Performance Review
One of the most fun things about our adventures is the constant exposure to the, to us, unusual and unknown. Other than Mexico, a culture we were already deeply familiar with, every place else we’ve…
Chasing The Hammam
I am on record as a hammam slut. There is something so gloriously decadent about holding still and being bathed by someone else. It’s good to be pasha. Hammams are a distinctly Muslim invention, deeply…
Wats Up
Angkor Wat is many things. It’s an iconic UNESCO World Heritage site, driving Cambodia’s tourist industry. It’s the largest religious structure in the world. It’s a 12th century Hindu temple dedicated to Vishnu. It’s the…
Kompong Khleang – An Aquatic Time Capsule
Tonlé Sap lake is the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia. It is renowned for its biodiversity, having been named a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 1997, and is ridiculously productive, providing a full 60%…
The Illustrated Man
This blog is not the only way I have been documenting our travels. I am also using my skin. There’s the first tattoo I got on our voyages, of a traditional Oaxacan floral embroidery motif.…
The Old City, And How It Got Its Name
The Old City is home to many of Istanbul’s greatest hits: Topkapi Palace, the Hagia Sophia, The Blue Mosque, and the Grand Bazaar. The problem is that every one of these locations is on the…
Kapadokya: Land Of Fairies
Or, as it’s Anglicized and better known, Cappadocia. Ground Zero for Instagrammable hot air balloons. If you know us you’ll be unsurprised that we didn’t go aloft. What may surprise you, and certainly surprised us,…
Strapping On The Bible Belt
Turkey has some serious Christian history. Constantine, who converted the Roman Empire to Christianity in 312, established Constantinople as the Roman capital in 330. That attracted a lot of Christians to Turkey, but there was…
Ethnosports
It’s weird to have a multicultural experience and not know which culture you’re experiencing. But that was Istanbul’s Ethnosports competition. I’ve since homeworked my way to a general idea of the origins of each of the…
Hammam: It Ain’t Nuthin’ But A Turkish Bath
I hope you all appreciate the breadth of research I’m willing to engage in to provide you with only the most timely, most topical, most accurate reporting. This is the third installment in my hopefully…