conflict

7 Clues Revealing the Plain of Jars Secrets – Laos

2,100 stone jars. 129 sites. 80 million cluster bombs. Zero answers. The Plain of Jars in Laos is the world's most dangerous archaeological mystery. I visited it twice. Here's what I learned.

Vietnam War Sites Along the DMZ

Touring Vietnam war sites along the DMZ, including Khe Sanh Combat Base, Vinh Moc tunnels, and Ben Hai River border.

Impact of Taliban Rule on Afghanistan

Afghan perspectives on the impact of Taliban rule from a month of backpacking around Afghanistan in 2024.

varosha-famagusta-ghost-town-north-cyprus

Why is Fabulous Famagusta a Ghost City Called Varosha?

Once a '60s beach hotspot, Famagusta has been a ghost town since war came in 1974. But recently - Varosha, as the Turks call it, has re-opened as an eerie reminder of Cyprus's bitter divide.

Perquin & Codename Ventura – A Child Soldier of El Salvador’s Bitter War

An ex-guerrilla at the rebel FMLN mountain base of Perquin speaks about the Salvadoran Civil War.

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).

Nagorno-Karabakh – Torn & Tangled Land

The driver sucked his cigarette, eyes wide, head darting around, hoping that we wouldn't be stopped... Traveling conflicted Nagorno-Karabakh in 2011.

Today, War Tore Across Angkor

Mid '94 and the astonishing temples of Angkor were totally deserted - quiet, but in the countryside around, the civil war burst and flared.

Syria (1989) – Distant Memories of Peace

Talking my way to a Syria visa on the border, exploring ancient sights, visiting a military zone on the Israeli border, and other youthful backpacking blurs.

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.

Korea DMZ Tour – On the Deadly Dividing Line

Info and advice for taking the Korea DMZ tour to Panmunjom - facing North Korea on the world's tensest border.

Life in East Timor with the United Nations

A letter home from my time in Ainaro in the mountains of East Timor, living with a local family and working for the United Nations in 2000.

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.

Stalingrad 'Mother Russia' war-memorial in Volgograd, Russia

Blown Away by the Battle of Stalingrad

The massive 'Mother Russia' war memorial statue at Stalingrad is stunning, and apt for the site and sacrifice of such a brutal and colossal battle.

mining diamonds by hand kono sierra leone

Seeking the Blood Diamonds of Sierra Leone

Traveling to the open-pit diamond mines of northern Sierra Leone, once land of civil war, brutal warlords, and "Blood Diamonds".

Hutou Fort – Fighting 11 Days After WW2 Ended

Visit the Hutou battle museum and explore the tunnels where the Japanese defenders of Hutou Fortress fought the Soviets for 11 days after the end of World War Two.

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.

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.

Video of East Timorese kids watching Australian UN Peacekeepers assemble their armored personnel carriers (APCs) before setting-off from Maliana on a mission to the volatile Indonesian border of West Timor

Melnik – Tiny Village of Legendary Wine

The tiniest village in Bulgaria is Melnik - seemingly lost amid the eroded hills, yet it's famous wine was once the toast of Europe, for over 600 years.

Pol Pot – the Khmer Rouge Mass Murderer – Died Here

Exploring Anlong Veng - the ex-Khmer Rouge stronghold - on the trail to Pol Pot's mountain jungle hideaway, and visiting his pitiful grave.

7 Clues Revealing the Plain of Jars Secrets – Laos

Vietnam War Sites Along the DMZ

Impact of Taliban Rule on Afghanistan

Why is Fabulous Famagusta a Ghost City Called Varosha?

Perquin & Codename Ventura – A Child Soldier of El Salvador’s Bitter War

Travels in Lebanon – as Israel Bombs

Nagorno-Karabakh – Torn & Tangled Land

Today, War Tore Across Angkor

Syria (1989) – Distant Memories of Peace

The Killing Fields Are Inside Me – Cambodia (1994)

Korea DMZ Tour – On the Deadly Dividing Line

Life in East Timor with the United Nations

Eritrea – Once – A Land of Peace and Hope

Blown Away by the Battle of Stalingrad

Seeking the Blood Diamonds of Sierra Leone

Hutou Fort – Fighting 11 Days After WW2 Ended

Elusive Peace – Jerusalem

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

UN Peacekeepers in East Timor

Melnik – Tiny Village of Legendary Wine

Pol Pot – the Khmer Rouge Mass Murderer – Died Here

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