Kathmandu’s low-slung buildings weren’t built to withstand the jockeying of a trembling earth. Often constructed of brick and mortar while ignoring already weak building codes, the city’s structures were no match for Saturday’s 7.8-magnitude earthquake. News of the Nepali devastation … Continued
For all its beautiful colonial charm, Mompox still has a quirky personality. And like most small towns, Mompox is too small to hide the eccentricities that reveal themselves while wandering its dusty streets. For me, there’s a lot of aimless … Continued
500-years ago, the Magdalena River’s rushing current transformed the Colombian island town of Mompox from a dusty village into a bustling commercial center. For years it thrived until times changed and the businesses moved to more accessible cities upriver. For … Continued
During a recent visit to Iceland, I arrived on the tail end of a mild winter. Instead of crisp sunny days, we found ourselves inundated by snow, rain and the full force of the North Atlantic’s winter fury. At one … Continued
Tangles of wire crisscross the streets of Kathmandu like a canopy of Christmas-lights: wire strands, thick as basketballs or thin as a spaghetti noodles tremble in the Nepali breeze. Shops and people scurry about in this foothill town where layers … Continued
Kathmandu and Nepal assume a mythic place in popular culture; between Bob Seeger’s 70s crooning “I’m going to Kathmandu” and as a gateway city to the jagged Himalayan peaks, the city’s a confluence of cultures swirls among its dusty, rutted … Continued
Clouds of color fluttered through the air amidst a torrent of excitement. The parade of people marched and danced down the street celebrating Holi, the festival of color that literally and figuratively gilds Rishikesh in a bath of colorful chaos. … Continued
The Ganges River’s frothy turquoise rapids divide Rishikesh like a spiritual scalpel separating a sacred heart. Set in India’s Himalayan Foothills, Rishikesh found fame through The Beatles 1968 visit to the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the founder of transcendental meditation. While … Continued
Fading walls, chipped and grimy frame India’s sooty streets and Agra, the Taj Mahal’s home, takes no exception. A few hundred yards from the Taj’s glowing perfection, I found the wall. Just a normal wall in India, but on … Continued
