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nickkembel - Nick Kembel

40 Countries and Counting!

Map Legend: 15%, 40 of 263 Territories

Maroon

I am about to embark on a grand journey from Europe to Asia via the Middle East. In the next 6 months I intend to travel through some of the most controversial regions on this planet, my primary intention being to develop an experience based understanding of some of the most misunderstood cultures in the world, with an intentional lack of attention given to any commonly held and media influenced (mis)conceptions about the regions I intend to visit.

I am a Canadian boy who became disillusioned with the North American dream, and instead chose a life of wandering to beautiful places. I have a degree in Anthropology and Religious Studies, with a focus on Buddhism and Tibet. I have taught English in Thailand, South Korea, China and currently I reside in Taiwan. I began this blog about a year and a half ago when I decided to leave Canada indefinitely.

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Joined on: December 16th 2008
Last Login: November 23rd 2009

Blog Entries: 36
Photos: 903
Recommended by 10

TB Code: [blogger=103181]
Status: BLOGGER

Blogs & Travel Journals

by nickkembel, order by Date newest first.

By nickkembel
November 21st 2009

Tourist Iran Middle East » Iran » West » Esfahan

Painting Detail, Chehel Sotun Palace, Esfahan

Believe it or not, there is a well-trod tourist trail across the vast country of Iran. Travelers generally enter by air at Tehran or, following the hippy trail from Europe to India, enter overland from Turkey and on to Pakistan. Nowadays on the road you meet loads of these adventurous overlanders, many of them tackling the route on motorcycle or bicycle. Iran is a rare country where high snowy mountains, deserts, and coastal beaches lie practically side by side, but unfortunately I was a little too early for ski season. The city of Esfahan is the pinnacle of any sightseeing tour [View Full Entry]

By nickkembel
November 16th 2009

The Real Iran Middle East

Eyes of Iran

In the Islamic tradition, guests are considered a gift from God, and must be treated accordingly. This might sound like yet another religion-based principle that sounds good on paper, but in the country of Iran, belief in this regard is put into practice. In the two weeks that I spent traveling across the nation, I was faced with daily examples of warmth and generosity to a degree that I have never encountered anywhere else in the world. Iranian people are desperately hospitable; at least that is the impression that is left on the visitor, as you are practically fending off near [View Full Entry]

Sandra (a Swiss Iranian friend) playing a traditional Iranian instrument

By nickkembel
November 10th 2009

Fundamentalist Iran Middle East » Iran » North » Tehran

US Den of Espionage, Tehran

To label Iranian people as ‘fundamentalist’ would be an absurd generalization. It carries as much truth as the flipside proclamation; that western culture is inherently evil and immoral. The governments and media of the nations in question are content to propagate these stereotypes, given that from an authoritarian perspective it is highly desirable and useful to establish a created enemy. For the West this serves to vilify Iran and justify murderous sanctions, financially motivated military conquests and corporate intrusions; and for Iran it serves to justify archaic and oppressiv [View Full Entry]

By nickkembel
October 29th 2009

Extraterrestrial Landscapes in Turkey Middle East » Turkey

Taking a dip in a travertine, Pamukkale

I think my experience of Turkey is better summarized by my photographs than any description I could compile, so I will provide only some brief context. Turkey is a fascinating nation where Europe and the Middle East meet, and the culture, food, costs and social customs that I encountered there were a reflection of this. Islam is universally practiced, but Turkey is secular and European in its outlook, and Muslim restrictions are extremely liberal. In one day you can shop in an ancient Bazaar, take in ancient Roman ruins (of which Turkey has more than Italy itself), follow prayer call to [View Full Entry]

Kitty below Mardin Citadel, Eastern Turkey

By nickkembel
October 23rd 2009

The New Iraq Middle East » Iraq » North » Arbil

This child's eyes say more about Iraq than all my words below...

Before you read ahead, forget everything you know about Iraq. The ancient Mesopotamian ruins of Ur and Nineveh, where civilization began and writing and law codes were invented, the site of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the purported location of the Garden of Eden, and capital city Baghdad are all scratched off my Iraq travel itinerary. I am going to the ‘New Iraq’, a relatively safe and stable, visually stunning, and quickly developing semi-autonomous state in northern Iraq, occupied by some of the friendliest and most hospitable people in the world. My exposure to Iraqi [View Full Entry]

Dohuk, the first major city as you enter Iraq from the north

By nickkembel
October 15th 2009

Ancient and Modern Ruins in Wartorn Lebanon Middle East

Remaining Columns of the Temple of Jupiter, Baalbek

One week was simply not enough time for me to completely adjust to the face of modern Lebanon, a face that still bores many of the scars from decades of civil war and violent disputes with neighboring countries. Only three years ago Israel was laying waste to Beirut and southern Lebanon, which resulted in the loss of over 1000 Lebanese civilian lives, in retaliation to Hezbollah kidnappings of Israeli soldiers, an event which occured, I might add, while I happened to traveling in Israel. And so upon arrival in the capital city I was not terribly surprised to see so many [View Full Entry]

The old Holiday Inn, ridden with gun shot holes, awaiting demolisment

Better make sure those families don't get too out of control with their Haagen Dazs

Wartorn Beirut...This is what your apartment looks like after it gets bombed...

By nickkembel
October 11th 2009

...and Places of Syria Middle East

Aleppo Ancient Citadel
Oldest living city in the world with an 8000 year old continuous culture

At the time that the events of the New Testament were taking place, the earliest written records of Damascus and Aleppo were already 2500 years old. Evidence suggests that these two cities have been continuously inhabited for as long as 8000 years, making them the oldest living cities in the world. Over time they have been incorporated into the Egyptian, Assyrian, Persian, Roman, Ottoman, and French empires. I am baffled by this thought as I peer from my 10$ Aleppo hotel room balcony, observing a group of street cats eating garbage, men smoking nargileh (shisha), and little boys shining [View Full Entry]

Maleam, a University student that I hung out with for a day in Aleppo

By nickkembel
October 8th 2009

Faces of Syria Middle East » Syria » North » Aleppo

Inside Ummayad Mosque, Damascus

As I travel through this part of the world, a region that for most people in the West first and foremost stirs up visions of war, instability, and fighting, I have made this question of violence and safety my foremost topic of conversation with local people. But not in the way that you might think. I have not been asking people, “why is your country so turbulent?” or “why do these streets feel so unsafe”, but rather the complete opposite. What I really want to know is, how is it that I can find myself in the core of what is [View Full Entry]

By nickkembel
September 21st 2009

The Most Beautiful Island in the World Europe » Greece » South Aegean » Santorini

Fira, capital of Santorini

Which words do I use to summarize one of the most beautiful places I have ever been? I have wanted to go to Greece for as long as I can remember, and Santorini was always the part I wanted to visit the most. The tiny C shaped island is composed of the remains of an enormous volcanic eruption some 3600 years ago that is thought to have contributed to the downfall of the ancient Minoan civilization by sending an enormous tsunami to neighboring Crete. In the center of the C sits a small black island which is actually the volcano's caldera, [View Full Entry]

By nickkembel
September 17th 2009

Parthenon, Clifftop Monasteries and the Pretty Peloponnese Europe » Greece

Nick, Stoa of Attalos, Ancient Agora, Athens

I am going to take a break from writing on this one and just let the photos speak for themselves. Enjoy! Nick [View Full Entry]

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40 Countries and Counting!

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