Protected: The unbelievable filmmaking feats of our American friends on the Kuril expedition.

Uzon – done. Valley of Geysers – done. The Valley of Death – done, but that was last year, and in the summer. So why not head back there to see it painted in autumnal colors? Why not indeed…

After first checking out the moai quarry, it was time for a stroll amid the landscapes of Rapa Nui (aka Easter Island). Of course, there’s none of the vastness of the Kenyan or Tanzanian savannas, no endless Arctic tundra of Taymyr, no boundless, unforgiving desert of the Sahara, Saudi Arabia, or Australia. Everything on the […]

Kamchatka is full of absolutely magical – even fairytale-like – places. There’s the Klyuchevsky volcano group, and Tolbachik and its surroundings; in the south there’s Ksudach, Kurile Lake, and the Kambalny and Koshelevsky volcanoes. The Uzon Caldera and the Valley of Geysers, however, belong to a special category of volcanic beauty. And just like last […]

Herewith, a continuation of my tales from the mid-South-Pacific side… In my previous post I gave an introductory overall picture of Easter Island, while now it’s time to have a look at some specific sites. Where to begin? Let’s start with the moai; specifically – the quarry where all the raw material for the statues […]

Of late – been really busy. No surprises there. But the best bit regarding recent weeks: what I’ve been up to has been very varied: just as I like it… I had birthday celebrations in distant lands, I had a record-breaking air route (both in duration and distance), I finally got myself to Easter Island, […]

After finally getting to Easter Island (in two senses of the word “finally”) – let’s get going around this fascinating island… I left off last time with our arriving at Mataveri International Airport (IATA code: IPC). The airport itself is nothing remarkable, so I’ll skip ahead: what’s there to see, how many days you should […]