Travel and Photography in Asia and Beyond by Dave Perkes
The images are just a sample of some of the amazing places in Asia that has been my good fortune to have visited. My first visit to India in 1993, opened my eyes to this fascinating continent. I have been running photo tours around SE Asia for over 10 years. This website concentrates on wider areas of Asia and my travels around the Region.
Click on images to enlarge or play slideshows
Click on images to enlarge or play slideshows
SOUTHEAST ASIA 20 YEARS ON
On November 1st 2002 Colleen and I embarked on our first visit to Southeast Asia. We flew to Bangkok arriving on Colleen's birthday.
We traveled overland by train to south Thailand and by boat to the tropical paradise of Phi Phi Island. From there we took a bus back to Bangkok. The overland journey to Cambodia was an amazing experience. My dream of going to Angkor was realised on my Birthday 2 weeks later. The boat trip on the Tonle Sap Lake to Phnom Penh was a third world experience. The exciting Boat Festival and learning about the tragic history of the Khmer Rouge were two contrasting aspects of Cambodia. It was the people we met on that journey persuaded us to make the life changing decision to move there in 2003. |
Above are some of the photos shot on film on that first journey.
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These stories are in memory of Colleen Allen-Burns who died of Cancer in May 2017.
Please donate to Cancer Research to help prevent more people dying of this awful disease. |
Southwest India 2020In February 2020 I visited India for the third time since 1993. it was yet another incredible India trip. I flew into Mumbai, hired a motorbike and headed to some of the greatest archeological sights in the region. These shots are just a sample of the hundreds of digital images taken. They include the cave temples of Ajanta and Ellora, Dhauleghad fort and the fabulous landscape and temples of Hampi.
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Turkey Spring 2022In April 2022 I returned to Asia for a 2nd visit to Turkey. I started off for a moto tour from Antalya. Cliff Phelps joined me to head north of the Syrian Border to the amazing beehive houses in Harran. We headed east to the spectacular hill city of Mardin and the Kurdish lands of Diyabakir. From there to Nemrut Dagi mountain and over the mountains to Cappadocia and a balloon flight. Here are selection of images from the trip.
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Phillipines: North Luzon
The incredible landscapes of North Luzon which I visited in January 2019
Turkey: Turquoise coast and Istanbul
Bridging the continents of Europe and Asia; Turkey has a fascinating history. My images from 2018 show my trek along the famous Turquoise Coast of Anatolia with the gorgeous coastline and spectacular city of Istanbul.
CambodiaI lived and worked as a photographer in Cambodia from 2003 until 2017 so have thousands of images of this wonderful country.
Cambodia is a photographic paradise with spectacular sites and lovely people. The Angkor Temples are amazing; but its the people & rural life which have been an endless fascination for me as a photographer. Running photo tours had been an important part of my life here in Cambodia and SE Asia for over 10 years. Ive returned to England now but i will never forget the memory of the experiences and people i met and worked with. |
West Papua and The Bailam Festival
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Australia is a huge country which deserves a full website on its own. I've travelled extensively here since 2010. My most recent trip was in March 2016 Crossing Australia on the Indian Pacific Railway from Perth to Sydney via Adelaide.
Nepal
![]() Mountains have been a passion of mine for many decades. Nepal is a Mecca for the mountaineer and trekker. The lovely Himalayan foothills people and Hindu Culture in the Historic cities; are equally fascinating for travellers and photographers.
Vietnam![]() Cambodia's near neighbour is a fascinating country with a lot to interest the visitor.
With the tropical Mekong Delta in the south, to the temperate highlands in the north towards China. Vietnam has a diverse climate and landscape which is the most spectacular in SE Asia. India
![]() I first visited India in 1993. the trips I had there were life changing.
India is a continent in itself with such contrasts in wealth and poverty. Its a place which people love it or hate it. There is nothing average about this country. That reflects in the incredible photography there. |
Indonesia has thousands of Islands and the most diverse landscapes of all of Asia. its impossible to see it all so I have concentrated on Jakarta. Flores and West Papua.
Laos
![]() Laid back and friendly the Lao People are what have drawn me to the country time and time again.
Buddhist culture is a very important part of life here with temples and impressive landscapes. Myanmar (Burma)![]() I have only been to Burma once in 2012. It was one of the most Amazing three weeks I have ever spent in SE Asia.
Bagan is temple heaven, with the largest concentration of ancient monuments on this planet. Not only that, the Burmese people, landscape and British Colonial architecture are equally as fascinating. Malaysia![]() Malaysia is one of the fastest growing economies in SE Asia. Its modern cities reflect that.
Behind it all is a land shaped by Islamic, Chinese and European influences. The Chinese, Portuguese, Dutch and British have left their mark on this large country which encompasses a large part of the Island of Borneo. |

About Dave Perkes
Dave’s passion for photography started in the mid 1970s while working as a cartographer in Southampton England. Dave’s early interest in photography was motor sport then landscape and mountains. People became increasingly important subjects from the late 1980s, when Dave travelled beyond Europe to North Africa, Asia and the Indian Sub continent.
Having spent 12 years working in digital cartography; Dave developed an interest in digital photography in the mid to late 1990s. An early adopter of the digital SLR; Dave purchased his first digital SLR camera system early in 2003; shortly before moving to Siem Reap Cambodia in May of that year.
Dave and his partner Colleen Allan-Burns set up Peace of Angkor Villa as a small hotel catering for photographers, artists and writers. It was an exciting time meeting a lot of very interesting and creative people. He dedicated a lot of time in the mid 2000s discovering and developing tours to “new” remote temple sites which had been largely untouched for centuries.
Now, since 2017, Dave is based in his old home in Southampton, but still travelling around Asia and Europe.
Dave’s passion for photography started in the mid 1970s while working as a cartographer in Southampton England. Dave’s early interest in photography was motor sport then landscape and mountains. People became increasingly important subjects from the late 1980s, when Dave travelled beyond Europe to North Africa, Asia and the Indian Sub continent.
Having spent 12 years working in digital cartography; Dave developed an interest in digital photography in the mid to late 1990s. An early adopter of the digital SLR; Dave purchased his first digital SLR camera system early in 2003; shortly before moving to Siem Reap Cambodia in May of that year.
Dave and his partner Colleen Allan-Burns set up Peace of Angkor Villa as a small hotel catering for photographers, artists and writers. It was an exciting time meeting a lot of very interesting and creative people. He dedicated a lot of time in the mid 2000s discovering and developing tours to “new” remote temple sites which had been largely untouched for centuries.
Now, since 2017, Dave is based in his old home in Southampton, but still travelling around Asia and Europe.