Tag: World Heritage
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Palace in the Sky
The muddy red clay trails leading into the park are quiet. It looks like the mid-day rain has kept people away. There are only a few obstacles to contend with here in Sigiriya this muddy afternoon. These include the slippery metal stairs, muddy trails and the small pest problem. Snake holes are everywhere, but signs […]
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Dreams of Gold
This time last year I spent my last remaining hours of 2012 at a hostel in the center of Kuala Lumpur. KL is nice, but this is my third and final visit in 2012. Sri Lanka is new and there’s so much to see. These pictures make me want to go back sooner rather than […]
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Patzcuaro: Pueblo Magico
The Mexican state of Michoacán stretches all the way from the Pacific Coast east through the colonial heartland of Mexico. Patzcuaro was once the capital of Michoacán and looks very much like it did after the Spanish rebuilt it over 500 years ago. The area, with its interesting history, diverse culture, landscape and geography, makes for […]
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Oasis of Sand
The ancient Silk Road city of Merv in the Karakum desert (Turkic for “Black Sand”) reminds me of a bit of the fate of ancient Carthage. Tracing its origins to the 3rd century BC, it was the largest city in the world in the 12th century only to be razed to the ground some 300 […]
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The End of the Yellow Brick Road
The phrase ‘lost to the sands of time’ tends to conjure up thoughts of mighty empires that have faded away into the desert. Nisa, the first capital of the Parthians, is no different in the dusty hills a short distance outside of Ashgabat. The spectacular mountaintop setting on what is now the Turkmenistan/Iran border belies […]
Farflungistan 