READING: LONELY PLANET (Advanced)

Every month the BBC Lonely Planet Magazine runs a photo competition. They ask readers to send in pictures they have on their travels and tell the story behind them.

1. Sangkhlaburi, Thailand: Taking the plunge

"We were in a long boat crossing the Khao Laem reservoir in Sangkhlaburi, close to the Burmese border in Western Thailand, when our driver took us on a detour to Thailand's longest wooden bridge. As he cut the engine and we idled up to the bridge for a closer look, some local boys were enjoying a bombing (diving) competition. When they saw us, they seized the moment to showcase some of their diving and one after the other plunged into the water. We were only there for a few minutes but this impromptu performance remains one of the highlights of my time in Thailand. This shot embodies the spontaneity of the country , and its people's vibrancy"
Alistair McDonald was on a two - week holiday in Thailand.

2. Havana, Cuba: Seeing the light

"The Malecón is a five - mil - long, six - lane sea road, laid out by US Marines from 1901 and fronted by nineteenth - century buildings in various states of disrepair. It is where Habaneros hang out and party at the weekends and is the unique fingerprint of Havana. When I got there, the sun was barely peeping through  the clouds when I noticed a 1950s Pontiac approaching in the distance. I waited until it drew closer before pressing the shutter. For me this photo captures the essence of Havana: a uniquely photogenic city frozen in time for fifty years"

Anthony Mc Evoy was in Cuba for work and a short holiday.

3. Matera, southern Italy: Time stands still

"Nothing could have preparated me for my first sight of the Sassi di Matera. I wasn't sure what to expect from a cave town where the locals live in the same houses as their ancestos did 9000 years ago. I felt like I'd wandered onto a film set. The jumble of stacked cave houses appeared to tumble down a ravine. Adding to the magic of the placee was the fact that I was the only person there and it felt like a ghost town. I left feeling slightly humbled -maybe it was knowing that my hotel room was once a cave dwelling for a family of ten and their livestock!"

Greg Jackson spent his summer holiday last year in Italy.


Text taken from: Speakout. Advanced Student's book. Pearson.