Khiva, Khorezm
Uzbekistan
June 6, 2009

Near my hotel, on a narrow stone street lies a pile of mud.  The neat, circular pile is no accident.  It is no children's play area.  What is it?

The mud pie is a construction site, or more properly, the preparation area.  Workmen shovel the mud, mixed with straw, into straw baskets that they carry away to a pulley and rope.  The mud is hoisted up to the top of a building.  They are making repairs to a wall using the ancient, time-tested method.

The same thick walls of mud protect the Ayaz-Qala, a group of fortresses dating back to the Sixth Century.  The impressive ruins of the qala sit up on a hillside and dominate the surrounding desert.

Chimgan Tashkent Uzbekistan

June 11, 2009

Dear Family and Friends,

My friend Elias offered me a good piece of advice: “In the early morning, drive to the Chimgan area.” 

The Chimgan area is about an hour’s drive northeast of Tashkent . The mountains are not so high, but in the distance there are a few rugged snow-capped peaks. And in this eastern province of Uzbekistan , everything is green. Green grass, green trees, green farmlands, green mountain sides.

The Emporium
Sukhumvit Road
Bangkok, Thailand
June 30, 2009

Dear Speed Lovers,

I am taking a break from writing my travel letters to visit The Emporium – a high-end shopping mall: Chanel, Hermes, Ungarao, etc, etc, etc.

The Emporium is sponsoring an exhibition of high-end automobiles, built for speed, and I daresay, comfort.

Next to each outrageous auto, an equally outrageous wrist watch is on display: Breitling and Bentley, and Blancpain and Porsche, etc.

Lake Van
Southeastern Anatolia
Turkey
19 October 2009

Dear Family and Friends,

The Lonely Planet "Turkey" is 732 pages thick. When I got to the last chapter on page 597, Southeastern Anatolia, I decided to begin my travels out there and work my way backwards in the book, traveling from east to west in southern Turkey. I flew from Istanbul to Van (1642 km…1020 mi).

Out here, Turkey's neighbors are Georgia and Armenia. West of Van lies Iran (only 100 km), and to the south, Iraq and Syria. Even though they were very close, and tempting, I decided not to visit any of these countries, at least not on this trip, since there is so much to see here.

{C}

Nang Rong

Buriram

Thailand

Sunday

December 23, 2012 

My Dear Friends, 

I am sad to report that my friend Phanna Dureyavijit passed away on Thursday, December 20 at her son Kiew’s home in the Isan province of Buriram.  For the past few years, Phanna suffered from the painful and debilitating effects of diabetes.  Kiew told me his mother passed away peacefully in her sleep.  Phanna was 66.   She leaves behind her three sons, her mother, six sisters, and innumerable family members and countless friends.

Bangkok

Thailand

Monday, March 12, 2012

Sunny and Warm

Hello,

I’ve got about a million items on my To Do list.  Regardless, I decided to be a one-man, unofficial member of the TAT – the Tourist Authority of Thailand.

Are you considering a visit to Thailand?

Have you been here before and you are thinking about a return trip?