cities

Jeddah to Al Ula – 7 Manic Days Traveling Glossy Saudi Arabia

Often the glossy tourism overshines along one of the Middle East’s most breathtaking journeys. Discover Saudi Arabia from Old Jeddah to Madinah’s holy mosque, to Al Ula desert scenery and ancient Hegra.

leaders statues mansudae grand monument pyongyang north korea

Pyongyang’s Massive Monuments – North Korea at Night

The sky lit-up and exploded RED as I watched celebrations in Pyongyang. For me, 2018 began in North Korea at night amid Kim Il-sung Square and Mansudae Grand Monument.

Hanoi: Cycling a City of Pagodas, Lakes & Legends

Cycling around Hanoi is fun - if you can handle the street chaos, as there plenty to see. But, best to get out of the traffic and cycle the charming side streets.

Travels in Lebanon – as Israel Bombs

"Last week, a guest was kidnapped," said the hotel receptionist ... Impressions of travels in Lebanon during the Gaza War (2024).

Misguided Prayers at the Meiji Shrine – Tokyo

Making a prayer at the Meiji Shrine in Tokyo. Careful what you wish for...

killing fields skulls in sky cambodia 1994

The Killing Fields Are Inside Me – Cambodia (1994)

The stacked skulls at the killing fields and the torture cells of S-21 and the raging Khmer Rouge insurgency, the city noise, and sweet mary jane all conspire to kill me.

Protected: Busted With Grass in Colombia

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Gondar – Ethiopia’s Mighty Camelot of Castles

Amid the northern mountains of Ethiopia the historic capital of castles at Gondar was once known as the "African Camelot".

Carnage Amid the Happy Night – Laos

Encountering a traffic accident in Laos gets me thinking about death and near accidents in West Africa.

Eritrea – Once – A Land of Peace and Hope

Traveling across Eritrea in 1995 it seemed like a land of peace and hope. People were enthusiastic about the new beginning after their war of liberation.

independence monument ashgabat turkmenistan

Ashgabat – the Shiny, Surreal Capital of Turkmenistan

Traveling the capital of Ashgabat, with all the security and surreal architecture, I understand why Turkmenistan is dubbed - “The North Korea of Central Asia”

Kenya – Fake Police or Corrupt Cops?

Fake police travel scam in Nairobi, Kenya. But were they fake police or corrupt cops? Read this crazy story and decide for yourself.

Iran – Navigating Chaotic Tehran

First impressions of traveling in Tehran - Iran, in 1990. Racing across the city in a taxi amid chaotic streets that seemed asking for accidents every minute.

Protected: Crazy in Yemen

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jaded traveler blues crazy travel stories

Jaded Traveler Blues in Cairo – Egypt

Sometimes travel is not always that great. Musings at the end of a trip, broke and confused, amid the woes of an awful hostel dorm.

Berbera – Ancient Port at the End of the World

Berbera is a fascinating end-of-the-earth place. This ancient Red Sea port comes with dusty streets, crumbling Islamic architecture & wrecked ships.

Ellusive Peace Jerusalem Israel & Palestine 1989

Elusive Peace – Jerusalem

Surreal artwork based on my experience of being caught amid a riot in East Jerusalem during the first Palestinian Intifada in 1989.

Bolivia’s San Pedro Prison is Like No Other

Bolivia's San Pedro Prison is a brutal and surreal circus - where inmates run the system amid their kids, where anything goes and where you don't want to go, unless ...

full moon rising sanaa yemen art panorama by Michael Robert Powell

Arabian Nights in the Ancient City of Sanaa – Yemen

Old Sanaa is an Arabian Nights vision - straight from the tales of the 1001 Nights. And it's one the oldest continuously-inhabited cities in the world.

women-washing-clothes-hargeisa-somaliland

Hargeisa – Capital of a Country that isn’t – Somaliland

The self-proclaimed Republic of Somaliland is safe to travel. And while there's not much in the way of tourist sights, Hargeisa is the gateway to Somaliland.

Across North Korea in Bleak Winter

Video of traveling across North Korea on the deserted highway from Pyongyang to the DMZ border with South Korea, on a bleak and foggy winter's day.

Bustling Freetown Market – Sierra Leone

Video of traveling Sierra Leone in a bus crawling amid a crowded, early-morning market spilling onto the roads of Freetown.

Worst. Dental. Visit. Ever – Cambodia

In Cambodia, eating pork fried rice proves hazardous - rushing me to an urgent dental visit. But then the disaster really begins as I get more than I hoped for!

Is ‘the Land of Smiles’ Beginning to Sour?

As I returned to Bangkok’s Khao San Road tourist district, I asked myself: Was this a freak day or is “the land of smiles” turning sour?

Girls Enjoy a Street Shower in Guinea Bissau

Video: Two girls enjoy a street shower during a monsoonal storm in Gabu in Guinea-Bissau, West Africa.

wrecked ships aral sea moynaq uzbekistan

Aral Sea Disaster & the Cemetery of Ships

The shrinking of the Aral Sea is dramatic at 'the port' of Moynaq in Uzbekistan, with its cemetery of rusting ships - now stranded 170 km from the actual shore!