I remember when I was at school doing history I loved the Romans. They were so advanced and yet had these brutal elements, a combination that I found fascinating. Even now I continue to be amazed by Roman ruins. Nothing we build now seems to last more than a few decades yet this massive, two thousand year old empire still has buildings standing.

[](http://www.flickr.com/photos/stephendarlington/10817487986/ ““No Camels & Horses” sign, Dahab, Egypt by stephendarlington, on Flickr”)

I always have immense difficulty choosing my next travel destination. The bottom line is that I’d happily visit almost anywhere I’ve not been before. And even then, many of the places I have been to I’d happily go back to. With around two hundred countries in the world this presents a problem. Then you need to combine this with the fact that I love reading about travel — books, brochures, back issues of Wanderlust — and you can easily believe that it can take me months to decide where to travel to next.

This weeks PhotoFriday theme is “Dangerous.” This is my entry.

This picture is for my wife. In fact, I’ve no idea what kind of snake this is, or whether it’s dangerous or not, but people are often scared of them. This image was taken in Vietnam.

Please also vote for my entry in last weeks competition, “Strength.” I’m entry 122.

This weeks PhotoFriday theme is “Strength.” Here is my entry. A bunch of Tibetan prayer-wheels may seem like an odd choice, but they give the faithful strength in the face of adversity

Please also vote for my entry in last weeks challenge, “Silence.” I am entry number 300.

This weeks PhotoFriday theme is “Wet.” Here is my entry.

This image was taken in My Son, Vietnam. It is an amazing sight, kind of like Ankor Wat but on a much smaller scale. What we didn’t have was the weather. I got drenched and my camera seized up shortly after I took this picture.

Please also vote for my entry in last weeks challenge, “Loud“. I’m entry 193.

This weeks PhotoFriday theme is Loud. Here is my entry.

It must be loud in Galle, Sri Lanka otherwise they wouldn’t need these “no horns” signs. This picture was taken on Kodak ISO400 print film, hence the heavy grain.

Please vote for my entry in last weeks challenge, Vacation. I’m entry number 137.

This weeks PhotoFriday theme is “Barren.” Here is my entry. This picture was taken on the Tibetan side of the Himalayas on the last day as we were about to head back into Nepal.

Please also vote for my entry in last weeks challenge, “Busy.” I’m number 278 (“–> Stephen <–“).

This weeks PhotoFriday theme is “Busy.” Here is my entry.

This image was taken as the sun rose over Adams Peak in Sri Lanka, after our night climb to the top. Despite the unsociable hour, it was incredibly busy. Some of the older folk were very competitive, pushing us out of the way for a prime spot to see the sun-rise.

This weeks PhotoFriday theme is Relaxation. You can’t get much more relaxed than this market trader in Hue, Vietnam. The eagle-eyed may note that I’ve used this image for PhotoFriday before. What can I say? It amuses me!

Please vote for my entry in last weeks PhotoFriday challenge.

This weeks PhotoFriday theme is Brother and here is my entry. It was taken in Vietnam on a boat trip down the Perfume River. Ordinarily you’d be worried about two kids piloting a boat, but they seemed to know what they were doing…

Please vote for my entry in last weeks competition. I’m entry number 356.