Photography

Bizarre

Going South on China: A Panda Hunt

Before I try to rationalize for you my ill-conceived quest into the bamboo forests of Sichuan, I’d like to clarify that I harbor no secret vendetta against the Giant Panda. I just simply couldn’t understand why the world fetish...

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Bizarre

A Steppe Too Far?: Eagle Hunters, Cultural Darwinism, and Getting Banned in Kazakhstan

At 4:27PM, on the afternoon of October 29th, I received an e-mail from an acquaintance in Almaty, informing me that Backpackology has been banned in Kazakhstan. When my initial laughter subsided, my amusement faded into confusi...

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China

Silk Road Ramblings: Lost Empires, Gobi Fugitives, and The Secret Meth Habit of Marco Polo

I have conquered the Silk Road. I’ve hid from Chinese guards in the starlit dunes of the Gobi. I’ve visited mud-thatched villages and seen old Uighur men as hairy as camels shriek in wonder and delight as they passed around a p...

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Inspiration

Guest Blogger Viktor Wallström: Flipside Pilgrimage

This guest post is special because, generally speaking, I’m quite apathetic towards inspirational YouTube videos. I’m always the one sitting there, watching my friends going misty eyed over a particular clip, asking myself, “Wh...

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Culture

The Karakoram Highway

When I tell people that my favorite country thus far has been Pakistan, I often receive horrified stares, as if I’ve just admitted that I enjoy licking squirrels or pooping in jam jars. But what people don’t realize is that Pa...

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Culture

The Joshi Festival

Laughing in the face of Travel Warnings and a threat from the Taliban, I head north into Pakistan’s Northwest Frontier Province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, to visit the indigenous Black Kalash Tribe and to see their annual Jos...

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Culture

Wednesday Wanderings: The Golden Temple of Amritsar

I’d like to try a little experiment. A friend of mine recently pointed out the irony in that, despite my college degree in Film Production, I never share any videos on this site. To which I pointed out that, with the narc...

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Adventure

Chalo Pakistan!

Crossing the border into the mountainous, Islamic heartland of Pakistan, I decide to settle down in Lahore for a while, catching up on my writing, wandering into mosques, ripping up Government Travel Warnings, and gleefully thr...

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Adventures in Backpackistan!

Inhaling India (A Diarrhea Adventure): A Foodie’s Guide to India on a Budget

“If you take the foods of the world on one side and the foods of India on another, our pile would easily tip the scales.” –Rocky Singh ************************* You might think you know Indian food. You might frequent a few Ind...

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Culture

The Great Trunk Road

Blazing north from the southern horn of India, I follow the old ‘Great Trunk Road’ through the ex-Mughal heartlands of Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, and the Panjab, cutting straight towards the border of Pakistan… By...

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