We have now left Kyrgyzstan and entered into Kazakhstan. Within the group, we refer to the three countries we have visited as “the Stans,” because the separate names are so long and tongue twisting to say. We stopped at a photogenic church by a small lake for a reflection shot. The weather cooperated, with almost no wind, resulting […]
Kyrgyzstan 3 – Eagle Hunters and Headless Goats
Our last evening in Kyrgyzstan was spent watching two local traditions that are unique to this part of the world. First up was a form of falconry with three nomad eagle hunters. Though often associated with Mongolia, this form of hunting with the golden eagle on horseback actually originated here. In addition to posing for the camera, as seen […]
Kyrgyzstan 2 – Issyk Kul
Our final days in Kyrgyzstan were long ones spent in Issyk Kul. In the early morning, we visited a chaotic animal market that is open only on Sundays. It was very similar to those we have visited in Ecuador, though sheep were the predominant animal, and there were no pigs at all (being an Islamic country, pork […]
Kyrgyzstan 1 – Bishkek
We are now in Kyrgyzstan, after completing our tour of Uzbekistan. There have been several cemeteries along the road, but one we stopped at today was particularly special. Looking at it from the top of a hill, it appears to be a small city (center above). It is standard for grave sites to have photographs of […]
Uzbekistan 4 – Khiva
We finished our tour of Uzbekistan by visiting Khiva, a small city of 50,000 people. On our first day, Mehmet (our travel guide) arranged for a private performance of traditional music. Though these trips usually produce some very nice photography, it is sometimes a bit of a scramble as everyone wants the same basic photograph (center […]
Uzbekistan 3 – Bukhara
The highlight in Bukhara (pronounced “būhara”) was our visit to a blacksmith shop. The blacksmith and his son made a decorative handle, and Mehmet arranged for our group to photograph the process. The images above and the video show how this all worked out. When touring the Jewish sector of town, we passed a puppet […]
Uzbekistan 2 – Samarkand
We are now in Samarkand, the second city on our Silk Road tour in Uzbekistan – just in time for Evelyn’s birthday! Jamil is our local guide in Uzbekistan, and his parents showed up to meet our train, greeting Evelyn with a bouquet of roses from their garden. His mother also baked one of the best birthday […]
Uzbekistan 1 – Tashkent
We have now entered Uzbekistan, and started our photographic tour with Mehmet Özbalci, the same guide we used on our photo tour in Turkey last year. The above block gives a taste of the guidance Mehmet gives us. He had taken us to the Khast Imam Mosque to photograph in the late afternoon. There was a small […]
Italy 10 – Rome
We have finally reached the end of our Italian trip, with a visit to Rome. More than anything, this is a city filled with larger-than-life statues. Most of these huge statues were created during the peak of Roman power in the centuries just before and after Christ. It was clearly an attempt to demonstrate the power […]
Italy 9 – Naples
On the 45-minute ferry ride from Sorrento to Naples, we encountered two cruise ships in Sorrento plus six cruise ships in Naples, and expected to fight crowds. We took a cab to the Underground City, and our “mad man” drove like a New York taxi driver, barreling across town, honking most of the way. When we stopped, […]
