Dreamtime In The Alice

For three days I have been in Alice Springs, which is located right in the center of Australia. It is 106 here in the desert so I have been studying in museums, art galleries, the library, and book stores, and speaking with working aboriginal artists about their work. Each piece of art tells a story,…

BytarpleyFebruary 10, 20160Comments

Australia 2016

“Am stuck in (Fremantle) Prison And Time Keeps Dragging On”

Sing it and sell it, Johnny Cash. Have you been inside a maximum security prison before? Me either. This World Heritage Site in Fremantle, WA, was just closed down as recently as 1991! Ye gads. Will not show you any bad news. Only the good parts, like the fact that this was the first prison…

BytarpleyFebruary 10, 20160Comments

Australia 2016

Photo Interlude

Since I left Perth two days ago, I have been unable to upload any pictures for the blog. Will be in a Hotel in Ayers Rock starting Thursday so hope to have better luck with Internet there. Am in Alice Springs Library currently which I was told is the best internet connection around. It is…

BytarpleyFebruary 9, 20160Comments

Australia 2016

Through the Eyes of the WA Aborigines

Translated from Katta Djinoong, the text in the featured image reads, "I see you." This is part of a current exhibit of aboriginal art at the Perth Institute of Contemporary Art. So many of the paintings and sculptures are extraordinary so I had to be judicious in selecting a few for the blog. In addition…

BytarpleyFebruary 6, 20160Comments

Australia 2016

Into the Wild West: Perth, WA

The featured image is a sculpture honoring the businessmen who developed Perth 175 years ago. The Central Business District is intensely civilized, incorporating the earliest architecture into state of the art modern building design. After 24 hours of travel from Muscat through Dubai, I landed in Perth yesterday at 1:30 am. After sleeping for 7 hours,…

BytarpleyFebruary 6, 20160Comments

Oman 2016

Midnight at the Oasis, Send Your Camel to Bed

The featured image shows a rifle and the Arabic lettering spells "gun gallery." I took this photograph in the Nizwa Souk, or bazaar. Oman men love rifles and swords, especially to wear at weddings. Wearing both a rifle and a sword, as well as your family dagger tucked in your waist scarf, at a wedding…

BytarpleyFebruary 6, 20160Comments

Oman 2016

Fellow Residents of the Nomad Inn

The featured image shows the Nomad Inn, a guest house in Muscat. It attracts travelers of all types as well as houses ex-pats who work in Oman. The canopied balcony is right outside the room where I have been staying for a week. The roof deck is where there is a communal dinner in the…

BytarpleyFebruary 3, 20160Comments

Oman 2016

Oman: A Country of Contrasts

The featured image is a photograph taken inside an old fort in Nizwa, a sizeable oasis 100 miles southwest of Muscat, the capital. Those readers who know me well will recognize that , yes, I now have another window photo to add to my collection of window photographs. Driving outside the capital is unsettling. The Omani Hajjar…

BytarpleyFebruary 3, 20160Comments

Oman 2016

Art in Oman

So few art galleries in Oman allow for photographs. Photography of the ones included in this post was encouraged because all are for sale. These are my favorites of the Omani artists: And the paint the oryx contest.

BytarpleyFebruary 1, 20160Comments

Oman 2016

And, Now for Something Completely Different

That's me in the featured image. Had to pay $8 to rent an abaya so I could enter the Grand Mosque. And, it is grand. The main prayer room chandelier is one of the largest ever made and the silk carpet in that room is the largest single Persian carpet ever made. The Sultan paid for it. I took a video but my server bounced it back. Even though it is a really short video it is apparently too large to post here!

And here is one of the many palaces of the Sultan. He is much beloved in Oman, if not the world, and he is ailing. He leaves no direct heir so it is hoped one of his cousins will succeed him.

BytarpleyJanuary 31, 20160Comments