The southern city of Tyre, Lebanon, during the 2006 war with Israel: The use of the word “Sour” in the title is not a commentary on the taste of Tyre, but rather is an alternative name for Tyre… Tyre’s origins are thought to date to around the 3rd millennium BC, when the original founders are … Continue reading »
Honestly, I don’t always go looking for these sorts of things… He looked interesting and so I asked if I could take his picture. He very reluctantly relented, but after chatting with him for a while, he warmed up. And after sharing some of my experiences, he ended up sharing some of his – including … Continue reading »
In a country full of beautiful landscapes, the Valle de Cocora still stands out. The valley stretches east of Salento into the lower reaches of Parque Nacional Natural Los Nevados, with a broad, green valley framed by sharp peaks. Everywhere you’ll see wax palm, the largest palm in the world (up to 60 meters high) … Continue reading »
The Georgian Military Highway has existed as a route for traders and invaders since before the 1st century BC, but had only evolved into a crude horse trail by the time the Russians finally converted it, through the Herculean efforts of 800 soldiers, into a carriage road in 1783. Today, it offers tremendous scenery and … Continue reading »
I knew there were a number of separatist movements in India before we arrived. However, it wasn’t until after we’d been there that I realized how intense some of these conflicts are and simply how many of them there are. One estimate we were given indicated that there are over 300 different separatist movements in … Continue reading »
I was exploring some of the back alleys of Tbilisi when I stumbled across this church: I could see that it looked abandoned and so I slipped in past a boarded up section where I was shocked to discover that the entire church had been absolutely gutted by fire – and fairly recently too. The … Continue reading »
The following is straight from the notebook I had with me at the time and, I believe, helps give a feel for what it is like walking around Herat: …Wandering around Herat shafts of sunlight penetrate serpentine alleys lined by canvas-covered wooden stalls; the harsh light illuminates the faces of the merchants and their bountiful … Continue reading »
