The sweet smoky odor of grilled mutton and cumin saturated the surprisingly cool summer breeze as I walked along Aizirete Lu near the famous Yengi Bazaar in the ancient city of Kashgar. The crowded streets were lined as far as my eyes could see with brightly colored umbrellas shading large bags of spices, carts filled with fresh fruit, and butchered meat hanging precariously above crude scales on fragile makeshift tables. ...read the full story
The Lure of Tibet
For years I longed to visit Tibet. Maybe it was a fascination inspired by romantic movies or the powerful lure of a distant land of myth and legend that few western travelers have ever seen, but I could barely contain my joy as I crowded at a portal window to steal a momentary glimpse of a magical snow-capped mountain as we made our descent into Gongkar Airport. I was traveling alone ...read the full story
The Sacred City of Shiva
It was only my first full day in India but I was already beginning to appreciate the beauty and rhythm nestled amidst the seeming chaos that surrounded me. As the last bit of daylight surrendered to eerie pockets of neon illumination, I mounted a cycle-rickshaw near my hotel and was quickly swept through a narrow meandering maze of tiny alleyways. Cars, rickshaws, scooters, bicycles, pedestrians, and sacred cows all competed ...read the full story
Nepal Through Innocent Eyes
It was 5.37am when our mountain guide Raju walked past our room with what was now a familiar wake-up call. “The mountain is clear…the mountain is clear,” he whispered in a voice so soft it was apparently intended to awaken us, without actually disturbing our sleep. By this time in our journey, we knew that the mountain wasn’t really clear and that there was still another hour before the sun ...read the full story
