Category Archives: Asia

THE MIRAGE OF TIME by Peter Nolan Smith

August 13, 2023 – 10:27 pm

The Gulf War had scared away the tourists from Bunaken Island and I had the coral cliffs all to my self. I was the only traveler at the dining room. After a week of desolate free diving with sea turtles I returned to Manado to catch a Pelni liner rounding the Northern Arm of Sulawesi. […]

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Tibet T-Bone 1995

June 10, 2023 – 6:51 pm

This road ran between Lhasa and Kathmandu. Twenty miles farther Another dirt road diverged to Khailash. The van stopped there and drove off to the Holy Mountain A thousand kilometers away to the west. I stood at the t-bone intersection Headed south to Nepal. I couldn’t have been happier in such desolation Whereas I freak […]

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May 13, 1990 – Langtang Trek, Nepal – 1990 – Journal Entry

May 30, 2023 – 9:22 am

The passing clouds obscure the 6000-meter snow-tipped peaks towering over the Langtang Valley, but the 5000-meter ragged summits cut through the mist with each parting of the clouds. The tea house serves a good cup of yak butter tea. I’m not liking the salty brew, but it does provide warmth and nourishment. Dorzee our guide […]

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May 15, 1990 Langtang Glacier – Nepal – Journal Entry

May 28, 2023 – 6:47 pm

The trail has left behind the trees and flowers. The villagers are surrounded by millet and sorghum fields. Beyond this cultivation are rough fields of high-altitude grass. Yaks lazily chomp their cuds under the watch of young masters. They gather the yak paddies to dry in the sun. The main source of heat in the […]

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May 9 1990 – Kathmandu – Nepal – Journal Entry

May 25, 2023 – 11:57 am

Kathmandu is a magical city. I stumbled on a procession for the Kumari, the living goddess, in Thamel. These young girls are chosen from the Newari tribe to serve as living vessel for the Hindu goddess Durga until menstruation. The word Kumari means ‘virgin’ in Nepali. They are revered for their purity, but soldiers disrupted […]

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