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 …
Faithful readers will recognize the below as an excerpt from a previous post of mine. However, with this story gathering momentum and attention from Hollywood, I have decided to highlight it in an effort to protect the truth. For source information as well as the original work this is excerpted from, please click here For … Continue reading
This is the brothel we stayed in when we were in Caracas. They had a side business providing rooms for people that actually wanted to spend the full night, but this was primarily a working facility – girls doing their thing out front, mirrors on the ceiling and all… Continue reading
Brest is a grim city. A very Soviet-style city dominated by large industries. Nevertheless, the people can be good fun. In this pub pictured below a group of guys started chatting to us in passable English. They started with the preliminaries – where we were from, what we were doing there and such. They soon … Continue reading
On our trip through the Balkans last year, The Velvet Rocket team spent a fair amount of time exploring Bulgaria. Western Bulgaria is quite rural and provided us with an interesting social commentary on communism as I will reveal below. Eastern Bulgaria is more developed due to its proximity to beachfront property that has attracted … Continue reading
Guess what? There are places in the Muslim world – even in a so-called “pariah” state like Sudan – where the bad guys are not the Americans. That’s right, welcome to Sebu, Sudan. In Sebu it is the Chinese that are the bad guys (Sebu, by the way, is also sometimes referred to as Cebu, … Continue reading
This is where Team Ames and Team Boers spent New Year’s Eve this year: An indoor garden: The office: The living room with an extension of the indoor garden: A private study: Continue reading
Situated between the Euphrates and Tigris rivers, Northern Mesopotamia is actually South East Turkey. With so many worthwhile places to see in this area, one that probably should not be missed is what has been described as the eighth wonder of the ancient world – Mount Nemrut. Now, I think “eighth wonder” might be overstating … Continue reading
The Velvet Rocket 