A friend who is far away is sometimes much nearer than one who is at hand. Is not the mountain far more awe-inspiring and more clearly visible to one passing through the valley than to those who inhabit the mountain? Khalil Gibran
Escarpments viewed from Ubirr rock, in the east of Australia's Kakadu National Park. Turn 180 degrees, and the views of flat, floodplains full of magpie geese.
Although Australia's Kakadu National Park is largely flat, occasional hills like these around Yurmikmik in the south west of the park, are found.
A guard tower and a minaret, two common sites in Muscat, capital of Oman. Rugged mountains hem the city in to the coast.
Nizwa, in central Oman, is a historic town of forts, mosques and suoqs. The surrounding area is ringed with mountains to explore.
The southern coast of Oman, from Salalah to Yemen features dramatic hills and cliffs plunging into the Arabian Sea.
Ethnic Tajik and Uzbek families graze livestock and grow fruit in the fertile valleys of the Uzbekistan's Nuratau mountains.
A tunnel and bridge through Taiwan's Taroko Gorge National Park.
Also in Taroko, beautiful blue waters, and forest reaching up the mountains.
The curtain of clouds are pulled back to reveal the Tianxiang temple clinging to the mountains in Taroko.
Some of Taiwan's best hiking and biggest trees are in the Alishan Forest Recreation Area. Some of those monsters are more than 500 years old.
Several small village on Route 169 can be accessed from Alishan's towns like Fenchihu. The aboriginal villages are culturally and linguistically different to the main ethnic groups of Taiwan. And the hiking is good!
Between Taiwan's famous Sun Moon Lake and not so famous town of Jiji, Pinglai Liuliguang Suspension Bridge's glass bottom puts it on the insta-map, but the mountain views are their own reward.
A short distance from a Royal agricultural project ar Doi Ang Khang, some of the beautiful hills along the Thai-Burma border.
A few hours by bike north-west of Chiang Mai, Arunothai is the last town before the loosely closed Burmese border. I found some of the prettiest farms and villages in Thailand.
Long before Pai became the "it" town, further up the road was Mae Hong Son, one of the most pleasant towns in the far north of Thailand.
Villages on the slopes in and around Doi Pha Hom Pok National Park in Thailand's far north cultivate rice in the limited flat land available.
Watching the sun go down behind the mountains of southern Laos, from Chiang Khan, Thailand, on the Mekong.
Namibia is an extremely flat country, with these rare hills stopping the rain and moist coastal fogs from reaching the interior.
A small valley on a hiking route through the dry hills in Namibia's Naukluft region offers a cool dip in the heat of the day.
Late afternoon clouds draw out the colours of a dramatic escarpment in Namibia's Naukluft region.
Some of the world's tallest sand dunes are found in Namibia's Namib Rand National Park.
Climbing up these sand hills is every bit as challenging as a forested green one. One step forward, two steps back.
Small hills inland from Swakopmund, on Nambia's coast, a harshly dry area with fascinating plants.
I did not see anyone carrying these great baskets of produce, in the hills west of Ceb City, Philippines.
Views out to sea from Osmena Peak, a few traffic jammed hours south of Cebu City, Philippines.
Osmena is Cebu highest mountain....except it isn't. There is another one, just a bit higher, but much harder to get to, so everyone just pretends!
One of the Philippines' most famus sights are the Chocolate Hills, which cover the centre of the island of Bohol.
I have no idea how they were formed, but when the forest is dry and brown, the hills resemble chocolate drops.
Off the coast of Cebu, the island of Bohol has stunning hilly farms all over.
Still in Bohol, I tried a number of backroads in and out of Lobok, and kept coming across scenes like this.
An expat in Lobok told me the road to the coast down from Sierra Bullones was not to be missed. Good call.
Luzon is the main island of the Philippines. The Cordillera region is mountainous and scenic.
The region boasts the UNESCO listed ancient stone rice terraces, like these at Bontoc.
The 900 person village of Batad is nestled into the hills, into which thousands of kilometres of stone rice terraces have been built.
For almost 30 years of travelling, I didn't make it to the Philippines,, but had always wanted to see the ancient rice terraces, and the hanging coffins, which are in the same area.
A road winds around the valley, on the journey back from the rice terraces, near Bontoc.
Walking up Burma's Nat Ma Taung (Mount Victoria) is a slightly challenging stroll through tropical, subtropical, temperate and alpine areas.
The views reward disproportionately to the effort.
Because of the dramatic difference between it and its surrounds, Nat Ma Taung is classified as a "sky island."