The road to Yogyakarta, or Yogya, as the locals call it, is half the experience. Emerald mountains, tropical rainforests, terraced rice fields, and sleepy villages slide past the window like a travel documentary you didn’t plan but were happy to stumble into. Yogyakarta sits at the base of Mount Merapi, one of Indonesia’s most active […]
Yogyakarta & Prambanan: Temples, Volcanoes and a Little Java Magic Read More »
Indonesia wasted no time making an impression. My journey began in Jakarta — a city of striking contrasts, where skyscrapers, mosques, motorbikes, and street food all compete for attention. It’s busy, noisy, and a little chaotic — but that’s part of the charm. Jakarta doesn’t ease you in… it wakes you up. One of the
Jakarta to Surakarta: A tale of two Javas Read More »
There are trips. And then there’s Queenstown — where the mountains look like they’ve been airbrushed by God and the town politely suggests you fling yourself off one of them. Equipped by one of the thrill providers on every corner! Skippers Gorge: Where the Road Is Basically a Suggestion Let’s discuss Skippers Gorge. First of
I Did Not Come to Queenstown to Behave: Skippers Gorge & Running Off a Mountain Read More »
Ankara: Then and Now, Through My Eyes It’s hard to believe fifty years have passed since I first walked the streets of Ankara, a college student on break with waist length hair and a backpack stuffed with 6 weeks of “essentials”. The city was simple, yet magnetic and foreign. My traveling companion, a multi-lingual American
Ankara: A Fifty Year Lookback and Now Read More »
Turkey’s spirit is one of contrasts — the living mysticism of Konya and the haunting silent ruins of Sagalassos. One hypnotizes with the spinning, haunting prayer and poetry of Sufism; the other stands in solid, still testimony to the genius of Greek and Roman empires. Click on images below to enlarge. Sagalassos –
Whirling Spirits, Silent Stones: From Mevlana to Sagalassos Read More »
Bulgaria offered many surprises. History and charm of course, but Roman theaters still in use, the golden orbs of Orthodox cathedrals in the night sky, Ottoman courtyards, a modern café scene that felt effortlessly cool and a chance to see Les Mis performed in Bulgarian. More on that later… Plovdiv – A City Woven Through
Two Cities, One Amazing Journey to Plovdiv and Sofia Read More »
Nestled in the mountains above the winding Yantra River, Veliko Tarnovo keeps the secrets of its thousand year history. Once the proud capital of the Second Bulgarian Empire, the city still carries itself like royalty, reaching its golden age under Tsars Kaloyan and Ivan Asen II before being slowly conquered by the Ottomans in the
Beautiful Veliko Tarnovo & Arbanassi: Bulgaria’s Tsarist Capitals Read More »
There are places in the world that exceed your dreams. Registan Square, the architectural heart of Samarkand, Uzbekistan, is one of those rare places. It is the real world setting of the enchantment of One Thousand and One Nights and storyteller Scheherzade, one of the greatest Arabic, Middle Eastern, and Islamic contributions to world literature,
Registan Square: The Beating Heart of Samarkand Read More »
—solemn, symmetrical, and magnificent in its melancholy.” Lord Curzon, British statesman 19th c. The colors had begun to deepen in late afternoon shadows when we arrived in Samarkand, tired after a long bus ride through the desert but the mood changed instantly. We were in a sacred place, the burial monument to the legendary Tamerlane,
My Visit to “One of the Noblest Monuments of Asia” Read More »
Khiva’s roots stretch back over 2,500 years, but its golden age began in the 16th century when it became the capital of the Khanate of Khiva. As a major oasis along the Silk Road, it prospered from trade — and infamously, from a large slave market that once operated within its walls. The real magic
Captivating Khiva: An Astonishing Life Inside the City Walls Read More »