Central Asia
Kingdom of Bhutan, Winter 2018
The Kingdom of Bhutan, situated thousands of feet above sea level in the Himalaya Mountain range, is a kingdom of beautiful, imposing landscapes, rich and vibrant cultural tradition, and delicious food.
Shortly after coming in hot on one of the world’s most difficult and dangerous runways at Paro, I had to get used to the very thin air; the city of Paro is situated approximately 7,000 feet above sea level. Lightheadedness and nausea quickly set in. Riding on the twist-and-turn highway from the airport, I was listening to aptly timed AC/DC track: Highway to Hell, when my wife looked at me and asked in alarm: “are you ok?” when she saw I was completely flushed.
After pulling over, and everyone getting a chuckle at my expense, nothing happened and we continued on our way. I quickly got over this rough start when introduced to delicious Bhutanese cuisines.
Our appointed Bhutanese guides were highly knowledgeable, professional, and had a keen sense for striking a good balance of guiding us and letting us explore on our own.
It is often a challenge to decide what struck me the most of the places I’ve been. No so with the Kingdom of Bhutan. I was struck by careful preservation of Bhutanese cultural traditions, the unmatched care and maintenance of their ancient fortresses and holy sites, and the marvelous Tiger’s Nest Buddhist monastery, constructed several centuries ago on the face of a 10,400 foot cliff.
India, Spring 2014; Spring 2017
India is one the oldest continuous civilizations on earth, now with a population over a billion. Until one actually sets foot in a place with so many people, it is almost impossible to fully comprehend what a population of over a billion means.
For the foreign traveler, India is not a vacation - India is a life experience. The traveler will be inundated with people, culture and history. Often times, the experience is overwhelming; with the exception of the sleeping hours, it is almost nonstop sensory overload.
Over the course of eight days in the Spring of 2014, I visited the cities of Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, and Varanasi, as well as a village outside of Khajoro. During my whirlwind tour, I walked the streets of Delhi, sharing the path with thousands of other pedestrians, cars, tuk-tuks, motorcycles, trucks, and cows; walked the grounds of medieval fortresses and elaborately decorated temples at Agra and Jaipur; and rowed along the banks of the Ganges River in Varanasi, witnessing thousands of devout Hindus bathing along the banks of the river, and the open cremation of the recently deceased within the dozens of funeral pyres.
In the spring of 2017, I returned to India; this time to the city of Amritsar, situated in the north-western state of Punjab. The ancient city is a major economic and cultural hub, as well as the center of Sikhism and Sikh’s principal place of worship: The Harmandir Sahib, or Golden Temple. I had the chance to briefly explore the city. The pace and vibe was very different from other cities in India, such as New Delhi. It was much more laid-back, and felt less intense, for lack of a better description. The highlight of my brief stay in Amritsar was the beautiful Golden Temple, and walking among the thousands of people making the pilgrimage there.
Georgia, Fall 2013; Fall 2016
Sometimes, one of the perks of working as an international school teacher, is opportunities to attend professional development in another country besides the one you teach in. In the Fall of 2013 and Fall of 2016, I had just such opportunities in the country of Georgia (not the US state), situated in the Caucasus Mountain region.
While I did not get to on extensive tours of the country, there was plenty of time in the late afternoon an evenings after professional development to explore Tbilisi, Georgia’s capital, a number of historic sites, and of course, the delicious food! Georgia, despite being located at the cultural intersection of Central Asian nomadic peoples to the east and Arabian and Islamic cultures to the southwest, Georgians have maintained a strong cultural affinity with Europe. This is all the more remarkable, given Georgia’s geographic position; the region has been coveted by many conquerors for millennia.
Kingdom of Bhutan, Winter 2018
The Kingdom of Bhutan, situated thousands of feet above sea level in the Himalaya Mountain range, is a kingdom of beautiful, imposing landscapes, rich and vibrant cultural tradition, and delicious food.
Shortly after coming in hot on one of the world’s most difficult and dangerous runways at Paro, I had to get used to the very thin air; the city of Paro is situated approximately 7,000 feet above sea level. Lightheadedness and nausea quickly set in. Riding on the twist-and-turn highway from the airport, I was listening to aptly timed AC/DC track: Highway to Hell, when my wife looked at me and asked in alarm: “are you ok?” when she saw I was completely flushed.
After pulling over, and everyone getting a chuckle at my expense, nothing happened and we continued on our way. I quickly got over this rough start when introduced to delicious Bhutanese cuisines.
Our appointed Bhutanese guides were highly knowledgeable, professional, and had a keen sense for striking a good balance of guiding us and letting us explore on our own.
It is often a challenge to decide what struck me the most of the places I’ve been. No so with the Kingdom of Bhutan. I was struck by careful preservation of Bhutanese cultural traditions, the unmatched care and maintenance of their ancient fortresses and holy sites, and the marvelous Tiger’s Nest Buddhist monastery, constructed several centuries ago on the face of a 10,400 foot cliff.
India is one the oldest continuous civilizations on earth, now with a population over a billion. Until one actually sets foot in a place with so many people, it is almost impossible to fully comprehend what a population of over a billion means.
For the foreign traveler, India is not a vacation - India is a life experience. The traveler will be inundated with people, culture and history. Often times, the experience is overwhelming; with the exception of the sleeping hours, it is almost nonstop sensory overload.
Over the course of eight days in the Spring of 2014, I visited the cities of Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, and Varanasi, as well as a village outside of Khajoro. During my whirlwind tour, I walked the streets of Delhi, sharing the path with thousands of other pedestrians, cars, tuk-tuks, motorcycles, trucks, and cows; walked the grounds of medieval fortresses and elaborately decorated temples at Agra and Jaipur; and rowed along the banks of the Ganges River in Varanasi, witnessing thousands of devout Hindus bathing along the banks of the river, and the open cremation of the recently deceased within the dozens of funeral pyres.
In the spring of 2017, I returned to India; this time to the city of Amritsar, situated in the north-western state of Punjab. The ancient city is a major economic and cultural hub, as well as the center of Sikhism and Sikh’s principal place of worship: The Harmandir Sahib, or Golden Temple. I had the chance to briefly explore the city. The pace and vibe was very different from other cities in India, such as New Delhi. It was much more laid-back, and felt less intense, for lack of a better description. The highlight of my brief stay in Amritsar was the beautiful Golden Temple, and walking among the thousands of people making the pilgrimage there.
Sometimes, one of the perks of working as an international school teacher, is opportunities to attend professional development in another country besides the one you teach in. In the Fall of 2013 and Fall of 2016, I had just such opportunities in the country of Georgia (not the US state), situated in the Caucasus Mountain region.
While I did not get to on extensive tours of the country, there was plenty of time in the late afternoon an evenings after professional development to explore Tbilisi, Georgia’s capital, a number of historic sites, and of course, the delicious food! Georgia, despite being located at the cultural intersection of Central Asian nomadic peoples to the east and Arabian and Islamic cultures to the southwest, Georgians have maintained a strong cultural affinity with Europe. This is all the more remarkable, given Georgia’s geographic position; the region has been coveted by many conquerors for millennia.
India, Spring 2014; Spring 2017
Georgia, Fall 2013; Fall 2016
