| AFGHANISTAN |
| Afghanistan
before War - You Khan |
| - Before the
coup, before the Russians invaded, before ensuing tribal conflicts, before
the US reprisal against terrorism, Afghanistan was a country on the "Overland
Trail." Many travelers passed though on their way to India or Europe.
It was a country, which had not fully entered the twentieth century. It
may be true, today. Mr. Ginger made his first trip to Afghanistan in 1976.
Since then, he has traveled there on several occasions, the most recent
being this year, before the terrorist attacks on NYC and Washington. Ginger's
experiences in Afghanistan paint a picture of a people firecly proud of
their Asian heritage, and a country where war is no stranger. |
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| Journeys
Around Afghanistan - Undiscovered Beauty |
| - Sometimes
people ask me about what it’s like to live in Afghanistan, expecting a
revelation of sorts as to how some people are able to forge a life here.
And while there’s no surefire guarantee how you will react to the place,
what I have learned is this: in Afghanistan, what looks outwardly simple
often belies a complexity that only surfaces upon careful consideration.
Take the Hindu Kush, for example. |
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| Kabul,
Kabul - Living In Afghanistan |
| - It’s just
past midnight on a Thursday evening, and the party is going strong. A generator
pumps artificial light into the green-walled restaurant, where about 50
people sit smoking and chatting animatedly. Beer cans litter the tables,
along with leftover Bratwurst and pistachio shells. And despite the fact
that many of the patrons–UN workers, employees of non-governmental organizations–have
a strict curfew, no one seems headed for the door. |
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| The
Fierce Afghani Game of Buskashi - The Afghan Pulse |
| - The ancient
game of Buzkashi has been played in northern Afghanistan since the days
of Ghengis Khan, the Mongol warrior whose army swept across Asia in the
13th century. It is a fierce game of competition played on the steppes
of Asia by expert horsemen. The chopendoz strive to win at any cost. It
is a Machiavellian game, where the end justifies the means and all means
are utilized. In centuries past, the game of Buzkashi would begin at daybreak
and last till sundown. The fierce struggle for winning remains. The
chopendoz are remarkable horsemen and frenzied competitors, where anything
goes. Smashed noses, wrenched shoulders, and shattered thigh bones are
not at all uncommon. |
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| AFRICA |
| A
Look Back Into The Future - Africa And Latin America |
| - After putting
my grades for the winter semester on ITESM’s computer platform and wrapping
my classes up, my one month winter vacation/holiday could start. It goes
without saying that leaving Colima during that time didn’t even deserve
to be called a remote option. Colima in winter comes quite close to what
I’m fond of calling “bloody marvellous”. From November to typically April
or May the weather tends to be very warm without humidity. Jan/06 |
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| A
Walk On The Wild Side - In Zaire |
| - Cheryl and
I are relieved to chuck all the nagging certainties of life in exchange
for a year on the African road. Although experienced independent travelers,
we're leery of what Africa might hold. It's notorious as a place where
the rules change from country to country or checkpoint to checkpoint. So
breaking one of our own travel “rules,” we reluctantly join an English
overland truck safari for the first part of our journey. Several months
into this odyssey, we reach Zaire (Congo), one of Africa’s most gritty
and unforgettable regions, not long before it's ripped apart by violence. |
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| Dead
Men Don't Leave Tips - Adventures X Africa |
| - Reaching
Ngorongoro Crater, we slowly inched our way up to the ridge of its outer
shell, then stopped the truck and got out for a walk. Gazing two thousand
feet below to Lake Magadi, we were amazed to spot a pink, fluttering swath
shimmering like miles of satin wrapped across that sea of turquoise – thousands
of flamingos. It’s also home to one hundred other bird species that are
found nowhere else in the Serengeti. |
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| In
The Steps Of African Explorers - The Quest For Kilimanjaro |
| - In the distance,
on Mt. Kilimanjaro's face, we detect a small, winding chute rising straight
up the mountainside. But examining it more closely, we detect minute switchbacks
crisscrossing the giant snow-topped mound. |
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| Living
In Botswana - The Real Crocodile Hunters |
| - Interesting
article: mixes soccer, Africa and conservation. Ashley has been coaching
soccer in New Jersey and as part of his coaching program, he has included
some ideas about wildlife conservation - taking one interest and using
it to develop another. Like the idea. |
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| Memories
Of Africa - Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe |
| - Always wanted
to wander in Africa with its wide open spaces and wildlife; the above article
gives you an idea of what it's like to travel through Namibia, Botswana
and Zimbabwe. The people and the beauty of the land is what you feel after
reading Jurgen's memories of Africa. |
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| Overlanding
- Traveling Through Africa |
| - “We were
sent out into the bush to fend for ourselves for nine months. Seventy-six
boys in four groups. Ages 15 to 20. In my group one boy died.
The lion killed him. Four boys were injured and had to return.
Another boy was killed for being a coward.” |
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| Places
To Live In The World: Emerging Alternatives ~ From Canada To Europe, Africa
To Asia, It’s Time For A Fresh Look |
| - The advent
of fast Internet communication and inexpensive air travel makes it easier
to turn any far-flung paradise into a permanent home. Which places in the
world have the most to offer? The perfect place to live or retire, of course
depends on your idea of perfection. |
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| Some
Thoughts On Africa And Latin America - Speaking From Experience |
| - It
started to dawn on me about five years ago in Auckland that I wanted to
get out of business and law. At around that time it also dawned on me that
I wanted to get into college teaching in the less developed world. There
was initially no doubt for me where I wanted to do this sort of thing.
I wanted to bless students in South Africa with my enormous insight and
wisdom gained over the years and in various continents. My humble self
unfortunately couldn’t manage to land a teaching position at a university
there. |
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| The
Pride of Africa |
| - When travelling
in South Africa, there is a splendid alternative to travel by plane or
by car, which will allow you to experience the splendor of a bygone era
while being pampered for 48 hours. Rovos Rail has raised the bar of excellence
in luxury railway travel, not least due to the continued passion and dedication
of owner and founder Rohan Vos. We journeyed from Pretoria to Cape Town
on The Pride of Africa. |
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| ALBANIA |
| Albania
- Teaching In Europe's Only Islamic State |
| - Albania
has some of the best Roman ruins in Europe; it also has great unspoiled
beaches and mountains. The country was sealed off for years when Enver
Hoxha ran the place from 1944 to 1985. The son of a Muslim merchant, Hoxha
was famous for his paranoia - the seven interior ministers who carried
out all the killings in order to keep internal security and crush all opposition
to Hoxha, were executed by Hoxha. The pure beauty of the country and the
fact that it's a part of Europe that is still relatively unknown and culturally
very different from other countries in Europe, makes it a place to visit
or live. |
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| One
Day In Albania - Europe's Unknown Country |
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The deck of the Antonios K rattled and shook beneath my feet as the dark
land mass loomed larger through a summer sea haze. Against a bluish mountain
backdrop the outlines of buildings sharpened slowly as we drew nearer Europe’s
most mysterious country. For long Albania had been a totalitarian state
and, before that, the fiefdom of the shadowy King Zog. Few would choose
it for a sun-and-fun holiday, but things are slowly changing. |
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