Zhangye
Gansu Province
China
September 14, 2016
Two old sites are prominent in Zhangye. One site is measured in hundreds of years. The other is measured in tens of thousands
The Dafo Temple, or Great Buddha Temple, is an ancient Buddhist temple in Zhangye, Gansu, China, notable for its gigantic reclining Buddha statue of around 1100, which is thirty-five meters long (115 ft).
Lothal
State of Gujarat
India
March 9, 2007
Dr. Oscar White Muscarella
(Cc: Family and Friends)
Ancient Near East Department
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
New York, New York
Dear Dr. Muscarella,
Oscar, my friend. One of us slipped up!
Was it you? Did you cut the Indus Valley Civilization from the curriculum of your Ancient History course at The City College?
Jodhpur, Rajasthan
India
February 28, 2007
Dear Family and Friends,
Jodhpur is blue. Yes, blue.
I am sitting astride the barrel of the cannon, ten feet long, perched on the muscular ramparts of Mehrangarh Fort. From here, 125m (410 ft) above the desert, the roofs of Brahmapuri village are a "washed blue." [*]
Hualien
Taiwan
November 1, 2007
Dear Family and Friends,
The first test of my dormant driving skills begins in Taipei. Did I say "skills?" I am so intimidated by the city traffic that I insist the car rental agency chauffeur me to the edge of town, and deposit me at the entrance to the Expressway, National Highway 1. Alone now, I ease on to the truck-filled route. I hug the right lane and chug north towards the port city of Keelung.
Shuishe, Taiwan
November 2, 2007
Dear Family and Friends,
Imagine driving alone through the mountains over an endless, tortuous road with multiple hair-pin turns. Imagine one narrow lane in each direction. A yellow line bisects the road and a white line guards each shoulder.
The road curves up, only up. There is almost no other traffic. Now, imagine that you are blind. Blind. And alone.
From Taroko Gorge to Mount Huhuan, I steer up and up and up on the side of the mountain through a translucent, nearly opaque oatmeal fog, a green pea soup so thick I can barely see beyond my nose.
Taipei, Taiwan
November 6, 2007
Dear Family and Friends,
Shuishe Village hugs the shore of Sun Moon Lake, the largest body of fresh water in Taiwan. The brochure reads, "A magical crystal lake . . . dialogue between sun and moon, link between mountains and water." My stroll along the waterfront, the boat excursion and the short climb to hillside temple all confirm that this is "one of Taiwan's most spectacular natural landscapes." * The indigenous Thao tribe sells food and handicrafts at the tourist-filled market.
