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Start of the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race 2009
These are photos of the start of one of the world’s great ocean racing events, the 2009 Rolex Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race in Sydney Harbour, Sydney, Australia. Hosted by the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia and starting every year on Boxing Day (26 December), the 2009 race was the…
Australia’s Sunshine State Capital
The capital of the Australian state of Queensland, Brisbane is Australia’s third largest city and one of the fastest growing metropolitan centers in the country. Situated on a major river, it combines a warm weather outdoor lifestyle with the cosmopolitan appeal of a major city. Brisbane itself is slightly inland…
Sydney Opera House, Australia
The Sydney Opera House, dominating Bennelong Point on Sydney Harbour next to Circular Quay, is one of Australia’s most recognizable landmarks, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and one of the two main architectural icons of Sydney along with the Sydney Harbour Bridge. It serves as the venue not only for…
Batfish in Blue
There’s a reason the waters of the South Pacific are so renowned for diving. They are simply stunning. I’ve always liked this shot of a school of batfish silhouetted against the sun. These fish certainly aren’t shy. In fact, they decidedly curious, and they came right up to our masks…
Sydney Harbour at Night
It’s a good thing that the original English settlers of Sydney decided to move a little up the coast from their original base at Botany Bay. Where Botany Bay is flat and nondescript, Sydney Harbour–or Sydney Cove, as it was known at the time–is riddled with inlets, rocky outcrops, and…
American Builders Quarterly (Fall 2009)
The fall issue of the American Builders Quarterly includes a shot I did for one of Alexandria’s premier custom home builders, Bonitt Builders. They do some really stunning work that is an absolute pleasure to shoot–it’s no wonder they keep winning so many awards for their work. Check out their…
Tom Kean & Lee Hamilton, Without Precedent: The Inside Story of the 9/11 Commission
Front cover. The photo at top of Condoleezza Rice testifying is mine. [copyright] The chairs of the 9/11 Commission, Thomas Kean and Lee Hamilton, have published their account of the inner workings of the Commission and its interactions with the White House, Congress, and the 9/11 families: Without Precedent: The…
A Washington Winter Wonderland
Washington’s weather is best known for being hot and humid in summer, but the region also gets a good dose of each of the other three seasons. It doesn’t get anything like the regular snow of places further north, but it can still get some big dumps of snow. Most…
Ek’ Balam, Maya City of the Jaguar
It’s a deceptively hard climb considering it is only 106 steps. The stones are old, worn, and uneven. It’s steep–surprisingly so–and there are no railings running along the side of the wide steps and nothing else at hand to hang on to. It might not be for the vertigo-challenged, but…
Australian Parliament House, Canberra
Canberra is often known as Australia’s “bush capital” and has long had a poor reputation as a place to visit. The general perception is that it’s a place to be endured if you work for the federal government but not a place many people seek out. While it’s never going…
Vanity Fair on Travel – Prague
The new Vanity Fair on Travel (April 2010) has a 3-page feature on Prague that includes one of my shots from the golden and velvety interior of St. Vitus Cathedral that is part of the Prague Castle compound. You can see more of my photos from Prague here. You can…
Prague, Bohemia’s Capital
Prague (or Praha, if you’re Czech) is magical city. The former heart of Bohemia, capital of the Holy Roman Empire, and ground zero for spontaneous outbreaks of defenestration, the modern capital of the Czech Republic is one of the continent’s most charming historical cities and one of Europe’s most popular…
North Stradbroke Island, Australia
Unless you live in Southeast Queensland, there’s a good chance you’ve never heard of North Stradbroke Island. Although it barely rates a mention in most travel guidebooks, North Stradbroke Island—”Straddie” to the locals—has an awful lot going for it. In a part of the world blessed with some of the…
9/11 Commission Hearing 7
Seventh public hearing of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (also known as the 9-11 Commission) held its seventh public hearing on January 26-27, 2004, in Washington, DC. The two-day investigative hearing developed facts and circumstances…
9/11 Commission Hearing 8
Eighth public hearing of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States held its eighth public hearing on March 23-24, 2004, in Washington, DC. The two-day hearing investigated the formulation and conduct of U.S. counterterrorism policy, with particular…
9/11 Commission Hearing 9
Ninth public hearing of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States held its ninth public hearing on April 8, 2004, in Washington, DC. The Commission heard testimony from Dr. Condoleezza “Condi” Rice, Assistant to the President for…
9/11 Commission Hearing 10
Tenth public hearing of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States held its tenth public hearing April 13-14, 2004, in Washington, DC. The two-day hearing examined the performance of law enforcement and the Intelligence Community prior to…
9/11 Commission Hearing 11
Eleventh public hearing of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States held its eleventh public hearing May 18-19, 2004, at New School University in New York City. The two-day hearing examined the response of local and federal…
9/11 Commission Hearing 12
Twelfth public hearing of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (also known as the 9-11 Commission) held its twelfth and final public hearing June 16-17, 2004, in Washington, DC. The two-day hearing focused on two distinct…
9/11 Commission Final Report
The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (also known as the 9-11 Commission) released its final report at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, July 22, in Washington, D.C. Thomas H. Kean, Chair of the Commission, and Lee H. Hamilton, Vice Chair, presented the report at a live, televised…
Virginia State Capitol
The Virginia State Capitol building, completed in 1788, is the seat of the oldest legislative body in the United States, the Virginia General Assembly. Believed to have been designed by Thomas Jefferson, the building is modeled on a Roman temple in Southern France, the Maison Carrée. Set on expansive grounds…
Chichen Itza’s Maya Ruins
The symbol of the feathered serpent–the body of the rattlesnake, covered with the plumage of the quetzal bird–was to this civilization what the Cross was to the Christian and the Crescrent to the Saracen. Under this symbol the culture her Kuk-ul-can (Feathered Serpent) of Yucatan, Quetzacoatl of the Aztecs and…
A Colonial Town in the Heart of Maya Yucatan
Valladolid is a place to stop and savor. A charming Spanish colonial town in the center of the Yucatán Peninsula, it’s within easy striking distance of Cancun and Merida. It makes for a pleasant, laid-back place to stop for a few days in its own right, but an added appeal…
The Iron Lady of Paris (The Eiffel Tower)
It’s probably the world’s most over-exposed landmark. La dame de fer, as Parisians would have it, or “The Iron Lady,” has become an iconic symbol of Paris, even more recognizable than much older landmarks like Notre Dame de Paris. It has also become a global symbol of travel. It is…
Australia’s Rugged Coastline
Australia has an immense coastline. 25,760 kilometers, or a little over 16,000 miles. But because most of it is continental, with only a relatively small number of islands along the coast, it pales to the sizes of the coastlines of some other countries. It pales behind Canada’s, which is astonishing…
Zihuatanejo’s Fish Market
What’s not to love about a local fish market? With some notable exceptions like Seattle’s Pike Place Fish Market that cashes in on its “world-famous” fish-tossing performing fishmongers, fish markets have little place for niceties or pretension. With freshness being everything, the trick is to sell quickly and get top…
Washingtonian Magazine: Insider’s Guide to Baltimore
The latest Washingtonian Magazine has some great ideas for day trips from Washington, DC. The Insider’s Guide to Baltimore includes one of my panoramas. You can see more of my photos of Baltimore’s Inner Harbor here. The original photo: Panorama of Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, with the USS Constellation docked at…
Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate
Over several years, I’ve spent quite a bit of time on matters Berlin, and I’ve long been fascinated by the Brandenburg Gate (in German: Brandenburger Tor), Germany‘s most recognizable landmark. While the Eiffel Tower probably scores higher in terms of universal recognition, there are few landmarks that are so symbolic…
British Airways Highlife Magazine: Mayan Attraction
To coincide with the November launch of British Airways’ new twice-weekly non-stop flight from London Gatwick to Cancun, BA’s August issue of Highlife Magazine focuses on Mexico‘s Yucatan Peninsula and includes one of my shots from the ancient Mayan ruins of Ek Balam. You can see more of my photos…
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
One of the world’s most visited museums, the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum has an incredible array of original artifacts from the history of flight and space exploration. During its visitor numbers heyday in the late 1990s through the early 2000s, the Smithsonian‘s National Air and Space Museum in…
Excellence Playa Mujeres Luxury Beach Resort, Cancun, Mexico
For something a bit different, I thought I’d share some panoramas I shot a while back at the Excellence Playa Mujeres resort, a luxury, all-inclusive resort on a quiet and lovely stretch of beach north of the traffic and bustle of Cancun. It’s certainly a great place if you’re looking…
Washingtonian Magazine: Best of Capitol Hill
The October 2010 issue of Washingtonian Magazine includes one of my shots from Eastern Market, DC’s oldest farmers market, as the title page for its “Best of Capitol Hill” feature. I particularly like how they laid out the title banner and table of contents….
Australian War Memorial
The Australian War Memorial in Canberra has real personality, and it has a fascinating and important story to tell. Why would you want to go to Canberra? That’s a fair question, and it’s one that’s been asked more than once. For good reason, Canberra doesn’t have a great reputation as…
Cicero – Magazin fur Politische Kultur
In an article looking at the American political landscape leading up to the November mid-term election, German magazine Cicero – Magazin fur Politische Kultur used one of my shots from Glenn Beck’s August 28 “Restoring Honor” Rally at the Lincoln Memorial….
Zihuatanejo, a Gem on Mexico’s Pacific Coast
Zihuatanejo is one of those places you just wish you could get stranded in for a very long time. As I’ve said before, there’s much to love about the place. It’s a small fishing village on Mexico’s Pacific coast, and it’s just bursting with local flavor. Just up the road…
Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar
The dance of the Turkish carpet salesman begins, gently at first. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the show. The welcome of a long-lost friend followed quickly by an oh-so-polite offer to join him for tea. Like that, a runner appears with a silver tray of tulip-shaped tea glasses with sweet…
Istanbul’s Beautiful Mosques
“The beauty I see in Suleymaniye Mosque is in its lines, in the elegant spaces beneath its dome, in the opening out of its side domes, in the proportions of its walls and empty spaces, in the counterpoint of its support towers and its little arches, in its whiteness, and…
Istanbul’s Spice Bazaar
You can get much more than spices at the Spice Bazaar, but spices are the stars. They’re stacked high in mounds that are not at all like the boring little jars we get in our supermarkets. You just know that they’re going to taste better. And what colors! If you…
The Beautiful Beaches of St. John
It’s no real wonder that the Virgin Islands were a favorite hangout of pirates, buccaneers, and privateers (ever a fluid distinction). With their numerous nooks and crannies to park a ship to ride out a storm or lay in waiting for ships passing along the many trade routes, they provided…
Montreal’s Notre Dame Basilica
When it was first built in the mid-19th century, Notre Dame Basilica (or the Basilique Notre-Dame de Montréal, in French, still the primary language of Québéc) was the largest church in North America. It has since been eclipsed in terms of square footage by the modern evangelical mega-churches in the…
Joplin Globe: Bonitt Builders
The December 19, 2010, Joplin Globe, included a great article on Murray Bonitt of Bonitt Builders, a Joplin, Missouri, native who has established an award-winning and thriving custom home construction business in the Washington DC area. The shot of Murray was taken on site at a stylish new restaurant they’re…
Hagia Sophia, Istanbul’s Byzantine Jewel
The first questions every stranger asks as his steamer rounds Seraglio Point from the Mormora or descends the Bosphorus from the Black Sea are: “Where is Sancta Sophia?” “Which is Sancta Sophia?” To catch the earliest possible glimpse of its outline the eye of every traveler is strained… . In…
An Oasis in Texas
“How many Austinites does it take to change a light bulb? Four: One to change the bulb, and three to talk about how cool the old one was, before the yuppies came along and changed it.” [Joe Yonan, “Austin, Tex., Keeping It Weird,” Washington Post, 14 January 2011.] Austin is…
Washington DC Fire Fighters Association Local 36
I’m very pleased that the Washington DC Fire Fighters Association Local 36 has chosen one of my panoramas of the US Capitol at night for the header of its newly redesigned website. You can check out their newly redesigned site at: http://iaff36.org And you can see the original of the…
Guatemala City’s Zona 1
Guatemala City, or Guate to the locals, isn’t what you’d call a pretty city. Nor, for that matter, is it an especially safe one. Your first clue of that will be the guards with pump-action shotguns outside every store, followed closely by the prodigious amounts of razor wire strewn over…
Yuri Gagarin Monument in Moscow
Yuri Gagarin is a Russian national hero. At a time when the space race was a bellwether of national prestige in the Cold War, then 27-year-old Gagarin became the first person in space on 12 April 1961, beating American astronaut Alan Shepherd beyond the stratosphere by almost a month. Soviet…
Coba’s Mayan Ruins on the Maya Riviera
As you wander over and around the Mayan ruins of Coba, now very weathered and overgrown with forest vegetation, it’s hard to imagine that before the Spanish arrived, going back 1,300 years, upwards of 50,000 people lived here. And while the full extent of the city is still not fully…
Australia’s Picture Postcard Beach
Surfers Paradise might have a terrible name, but it has a fantastic beach. It’s exactly what you think of when you think of a Queensland Beach (Tourism Queensland has obviously done something right there!). Because it’s well south of the bottom of the Great Barrier Reef and there are no…
Fireworks in Chichicastenango
Periodically, rockets streaked up from the busy street below, carrying the prayers of worshippers skyward. The Indians often hold these homemade rockets in their hands until they literally tear themselves from their fingers and soar into the blue, trailing six-foot tails of cane, to end in loud pops and puffs…
A Beautiful Underground Oasis at Cenote Dzitnup
If you’ve ever driven inland on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, you’ve no doubt noticed how straight and flat the roads are. There aren’t many hills, and the few that are there aren’t very tall. That’s one of the things that encouraged the Maya to build pyramids in their cities—the tops of…
The Chicken Buses of Central America
North Africa and the Middle East is where old Mercedes cars have their afterlife. And Central America is where American school buses go to retire. In the balmy tropical climes of places like Guatemala and Honduras, they’re given a new lease on life. Their engines are removed and replaced with…
Tulum, The Original Maya Riviera
They don’t call it the Riviera Maya for nothing.1 Seven hundred years before all-inclusive beach resorts, ice-cold mojitos, and someone deciding that a perfectly good beer needed a wedge of lemon, the Maya built a city with a stunning ocean view. There are many Maya civilization sites on the Yucatan…
The Town that Defied God and the Government
If God and the government had their way, Antigua would no longer exist. Once the capital of colonial Guatemala, it has been repeatedly toppled by earthquakes. After another series of earthquakes in 1773, the government got fed up with having to rebuild the town and decided to relocate the capital…
Market Day in Chichicastenango
Who knew I had so many friends in Chichicastenango? And they’re such a friendly lot to boot. Which is odd, come to think about it, since I’d never been there before. But everywhere I turn I’m greeted with an enthusiastic “hola amigo.” And to a man, woman, and child, they’re…
A Caribbean Island 100 Miles from the Sea
It feels like the Caribbean. It’s hot. It’s humid. The locals are laid-back. And in every direction, you’re surrounded by water. It’s easy to forget that you’re 100 miles from the sea. Flores is a tiny island in Lake Peten Itza in the trunk of the Yucatan Peninsula, not far…
Pacaya Volcano, Guatemala
Oddly enough, the side of an active volcano turns out not to be the safest place to live. The last major eruption of Pacaya Volcano, not far from Guatemala City and Antigua, caused considerable damage to nearby villages and reshaped the summit. It scattered volcanic ash over much of the…
Gallows Point Resort
Gallows Point Resort is a great place on a small headland on the south-western side of Cruz Bay on the beautiful St. John in the US Virgin Islands (not to be confused with St. John’s, which is in Antigua and Barbuda). It’s one of the few places around that is…
The Hanoi Hilton
In case you’re tempted to think you’re in a place of sweetness and light, the ominous music playing over the sound system as you walk through the rooms is a not-so-subtle hint that this place has seen some misery. Southeast Asia is not renowned for the comfort of its prisons…
Narita-San Temple
The Narita-san Temple is a 1000-year-old Shingon Buddhist temple complex in the heart of Narita, about 40 miles east of Tokyo. Also known as Shinsho-Ji (New Victory Temple), it isn’t a single building but rather a large complex of several buildings spread across scenic parkland on top of a hill….
Town of 1770
It’s an odd name for a town, but then Australia has a lot of unusual-sounding place names (see: Woolloomooloo, Wagga Wagga, Bong Bong, or Humpybong). It’s sometimes listed officially as “Seventeen Seventy,” but locals often write it as “1770”, which gives a better hint as to the history behind the strange…
The Rugged Charm of the Top of the Land of a Million Elephants
Bumping Along Road Number 13 It’s bumpy, windy, and dusty. And since the road, known only as road number 13, is in much need of repair in many places and makes for such slow-going, you’ll have plenty of time to admire the view. And what a view it is. The…
The River Outpost of Nong Khiaw
We’d arrived late at night, after about eight hours of driving on bumpy, dusty, windy roads through the mountains of the northern Laos provinces of Luang Namtha and Oudomxai. In the dark, there hadn’t been much to see–it’s not exactly lit up like Times Square. There was a bridge. Somewhere…
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All content on this site is © David Coleman. All rights reserved. Thanks for your interest in my work. All content in this site is created by me (David Coleman) except where otherwise indicated. I am the copyright owner. The content is protected by U.S. and international copyright laws and…
Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum
Even Uncle Ho needs a holiday. Mind you, and as much as I like the place, I can think of more picturesque places than Moscow as that city heads into winter. Each year, in October and November, Ho Chi Minh, not exactly under his own steam, ventures to Moscow for…
Vietnam’s War Remnants Museum
You don’t have to be in Vietnam long to see the scars of the decades of war the country has endured. Here the war isn’t known as the Vietnam War. It’s variously referred to as the “US War Against Vietnam,” the “US War in Vietnam,” the “US Aggressive War in…
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<link href=”http://cdn-images.mailchimp.com/embedcode/slim-081711.css” rel=”stylesheet” type=”text/css” /> Subscribe to my monthly newsletter (it’s free!) I’m adding new posts and photos from around the world all the time. Here are some ways you can follow along to get the latest updates: Use the box above to sign up to receive my free monthly…
The Lakes of Hanoi
Hanoi has a lot of lakes. The city, built on lowlands between rivers, is even sometimes known as the “city of lakes.” They provide a scenic and tranquil respite from the crushing traffic and incessant bustle in other parts of the city. Unfortunately, as you’d expect from a bustling, industrialized…
Hoover Dam
The Hoover Dam was one of the great engineering feats of the Great Depression of the 1930s in the United States. And impressive it is. At its base, the massive concrete wall is 660 feet thick, so thick that the concrete is still curing. That means that, unlike most constructions…
Hoan Kiem Lake, Home of Hanoi’s Giant Turtle
There’s a lot to be said for having a body of water in the middle of a city. Hanoi has a lot of lakes, but Hoan Kiem Lake is in its cultural and historic heart. It may not be big–it’s much smaller than West Lake–but the Old Quarter wraps around…
Cu Chi Tunnels
“No one has ever demonstrated more ability to hide his installations than the Viet Cong; they were human moles.” –General William Westmoreland1 I don’t usually have issues with claustrophobia, but this isn’t fun anymore. I find it amazing that people could live down here, spending all day below ground in…
Wall Mural Print of Night Panorama
Here’s another tear sheet with a difference. I’ve had several clients use my panoramas to make very large prints. One used my shot of the Paris skyline as a 30 feet wide wall mural in her redecorated apartment. My shot of London’s Thames River at night has been used on…
Winter Charms of Old Quebec City
If you were to build a model of a winter wonderland town at Christmas, it would probably look quite a bit like Quebec City’s old town. Towering over the town, on a cliff overlooking the Saint Lawrence River, is the grand Fairmont hotel Le Chateau Frontenac, a fairytale castle in…
Vientiane, City on the Mekong
Laos might be landlocked, but that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t have some great water views. Winding through the entire length of the country is one of the world’s great rivers, the Mekong. From the snows of the Himalayas, the river runs through six southeast Asian countries: Tibet, China, Burma,…
Highclere Castle
Highclere Castle is certainly distinctive, with neo-Gothic towers, a Georgian interior, and neo-Elizabethan tributes. It’s a whimsical mishmash of architectural styles that somehow adds up to the very picture of English aristocratic heritage. The castle sits on a thousand acres of rolling Hampshire countryside just a couple of hours west…
Tarangire National Park
Although it’s not as well known as its neighbors, the Serengeti or the Ngorongoro Crater, Tarangire National Park (pronounced Tarrangeeri, with those distinctive clipped vowels and the hint a rolled r’s of a Tanzanian or South African accent) is larger than the entire island of Zanzibar. But as large as…
Lemosho Route / Day 1
Right, time to go for a bit of a walk. We’ve been talking about climbing Kilimanjaro for a couple of years. A lot of planning, ridiculous amounts of time and money spent at REI, and some long flights later, we’re here at the edge of Kilimanjaro National Park. The crew…
Lemosho Route / Day 2
We got our wake-up call at sunrise. Because we’re so close to the equator, days are consistently close to 12 hours year-round. The longest day in a year is about 12 hours and 19 minutes with sunset at 6:42 PM. The shortest day is about 11 hours and 55 minutes…
Lemosho Route / Day 3
We gained another 2,000 or so feet today, but it was very different terrain to yesterday. It was much flatter, and without the effects of altitude would have been a pretty leisurely hike. We really only started climbing about halfway, as we got to Fischer Camp (named in memory of…
Ngorongoro Crater
The Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania isn’t quite what I’d expected. The overall size is about what I’d expected, but there’s no lush forest. Instead, nearly the entire crater floor is remarkably flat and covered with short grass, very different to nearby Tarangire National Park. It’s basically a giant paddock. This…
Lake Manyara National Park
Lake Manyara is really two lakes. Well, it is depending on the time of year you visit. In the dry season, with the water level low, it basically splits in two. The northern end, where the Simba River feeds in, is swampy with fresh(-ish) water. There are reeds, plants, and…
Newark at Night from the Air
Newark, New Jersey, isn’t exactly known as a jewel of the American northeast. But from certain vantage points, it can actually be quite pretty. Glittery, even. A recent job in the Newark area required hanging out of a helicopter to get some footage. On the way back from the site,…
The Mighty Maya City of Tikal
There’s a deep, guttural growl coming from somewhere out in the misty darkness of the jungle. Then there are more of them. And they’re loud. We’re still hours before dawn, but it’s already hot and muggy. All around us is jungle. There’s only four of us–three of us, plus our…
Wat Si Saket, Vientiane
Wat Si Saket (or Sisaket Temple) is probably the oldest temple in the Lao capital still standing. But it’s newer than it looks, having been built in 1818—so many of the others have been the victim of a string of wars in the 20th century. Just across the street from…
Hanoi’s One Pillar Pagoda
The One Pillar Pagoda is almost a thousand years old. Sort of. In another in a long line of despicably pointless destructive acts committed by colonial military forces, the French destroyed the nearly 1000-year-old pagoda in 1954 on their way out. The Vietnamese government subsequently rebuilt it. The version that’s…
Hanoi’s Oldest Pagoda
At about 1400 years old, Tran Quoc Pagoda is Hanoi’s oldest temple. It sits on the tiny Golden Fish Island on West Lake (Ho Tay), joined to the lake banks by a causeway. It’s a picturesque spot, but the temple wasn’t always here. Originally, in the 6th century, the pagoda…
Australia’s Blue Mountains
Australia has some incredible landscapes, but its mountains don’t hold a candle to those on other continents. At only 7,310 feet, Australia’s highest mountain, Mount Kosciuszko, is less than half the height of the next continental highest peak (Western Europe’s Mont Blanc at 15,771 feet). And it’s positively squat compared…
Lemosho Route / Day 5
It turns out the wind was just taking a break, not disappearing for good. About 2 am it came roaring back with a vengeance. Our tents are taking a battering–even these good quality expedition tents are caving in, with the roof constantly hitting us as we lie in our sleeping…
Lemosho Route / Day 6
Our guide was right when he said that today would be the hardest day of the climb. But it was “very doable,” he kept saying. We also found out why we’d had to sign waivers for the Western Breach back to Londorossi Gate. A couple of American climbers and a…
Lemosho Route / Day 7
It’s summit day. We’ll reach 19,341 feet, by far the highest any of us has been without being in a plane. It was cold last night. Our water bottles froze solid inside the tents. And it’s cold as we head off before sunrise. Compared to yesterday’s climb up the Western…
Lemosho Route / Day 8
We’re almost done. But first, we have some things to take care of. We’ll be saying goodbye to most of the crew at Mweka Camp. They’ll be packing up and heading down, going home. Some will probably be heading back up the mountain within days, working on another expedition. Heading…
Climbing Kilimanjaro: Tips, Gear Recommendations & What to Expect
Here are some of the lessons I learned for next time I climb Kilimanjaro, along with some tips and gear recommendations. I’m by no means a hardcore mountain climber, although I’ve spent a good bit of time backpacking, camping, and traveling on all seven continents. But there are things about…
Hanoi’s Vietnam Military History Museum
Perhaps more than any other country, Vietnam’s self-identity over the last century has been defined by war. First, it was ejecting the French colonials. Then a brief repulsion of the imperial Japanese. Then the Americans. As tragic and destructive as that history of war is, it is also both important…
Quan Thanh Temple
Quan Thanh Temple sits on the southeastern corner of West Lake (Ho Tay). While not especially large, the temple is one of the city’s oldest–it dates back to the 11th century–and amongst the four designated as its most sacred. At the heart of the main shrine is an impressive bronze…
A New Home for Phra Bang
From its fearsome gold naga King Cobras guarding the main stairs, its incredibly lavish gold and red interior, and its multi-tiered roof, the Haw Pha Bang at Luang Prabang’s Royal Palace looks ancient and definitely royal. It was indeed royal. It’s purpose-built to be the official home of the Phra…
The Citadel in the Imperial City of Hue
The thick stone walls of Hue’s Citadel are certainly solid, towering above a moat fed by the Perfume River. For nearly a century and a half, from 1802 to 1945, those walls protected the royal capital of Vietnam’s Nguyen dynasty. Within the Citadel, the Purple Forbidden City was an inner…
