Bingzhongluo
Gongshan County
Nu Jiang Liuku Autonomous Prefecture
Yunnan Province
China
June 11, 2014
My Dear Fellow Travelers, and anyone who yearns for adventure,
In the early morning hours, from my hotel window in Bingzhongluo, I gaze in amazement at the cloud-covered valley of “The Angry River.” “The Furious River.” “The River of Rage.” The Nu Jiang. 怒江
Amazed? Sure. I am feeling so fortunate to be here.
Stuck in the Mud!
Bingzhongluo
Gongshan County
Nu Jiang Liuku Autonomous Prefecture
Yunnan Province
China
June 13, 2014
Stuck in the mud! Is that ever a good thing?
Despite the gloomy weather and the potentially muddy country roads, my guide Ilian and I decide to visit a Tibet style temple and to explore the mountain villages above Bingzhongluo here in the upper and remote reaches of Yunnan Province. We hire a local man with a four-wheel drive vehicle.
Riga
Latvia
September 6, 2014
Diplomacy at the Belarus Embassy
“Sorry. Your passport photo is unacceptable. Your passport photo is on a blue background. We require a photo on a white background.”
“It’s a nice photo, isn’t it?” I inquired, hoping for a bit of flexibility that is probably non-existent. (May I humbly say, “My looks and my demeanor usually go a long way in many countries.”) But this young punk of a consular official was unimpressed. “Yes, he agreed, “It’s a nice photo. But it needs to be on a white background.”
