Question: i'm building a travel blog (Php) where I might be loading dozens of pictures (size 500x375 weight 150-200kb) so that the page weights more than 4-5Mb.
Which is the way to go apart from caching/gzip to decrease waiting time and make a better user experience?

I'm on a shared server as my budget is very low

thanks

Answer: 
If you're displaying dozens of images on one page, I would consider just showing small images / thumbnails that get enlarged when the visitor clicks on them.
There are some points that solve this issue

1) Show few images and below that show more link or icon

2) After clicking on that give ajax call and show other images

3) Also you use 'jQuery lazy loading plugin'(it's very easy to integrate..[click here](http://sandeepshirsat.wordpress.com/2012/12/11/35/) to see integration step)