Hong Kong’s Dark Tower is one of my favourite buildings. It is officially called “2 International Finance Center”, but that seems very poor camouflage for such a mighty command post, obviously destined for World Dominion. I find it both wonderfully elegant and distinctly sinister. I particularly love the claw-like fingers gently cupping over its peak. […]
Browsing Posts in Travel
Hong Kong’s Dark Tower
May 14, 2008
Karakoram Highway & Khunjerab Pass
May 3, 2008
Kashgar, April 30th 2008 The only road between China and Pakistan is the Karakoram Highway (KKH) which goes over the 4730 m (15,500 ft) Khunjerab pass at the border. It is a spectacular journey, over a wild road, across the Western edges of the Himalayas. The pass is closed in winter and nominally reopens on […]
The Mud Volcanos of Qobustan
October 31, 2007
I took a car and guide from Baku to the famed Mud Volcanoes of Qobustan (Gobustan). Despite their splendid name, they are actually only about 6 feet tall. They gently burp forth mud and methane from deep mud reservoirs. Sporadic trickles of mud run down from the small cones. If they are lucky the craters […]
Baku's "Fire Mountain" Yanar Dag
October 30, 2007
After the rather touristy Baku Atashgah, I took a taxi out to see a more modest, but more authentic natural flame, at “Yanar Dag” (Fire Mountain). The story is that several decades ago a wandering shepherd accidentally set light to a small natural vent. And to general amazement, that small vent has kept steadily burning […]
Baku's Atashgah (Fire Temple)
October 29, 2007
After failing to find a suitable bus, train, or marshrutska, I eventually took a taxi out to the Baku Atashgah (Fire Temple). The taxi driver chatted with me in weak English. He complained about government corruption and how there should be lots of money in Azerbaijan but it didn’t make it down to the people. […]
Tbilisi's Atashgah (Fire Temple)
October 27, 2007
On my third try, after much searching, I finally found Tbilis’s Atashgah, or Fire Temple. The two LonelyPlanet maps show slightly different locations for the Atashgah, both of which are close but slightly too far East. You can’t access the Atashgah from the path to the Narikala fortress; rather you must come to it by […]
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