"The world is a book, and those who do not travel only read one page" St Augustine. Click on a place below to learn more.
Last Trip
South America
It was a successful 10 week trip staring in Montevideo, Uruguay and ending in Lima, Peru. This trip: crossed the middle of South America through 5 countries, included 4 train rides, 3 ferry rides, 2 flights, 1 cable car, and covered over 5100 miles (8,300km) by automobile. From the Atlantic to the Pacific, the gently rolling green pastures of the Pampas (Uruguay, Argentina, Paraguay) turn into the hot, dry, and largely uninhabited Gran Chaco (Paraguay, Argentina, Bolivia). Going north of the Gran Chaco in Bolivia lead to the Amazon region, and continuing west from there I went through the Andes Mountains (Bolivia, Peru) and finally back down to the arid Pacific Coast (Peru). Through these areas, I encountered every kind of weather/climate except snow and viewed all kinds of wildlife: rheas (huge flightless birds), capybaras, caimens, parrots, condors, tapir, llamas, alpacas, jaguar, etc. Finally, I learned first hand about the pre-Columbian cultures and Indigenous peoples of each region.
Recent Trip
Central Asia
From east to west, the Switzerland like Tian Shan and Pamir Mountains surround grass covered valleys flowing down to the nomadic steppe and finally turning into the inhospitable Kyzylkum and Karakum deserts. The people and cities here are descendants of the old Silk Road and Soviet forced relocations. After Genghis Khan looted and pillaged Central Asia in the early 13th century, new emperors like Tamerlane would restore these great oasis towns to prominence again. Today, it's a place to go trekking and stay with locals, see ancient ruins, holy pilgrimage sites, splendid turquoise domed mausoleums and mosques, and the newer cities that surround the legacy of the old, and enjoy all the local delicacies (especially horse and dairy products).
