Wrestlers of Lahore

GALLERY: Faces of Lahore

Last month (October 2025) I made my first visit to Pakistan, with Lahore as my arrival point. I had no idea what to expect – British-Pakistani friends, and an increasing number of Youtubers, told me I was in for a warm welcome, but years of media scare stories lurked at the back of my mind.

Within minutes of getting out on the streets I learned that my friends (and those Youtubers) were right – Pakistan is without doubt the friendliest country on the planet and Lahore, with its chaotic streets, delicious street food, and welcoming locals, is the perfect introduction.

I spent three days there, much of it in the old Walled City, and could’ve easily spent the whole week there. Just wandering around taking photos, stopping for an onion bhaji, and sitting drinking tea and talking politics with random locals was an absolute pleasure. So here’s a portrait gallery in tribute to the people who gave me such a great first impression of their country.

Strings of Life: The Exiles Bringing Traditional Burmese Puppetry to Bangkok

“When they’re not performing, we cover their faces because we believe they have souls”

Khin Maung Htwe and his family, one of the few remaining authentic Burmese Yoke Thé puppetry troupes, fled Myanmar and its brutal military government in June, for the safety of Bangkok. Oo, Htwe’s wife, misses their home in Yangon and worries about her elderly mother, but Htwe and his two children enjoy life here, and his son is hoping to go to university in Thailand. And what still unites them and keeps them going is their art.

Yoke Thé can be traced back to at least the 15th century and reached peak popularity in the 1800s. Like many traditional art forms in Southeast Asia – Thailand’s Chinese opera or Vietnam’s Hát Tuồng for example – it was THE form of mass entertainment before the arrival of radio, cinema and TV, and served as storytelling, news/propaganda dissemination, and an oblique (and therefore mostly safe) way to satirise and poke fun at officialdom.

And like those other art forms, its popularity has waned over the last century – Htwe tells me there are very few puppet masters left in Myanmar and those that remain mostly perform shorter shows for tourists (a real Yoke Thé show should last all night). Thankfully Htwe has taught his children well and they are highly skilled puppeteers, and just as passionate about the art as their parents, and they now perform every Thursday evening at Prince Theatre, in Bangkok’s Bang Rak district.

I joined them one evening to meet them and photograph them as they set up their equipment (most of which – including their 28 valuable puppets – they brought over from Myanmar with them), and performed a short rehearsal for me so I could shoot close-up. Then came the show itself and whilst initially I was too busy taking photos to pay it much attention, once I sat and watched I was amazed at the skill of Oo, Thet, and Paing, as they manipulated their puppets – most of them have at least 20 strings which enable the puppeteers to move them in a eerily realistic manner.

The performances are wordless and accompanied by music, which means there is no language barrier, and the stories themselves are universal tales of love, good vs evil, vice and virtue and so on, and can be easily understood. It’s a truly magical experience and the chance to experience an ancient art close up, and to meet those keeping it alive.

Htwe Oo Myanmar puppet troupe perform every Thursday at Prince Theatre Heritage Stay, from 20:00

GALLERY: 72 Hours in Jaipur

After Delhi, even a hot, dusty city of over 4 million people feels like a relaxing break. Jaipur was much more compact, easy to navigate (the old city is built on a grid system), and, staying as we were in a charming old heritage hotel, a lot more comfortable.

Our visit coincided with some pre-Holi celebrations, to which we were warmly welcomed, our faces painted, our necks garlanded with flowers, and the locals eager to get me to join in the dancing. Elsewhere, Amber Fort, which its stunning colours and light, turned out to be a photographer’s playground, as did its amazing stairwell.

The locals were some of the friendliest people I’ve met anywhere in the world, the tuk-tuk drivers were all insane but fun, and the local craft beer excellent. I’d probably take a lot of persuading to spend another 72 hours in Delhi, but would go back to Jaipur in a heartbeat.

GALLERY: 72 Hours in Delhi

On the flight to India I finished reading Kyle Chayka’s excellent Filterworld, a look at how algorithms have transformed social media from a set of our own curated interests to a never-ending deluge of spurious ‘recommendations’, and the flattening effect this is having on global culture – for example how coffeeshops, the people who hang out in them, the music that’s playing in the background etc, are all starting to become the same.

Arriving in Delhi, however, was a welcome reminder that some places remain impervious to the forces of global homogeneity. On my second day there I had one of those increasingly rare travel moments that just stop you in your tracks, as I emerged from the depths of the Delhi metro – modern, generic – into the utter chaos of Old Delhi. A mindblowing maelstrom of rickshaws, dogs, women in colourful saris, beggars, motorbikes, oxcarts, wires, the lot. It was everything you’ve heard about India and more. And, most refreshing of all for someone who lives in Bangkok, not a shopping mall, Tiktoker, or hipster coffee shop in sight.

I had just three days in Delhi and spent pretty much all of them wandering around, camera in hand, jaw frequently dropping, and shooting/chatting to the locals who were incredibly friendly. There seems to be a belief amongst tourists that any Delhiite who talks to you is trying to scam you or sell you something; that is often the case but by not stopping for a chat you miss out on a lot and I had some fun conversations (even with the ones who were trying to sell me something). It’s a city where, if you don’t go with the flow, you’ll end up looking like so many tourists I saw on the streets of Paharganj – hot, sweaty, red-faced, stressed, and for whom the classic Withnail & I quote “We’ve gone on holiday by mistake” was 100% appropriate.

Anyway, I got some great photos and could easily have spent another three days there taking more. Here are my favourites.

GALLERY: Goodbye Phutaret Flats Market

The first time I wandered into the market underneath Phutaret flats, I was smitten. Here was the grimy, dingy, tourist-free Chinatown market of my dreams, a dark maze of hygienically dubious market stalls where the cats and rats outnumbered the people. I’ve since been back dozens of times and it’s by far my favourite market to photograph in Bangkok.

Or rather, was. Sadly a few months back I learned from one of the stallholders that the apartment building is soon to be demolished (to be fair, it’s always looked as if it might collapse at any time), and over the last few weeks the market stalls have gradually moved out, with one stall still defying the wrecking ball and the march of progress and still selling vegetables (see last picture below).

What will replace the flats is as yet unclear, but we can be pretty sure it won’t have the same grit, charm, and aesthetic appeal of what was there before. The building is still standing, and the market – though mostly deserted (even the rats have moved on) – still open for a wander, so go now while you can. Otherwise, here are some memories of one of my favourite spots in the city.

GALLERY: Ayubowan – Faces of Sri Lanka

Some more images from my February 2023 trip to Sri Lanka. The country is an absolute dream for street portrait photographers as the locals are extremely friendly, very happy to be photographed (not one rejection in 9 days!), and often very colourful or charismatic.

Here are some of my favourite portraits from the trip, taken in Colombo, Dambulla, Kandy, Ella, Yala and Galle.

PHOTO ESSAY: Making Buffalo Curd in Sri Lanka

Anyone who’s spent any time in Sri Lanka will have seen the ubiquitous meekiri (buffalo curd) stalls by the side of the road – tables groaning with clay pots containing the delicious yogurty dessert, usually served with coconut syrup or honey to sweeten it. It’s arguably Sri Lanka’s national dish, and a hangover from the days before refrigeration, when fermenting milk was the best way to keep it fresh.

On my recent trip to Sri Lanka I spent a morning at a buffalo farm in Tissa (near Yala), learning about buffalo farming and meeting one of the families who make meekiri. Here’s my story.

GALLERY: Vijayadashami Festival 2022

Despite living in Bangkok for over a decade I was previously unaware of the annual Viyajadashami Festival, until a journalist friend told me about it. So I headed down to Silom and found absolute mayhem – huge crowds, smoke, guys chopping up coconuts with machetes, and, for some reason, the biggest gathering of ladyboys this side of Nana.

Vijayadashami is a Hindu festival celebrating the triumph of good over evil, and it also heralds the start of preparations for Diwali, the Festival of Light, which begins 20 days after Vijayadashami.

It was great fun, although difficult shooting conditions with the huge crowds and the fact I left my favourite lens at home. But I got some great shots and will definitely go back next year.

GALLERY: Laos 2022

After almost 3 years without leaving Thailand, I finally got back in the air in July 2022 with a work trip to Laos, taking in Luang Prabang, Vang Vieng & the capital Vientiane.

Laos is one of my favourite countries in the world so it was fantastic to resume my travels there, and the lack of tourists – whilst bad for business – was great for photography; I had the temples and monks’ alms parade to myself. My favourite stop was definitely Vang Vieng where I did an amazing trek through the rice fields and an epic motorbike tour, as well as throwing myself enthusiastically into the town’s lively nightlife.

And of course I took hundreds of photos, the best of which you can see in the gallery below!