Vlog

Hi folks! Back to the Kurils for the next installment on our far-eastern archipelago adventure… Island: Simushir, uninhabited; Location on island: Brouton Bay; Place of interest: Abandoned Soviet naval base. The naval base existed from the late-70s up until 1994. In its heyday around 3000 folks lived here. Now the place is deserted, has been […]

Perhaps the first question that comes to mind for anyone who visits Baalbek is: who placed all these massive stones here, when, why, and how? Ok, ok: the first four questions ). The stones are gigantic: almost too big to fit in a photo!

مرحبا (marhabaan) folks! Baalbek, Lebanon: it’s likely you’ve heard of it; maybe you’ve been, maybe not. If not – here’s your primer. If been – as it’s such a special place, you’ll probably enjoy revisiting it, albeit virtually. All righty. First things first – when planning a half-day (that should be sufficient) at Baalbek, make […]

Lebanon: the photos – and a few videos – have been sifted, edited, spruced, and are ready. My tales from the country are ripe and also ready – to be blogged. But first – a photographic introduction: this post is made up of a few dozen pics of the country’s monumental historic places of interest. […]

Konichiwa folks! October 4 has caught up with me again – suddenly, I’m 54 years old! Goodness! It was as if leading Russian business daily Kommersant knew my b-day was coming up – including me in their 1000 Best Russian Managers – 2019 listing [Russian language]. Nice! Thank you: that was my first birthday present! […]

Hi folks! You didn’t think there’d be just one post on Ushishir, did you! )… Of course not! Why limit probably the best volcano in the world to just one? No reason at all; accordingly, here we go – deeper. Literally! Into a cave here! For example – the one ringed red, here: