Few places on earth can rival the exquisite beauty of Kashmir’s Dal Lake, mirror to the Himalayas of central Asia. Along its shores in morning mist, you might hear the sound of a single, unhurried oar. A shikara (watercraft) slips into view passing wordlessly on its way and then vanishes leaving only a rippling trace. … More Kashmir: Troubled Jewel of Central Asia
You cannot embark on any daily traipse for more than a few steps before engaging in a universal social ritual: the act of greeting. Customary though it be, this practice, full of possibility, possesses enormous significance whether in encounter with neighbor, stranger or even stray dog. Echoing the Hippocratic oath, the rule of thumb for … More Traipser Rule of Thumb: One Soul Salutes Another
In the city of Helsingborg, a ferry ride across from Helsingor (or, ‘Elsinore’, if you’re drafting a tragedy called ‘Hamlet, Prince of Denmark’), there was once a youth hostel on the northern edge of town midst wooded grounds. It sat on a rise looking down on the city, on the straits to the Baltic Sea, … More Helsingborg Hostel: Baltic Straits, Wedding Straits
If, having been whisked to a secret southern metropolis and you were there set free on the streets, you’d be forgiven for believing you’d found yourself in Brussels, Vienna or Berlin. In truth you would be in the Paris of Latin America, Buenos Aires, whose name translates as ‘Fair Winds’. Famous for bumpy politics, for … More A City Called ‘Fair Winds’: What the Streets Are Saying
They’re up there still. Hundreds of tents pitched in the rubble field at base camp on Everest. Climbers – some, at best bricoleurs – and their Sherpa guides wait for that window of clear days before the monsoon that offers some chance of summiting the mother of all mountains, Chomolungma, 29,035’ of rock, icefall, crevasses, … More Weirdness in the Death Zone: A Tale of the Odd-Number Sardine
The city of Brussels takes itself pretty seriously. It devotes itself to the tricky business of holding together a quarrelsome bilingual country, to projects like the 28-member European Union and to the colossus known as NATO. The city bristles with all-work, no-play diplomats, soldiers, journalists and lobbyists. Whatever sunshine might be left under such dour … More Saturday in Brussels: Waffles, Tintin, Godot … and Waffles
In the 1950s sub-Sahara Africa, still in colonial thrall, was a kind of wild west while the rest of the world restored what had been shattered by world war. The grasslands of Africa, thronged with wild life, remained in many places open range. In what was then a sleepy Chobe River village called Kasane (see … More Desert Tales: When Hunter Becomes Prey*
