Asia

I was off for my dream of traveling Africa. First, however, a layover in Dubai. Sounds great! I landed in the heart of the Middle East and booked a room at a hotel where I had stayed at before. Now, last time I was in Dubai, I had fish and chips and loved it. So why not do it again? This is the age of globalization; I should be able to enjoy a typical English meal in the Emirati Desert.  At the time, I was tired and extremely jet lagged and only wanted to eat then go to bed. However, it’s never that easy.

September, 2008. People on buses are afraid in wartime. That’s all I can think about. The somber girl sitting in the aisle seat beside mine is clenching a rail as tight as possible. Everyone is dead silent. The only thing I can hear is the quivering newspaper pages in front of me. There’s a picture of some soldiers sitting on a dusty tank on page one. Outside my window, a young boy hesitantly crosses the countryside road through the still midst towards the bus. He taps on the front glass window five times. The girl to my right holds her breath. The boy pulls a watermelon out of a yellow plastic bag and offers to sell it. We are stuck in a traffic jam. Nobody is moving. I am on my way to the outermost stop on the red metro line in Moscow.

I woke up early on the old Soviet modeled train from the sun grazing my eyes. I was bundled up in a thick comforter, still laying lazily on the hard mattress, when I glanced out the window to see free roaming animals, nomadic Yurt tents, half frozen streams and mountains towering into the cloudless sky. It was an awesome sight causing a wave of spiritualism to flood my body. It’s gorgeous, mysterious and enchanting. It’s Mongolia.

Правдивая сказка, за которую могли бы расстрелять

Исторически сложилось так, что территориально Иран  относится к странам Центральной Азии, однако ментально эти люди не имеют ничего общего со своими соседями. Их сознание сильно вестернизировано, в них сложно найти что-либо от стериотипов, приписываемых обычно арабам. да они и не являются арабами, в их жилах течет персидская кровь. Арабы, занимающие многие посты во властных структурах, не вызывают у них никакого уважения. Иранцы ведут образ жизни, присущий любому западному человеку (речь, само собой разумеется, едет о городских жителях, а не деревенских), их города так же состоят из асфальта и бетона, их торговые центры пестрят европейскими брендами, на их плазменных экранах светятся американские фильмы и сериалы, единственное "НО" заключается в том, что официально все они должны быть мусульманами, желают они этого или нет...

Myanmar (or Burma) is one of those countries plagued with political strife, abject poverty and extreme oppression. For some reason I’ll never be able to explain, these countries greatly appeal to me as a traveler. I guess I like comparing what I experience there to what I hear back home on the news. I also like representing my country, showing them that not all Americans are imperialists. Therefore, Myanmar was another place I had to check out. So, I dıd.

As we clattered through the Kyzylkum Desert in the battered shared taxi, the driver reached across and offered me some pills. When I asked him what they were, he shrugged.

About one month after I left the east coast of China on my way to Turkey, I found myself in the former Soviet Republic of Kazakhstan- Almaty, Kazakhstan to be precise.  It should come as no surprise to anyone who has ever traveled to, or has any knowledge of, western China that by the time I finally made it to the former capital of the country, I rolled into town dirty and mangy to say the least.

They say if you survive the 1st month of combat, you will be OK... HELL NO! I have to tell you, I almost didn't make it home to my pregnant wife and unborn son. My 21 year old body should have been shipped in a cheap wooden crate with the American flag draped over it just like many other fallen soldiers from the Forgotten War.

“The Full Moon Party, hmm, what can I say about this? The city is packed with a bunch of drunk, stoned, tripping, rolling, or all of the above, locals and foreigners. Everyone there is raving and covered from head to toe with glow in the dark paint. They dance to hypnotizing electronic music and half-naked women walk around in wet T-shirts. The scenery is also beautiful; all this takes place on a gorgeous tropical island in the middle of the Gulf of Thailand. It’s the party of a lifetime. Actually, my friend, it’s heaven!”