02
SHANGRI LA
Along the pilgrimage route to Lhasa, faithful
Buddhists prostrate themselves in an elaborate
exercise over hundreds, sometimes thousands,
of miles. I walked backwards for about 30
minutes for a kilometre, maybe more, waiting for
the perfect moment when every position of the
prostration could be seen in a single frame
05
MARCO POLO
At exactly 6:30, Massoud unwound the long
scarf around his neck, spread it on the ground
and knelt down in front of his tank. With his men
around him, they all began to pray. I am deeply
grateful to this great military leader who beat the
Russians and fought off the Taliban, and gave me
safe passage through war ravaged Afghanistan –
which Marco Polo journeyed through03
MEKONG
The first car of Cambodia’s only operating train
is said to offer the cheapest seat in the country.
Travel is free for passengers who ride in the front
on the run from Battambang to Phnom Penh
because that car is weighted to take the brunt of
any exploding mines the train might encounter06
SILK ROAD (CHINA)
Only a few of the women whose feet were bound
as children to prevent further growth remain to
describe the process. Banned in 1912, the custom
was once the only way for young women of lesser
means to marry into wealthy families in China.
Though he didn’t specifically refer to the process
of binding feet, Marco Polo did note the unusual
mincing gait of Chinese women – “one hair’s
breadth in front of the other”01
THE GREAT WALL
A Bactrian camel takes a break from ploughing
beside remains of the Han Wall, built to protect
the trade corridor known as the Silk Road.
Dust from the Gobi Desert gives the sky its
yellow cast. The two-humped Bactrian camel,
with its tolerance for cold, drought and high
altitudes, enabled caravans to travel the Silk Road
04
ZHANG HE
One of the last of the great sailing dhows,
the Sanjeeda, catches the wind off the coast of
Lamu Island in Kenya. During Zheng He’s day,
hundreds of these boats plied the islands of
the archipelago, the main and often only form
of transportation
06