Most people don’t associate Pakistan with rivers and lush farmland. However, a large swath of territory around Peshawar is exactly that. One river village (that I unfortunately don’t know the name of) left a particularly favorable impression on me: It turned out that I was the first Westerner these girls had ever seen: So, naturally, … Continue reading
Now, anyone that knows me knows that I generally like animals even more than people. So, trust me when I relay that no animals were harmed in the following production… Still casting about for activities to kill time around Peshawar as we waited for the Khyber Pass to be opened again, Prince suggested that he … Continue reading
I found Sai Island to be quite remarkable – definitely one of my favorite places in Sudan. The island is one of the largest in the Nile Valley yet remains almost completely uninhabited today. This is despite the discovery of human remains that are over one hundred thousand years old and the presence of a … Continue reading
Strongly resembling the temple of Luxor, the temple of Soleb, situated on the west bank of the Nile River, is a well-preserved sandstone temple ordered by Amenhotep III (the ruler of Nubia at the time) in honor of the gods Amun-Re and Nebmaatre. Leading from a terraced temple on the Nile banks, a processional way … Continue reading
See, I don’t exclusively go to grim, horrible places… Continue reading
I’d be willing to bet that not many of you know what diopside is. Don’t feel bad though. Prior to our trip to Brazil, I didn’t know either. Diopside – chemical formula MgCaSi2O6 – is an industrial mineral used for everything from covering electrodes to absorbing oxygen in molten steel to helping contain nuclear waste. … Continue reading
It’s hard to find somewhere much more desolate than this – except perhaps Bouvet Island. “This” is in the middle of the Sahara desert in Sudan. It wasn’t always like this though as the petrified forest pictured below proves. Hard to find a greater contrast in a “now” and “then” scenario, isn’t it? Transiency is … Continue reading
The Velvet Rocket 