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I’m off to Central Asia next week and decided that my usual necklace is too valuable for adventure travel. Thus I created a new one specifically for this trip. One of my goals is to buy more ancient beads and I need examples to show the merchants. This necklace has a Bronze Age pendant–thogchag; from the Gobi Desert, approximately 500BC; a 2,500 BC ceramic bead from Balkh; Tibetan coral; Tibetan turquoise; Afghan… Read More
Zamskhang Palace Ruins Tegar, Nubra Valley Ladakh, India Nubra Valley, also called the Valley of Flowers, is situated in the northeast corner of Ladakh, near the Tibetan border. At one time it was located on the southern Silk Road trade route between Yarkhand, in Xinjiang, and Leh, the capital of Ladakh. This obscure corner of the Himalayas is reached from the capital by traversing the Khardung La, at 5,602 meters it is… Read More
This was originally published on BootsnAll Travel Journal #4 THE TRIPLEGEM AFGHAN EXPEDITION-SUMMER 2005 12/August/2005 – Kabul, Afghanistan Friday – the Islamic day of rest – I had breakfast at the Mustafa, naan, omelet, hash browns and coffee. Breakfast at the Mustafa was eaten in an open, marble-paved courtyard on the second floor. This was where we’d had the barbecue the night before. There I ran into another tourist. He was an Aussie named Peter… Read More
I returned to Kathmandu for the usual Losar party and gathering of expats, but this year it was more subdued than usual. It was my first time back since the earthquake, so the devastation was quite traumatic. The most shocking moment I had was when I first saw the Great Stupa of Boudhanath. I used to live near the stupa so it was a shock to see that the entire top had… Read More
11/August/2005 – Peshawar to Kabul I awoke early, had my usual Paki breakfast then went down to the Rose Hotel office to meet Prince. It was a small taxi that drove around to the Khyber Agency office to pick-up the armed guard. While waiting for the guard I watch some small boys herding goats…in downtown Peshawar…then we were off to Torkham. It was a bit hazy, but it felt great to be… Read More
(1977)
THE ARDENT ENTHUSIAST 