Zugdidi
I thought I was a seasoned traveler in more culturally complex places. On my way from Tbilisi to Zugdidi, I arrived late and got the last seat – a middle seat – on an old and very dilapidated train. I covet wonderful train experiences, but quickly realized that this hot, small center seat was going […]
Dolomites
After a 1000 days of day hiking, the Dolomites beat out the Himalaya and the Andes. There is nothing like the Dolomites.
Korce
Why Albania? A number of people have wondered why I, or anyone, would go to Albania (and North Macedonia). Some were actually dismissive, as if they had an idea what Albania was about, or had even given a second’s thought to the matter. One person was downright snobbish. I thought to myself, what failures of […]
No sight like this in the world
There is no place in world where one walks a street and looks up 24,000 feet and mountains 20 miles away as the bird flies. Pokhara, Nepal. Annapurnas
Kathmandu
[Nepal] I had a letter of introduction to a number of senior diplomats at our embassy in Kathmandu. The Deputy Chief of Mission (DCM) is the number two person, and is a career diplomat (Vs. the Ambassador who is a political appointee of the current administration). One of my favorite interactions was with the Kathmandu […]
Kathmandu
[Nepal] I’m interested in the generalizations people make about each other, which in the worst cases becomes a kind of profiling or stereotyping. As I traveled around Kathmandu practicing my Nepali with shop owners, I heard continual stories of bad interactions with “Israeli” travelers. I learned that many, many shops have two bottom prices: the […]
On the way home
[Nepal] I would walk four miles every morning through the heart of Kathmandu from the Gauchan’s house to my lessons at Raj’s. I loved every second of this walk. While my nostalgia for many of the experiences and people of my earlier life has lessened, sauntering the streets of Kathmandu brings back incredible memories. Adventure […]