Reminiscing The Valley Of Resistance – Afghanistan Part 3
I’ve already told you about my pre-Taliban takeover entry into Afghanistan and my encounters with this troubled land’s beauty and blown-up Buddha statues. Now it’s fittingly time to drive directly into what was and always had been — up until very recently — the valley of resistance. There we’ll visit a couple assassination destinations before…
Breathtaking Beauty And Blown-Up Buddha Statues – Afghanistan Part 2
You’ve already heard about my just-in-time arrival in Afghanistan. And I know you’re presuming I got out in time as well. But before we get to my Afghan exit, we still have a lot of ground to cover in this crucial and complex country — home to everyone from Pashtuns to Uzbeks to Tajiks to…
My Just-In-Time Dream Trip To Afghanistan
Do you think 2021 is a good year to visit Afghanistan? Of course there’s been the fall of Kabul and basically the whole country to the Taliban, U.S. diplomats being airlifted from the American embassy, Afghans falling from a plane in the sky and chaos and bloodshed at the airport amid rushed evacuations. While some…
Spotting UFOs While Exploring Both Ancient and Futuristic Cities in Kazakhstan
This post is also a throw- way back to the time just after my studies in Malta. In this story, I tell you a little about the was up to when my career as a perpetual traveler finally began to flourish. As you may or may not know, I started my business five years ago…
My Short Visit to the Country of Bengals
Let’s dive right into my short visit to Bangladesh. First, I want to start by telling you a few exciting things about the country. For starters, its name literally translated means “the country of Bengal.” It is a secular, democratic, and independent state located in South Asia, and it has the eighth-largest population in the…
Trekking The Stans Part 2: Islamic Architecture And A Dying Sea in Uzbekistan
We left off on my Central Asian adventure on the border between Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Following treks across an Afghan border region and one of the world’s highest mountain passes, we were headed for the historic city of Samarkand. Ahead on this journey through Uzbekistan lies a tour of classic Islamic architecture, a cemetery date…
Trekking The Stans Part 1: The Mountain Corridor Straddling Tajikistan And Afghanistan
When many people think about The Stans, what comes to mind is what’s in the news. Afghanistan: perpetual war; conflict in Kurdistan, an unrecognized country. But this Silk Road-occupying region is also rich with history and beautiful sights to see. And it’s debatable whether the more Middle Eastern neighbors — Afghanistan, Pakistan, Kurdistan etc. —…
Measuring My Happiness In The World’s Only Wholly Buddhist State
The mountain kingdom of the thunder dragon, Bhutan, might very well have some of the happiest people in the world. But that doesn’t mean the people of the world would be more happy if they lived in Bhutan. Take me, for example. I’m a Taoist (It says so on my Instagram account) and I have…
Seeing The Top Of The World And Dodging Death By Rhinoceros In Nepal
Keeping it real, Kathmandu is a shithole. I never get headaches, except when in Kathmandu. The air quality is terrible, not to mention the place recently got hit by a massive 7.8 magnitude earthquake, and it wasn’t the prettiest of cities to begin with. But that makes sense. Nepal is a country of contrast. This…