2 In 2001 an archaeological investigation undertaken at the ancient Hellenistic city of Aphrodisias in western Anatolia, Turkey, unearthed some rather extraordinary finds. One of the […]
Yearly archives: 2017
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2 Sofia is Greek word; it means wisdom. Sofia a pretty name for a child. What does it mean, though, when the name is given to a […]
Sofia, Bulgaria… is my Rome, says Emperor Constantine
2 Rabat came into the world as sweet and innocent as a newborn babe. Over the centuries it slowly grew in size, it developed its own […]
Rabat, Morocco – Hassan Tower + dreams of world’s biggest ...
2 The Romans were excellent engineers. They weren’t interested in humdrum designs either; they wanted elegant, refined structures; structures that would dazzle the masses, structures that […]
Who built the aqueduct at Segovia, Spain?
2 Did you wander through the endless empty rooms, the labyrinthine bare corridors, the expansive yet unembellished courtyards of Bahla Fort, and find yourself thinking, well, […]
Jibreen Castle, Oman – boiling date oil + murder holes ...
2 Baku is the deepest capital city in the world. It’s sits at 28 metres below sea level (that’s the elevation of the Caspian Sea, upon […]
Baku, Azerbaijan – at 28m below sea level, it’s the ...
2 Growing up in Australia meant I learnt minimal to nil West African history, and I had just the barest understanding of the Atlantic slave trade. […]
Bunce Island, Sierra Leone – slave trading castle; heritage in ...
2 The Registan (which means place of sand) is the focal point of the ancient silk road city of Samarkand; it’s one of the most recognisable […]
The Registan, Uzbekistan – crowning glory of the Timurid Empire. ...
2 Kosovo is a tiny country. It’s roughly 100 kilometres north to south, and 100 kilometres east to west, making it more or less the same […]
Pristina, Kosovo – capital of the newborn country complete with ...
2 Ek’ Balam is best known for the intriguing, richly-decorated, somewhat-horrifying tomb of Mayan King Ukit Kan Lek Tok’. The site is largely overlooked by the tourist […]
Ek’ Balam and X’ Canche, Mexico – see fang-lined El ...
2 Travel everywhere. And go everywhere immediately. If you don’t, you never know what you may miss out on. Those are my learnings from climbing Gunung […]
Gunung Kinabalu, Malaysia – Borneo’s highest peak: paradise for pitcher ...
2 Locals say the peak of Piton de la Petite Rivière Noire, on the island of Mauritius, looks like a gorilla’s head. I found the mountain […]
Port Louis, Mauritius – dodos and blue penny stamps
2 I had been in Vilnius, capital of Lithuania, for a full week. It was the dead of winter; the days were frigid, with intermittent snow […]
Kaunas, Lithuania – medieval Old Town, once part of Hanseatic ...
2 We had seen a looks-like-prehistoric turtle during our night safari the previous evening (which turned out to be a mata mata); this morning we were […]
Yanayacu River, Amazon Rainforest, Peru – screamers, hoatzins, and pink ...
2 Everyone has heard of Stonehenge in the United Kingdom, but how many people have heard of Zorats Karer in Armenia. Not many, I expect. Stonehenge […]
Zorats Karer, Armenia – 223 standing stones + grassy field. ...
2 Si-o-se-pol, along with the other Safavid bridges of Esfahan, were built as a means of crossing the wide watercourse of the Zayanderud River. In the […]
Si-o-se-pol and the Safavid Bridges of Esfahan, Iran
4 I like tracking down unusual animals, and lammergeyers had been on my list (as had gelada) for some time. My trip to Jinbar Waterfall, in the Simien […]
Jinbar Waterfall, Simien Mountains, Ethiopia – lammergeyers
2 A dilapidated blue van bounces into the cobblestoned courtyard of Rila Monastery, Bulgaria. The van wheezes to a halt, its rear doors are flung open, […]