-
Philae Temple: Egypt Files Part 2
EGYPT– The place that has inspired writers and travelers for centuries– ON A SLEEPER TRAIN. I had sand on my skin, caked with sweat. The brim of an adventure hat had shielded me from the inescapable sun that had now set. I pulled the hat from my head, revealing a sticky nest of hair underneath. I ruminated how an age-old adventure could seem brand new, like I was the first to experience it out of all mankind. But I knew I wasn’t. I was on an epic adventure to Aswan and the Temple of Philae. 1854– the British instituted the original tracks from Cairo to Aswan in this year, which…
-
Taipei, Taiwan
The place where I almost lost my love for seafood? Taiwan. Also the place where I had some of the most awesome street food ever? Also Taiwan. Surprised to see real curved swords reverently wielded around by old men for daily exercise in the form of martial arts? Yep, you guessed the place. Taiwan. Taipei to be exact. What my experience in the world had taught me, after a lifetime of examining “Made in” manufacturing tags, my best guess as to what Taiwan might look like would be a conglomerate of dirty manufacturing warehouses. After all, everything is Made in Taiwan (okay that’s a hyperbole). There may have been a…
-
NOT IRAQ, KURDISTAN (PART 2): The Peshmerga, Yazidis, Saddam’s Palace Ruins, and the City in the Sky
If you haven’t read Part 1 of this story, I would suggest starting there. Disclaimer: this story isn’t full of the cute narrative misadventures that I typically do. But nevertheless I was sure that there was a story here, somewhere buried beneath the facts, a considerably more important one. Some names have been altered to protect the identity of sources. “ کاروان.” reads as an insider guide who introduced me to his homeland. Peshmerga soldiers furrowed their brows in skepticism when we presented them with our passports. “Tourists? . . . In Kurdistan?” They seemed surprised but waved us through each checkpoint. This particular checkpoint sat at a Peshmerga training…
-
Dwam, Reverie in the Scottish Highlands
I had hoped yet hadn’t intended to visit The Highlands, but– there I was. I was at the bottom of a brown valley with waterfalls as far as the eye could see– more than thirty! I’d counted. Their tails cascaded down the slopes, digging thin trenches beneath them. Each ribbon traveled inward to this middle point, me. A pair of stags rose out of the tall grass on the valley floor; their antlers dripped. This valley was instantly burned into my mind forever as I became lost in a reverie. Do you like endless landscapes where the sunlight and rain create art in the sky? Then you’d love The Highlands.…
-
Not Iraq, Kurdistan (Part 1): Preserving the Cultural Identity, Millennia Old History, and Natural Beauty of Disputed Kurdistan
This article was originally posted in The Mountain- Ear Newspaper, Nederland Colorado. The author lays claim to all original intellectual property here in thereof. Nomads Who Want A Home Our preconceived expectations of what northern Iraq might have been like couldn’t have been more wrong. Kurdistan, one of the most controversial “countries” in the world, lays in the heart of the Middle East, north of the Fertile Crescent, sandwiched between the hotbed of Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Iraq. The Kurds, 35 million strong, are an ethnically homogenous population dispersed throughout the four countries; the largest stateless group in the world. Neither the U.N. nor the U.S. recognize Kurdistan as a…
-
My Experience at Auschwitz Concentration Camp: An Evil Like No Other
To be honest, I had initial hesitancy about publishing this post. This experience haunted me–so much so– that I was hesitant to even publish an online article about my experience. How could words even begin to express such atrocity, such evil, such hate? How could I ever verbalize my disgust and astonishment about what I saw? The truth is . . . I can’t. Yet, here I sit. I’m publishing this post not for my self or for my readers, but for those who suffered. May their spirits forever fill the saddened hearts of those missing generations of the 6+ million individuals murdered during the Holocaust. May these photographs and…
-
Building the American Dream Part 1: Why I Loved BOSTON
Ah, Boston. The rebel born child of independence. The strong firstborn that once raised it’s fist to it’s hated colonialist parents. It’s the city that wore a scowling “screw you” on it’s face while it turned it’s back on everything safe and familiar that it once knew. It’s a place built on leadership; a place built on sheer grit. That’s the way it was in times past, and you can still pick up on that vibe when walking the streets today. The people of Boston are strong. They stick together; and they don’t need you to make it on their own. I’d like to begin by saying that I’m really…
