Archive | Travel Story Photo

RSS feed for this section

Bowing Before the Feet of The Great Leader in North Korea

Bowing Before The Feet Of The Great Leader - Mt Mansu, Pyongyang, North Korea

Bowing Before the Feet of The Great Leader in North Korea Examples of reverence for the Great Leader were everywhere. His pictures adorned the inside of every hotel and public building we entered in addition to his ubiquitous visage appearing on billboards and statues across the land. Whenever you visited any site – whether that […]

Exploring a Castle Built for Giants in Syria

Inner Ward Of Krak Des Chevaliers - near Hawash, Syria

Exploring a Castle Built for Giants in Syria .. “Nestled high on a vertiginous hilltop, sits a castle that TE Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) described as the finest in the world. Krak Des Chevaliers, or the Castle of Knights, was constructed between 1000-800 years ago by both the First Crusaders and then the Knights Hospitaller. […]

A Meeting with a Man who Changed History in Somaliland

Muse Abdijama of Las Geel, Somaliland

A Meeting with a Man who Changed History in Somaliland “Occasionally, when travelling, one meets a person who has played an important part in history. I met him at the star attraction of Somaliland, if not on the entire horn of Africa. Las Geel is a collection of reportedly 7000-year-old cave paintings that were only […]

A Camel Trek into the Unknown in Remote Tajikistan

Family Home Near Rang-kul, Tajikistan

A Camel Trek into the Unknown in Remote Tajikistan “My camel lumbered over some of the most barren landscape you are likely to see. She was moderately sized and in the process of shedding her brown winter coat. Apart from the wind, her gurgling and whining was the only noise that was discerned at this […]

Hospitality in an Isolated Village in Afghanistan

Intense Face of a Man from Kizkut - Wakhan Corridor, Afghanistan

Hospitality in an Isolated Village in Afghanistan “It is a harsh life in the Wakhan. This is best evidenced by infant mortality rates that exceed 40% in places, contributed by a combination of climate and isolation. This harshness is reflected in the Wakhi faces that are as captivating as the mountains they live under. The […]

A Memorable Encounter with a Former Soldier in Kurdistan

Rashid Scans The Wall In a Tea House - Qaysari Bazaar, Erbil, Kurdistan

A Memorable Encounter with a Former Soldier in Kurdistan “In the Middle East, the visitor is seen as a gift from God. But like any gift, the reaction to its receipt is related to its frequency; the more regular the gift, the less enthusiastic the response. The Middle East bestows the most hospitable of welcomes […]

The Morning When Angels Sang for St Mary in Ethiopia

Dawn at the St Mary's Day Ceremony - Axum, Ethiopia

The Morning When Angels Sang for St Mary in Ethiopia “Tales from aeons past seep from every corner of Axum. More than 2000 years ago, the former capital of the Axumite kingdom exerted its military, trade and cultural powers for more than a millennium. Legend states that the king who bore Frankincense (Gaspar) to Jesus […]

Gazing into the Mouth of Hell

A fiery night eruption at Mt Yasur Volcano - Tanna Island, Vanuatu

Gazing into the Mouth of Hell The afternoon arrival at Tanna Island’s modest airport commenced a quest that was as astonishing as it was exhilarating – a journey to view Mount Yasur, claimed to be the world’s second most active volcano with its constant Strombolian eruptions. The off-road vehicle drove along the deeply potholed and […]