A women in traditional dress marches down the parade route during the 2018 Flower Festival in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The annual event is held during on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday of the first week of February. The highlight of the Flower Festival is the Saturday morning parade, which features flower-bedecked floats, marching bands, and groups … Read more
In April, 2015, a massive earthquake in Nepal killed nearly 9,000 people and injured up to 22,000. The worst damage occurred in Gorkha, an area located in the foothills of the Himalayas, about halfway between Kathmandu and Pokhara. Within minutes, entire villages crumbled to the ground. Roads and other infrastructure were so damaged that rescue … Read more
Pokhara is the second largest city in Nepal as well as the second most popular tourist destination in the country. I’ve visited Pokhara at least ten times over the years and it offers much for tourists, but for me the city’s most impressive sight has always been the colorful wooden boats on Lake Phewa. The … Read more
During a recent visit to Kathmandu, I took my friend, Jane, to Pashupatinath Temple. Considered by Hindus to be one of the holiest sites in Nepal, Pashupainath is the location of the burning ghats where members of the Nepal Royal family were historically cremated and also one of seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the … Read more
The Step Pyramid of Djoser, located just 19 miles outside of Giza, is the oldest pyramid in Egypt. Though there are a couple of other competitors, it may also be the oldest known cut-stone building complex in the world. Today it is the centerpiece of the necropolis of Saqqara, a large cemetery that served the … Read more
