 7 comment(s) | 1202 view(s) 
Global culture (2): little girl jumping puddles in Tibet: One more about customs that are shared by many different cultures worldwide, this one also from the same small village in Tibet. The girl was intrigued by our large videocamera that we used to shoot some interviews, but when she saw the mud... 7 comment(s) | 1474 view(s)