Do I Want to Hold a Dangerous Amazonian Anaconda and Eat Piranhas? Dangerous, no? Everyone must hold an anaconda at least once in their life. I fly from Lima to Iquitos, the largest city in the world, inaccessible by road. A blast of hot, steamy air hits me as I...
When I reached the Draa Valley at sunset, I gazed at sunlit brown hills, deep valleys, and faraway snow-capped mountains. Despite their beauty, they failed to hint at what lay ahead. Most people associate sand, camels and intense heat with the Sahara. Few...
In October 1975, I arrived at the Syrian-Turkish border. We took a taxi from Gaziantep, Turkey, to Kilis, a border town. We stepped into Syria, where an army major sat. He smiled and asked me some questions. “Where do you plan to go today?” “Aleppo,” I said. “Good....
Travel in 1976 echoed the lost hippy days. I refused to get a haircut anywhere, not because I detested short hair, but out of a fear of lice. My afro hid my hair’s length. It grew up, not down. I boarded a flight from Jakarta to Singapore. Jakarta’s chaos,...
Bulgaria in 1975 presents a picture of perfected repression combined with enhanced depression. Buildings crying for renovation lined the streets of Sofia, the capital. Stores specialized in selling nothing. The Bulgarians either wanted to talk to you or avoided you...
