Fissure 8, from 3000ftI’m out in Hawaii to see the current lava flows. I started at 4:00am with a bouncy boat ride with Lava Ocean Tours. I had sacrificed a delicious lemon muffin to Poseidon, so the sea was reasonably smooth and we got a good view of where the lava river is hitting the […]
Browsing Posts in Travel
Hawaii: Lava 2018
July 25, 2018
Cyprus: Gothic Mosques
July 5, 2018
In North Nicosia, I visited that rare architectural oddity, the Gothic Mosque. The Selimiye Mosque was originally a 13th c French Gothic Cathedral and after the 16th c Ottoman conquest was turned into a Mosque. It comes complete with flying buttresses, vaulted ceilings, an arc of tiny carved bishops over the entrance arch, and two […]
Tirana: Familiar Faces
June 26, 2018
I was striding past Albania’s National Art Gallery when I suddenly spotted a familiar face lurking at the back. Wait, it can’t be? Can it? Yes, it is! Stalin himself, larger than life, glaring disdainfully at the passers by! It turns out that an area behind the Gallery has a small selection of communist-era statues. […]
Japan: Samurai Castles
April 18, 2018
I’ve been visiting Samurai castles in Japan. A fair number survive, in some form or other, but authenticity varies wildly. Some keeps, such as Osaka-jo, are imaginative rebuilds, with concrete cores and even elevators. But there are a handful of authentic survivors and I focused on the five that are ranked as “National Treasures”, at […]
Ethiopia: Dallol Salt Formations
January 24, 2018
Ethiopia’s Dallol region combines a salt flat with volcanic hot springs, to wildly colorful effect. Hot rocks far below are forcing up hot salty water, laden with minerals. The bubbling hot springs then form brightly colored salt formations and salty lakes. The active areas are continually changing, with new features appearing and old ones drying […]
Ethiopia: Down in the Salt Mines
January 24, 2018
And you thought your job was tough… The Danakil depression in Eastern Ethiopia is one of the lowest and hottest points in all of Africa. It’s at -127 meters and is dry, HOT, and salty. For centuries, the locals have mined the hot salt flats and exported blocks of salt to the farmers in the […]
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