Ekim
Mike Perry Joined: May 4th 2007
Logged in: February 12th 2012
Logged in: February 12th 2012
Travel Blog Posts
Photo 102
After hours on the narrow two track 4x4 trail, dashing in and out of dry washes, spinning across the flat expanse that is punctuated only by the towering termite mounds, we roll into Murelle, one of three tribal villages of the Karo people. We are high above a massive bend of the Omo River with a view that stretches forever. I gasp at the incredible view, thinking ‘these people know the old saying - location, location, location’. But before I can even let my breath out from that same gasp, the 4x4 is surrounded by the people of the village. Soft, understated voices insistently implore, ‘my photo, 3 Birr’. Again and again. Thats about 20 US cents, one fifth of a US dollar. And there you have the heart of the dilemma that the rich cultural ... read more
Photo 85
After too many different airports and too many different flights, and way too much wind on one of the landings and too many close connections where you wonder if your luggage could possibly have kept up with you - we finally land in Addis Ababa. Ethiopia. It’s 4 am. The drudgery of filling out the form for an entry visa and standing in the ‘will this line ever move’ line saps the last of my patience. I get my visa. I find my bag on the conveyor belt. I trudge out to where I’m supposed to have someone meeting me to transfer me to the hotel. I blink my tired eyes trying clear my vision so I can read all the placards being waved in my face. Through squinted eyes I see my name and follow ... read more
Photo 25
Cyprus. From Roman ruins set beside the azure Mediterranean to lush, cool mountains asking you to mountain bike through them, Cyprus has an incredible variety of experiences to offer! The south is closely tied to Greece and a part of the EU. It was a great place to practice my Romanian as a huge percentage of the service workers were Romanian! They even had Romanian stores offering traditional Romanian foods, like Cascaval and Telemea cheese. Then you cross into the Turkish rooted northern side of the island to find a less tourist centered and perhaps more authentic experience. Poorer than the south - yes. But when it came to warm interactions with the Cypriotes, the north was where it was at! My dream is to return. Through Turkey. And to cross on the ferry. On my ... read more
Photo 64
If you are a regular follower of my blog here, please note that I've done three new postings, not just this one. So you can slide back to my time in Vietnam and on Cyprus as well, if the fancy strikes you! OK, into Greece! Once every three years the Eastern and the Catholic celebrations of Easter line up to be on the same day. 2011 was one of those years. And so it seemed perfect to head to Greece for the festivities. And the Athens and the Parthenon and some hiking and some time on one of the Greek islands and a visit to the famed oracle of Delphi and . . . . . And while it was superb to have time at the Oracle of Delphi myself, seeking the answers to all of ... read more
Photo 2
What an incredible pleasure it was to travel in Vietnam last Christmas! Santa was everywhere! As were the joyful and exuberant Vietnamese people. No where that I’ve traveled have I been met with such an endearing curiosity, people so eager to interact with you and learn about you. From the diminutive Hmung ladies of the northern highlands to Ho Chi Minh City college students traveling on their holidays to students eager to practice English. Everyone wanted to talk and smile and laugh! And sell thing to you! The US may have settled for 'peace with honor' at the close of the Vietnamese War (or the American War, depending on where you grew up!), but it sure seems like capitalism out and out won! For more pictures, each set on a different theme, I’ve got three sets ... read more
Photo 17
The Palatul Parlamentului. The Palace of Parliament. After the pentagon, the largest administrative building in the world - using square footage for the measure. And the third largest in the world by cubic footage, right behind Cape Canaveral. Right here in Bucharest. And visible from the balcony of my apartment! In the 1984, the former Romanian dictator, Ceaşescu, had a vision of this immense Casa Poporului (House of the People). But at the time it was more popularly known as the Casa Nebunului (Madman’s House)! Ceaşescu had one fifth of the historic heart of old Bucharest razed, housing the former inhabitants of the district in tiny apartments that forced them to turn their dogs out on the street - a problem to this very day as packs of dogs still wander the streets. But the project ... read more
Photo 3
Whether you consider it Southern Bukovina, separated for now from their kin across the border in the Ukraine, or you call it Northern Moldavia with family ties torn by the border between Romania and Moldova, it is most certainly a very special corner of the world. This isolated corner of northern Romania was alway sparsely inhabited. From small bands of settlers who approached from the west, from Maramureş in the mid 14th century to a limited influx of Huțel shepherds from the north, it wasn’t until the Habsburgs annexed the region in 1774 that any sense of settlements, of village life began to develop. The Habsburgs remained in power until the end of World War I. With the fall of their centuries old empire, this rustic corner of the world came home to Romania. But in ... read more
Photo 9
After beginning to accept the industrial grittiness of so many of Romania’s cities, and after coming to take for granted the imposing block structures of the communist era apartment buildings - Maramureş was a medieval delight! This far northern region of Romania, nestled up against the Ukrainian and Hungarian borders, seems not to have changed much in centuries. Sheep roam the hills and the beautifully crafted wooden homes exhibit intricately carved eaves, doorways and windows. Even the fences surrounding the family compounds are often of woven wood, with branches artistically intertwined. The massive gateways that lead to each family’s compound are equally impressive with their detailed woodwork. And this is a vibrant woodworking tradition, still being practiced today by the region’s many talented traditional wood carving artists. But for utter grandeur, the towering s... read more
Welcome
St. Petersburg Russia - the end of the line for our Trans Mongolian trip. A vibrant city dedicated to living the summer fully before the long nights of winter return much too soon. The sun sets after 11:00 pm during June's 'White Nights'. Followed by the glow that announces the coming sun rise before 3:00 am. A wide open sky that just does not end. The sun, so low in the sky by most of the world's standard, giving incredible light and angles and shadows. Architecture that brings the best of Europe to what was once a fetid swamp. A city that knows hard times - besieged by the Nazi Germans in World War II for 872 days with nearly a million it its inhabitants perishing. But a city that celebrates its role in Russia's history ... read more
Victory Park Holocaust Sculpture 1
I've been to the Holocaust Museum in Washington DC - oh so powerful. And to Dachau Prison where I've seen the gas chambers and the crematorium where hundreds of thousands died. To the powerful Jewish Cemetery in Warsaw, where the entire history of the vibrant Jewish community there just stopped, without anyone left to even take care of the graves. But I think that the most moving experience yet, as my mind and spirit tries to somehow make sense of the senseless cruelty and pain of that period of history, is perhaps in Moscow. On the western fringes of the city, in a park celebrating the Great Patriotic War, near the Arch that celebrates the battle that turned Napoleon around with his first defeat in his march across Europe, there is a mind numbing sculpture. It ... read more
