The rapid-fire invasion of Iraq and then Kurdistan by ISIS, as the Islamic State was calling itself at the time, stunned the world. For several hours, it even presented an existential crisis for Kurdistan itself as the momentum of the invasion by ISIS brought them to within mere kilometers of Erbil – with little standing …
Even in a country with a wealth of beautiful landscapes, the Valle de Cocora still stands out. The broad, emerald green valley stretches east of the village of Salento into the lower reaches of Parque Nacional Natural Los Nevados where it is framed by sharp peaks. Everywhere you’ll see wax palm, the largest palm in …
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 …
Perhaps not surprisingly to those that know me, I found the military dimension to Arunachal Pradesh interesting. Tensions between India and China run high in this area… Currently, India administers all of Arunachal Pradesh. However, the Chinese lay claim to the majority of Arunachal Pradesh as they believe it to be an extension of the …
An evening exploration of the streets of Damascus… “…no recorded event has occurred in the world but Damascus was in existence to receive news of it. Go back as far as you will into the vague past, there was always a Damascus… She has looked upon the dry bones of a thousand empires and will …
If you ever make it to Omdurman, Sudan (across the river from Khartoum) be sure to check out the Omdurman camel market. Or, you can just read this site… Most of the animals are brought in (on foot – like the old days of the American cowboy) from Darfur and South Sudan since these areas …
Baalbek has long enjoyed a reputation as home to some of the finest Roman ruins anywhere in the world. However, even without the Roman ruins, it would still be an interesting town… To reach Baalbek, one passes through the hot, dry Bekaa, not so much a valley as a high-altitude plain, with its Hezbollah flags …
Viewed from a distance, Port-au-Prince seems a pleasant and mellow Caribbean port city: Once one is out on the streets though, the fact that all is not well in Port-au-Prince soon becomes apparent. And the January 12, 2010 earthquake only served to push Haiti closer to the top of the Failed States Index… Destruction, dysfunction …
Zululand is an interesting place with quite a history…
Chernobyl Reactor # 4 shortly after the meltdown: Part 1: Chernobyl and Reactor # 4 Until the late 1990s it would have been impossible for me to come here. The whole area was sealed off. Now though, the United Nations is encouraging “ecotourism” to the former Chernobyl disaster zone in order to help the area …
There aren’t a lot of roads in Somalia. Those that do exist mostly pass through rough countryside, interspersed with the occasional village and frequent checkpoint. Upon arriving at a checkpoint, if you don’t have an armed guard with you, a bribe will be required and all of your passport details will be carefully taken down …
Iraq Insurgents in Iraq Russian Soldiers Burlington Northern Santa Fe And the Southern Pacific Daylight Continue reading
We all likely have heard of MREs or “Meals Ready to Eat” before. These are issued by the military for use in situations that do not allow for full cooking facilities to be set up (due to time constraints, weight restraints, whatever…). Not surprisingly, they have also become popular with backpackers, survivalists, campers, paramilitary enthusiasts, … Continue reading
Lesson # 13 – It is probably not a good idea to ride your motorcycle while hung over from the night before Lesson # 14 – It is usually a good idea to keep track of which gear you are in On a recent Saturday morning, following a very heavy drinking night on Friday, I … Continue reading
The following picture comes to us courtesy of Matthew Downing, our cultural correspondent… This photograph was taken at a truck stop in Tennessee. The cigarette butts in the urinal provide a nice cherry on top of the shit splatter cake, don’t they? Continue reading
The winds of fate have blessed us with another texting story, dear reader. It will be interesting to see if this story generates as much controversy as our first texting story did. This tale involves Elizabeth and her ex-boyfriend whom we will mercifully refer to simply as “G”. “G” was Elizabeth’s first boyfriend and has/had … Continue reading
When I was still in high school I had a part-time job working at Lucky (which became Albertson’s and is Sav-Mart now I think) as a bagger. Driving home one night (during a heavy rainstorm) after working the 5-10 pm shift, I came up behind a beat-up old redneck truck crawling along near Collins Lake. … Continue reading
I’ve wanted to go to Pinnacles National Monument for so long that I can’t even remember how I originally became interested. At first I was going to go with my ex-fiance, Katie, over Thanksgiving 2004 or 2005 (I can’t remember which), but something came up. So, the visit was rescheduled. And then something came up … Continue reading
The Velvet Rocket 