3-4 October 2022
The next two days will be a mix of flight and fantasy. Some final beautiful views of Khiva’s gates and fortifications as we drive to the airport; experiencing Uzbekistan security and airplanes; gin and tonic Uzbek style and farewell dinner – all add spice to the mix of traveling in the Stans of Central Asia.
(more…)14 September 2022
In Greek mythology, Hermes was the god of trade, wealth, luck, fertility, animal husbandry, sleep, language, thieves, and travel. What an interesting mix of blessings. This messenger god, also known under the alias of Mercury in Rome, is the god of roads and doorways, and the protector of travelers. He is also seen shepherding the dead to Hades. Considering I just spent 40 hours getting to my destination, I think I must be on the bad side of Hermes.
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From our terrace at And Hotel.
I celebrated my birthday in Constantinople. When I visited in 1981, the population was 2.7 million, about half of whom were carpet salesmen. A lot has changed since then.
Istanbul, historically known as Constantinople, is the 5th largest city proper in the world with a population of 12.8 million. There still are thousands of carpet salesmen, but distributed among them is a vibrant collection of perhaps the nicest, most helpful people I have ever met, and the nicest bunch of cats in the world. (more…)