857-55490 - A woman scoops mantu, steamed dumplings stuffed with spiced meat, onto a plate to serve to guests, at a home in Mazar-i Sharif, Afghanistan

857-53507 - Scenes from voting on the day of presidential and provincial elections in Mazar-i Sharif, Afghanistan.

857-44765 - A group of Marco Polo sheep rams (Ovis ammon polii) relax on a bare patch on a snowy slope in the eastern Pamir Mountains, Gorno

857-44720 - Kirghiz women in traditional dress outside of their yurt camp, Little Pamir, Wakhan, Afghanistan

857-29893 - Cuban boxer, Rafael Perez, trains on equipment he constructed from discarded tractor and truck parts, in his home made gym in the yard of his small ramshackle house in Vinales, Cuba.

857-34023 - A tractor drives through a bustling market that flourishes below the old city walls in the town of Ghazni, Afghanistan.

857-33527 - An adolescent Pashtun girl shields her face as she carries water through the streets of the Meira camp for earthquake survivors, Northwest Frontier Province, Pakistan. The conservative code of the Pashtun tribe of the area dictate that girls must cover themselves, including their faces, after their first period. The crowded life in the camp has made such rules difficult to follow. The Meira Tent camp (also called Mera, or Maria camp), is located on the Indus River in the Battagram district. The camp, the largest for displaced people in Pakistan, hosts over 21,000 earthquake survivors, primarily from the Allai valley in Pakistan's NWFP, one of the areas worst-hit by the October 8, 2005 earthquake.

857-34003 - A truck drives over a makeshift bridge supported by ruined tanks on the road north of the Salang Tunnel in Baghlan province, August 31, 2002. High in the mountains of the Hindu Kush, the road was destroyed several years ago by a flood from raging mountain rivers. The road was improved by the Soviets after their 1979 invasion of Afghanistan, and was a crucial link for troops and supplies coming from the Soviet Union. The mountain road is in terrible condition, and its repair is crucially important for the reconstruction of the country

857-33945 - Men, soldiers and schoolboys carry banners and photos to the shrine in the Panjshir Valley of the famous Tajik commander, Ahmad Shah Masood, during a memorial on the one year anniversary of his assasination, September 9, 2002. Masood was a revered mujahedin leader who also was one of the leaders of the Northern Alliance which opposed the Taliban and helped the US Military in their defeat. Masood was assasinated by what are thought to be Al Queda operatives on Sept. 9, 2001. A shrine has been erected in the Panjshir Valley from where he led much of his resistance to both the Soviet and Taliban forces, to honor this latest of Afghan war heros.

857-33973 - Men and boys on bikes ride past a towering, ancient minaret, outside of Ghazni, Afghanistan, October 1, 2002. Made of brick decorated with Kufic and Naksh Script and floral motifs, the minaret dates back to the early 12th century and was built by Sultan Masud III of the Ghaznavid Dynasty, who ruled over an empire encompassing much of Afghanistan, Northern India, Persia and Central Asia. The minaret was once three times as tall as its current 70 feet, and is thought to have been part of a large mosque complex. Now an important truck stop on the road to Kandahar, Ghazni, located on the Lora River at the elevation of 2,225 meters, is the capital of Ghazni province and is a market for sheep, wool, camel hair cloth, corn, and fruit-it also continues to be a haven for Taliban insurgents.

857-29897 - A young Cuban couple dances to a live salsa band in one of two clubs in the small town of Vinales, in the Vinales Valley, Cuba. A largely rural region of traditional tobacco farming, the Vinales Valley has become a popular tourist destination.

857-33520 - A Pashtun girl holds her younger brother, in the Meira camp for earthquake survivors in the Northwest Frontier Province, Pakistan. The Meira Tent camp (also called Mera, or Maria camp), is located on the Indus River in the Battagram district. The camp, the largest for displaced people in Pakistan, hosts over 21,000 earthquake survivors, primarily from the Allai valley in Pakistan's NWFP, one of the areas worst-hit by the October 8, 2005 earthquake.

857-33534 - A Pashtun man returning home to his mountain home from a camp for earthquake survivors, carries boxes up a steep hill, in the Battagram District, Pakistan's Northwest Frontier Province. The Pakistan army has dictated that all camps for people displaced by the earthquake be emptied by early April, whether families want to return or not. The Battgram district was one of the worst-hit by the October 2005 earthquake, and aftershocks and heavy rains continue to trigger landslides, which have hampered reconstruction efforts and the return of earthquake survivors to their mountain villages from the low altitude tent camps where many spent the winter.

857-33774 - At the Meira tent camp for earthquake survivors, Pashtun men load their family's possessions onto a tractor trailer as they prepare to leave the camp, Allai Valley, NWFP, Pakistan.

857-33995 - Tajik girls study in a rural school, without windows, desks or chairs, in the Panjshir Valley, Afghanistan. The Panjshir Valley, which was a stronghold for Tajik commander Achmed Shah Masood, was heavily bombed during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, but much has now been rebuilt.

857-29873 - A Cuban farmer plows a field with oxen, in preparation for planting corn, in the Vinales Valley, Cuba. Much of the farm work in Cuba is done by hand without machinery.

857-34014 - Tajik farmers and their families thresh wheat with oxen and donkeys, in a side valley to the Panjshir Valley, in the Hindu Kush mountains.

857-34024 - Young boys on donkeys watch over flocks of goats, sheep and donkeys near the top of the Shebar Pass, which crosses into the Province of Bamiyan. Due to a devastating drought in the region, dry wheat farming has failed for three years from 1998-2002 and the forage is extremely sparse, The pass is a strategic point leading into the Central Highlands, the Koh-i-Baba range and the Hazarajat, at the end of the Hindu Kush. Most of the people of this region are of the Hazara tribe, and are Shi'a Moslems who have been persecuted for centuries by many of the Pashtun rulers of Afghanistan, who are from the Sunni sect.

857-34013 - Armed guards keep an eye on the crowds during a ceremony below the shrine of Ahmad Shah Masood in the Panjshir Valley, September 9, 2002. Masood was a revered mujahedin leader who fought the Soviets in the Afghan-Soviet war, and who also was one of the main leaders of the Northern Alliance which opposed the Taliban and helped the US Military in their defeat. Masood was assasinated by what are thought to be Al Queda operatives on Sept. 9, 2001. A shrine has been erected in the Panjshir Valley, near the village of Bazarak, from where he led much of his resistance to both the Soviet and Taliban forces, to honor this latest of Afghan war heros.

857-34008 - Workers pause by the columns of a 19th century summer pavilion in the Babur Gardens, or Bagh-i-Babur, Kabul, Afghanistan, September 25, 2002. The pavilion, which was used as a restaurant in the 20th century, was built by Amir Abdur Rahman, but was heavily damaged by the factional fighting of the mujihadeen in the 1990's and later by the Taliban. The buildings and gardens are now being carefully restored. Shah Babur, a descendent of Ghengis Khan and grandson of Tamerlane, is credited for founding the great Moghul dynasty which ruled India for two centuries. Babur built the palace and created the gardens on a hill looking over the southern part of Kabul in the 16th century,

857-33933 - Women in burqas flock like doves to the entrance of the main mosque at the Blue Mosque complex, Mazar-i-Sharif, Balkh Province, September 23, 2002. Wednesday mornings are reserved for women to come and worship at the mosque.Elaborate tilework and decorated spires adorn the mosque, also known as the Shrine of Hazrat Ali (Hazrat Ali was the son-in-law of the prophet Mohammed), who is believed to be buried here. The shrine, of particular importance for Afghanistan's Shi'ite Muslims, was first built in the 12th century, destroyed by Genghis Khan, and rebuilt in 1481. The current mosque, considered by some to be one of the most beautiful in Central Asia, is a modern restoration.

857-33519 - At the Meira tent camp for earthquake survivors, Pashtun men load their family's possessions onto a tractor trailer as they prepare to leave the camp, where they have spent the winter, the Allai Valley, Northwest Frontier Province, Pakistan.

857-30432 - Bruce Miller rock climbing on the route "The Wisdom", rated 5.11b, while his partner Steve Dieckhoff belays, on the Redgarde

857-34010 - Young Tajik women cook on clay stove in the compound of an extended family in Mazar-i-Sharif, Balkh Province. The kitchen is open air, with wood fires stocking clay ovens and stoves, which allow several huge pots to be simmering at once.

857-33947 - Schoolboys chant and carry banners to the shrine in the Panjshir Valley of the famous Tajik commander, Ahmad Shah Masood, on the one year anniversary of his assasination, September 9 2002. Masood was a revered mujahedin leader who also was one of the leaders of the Northern Alliance which opposed the Taliban and helped the US Military in their defeat. Masood was assasinated by what are thought to be Al Queda operatives on Sept. 9, 2001. A shrine has been erected in the Panjshir Valley from where he led much of his resistance to both the Soviet and Taliban forces, to honor this latest of Afghan war heros.

857-34050 - Men sell melons, an Afghan specialty, along the partly ruined streets of Kabul, Afghanistan. Since the fall of the Taliban regime in late 2001, commerce has thrived in Kabul, if not in all the regions of Afghanistan. Agricultural products remains one of the most important parts of the Afghan economy

857-33777 - A Pashtun man stands outside the Cuban hospital in the Meira camp for earthquake survivors, NWFP, Pakistan. The Cuban government sent 30,000 doctors, nurses and other personnel to set up field hospitals throughout the earthquake affected area. The Meira Tent camp (also called Mera, or Maria camp), is run by the Pakistani army like a small city, and is located on the Indus River in the Battagram district. The camp, the largest for displaced people in Pakistan, hosts over 21,000 earthquake survivors, primarily Pashtuns from the Allai valley in Pakistan's NWFP, one of the areas worst-hit by the October 8, 2005 earthquake.

857-33936 - A man feeds white doves at dawn in front of the Blue Mosque, Mazar-i-Sharif, Balkh Province. Hundreds of doves, who are fed by worshippers and tended by special workers, live around the mosque, and it is thought that the place is so holy that a grey or brown dove will turn white if it lands on the Mosque. The mosque is also known as the Shrine of Hazrat Ali (Hazrat Ali was the son-in-law of the prophet Mohammed), who is believed to be buried here. The shrine, of particular importance for Afghanistan's Shi'ite Muslims, was first built in the 12th century, destroyed by Genghis Khan, and rebuilt in 1481. The current mosque, considered by some to be one of the most beautiful in Central Asia, is a modern restoration.

857-29903 - Vintage American cars sit on blocks below a deteriorating building from the Colonial era in Old Havana. Because of the blockade and economic hardships, cars are a precious possession and many are passed down from generation to generation.

857-33994 - A large Turkomen family who have made a pilgrimage to the shrine of Hazrat Ali at the Blue Mosque in Mazar-i-Sharif, pose for a photo in front of the temple complex. The Blue Mosque is considered to be one of the most important and beautiful buildings in Afghanistan

857-30400 - A Chilean "cowboy", Yael Velasquez, dehorns a calf while another man brands the animal, during a traditional branding on a ranch in Northwest Colorado. The ranch employs about a dozen Chileans through the US Guestworker program. Each worker spends three years working on the remote ranch.

857-33773 - A girl in the Meira tent camp for earthquake survivors stands on top of a pile of her family's belongings as they wait for transportation from the camp, where they have spent the winter, back to their devastated mountain village, in the NWFP, Pakistan. The Pakistani army, which runs the camp, has mandated that the camps be cleared by early April, despite the fact that many families are afraid or unprepared to return to their devastated homes. The Meira Tent camp (also called Mera, or Maria camp), is located on the Indus River in the Battagram district. The camp, the largest for displaced people in Pakistan, hosts over 21,000 earthquake survivors, primarily from the Allai valley in Pakistan's NWFP, one of the areas worst-hit by the October 8, 2005 earthquake.

857-33522 - In the Meira camp for earthquake survivors, two Pashtun men sit by piles of family possesions, waiting for the truck which will take them from the camp, where they have spent the winter, back to their devastated mountain village, in the Northwest Frontier Province, Pakistan. The Pakistani army, which runs the camp, has mandated that the camps be cleared by early April, despite the fact that many families are afraid or unprepared to return to their devastated homes. The Meira Tent camp (also called Mera, or Maria camp), is located on the Indus River in the Battagram district. The camp, the largest for displaced people in Pakistan, hosts over 21,000 earthquake survivors, primarily from the Allai valley in Pakistan's NWFP, one of the areas worst-hit by the October 8, 2005 earthquake.

857-29877 - A little girl, Ruby Guy, chases her mother, Naomi Guy, on the white sand beach of Cayo Jutia, Pinar del Rio province, Cuba. Cayo Jutia is a small island with uncrowded beaches that is popular with tourists and is part of the Las Colorados Archipelago in Western Cuba.

857-33952 - Crowds of boys and men, holding posters of Ahmad Shah Masood and Afghan president Hamid Karzai, line the roofs of buildings during a ceremony in the Panjshir Valley on the one year anniversary of Masoods assasination, September 9, 2002. Thousands of people from all over Afghanistan and the world, including many important dignitaries, arrived in the Panjshir Valley for ceremonies honoring Masood, a revered mujahedin leader who also was one of the leaders of the Northern Alliance which opposed the Taliban and helped the US Military in their defeat. Masood was assasinated by what are thought to be Al Queda operatives on Sept. 9, 2001. The shrine to honor this latest of Afghan war heros was built in the Panjshir Valley as that is from where Masood led much popular resistance against both the Soviets and the Taliban forces.

857-30436 - Bruce Miller climbs on the hardest part, or "crux", of a route called "Jules Verne", rated 5.11a, high off the ground on the Redgarden Wall in Eldorado Canyon State Park, CO. Jules Verne is one of the more famous traditional or "trad" routes in the area, and has long sections between protection. Eldorado Canyon, located on the Front Range south of Boulder, and its steep, difficult sandstone cliffs attract climbers from around the country and the world, making it one of the most popular climbing areas in Colorado.

857-33946 - Hundreds of men and boys pray during ceremonies at the shrine of Ahmad Shah Masood in the Panjshir Valley, on the one year anniversary of his assasination, September 9, 2002.. Masood was a revered mujahedin leader who also was one of the leaders of the Northern Alliance which opposed the Taliban and helped the US Military in their defeat. Masood was assasinated by what are thought to be Al Queda operatives on Sept. 9, 2001. A shrine has been erected in the Panjshir Valley from where he led much of his resistance to both the Soviet and Taliban forces, to honor this latest of Afghan war heros.

857-34046 - An Afghan man holds a portait of himself as an Olympic wrestler in one of the old bazaars of Kabul. The man, now working as a traditional healer in a tiny stall, had been part of the Afghan Olympic team in the 1970's and had competed in Europe and in Mexico City.

857-34048 - Two school girls hurry across a street at dawn in Kabul, Afghanistan. Since the fall of the Taliban, a record number of girls have returned to school throughout Afghanistan. Much of Kabul was destroyed in the mid 1990's (1992-1996) in factional fighting between rival mujahideen commanders for control of the capital after the Soviet's withdrawal, and now Afghans are re-building their lives and business

857-30428 - Rolando Garibotti skis with a pack on the Boreas Pass trail which crosses the Rocky Mountains from Breckenridge to Como, Colorado. The trail is part of the Rails to Trails system and follows an old railroad grade. The trail is also part of the 10th Mountain Division Hut System, with a hut called the Section House located along the trail at the top of Boreas Pass. The trail is within Pike-San Isabel National Forest

857-33993 - Striking Mongol features distinguish the face of a woman and her child (who is blind) living in the ruins of the Qala-i-Dokthar (Daughter's Castle), outside of the town of Bamiyan, August 30, 2002. Most of the old town was destroyed and up to 20,000 people of the region might have perished when Bamiyan fell to the Taliban in 2001. Bamiyan Valley is located in the Hazarajat at the edge of the Koh-i-Baba range , the end of the Hindu Kush. Bamiyan was a prosperous Buddhist kingdom on the ancient Silk Road until the 10th century, when the region was converted to Islam; in the 12th century, it was destroyed by Ghengis Khan. Most of the people of this region are of the Hazara tribe, and are Shi'a Moslems who have been persecuted for centuries by many of the Pashtun rulers of Afghanistan, who are from the Sunni sect. They most recently suffered at the hand of the Taliban, who tried for years to ethnically cleanse the region of its Shi'a people.

857-33938 - A Tajik woman holds a baby with kohl rimmed eyes, in the compound of an extended, traditional family in Mazar-i-Sharif, Balkh Province, September 25, 2002. The Tajik are one of the larger ethnic groups in Afghanistan, second only to the Pashtun people.

857-33971 - Afghan men pause on the road with an ancient brick minaret and many shrines in the background, outside of Ghazni, Afghanistan, October 1, 2002. Made of brick decorated with Kufic and Naksh Script and floral motifs, the minaret dates back to the early 12th century and was built by Sultan Masud III of the Ghaznavid Dynasty, who ruled over an empire encompassing much of Afghanistan, Northern India, Persia and Central Asia. The minaret was once three times as tall as its current 70 feet, and is thought to have been part of a large mosque complex. Now an important truck stop on the road to Kandahar, Ghazni, located on the Lora River at the elevation of 2,225 meters, is the capital of Ghazni province with a population of 35,900, and is a market for sheep, wool, camel hair cloth, corn, and fruit, and continues to be a haven for Taliban insurgents.

857-34009 - Uzbek women peek out from their veils in front of the tiled wall of the Blue Mosque, Mazar-i-Sharif, Balkh Province. The Blue Mosque is considered to be one of the most important and beautiful buildings in Afghanistan. The region around Mazar-i-Sharif is the center of the Uzbek tribe in Northern Afghanistan

857-34049 - An Afghan man sits on his wooden cart and drinks tea at dawn from a street tea stall in central Kabul. With the first respite from war in nearly two decades, Kabulis are busy re-building their lives and business amongst the ruins, and the streets are busy with markets, tea stalls, trucks, etc. Much of Kabul was destroyed in the mid 1990's (1992-1996) in factional fighting between rival mujahideen commanders for control of the capital after the Soviet's withdrawal.

857-33955 - Tajik farmers and their families thresh wheat with oxen and donkeys, in a side valley to the Panjshir Valley, in the Hindu Kush mountains, September 10, 2002. Agriculture is primitive and labor intensive in this remote valley. The Panjshir Valley and its side valleys have long been a stronghold for the Tajik people, and the famous commander Ahmed Shah Masood, in their struggle first against the Soviets and then against the Taliban. The Tajik are one of the larger ethnic groups in Afghanistan, second only to the Pashtun people.

857-30398 - Chilean "cowboys", Yael and Sergio Velasquez, brand a calf, while another man on a horse holds the calf still with a rope, during a traditional branding on a ranch in Northwest Colorado. The ranch employs about a dozen Chileans through the US Guestworker program. Each worker spends three years working on the remote ranch.

857-33765 - Men from the village of Gangwal, which was devastated in the 2005 earthquake, show makeshift shelters that villagers constructed themselves after the quake, in the upper Allai Valley, NWFP, Pakistan. Most of the villagers fled to tent camps at lower elevations to spend the winter, leaving just a handful of families to look after livestock and possessions. The people of this remote area are Pashtun and until the earthquake, neither the government nor the military had much presence or influence in the region.

857-33992 - Striking Mongol features distinguish the face of Hamir Mohammed, his daughter and grandson (who is blind), all living in the ruins of the Qala-i-Dokthar (Daughter's Castle), outside of the town of Bamiyan, August 30, 2002. Most of the old town was destroyed and up to 20,000 people of the region might have perished when Bamiyan fell to the Taliban in 2001. Bamiyan Valley is located in the Hazarajat at the edge of the Koh-i-Baba range , the end of the Hindu Kush. Bamiyan was a prosperous Buddhist kingdom on the ancient Silk Road until the 10th century, when the region was converted to Islam; in the 12th century, it was destroyed by Ghengis Khan. Most of the people of this region are of the Hazara tribe, and are Shi'a Moslems who have been persecuted for centuries by many of the Pashtun rulers of Afghanistan, who are from the Sunni sect. They most recently suffered at the hand of the Taliban, who tried for years to ethnically cleanse the region of its Shi'a people

857-34011 - Elaborate flower wreaths are brought by Afghan soldiers as tokens of respect to the shrine of Ahmad Shah Masood, on the one year anniversary of Masoods assasination, at a ceremony in the Panjshir Valley, Afghanistan, September 9, 2002. Masood was a revered mujahedin leader who fought the Soviets in the Afghan-Soviet war, and who also was one of the main leaders of the Northern Alliance which opposed the Taliban and helped the US Military in their defeat. Masood was assasinated by what are thought to be Al Queda operatives on Sept. 9, 2001. A shrine has been erected in the Panjshir Valley, near the village of Bazarak, from where he led much of his resistance to both the Soviet and Taliban forces, to honor this latest of Afghan war heros.

857-33935 - Tajik women proudly pose with their children, burqa's thrown back, in front of the main entrance to the Blue Mosque, Mazar-i-Sharif, Balkh Province. Wednesday mornings are reserved for women to come and worship at the mosque. Elaborate tilework and decorated spires adorn the mosque, also known as the Shrine of Hazrat Ali (Hazrat Ali was the son-in-law of the prophet Mohammed), who is believed to be buried here. The shrine, of particular importance for Afghanistan's Shi'ite Muslims, was first built in the 12th century, destroyed by Genghis Khan, and rebuilt in 1481. The current mosque, considered by some to be one of the most beautiful in Central Asia, is a modern restoration.

857-33927 - Setting sun highlights traffic and traffic cops in the center of Mazar-i-Sharif, Balkh Province, September 22, 2002. Mazar-i-Sharif (also spelled Mazar-e Sharif) is the largest city in Northern Afghanistan, and is capital of the Balkh province. It is an important city for Afghanistan's Shiite Muslims, who come to worship at the famous Blue Mosque.

857-30429 - A father, Brad Piehl, watches while his daughter, Jenna, snowshoes for the first time, on the snow covered Boreas Pass Road, a popular winter recreation trail for cross country skiers and snowshoers. The road becomes a trail, and is part of the Rails to Trails system. It follows an old railroad grade southeast over the mountains to the town of Como.

857-33533 - On the the road to the Allai Valley, men try to push a truck that is stuck in mud and landslide debris and which is blocking other trucks full of humanitarian aid and earthquake survivors returning to their mountain villages, Battagram District, Pakistan's Northwest Frontier Province. The region was one of the worst-hit by the October 2005 earthquake, and aftershocks and heavy rains continue to trigger landslides, which have hampered reconstruction efforts and the return of earthquake survivors to their mountain villages from the low altitude tent camps where many spent the winter.

857-30435 - Bruce Miller climbs on the hardest part, or "crux", of a route called "Jules Verne", rated 5.11a, high off the ground on the Redgarden Wall in Eldorado Canyon State Park, CO. Jules Verne is one of the more famous traditional or "trad" routes in the area, and has long sections between protection. Eldorado Canyon, located on the Front Range south of Boulder, and its steep, difficult sandstone cliffs attract climbers from around the country and the world, making it one of the most popular climbing areas in Colorado.

857-33782 - On the the road to the Allai Valley, a Pashtun family carries luggage past trucks that are stuck in mud and landslide debris-the trucks are full of other families and their possessions traveling back to their mountan villages, Battagram District, Pakistan's Northwest Frontier Province. The region was one of the worst-hit by the October 2005 earthquake, and aftershocks and heavy rains continue to trigger landslides, which have hampered reconstruction efforts and the return of earthquake survivors to their mountain villages from the low altitude tent camps where many spent the winter.

857-33942 - Children play on a tank in the Panjshir Valley while waiting for ceremonies to begin in honor the one year anniversary of the assasination of Ahmad Shah Masood, September 9, 2002. The Panjshir Valley was a stronghold for the Tajik people and the famous commander Masood in their struggle first against the Soviets and then against the Taliban. The valley and villages of the Panjshir were subjected to heavy bombing and destruction during the Afghan-Soviet war, but was never fully occupied. Now it is the heartland for the powerful Tajik ethnic group, the second largest in Afghanistan, who came to partial power after the fall of the Taliban.

857-33969 - Men on bikes ride past an ancient brick minaret toward the old walls and citadel of the town of Ghazni, Afghanistan, October 1, 2002. Made of brick decorated with Kufic and Naksh Script and floral motifs, the minaret dates back to the early 12th century and was built by Sultan Masud III of the Ghaznavid Dynasty, who ruled over an empire encompassing much of Afghanistan, Northern India, Persia and Central Asia. The minaret was once three times as tall as its current 70 feet, and is thought to have been part of a large mosque complex. Now an important truck stop on the road to Kandahar, Ghazni, located on the Lora River at the elevation of 2,225 meters, is the capital of Ghazni province with a population of 35,900, and is a market for sheep, wool, camel hair cloth, corn, and fruit.

857-33537 - Pashtun men clear rocks from a landslide that is blocking the road to the Allai Valley, and preventing many trucks full of earthquake survivors and their possessions from traveling back to their mountan villages, Battagram District, Pakistan's Northwest Frontier Province. The region was one of the worst-hit by the October 2005 earthquake, and aftershocks and heavy rains continue to trigger landslides, which have hampered reconstruction efforts and the return of earthquake survivors to their mountain villages from the low altitude tent camps where many spent the winter.

857-33991 - A farmer with his donkey loaded with forage walks toward the setting sun above the town of Bamiyan, August 30, 2002. Most of the old town was destroyed and up to 20,000 people of the region might have perished when Bamiyan fell to the Taliban in 2001. Bamiyan Valley is located in the Hazarajat at the edge of the Koh-i-Baba range , the end of the Hindu Kush. Bamiyan was a prosperous Buddhist kingdom on the ancient Silk Road until the 10th century, when the region was converted to Islam; in the 12th century, it was destroyed by Ghengis Khan. Most of the people of this region are of the Hazara tribe, and are Shi'a Moslems who have been persecuted for centuries by many of the Pashtun rulers of Afghanistan, who are from the Sunni sect. They most recently suffered at the hand of the Taliban, who tried for years to ethnically cleanse the region of its Shi'a people

857-18283 - A young man who lost his hand in a land-mine accident, plays pool in a seaside home in Mayak, Abkhazia.

857-13592 - Kim Wackman and Molly Hutchinson drinking beer in bar during the Pub Crawl, an annual St. Patrick's Day festival in Breckenridge, Colorado.

857-18266 - Dancers from a traditional Abkhazian folkdance group adjust their costumes before a performance during a celebration on September 30, 2003 commemorating ten years of "independence" from Georgia, in Sukhum, Abkhazia

857-18280 - Young girls with Abkhaz flags wait for their turn to perform during a gala show at the main stadium in Sukhumi, celebrating ten years of "independence" from Georgia, and the ten year anniversary of the end of the war, in Sukhum, Abkhazia.

857-18292 - Men with the MDR (Multi Drug Resistant) form of tuberculosis, play backgammon in one of their rooms in Gulripsch Hospital, Abkhazia.

857-7521 - Huge arched alcove of red sandstone in Zion NP.

857-8123 - Close-up of a Piranha's teeth during a fishing trip in the Amazon.

857-9830 - Mixed ice climbing.

857-9822 - Bert Perry ice climbing in the San Juan Mountains, Colorado.

857-8595 - Tina Arapkiles traverses the Continental Icecap in Argentina

857-8144 - Local men cook a traditional meal by burying meat and potatoes with hot rocks, then covering it in the earth

857-9817 - Bert Perry ice climbing in the San Juan Mountains, Colorado.

857-4927 - Jan Sears Rock Climbing in Eldorado Canyon, Colorado.

857-9800 - Kevin Cooney ice climbing near Banff, Canadian Rockies.

857-9831 - Michael Gilbert, Mixed Ice Climbing, Vail.

857-8138 - Elderly Quechua woman spins wool while her granddaughter looks on in Puma Chanca.

857-9813 - Man gripping icy cliff with axe.

857-9826 - Eric Sast ice climbing in South Fork Canyon, Cody.

857-8158 - Busy bus station in the altiplano city of Juliaca, west of the Andes.

857-2540 - The artist Salvador Gonzalez Escalona, in his vintage auto in the streets of Havana, Cuba. Gonzalez Escalona is a famous Havana artist who created an outdoor music and art space in Calle Hamel.

857-8044 - Colorful Fishing boats crowd the warf of Punta Arenas.

857-9823 - Mixed winter climbing, near Vail--Rolando Garibotti.

857-1988 - Todd Skinner, top American rock climber, uses small holes and edges in the rock to climb one of the over 3,000 limestone towers and islands in Ha Long Bay, on a route called "Sing Sing", which he rated 5.13c. In the background, other rock spires rise directly from the ocean. Ha Long Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage site, encompasses some 1,600 islands and islets, forming a spectacular seascape of limestone pillars, most of them uninhabited.

857-9804 - Eric Sast climbing an icy cliff with axes.

857-9818 - Bert Perry ice climbing in the San Juan Mountains, Colorado.

857-7900 - A gaucho yells and swings his crop to keep the sheep moving at Estancia Los Corrales.

857-7520 - Anasazi hand paints on sandstone wall in cave, Natural Bridges National Monument, UT.

857-10005 - Boys and girls in traditional costumes perform dances in honor of a group of scientists visiting their remote Andean village.

857-18 - Baboon portrait, Northern Kenya

857-395 - Camel Trekking, Erg Chebbi, Morocco

832-34592 - Common Tansies or Mugwort (Tanacetum vulgare) and fly, Bayrischer Wald (Bavarian Forest), Bavaria, Germany, Europe

832-29662 - Kleine Ohe mountain stream and autumn leaves, Bayerischer Wald (Bavarian Forest), Bavaria, Germany, Europe

1190-440 - European lynx, lynx lynx, female adult, in winter, national park bayrischer wald, germany, captiv

1190-447 - European wolf, wolf, canis lupus lupus ,adult, in winter, national park bayrischer wald, germany, captiv

1190-455 - European wolf, canis lupus lupus, adult male howling, in winter, national park bayrischer wald, germany, captiv

1190-35 - Matterhorn - 4478 m, Zermatt, Wallis, Schweiz

1190-444 - European wolf, wolf, canis lupus lupus, adult, in winter, national park bayrischer wald, germany, captiv

1190-13 - Schweizer Voralpen, Berner Mittelland, Gurnigel, Schweiz

1190-426 - European lynx, lynx lynx, family in winter, national park bayrischer wald, germany, captiv

1190-454 - European wolf, canis lupus lupus, family, in winter, national park bayrischer wald, germany, captiv