Signs around the world
Hairdresser’s sign: Muddy Hair Salon, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Wall painting, depicting a kitten, urging people not to smoke in this area, Sanyi, Taiwan. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
This sign in Bühlertal, Schwarzwald, Germany, reads as follows: “Watch out! Free-running dog. Postman 5, Burglars 3, Cats 6.” (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Sign, announcing sale of a dog breed, Taichung, Taiwan. Would you buy a dog in a shop, which displays a sign as dilapidated as this one? (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
In rocky areas of India, traffic-’signs’ are often painted on rock walls or large boulders. In this picture, a dog is resting beneath the poor remains of a ‘sign’ in Ladakh. The building in the background is Shey Palace, formerly residence of the King of Ladakh. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Old-fashioned way of a blacksmith’s shop to announce their service, village of Dalinpo, near Kaohshiung, Taiwan. Painted on the wall outside the shop, the text reads: “Hammering iron shop. Retail, repair, production. Sharpening of knives”. To the left a faded New Year’s ribbon, saying: “Ten thousand miles of spring light gives out heavenly fortune” (i.e. money). (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Sign outside a shop in Old Bagan, Myanmar. – Credit cards are welcome, but what about their owners? (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
This sign urges visitors not to throw garbage in nature, informing them, how long it really takes for certain items to break down completely: cigarette butts and chewing gum 5 years; plastic bottle 300 years; aluminum can 500 years; and glass bottle 4,000 years. The ‘beetle’ is made from a plastic bottle, a disposable can, and cigarette butts. – Lake Toplitz, near Bad Aussee, Austria. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
The time of Fuji Films is over, but the sign has remained, despite wear and tear. – Kintamani, Bali, Indonesia. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Children on the road! – This traffic sign near Wanda, Wushe, central Taiwan, urges drivers to slow down. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
I do hope that the spaghetti served in this restaurant is cleaner than their sign! – Pushkar, Rajasthan, India. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
‘Look and decide!’ – Along many trails in the Himalaya, you find interesting information boards, painted by local artists, showing hiking trails, mountains, rivers, villages, and a selection of the local wildlife. These three boards were all encountered in the Modi Khola Valley, Annapurna, Nepal. In the upper picture, the board depicts a Himalayan tahr (Hemitragus jemlahicus), a leopard (Panthera pardus), and a creature, which is probably supposed to be a snow leopard (Uncia uncia), but which resembles a hybrid between a leopard and a tiger (Panthera tigris). – The board in the bottom picture depicts mountains, a dancing couple, and a pair of kalij pheasants (Lophura leucomelanos). (Photos copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Rules and regulations for Andrew Molera State Park, Big Sur, California, United States. Some prankster has added: ‘No fun’ on the sign. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
In Taiwan, various traffic signs urge drivers to slow down because of wildlife, crossing the road. These signs (from above) depict a Taiwan macaque (Macaca cyclopis), Linbei Chukou, near Linnei, Mikado pheasants (Syrmaticus mikado), Dasyueshan National Forest Recreation Area, and a frog, near Dongshih. (Photos copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Is an ongoing feud taking place among western chatting animals? – Sign in Annamalai National Park, West Ghats, Tamil Nadu, India. (‘Bloodivensity’ should be ‘biodiversity’, and ‘Western Chats’ should be ‘Western Ghats’ – a mountain range in South India. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
A somewhat superfluous sign, warning against sand on the road, Sahara Desert, Algeria. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Sign on a wall, indicating the house number, Taichung, Taiwan. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Beautiful mermaid, advertising for a pub in Old Portland, Maine, United States. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
This sign, ‘Honey for sale’, was probably placed here in the summertime, but maybe there is still a few jars left? – Lammartal, Austria. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
‘Managing money is an art, and not a science’. – Why not both? – Amritsar, Punjab, India. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Elephants on the road. – Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Chinese propaganda poster, promoting the Chinese way of learning, Lhasa, Tibet. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Sign, discouraging people from feeding coyotes (Canis latrans), Tucson Mountain Park, Arizona, United States. – Pictures of coyotes are found on this website, see Gallery: Animals – Dogs. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Road sign, warning against horse carts, between Kavak and Havsa, Turkey. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Old sign, advertising for Baxter Brewing Co. – Old Town, Haverhill, Massachusetts, United States. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Road sign, warning against thieving long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis), Monkey Forest, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia. – Read more about the long-tailed macaque, as well as many other monkeys, elsewhere on this website, see Animals: Monkeys and apes. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Eat our drugs, and you’ll be strong! – Sign outside a pharmacy, Amritsar, Punjab, India. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Sign outside a chemical plant, warning against drinking the water, Palapye, Botswana. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
A decently dressed mermaid, advertising pottery, Charlton, Coos Bay, Oregon, United States. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
How can this place in Kochi, Kerala, South India, exist, if it’s prohibited? – The upper text is Malayalam (the main language of Kerala), in the centre Hindi. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
The text on this discarded oil drum forbids entry into a diamond area near Lüderitz, Namibia. – Read more about this diamond area, and about Namibia in general, on this website, see Countries and places: Namibia – a desert country. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Two home-made traffic signs, warning car drivers against playing children, both from the island of Öland, Sweden. (Photos copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Does ‘Bigfoot’ sell gifts and souvenirs here? – Garberville, California, United States. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Warning! Very steep road ahead! – Parque Nacional Fray Jorge, Chile. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Chinese commercial poster, Shigatse, Tibet. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Sign, advertising apple cider, Long Island, United States. – New England is famous for its production of excellent cider. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Unfortunately, this interesting exhibition at the post office seems to have been cancelled. – Annamalai National Park, West Ghats, Tamil Nadu, India. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Exclusive tobaccos for sale, Tilarán, Cordillera de Tilarán, Costa Rica. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
This home-made sign announces that the road ahead is extremely bumpy. – Bornholm, Denmark. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
How long will it take, before you die? – Sign outside the Horus Temple, Edfu, Egypt. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Road marker near Stakna Gompa, Ladakh, India, urging drivers to slow down. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Beware, dog owners! This sign indicates that you get a fine for having your dog on a leash, and also for cleaning up after it! – Winnekenni Park, Haverhill, Massachusetts, United States. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Churchgoers in San Pedro de Atitlan, Lago Atitlan, Guatemala, often have a few drinks before going to church. For this reason, they are in dire need to relieve themselves, when the service is over. This sign, which is hanging on the church wall, says: ‘Please do not urinate here’. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
The speed limit is indeed very low, when you pass over this road bump near Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh, India. – Before you have finished studying the sign, you may have had an accident! (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
In Parque Nacional Pan de Azucar, Chile, you may encounter guanacos (Lama guanicoe) on the road. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Hedgehogs on the road. – Öland, Sweden. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Sign, depicting a road worker, handling a rather inefficient shovel. – Chittorgarh, Rajasthan, India. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Sign at a feeding area for Komodo dragons (Varanus komodoensis), Komodo Island National Park, Indonesia. Today, this practice has been banned. – Read more about Komodo dragons on this website, see Travel episodes: Indonesia 1985 – Difficult journey to Komodo. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Sign outside a pub, promoting Guinness beer, in Cloghane, Dingle, south-western Ireland. – Another well-known slogan is: ‘Guinness is good for you!’ (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
This shoemaker in Puerto Jiménez, Peninsula de Osa, Costa Rica, also sells ‘new sandals’. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
No entry. – Dilapidated traffic sign in the village of Glömminge, Öland, Sweden. If you remove the fern, you are informed that residents, or others with an errand, are allowed to enter. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Just in case! – Nyaung Shwe, Lake Inle, Myanmar. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
You must be really drunk not to notice this lake! The sign, however, may be useful in foggy weather. – Chamberlain, Missouri River, South Dakota, United States. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
This sign is advertising jungle safaris to Chitwan National Park, Nepal. – This park seems to harbour enormous tigers! (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
El Gloton – dream restaurant for gluttons, Valparaiso, Chile. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
This rusted sign on a pole in Kerala, India is warning against high voltage, also in Malayalam, the main language of Kerala. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
A nice, old-fashioned grocery store with numerous old-fashioned signs, Nesbyen, Halling Valley, Buskerud, Norway. This picture was taken in 1978, so the shop may have disappeared by now. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Home-made warning sign, Charleston, Oregon, United States. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Excavators are not allowed to remove the wall around this park in Taichung, Taiwan? (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
The Asiatic rock python (Python molurus) is a formidable predator, as can be seen from this info sign in Keoladeo National Park, Rajasthan, India. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Sign on a door, Hulterstad, Öland, Sweden. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Dog, sleeping beneath a sign with the following slogan (in English and Nepali): ‘Clean green healthy Kathmandu’. The surroundings seem to belie this allegation. – Kathmandu, Nepal. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Humourous sign, depicting ‘wildlife’, Parker River Wildlife Refuge, Massachusetts, United States. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Poster, advertising candy: ‘Toys that I can eat and play with!’ – Shouldn’t it be the other way around? – Amritsar, Punjab, India. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Home-made sign: Beware of abyss ahead! – Rueilli, Taiwan. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Suspension bridge across the Bhote Kosi River, near Jagat, Bhote Kosi Valley, C Nepal. – In 2004, when this picture was taken, this area was controlled by Maoist rebels. The red banner on the bridge reads: ‘Let us fight against the government. Help the low castes and get rid of the caste system.’ – I had to pay a ‘donation’ of 1000 Rupees, or I would not be allowed to pass this village, but otherwise the Maoists were very polite to me. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Sadly, on this row of mani stones (stone slabs with chiseled Buddhist mantras), near Upshi, Ladakh, India, it has been necessary to instruct tourists not to urinate at this sacred site. – Read more about mani stones – and about Buddhism in general – on this website, see Religion: Buddhism. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
In 2015, in a remote corner of Zealand, Denmark, I found this fine, old-fashioned traffic sign, depicting school children, which had miraculously survived modernization. The children trot towards school, school bags in hand, the girl dressed in a skirt – unthinkable in today’s Denmark, where children carry a backpack, and girls are dressed in trousers. This sign is a stark contrast to modern Danish signs, which depict children with ugly, circular heads. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Sign outside a lobster restaurant, Southwest Harbor, Mount Island, Acadia National Park, Maine, United States. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Kitschy sign, warning against a dangerous side trail on the Walami Trail, Yushan National Park, E Taiwan. The announced danger has nothing to do with bears, however, although the Formosan black bear (Selenarctos thibetanus ssp. formosanus) is occasionally seen in this area. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Private house, which is also a tour info centre, Tortuguero, Limón, Costa Rica. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
White and regular teeth! – Dental clinic, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
I found this sign with a remarkable English text: ‘Yuxin the bed is last toreside the decoratins’, outside a shop in Yuanyang, Yunnan Province, China. I was told that the shop sold bedroom decoration. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
An overwhelming amount of information, Brösarps Backar, Skåne, Sweden. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
The chacma baboon (Papio ursinus) lives in southern Africa. This sign in Cape of Good Hope National Park, South Africa, prohibits feeding of baboons. Where they are fed regularly by tourists, baboons often become aggressive and may have to be shot. – Read more about baboons, as well as many other monkeys, elsewhere on this website, see Animals: Monkeys and apes. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Happy little Tamil girl, Rameshwaram, Tamil Nadu, India. Note the official sign in the background: ‘Avoid rumours and loose talk. Do your duty.’ (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Are the meals prepared inside a mountain? – Ghumna, Langtang National Park, Nepal. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Sign, warning against snakes and bees, Basianshan National Forest Recreation Area, Taiwan. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
In dry Ladakh, north-western India, where water is scarce, an owner of a roadside restaurant has urged his customers not to waste water. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Signpost in Sheding Nature Park, Kenting National Park, S Taiwan, shaped as a sika deer (Cervus nippon) – a species which was exterminated in this area, but now has been re-introduced. The text says: ‘Keep walking! Approaching to exit!’ (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
‘Touris information board’, announcing ‘dobal rooms’, Banthanti, Annapurna, Nepal. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
‘No lifeguard on duty’. This sign in Bayville, Long Island, United States seems a little irrelevant in winter! (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Ducks on the road. – Lloyd Harbor, Long Island, United States. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
This photo studio in Guiyang, Guizhou Province, China, can compete with the famous town in Wales about possessing the world’s longest name: HAPPYBOYCHILDPHOTOGRAPHYORGANIZATION. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Sign, instructing people to leave hatchlings of sea turtles alone, Tortuguero, Limón, Costa Rica. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Firearms are not allowed to walk into this bank in Rudraprayag, Uttarakhand, India. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
This Taiwan macaque (Macaca cyclopis) at Linbei Chukou, near Linnei, Taiwan, is waiting to be fed by tourists beside a sign, which prohibits people to do so. The presence of the monkey is proof that this rule is often violated. – Read more about the Taiwan macaque, as well as many other monkeys, elsewhere on this website, see Animals: Monkeys and apes. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Wildlife ranger at a sign, warning against poaching, Whowi, Matobo National Park, Zimbabwe. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Turtles on the road. – Reeds Beach, Delaware Bay, New Jersey, United States. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
In this fancy shop you can get woolen ‘godis’ and yakbone ‘soovenirs’. – Thangshyap, Langtang National Park, Nepal. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
This steep flight of stairs in Jhiben National Forest Recreation Area, Taiwan leads up to a huge weeping fig (Ficus benjamina) with numerous stilt roots, called ‘Thousand-root Banyan’. Obviously, this sign has been placed here to encourage people who are about to turn back! (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Don’t disturb this bonnet macaque (Macaca radiata)! – Sign in Periyar National Park, Kerala, India. – Read about bonnet macaque, as well as many other monkeys, elsewhere on this website, see Animals: Monkeys and apes. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
In ‘Black Necked Crane Hotel’, Weining, Guizhou Province, China, I noticed this sign on the counter. At first sight, the meaning of the text was not quite obvious, but ‘with a little help from my friends’, some light was thrown on it: Guests were requested not to leave any valuables in their room. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
A stylish pedestrian! – Zonguldak, northern Turkey. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Garbage dump, donated by Lion’s Club, Lindi, Tanzania. – If I were a member of this Lion’s Club, I wouldn’t be happy with the condition of this monument! (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Humourous sign at the jaguar’s den, Tucson Desert Zoo, Arizona, United States. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Part of the text on this sign board in Bangkok, Thailand has faded, so now it reads: ‘Translation for alien detective’. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Sign board outside a dentist’s clinic, Shigatse, Tibet. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Before you have finished reading this sign, informing visitors about park rules and regulations, the day is over! – Nagarjun Royal Forest, Kathmandu, Nepal. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
There are many bears in Sequoia National Park, California, United States. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Indian traffic sign, depicting a school boy, running for dear life. He is probably aware that Indian drivers show very little respect for pedestrians! – Munnar, Kerala, India. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Fancy sign, leading followers of Jehovah’s Witnesses to the Kingdom Hall in the village of Chitaba, Zambia. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Would you visit this ‘restaorant’, even if you were very hungry? – Tingri, Tibet. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Traffic sign in Death Valley National Park, California, United States: Burros (feral donkeys) on the road. – Read more about burros on this website, see Animals – Animals as servants of Man: Horses, donkeys and mules. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Sign above a Tibetan restaurant, Shigatse, Tibet. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Don’t climb on the ruins! – Sign at Hattusa, capital of the Hittite Empire during the late Bronze Age, today situated near the town of Bogazkale (Bogazköy), Turkey. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Is this garbage container only for organisms? – Anshun, Guizhou Province, China. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Sign, warning against American alligators (Alligator mississippiensis), Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, Texas, United States. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Apparently, the white-water rafting depicted on this sign takes place during a hurricane! – Kathmandu, Nepal. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Commercial signs, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. – Santa, handing out Coca Cola as Christmas gifts. As the temperature in this area all year around is about 28o Centigrade, he must be terribly hot in his outfit! (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Traffic sign in Everglades National Park, Florida, United States, warning against highly threatened Florida panthers (Puma concolor ssp. coryi) on the road. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
In this shop in the village of Tingri, Tibet you can buy vegetables, and if they don’t go down too well, you can always come back here to buy some drugs! And when you have eaten the drugs, maybe you’ll xing a song? (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
‘Delicious sweet fine here.’ – Sign outside a shop in the village of Marpha, Kali Gandaki, C Nepal. Are you going to get fined here, but in a nice way? No, on the contrary, you can find delicious sweets inside the shop. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Chinese propaganda, Shigatse, Tibet, 1987. This huge poster, depicting very happy Tibetan herders, is a striking contrast to the harsh conditions, which the Tibetans had to endure during The Cultural Revolution. – The text, in Chinese and Tibetan, announces the following: ‘Act together! Pay attention to hygiene! Prevent illness by raising your personal health level!’ (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Do you have to climb the wall to get to Hotel Elena? – Advertisement near the Ganges River, Varanasi, India. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
This sign along a highway in Yunnan Province, China displays remarkable English. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Home-made sign near Samfya, Zambia: ‘Barber shop and hair blowi-ng’. – In 1997, when this photograph was taken, a trend among Zambian women was to make their hair look as big as possible, so hot air was blown into it to make it even more fluffy. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Sign at small wayside restaurant, announcing that ‘dry and wet foods are available’. – Sundarijal, Kathmandu Valley, Nepal. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
I wonder if the drinking water supply is also contaminated with mercury? – Kenoza Lake, Winnekenni Park Conservation Area, Haverhill, Massachusetts, United States. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
(Uploaded August 2016)
(Revised continuously)