From 1998 to 1999, war raged in Kosovo, and 13,000 people, most of them ethnic Albanians, were killed. Thousands were raped, and well over a million displaced from their homes. In response, President Bill Clinton led the NATO airstrikes that targeted Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic’s military, bringing an end to the conflict. The above is a […]
A Snowman Architect In Istanbul
In the historic Sultanahmet district of Istanbul, in that open space between the Aya Sofia and the Blue Mosque, I have many memories. My first time backpacking — a three-week trip through Turkey and Greece in 1997 — ended here. So did a 14-month trip from Beijing to Istanbul in late 2004. And in between […]
Views From The Window On Qatar Airways Flight 740
Qatar Airways flight 740, direct from Los Angeles to Doha, reminded me all over again what I love about flying long distance, especially with an ethnically diverse group of passengers and crew, and with mostly clear skies. During 15.5 hours of looking out the window, I saw the Santa Monica Pier, the cities of Twin […]
10 Reasons To Love Estonia
For about three weeks in July 2015, I traveled around the country of Estonia, bumping into the Baltic Sea to the north and west, the Latvian border to the south, and the Russian border to the east. I loved Estonia, and wished I could have wandered it for a lifetime, crisscrossing it over and over like […]