Dominating the skyline of Ometepe Island in Nicaragua is the mammoth active volcano Concepcion. Located in the Northwest section of the island, Concepcion is an attraction for adventurers who visit the island to scale its splendour. Having erupted at least 25 times since 1883, (the last explosion was in 2010), the volcano overlooks the entire…
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Body Language: Inside North Korea & the Kim Dynasty (Part 2)
The Kim Dynasty and North Korea. Wobbly from slumber I ambled toward the pile of clothes that had enveloped my backpack on the floor. Likewise Pete, my roommate, also wobbly from slumber sauntered to the window and warily peeled back the curtains. Having located my underwear I flipped the light-switch and the room was visible…
(DPRK) The Road to North Korea: Part 1
I was on my way to DPRK. It was February 14th, valentine day, the annual day in which people celebrate love and affection. Walking across the bustling concourse towards the ticket office the intense blue sky concealed its frostiness. Vaper was present on each breathe and as I flashed my passport at the entrance of…
Soviet Army Monument: Seething Through Clenched Teeth! The Russians and the Artists
In a BBC broadcast on the 1st of October 1939, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill articulated on Russian foreign affairs: “It is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.” (1) As is the riddle of the Soviet Army monument! 2000 kilometres from Moscow in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, a centrally located park…
Population Replacement: Dismay in the Horror Month of August
Hitler ordered his army to invade Poland in August. Saddam Hussein paraded into Kuwait in August. The First World War started in August. The Nazi-Soviet accord was endorsed in August. Now in August 2019 the world stage hosts loss of freedoms in (formerly British controlled) Kashmir and Hong Kong. This month’s Spectator magazine rather aptly…
Who Is Aki Ra?
Meet Aki Ra. Aki Ra doesn’t know how old he is nor does he know his real birth name, and he doesn’t recall too much from his childhood. But Aki Ra remembers his life from when he was 10 years old. He was presented with a gun by the Khmer Rouge and enlisted to fight…
Rats Glorious Rats!
Yep you read that correctly, rats glorious rats, NOT rain glorious rain. Just outside Bikaner here in Rajasthan, India, lies a rat temple that’s occupied by thousands of … rats. The temple is active and many Indians retire here for a short time each day to pray. Wading through rat excrement and urine – not…
Mother Teresa: Righteous Saint or Fraudulent Fundamentalist?
“Saints”, said George Orwell in 1949, “should always be judged guilty until they are proven innocent.” Mother Teresa of Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) is the exact reverse of this cautious warning. In her lifetime she was the recipient of numerous awards including the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979, the Balzan Prize for promoting humanity and was…
Ijen Sulphur Mine: Horrors of Sulphur Mining in Java
For the tourist the attraction of Ijen sulphur mine is the lucid blue flames that are spat from the depths of the volcano. They are visible at night. Whilst for the miner the attraction is the paltry 12 dollars (USD) per day he can earn mining its precious sulphur. Majestic Beauty, Ijen sulphur mine The…
Cambodia’s Gruesome Past: The Killing Fields
A museum is designed to inform and enlighten. Museum exhibits can empower and evoke. Have you ever attended a museum that featured several placards bearing the words “don’t step on bone”? Until yesterday I hadn’t. The killing fields here in Cambodia still possess the horrors effected by the Khmer Rouge during the 1970’s. Victims clothing…