Visiting the Grand Bazaar in Tehran. Corridor after passage after hallway snakes around for over 10 km in length. It is a simple process to get lost. I am floundering, but enjoying myself in the Grand Bazaar of Tehran. Tehran is the incredibly busting capital of Iran. Over 16 million people are jammed into this vast [...]
Eritrean Train. Dots of coal soot polka-dotted my shirt. Droplets of water gently graced my face and arms like a rainbow butterfly-kissing a unicorn. The whistle shrieked and I temporarily covered my ears. My body pressed against the railing on the platform, and I marveled in the presence of the steam engine of the Eritrean railway. [...]
Kurdish Hospitality – Erbil, Iraq’s Mayor. He popped out of his seat, with a wide grin. His speed defied his age. We had only met for a moment the day before, but he recognized me immediately. But to be fair, I stick out in Erbil, Iraq. As you might imagine, there are not many tourists here. [...]
“You like Donald Trump?” “No,” I embarrassedly responded in an awkward tone. “You like Clinton?” “Better than Trump,” I offered. “So Clinton is better than Trump?” “Trump is a stupid man.” I was embarrassed by Trump’s broad anti-Muslim statements. “We are all brothers. Muslim, Christian. All brothers.” He smiled. I lightly touched my right hand to [...]
Visiting the Ayatollah in Iran. I have had some surreal travel experiences during my travels. I have visited the DMZ from an observation deck in North Korea, I have slept over in Chernobyl, and spent a couple of days exploring a country that does not even exist on the edge of Europe, Transnistria. While visiting Iran, [...]
Entering Iran. Not quite business class, but almost felt like an Economy Plus seat. I stretched my feet in the bulkhead area and luxuriated over the two adjacent empty but faded seats. I twisted my head and peered behind me. Head scarves and dark, cheap suits stared back at me. I was the only westerner on [...]
“Down with USA”. I stared at the mural. What did they mean? Down with the USA, like I hope the country becomes a fiery apocalypse? Or, like, yeah, I am down with the USA, they are AOK in my book. This is a conflicting message that travelers are continually confronted with when visiting Iran. At first [...]
Candle Light Vigil To The Armenian Genocide Memorial. Dusk was settling in over Yerevan Opera Theatre. Two giant flags were handled by dozens of uniformed youth. Thousands of people, many clutching torches or candles, had gathered to commemorate the victims of the Armenian Genocide in 1915. Over 1.5 million Armenians were slaughtered in the first genocide [...]
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