Another Round!

Writing in the local paper. Local issues with a global take. I never translate literally and the editor trims at will to make it fit. Here’s my version, then theirs. After the last class before the summer break the other day, a group of students and I went across the street to the bar to celebrate what was…

Transport in Yazd, Iran

Sandwiched between two immense deserts, Yadz has been a welcoming oasis for a long time, no really, a LONG time. Whether UNESCO is right in claiming it is one of the oldest continually inhabited places on the planet or not, the cool shade thrown by the shapely adobe walls and the refreshing breezes trapped by…

Built to Last

You cringe, close your eyes, gasp, and think of the worst. That truck can’t cross that bridge, it’s 2000 years old! But wait, it’s not turning back and is indeed crossing. Two millennia later, goods are still crossing the 71-meter (231-foot) high  bridge that spans the Tagus river, just shy of what is now the…

Don’t Eat the Brown Acid

Don’t eat the brown acid… ‘Who are you?’ said the Caterpillar. This was not an encouraging opening for a conversation. Alice replied, rather shyly, ‘I — I hardly know, sir, just at present — at least I know who I WAS when I got up this morning, but I think I must have been changed…

In Search of Traces of Ibn Battuta in Malaysia

In search of traces of Ibn Battuta in #Malaysia. He crossed through the Strait enroute to China and we looked for a mosque from that time. http://nonotfar.blogspot.com.es/search/label/Ibn%20Battutah?m=1 . . . . . . . #malaytravel #malaysiatravel #malaysiatrulyasia #ibnbattuta #ibnbattutah #literarytravel #theworldsgreatesttraveller #nonotfar #islamicarchitecture #mosque #seasia #minarets #minaretsoftheworld #islam #muslims #greattravellers #kampungklingmosque #melacca #melaka #kampungkling Una…

Next Station…

Writing in the local paper. Local issues with a global take. I never translate literally and the editor trims at will to make it fit. Here’s my version, then theirs. I had always imagined that we had done something terribly wrong, something so unpardonable that we were now suffering the consequences of this unnamed act. Something must have…

Ibn Battuta meets Ronda

Way back in 1350, Ibn Battutah noted that Ronda was one of “the strongest and best sited fortresses” in all Andalusia and even today attacking it would be a bad idea. Neatly tucked behind the Sierra de las Nieves, this rocky outcrop has been a favored place to hang your hat since long before the…