They say it takes just one visit to Golden Rock, in Myanmar, to become a Buddhist. I think that’s absolutely true. It is impossible to visit this archeological site without going to Myanmar and, once in Myanmar, you will certainly fall in love with Theravada Buddhism. How could you possibly...
Hinduism is one of the oldest and most complicated religions in the world; the creation-destruction duality is overcome in a worldview that embraces both. Varanasi fully shows this melting of opposing elements especially in Manikarnika Ghat, the largest of the two crematory ghats in the city. Here you find a...
Dallol is an ancient volcanic crater in Danakil, on the border between Ethiopia and Eritrea. It is known as the most inhospitable in the world. Hell on earth, basically, with temperatures reaching 60ºC, salty deserts, pools of toxic water and craters with boiling lava in the open air. Dallol's formations...
I continue my journey along the ancient Silk Road and arrive in Bukhara. Here is the most fascinating artistic heritage of all Central Asia: Bukhara suffered a less invasive restoration than Samarkand and today still looks like the way Turkestan looked before the Russians arrived. Every time I look up,...
Located 3000m high, in a valley between the mountains of the Tibetan plateau, Labrang is one of the 6 largest monasteries of Buddhism. Founded in 1709, it belongs to the religious school of the Gelugpa, also known as "Yellow Hat School", whose supreme head is the Dalai Lama. It occupies...
We get up early to reach Kayar’s fish market. What I’m about to see will fill my eyes with wonder. Kayar is a village about 60 km north of Dakar and is home to one of the largest fishing centers in Senegal. You would expect large boats equipped with industrial...
We wake up at dawn, have a frugal breakfast and jump on our jeeps. We are moving towards the canyons of Bozshira, perhaps the most famous place in the Mangystau desert. If it was still fashionable to send postcards, we’d all like to send one from here. And we’ll keep...
