Silenced Whispers is a fictionalized and riveting account of individuals living in Iran from the years 1905 through 1916. For reference, the Constitutional Revolution in the country began in 1905 and ended in 1925 with the ascent of Reza Khan, the founder of the Pahlavi dynasty. This novel is the story of Gohar, a young girl living in a small desert town. At the age of 14 she marries a 55 year old politician; their marriage was arranged by the powerful and respected nobleman Saleh Mirza. A subsequent move to […]

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SAN FRANCISCO, May 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Matador Network has released a new documentary today titled Iraq: Is it Really That Bad? Filmmaker Reinier van Oorsouw takes a road trip through multiple regions in Iraq, uncovering whether the country’s reputation matches reality. The film’s release marks the 22nd anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq on March 19, 2003. From the vibrant streets of Erbil in Kurdistan to Baghdad’s bustling culture, van Oorsouw explores Akre’s markets, traditional cuisine, and historic landmarks. In the 22-minute film, he takes viewers through Kurdistan’s stunning […]

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Trying to find a shared taxi in Tashkent for the ride to Oybek on the Tajikistan border turned into an effort in futility. After getting directions where to go from my hotel and after a 35-minute drive I arrived at the provided destination to discover an empty parking lot. Walking over to one of the nearby metro stops I asked one of the officers in Russian using Google translate and she then directed me to another metro stop another 30+ minutes away. So I went. Nothing. I ended up flagging […]

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Q. In 2006, you began a round-the-world bicycle trip called ‘Ride Earth,’ an epic challenge you had never attempted before. What is it about seeing the world with a bicycle that excites you, and can you describe what the first few weeks of your journey were like? It was the promise of freedom that first drew me to bicycle travel. I’m sure that’s a common motive among travelers but doing it under pedal power really elevated the sense of boundlessness: no bus schedules, no cramped hostels, no fuel stations, just […]

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Babak Tafreshi is an Iranian-born photographer, science communicator, and dark sky advocate. He is known for his work in astrophotography and nightscape photography, capturing stunning images of the night sky, including stars, galaxies, and celestial events. Tafreshi is the founder of  The World at Night (TWAN), a global program that uses photography to raise awareness about light pollution and the importance of preserving natural nightscapes. He has also contributed to numerous publications, including National Geographic. Follow him on Instagram to see more of his work. In this interview, Babak talks […]

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Karl Bushby is a British ex-paratrooper, walking adventurer and author.  Since 1998, he has embarked on his Goliath Expedition – a round-the-world circumnavigation solely on foot. His journey has covered 43,493km so far. Giant Steps: The Remarkable Story of the Goliath Expedition From Punta Arenas to Russia is his book journaling his extraordinary journey. Karl was kind enough to let me interview him recently. Q1. One of the common questions when people Google you is – “Where is Karl Bushby now?”. Tell us where are you now and what have […]

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The word Uzbekistan itself carries an air of mystery about it. When I told people I was traveling to Uzbekistan, they exclaimed “Uzbekiwhere?!” and then followed that up by “Is it safe?!”  Uzbekistan IS bordered by Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan and Turkmenistan, countries that are not very well known in the West. So I suppose the “safe” question was fair enough! I’m here to give you the 411 on this destination and hopefully convince you to come with me as I lead a tour group back to Uzbekistan this September, […]

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I left for the Tbilisi International Airport in the country of Georgia at 10pm. I arrived at my final destination, Shiraz, Iran some 20 hours later – the next day. If you look on the map this is about a 3 to 3.5 hour flight. As it were, the airport in Tbilisi is under construction; a new runway is being built so all day flights have been moved to the night. I spent all night in the beautiful fairly new Heydar Aliyev International Airport in Baku, Azerbaijan – nestled as […]

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The first Los Angeles Travel Show I attended was many years ago at the convention center downtown – at one point there were two travel shows within a month or so of each other in Los Angeles/Long Beach – in recent years it was held at the Long Beach Convention Center – and this year it is back to where it belongs, downtown at the Los Angeles Convention Center. If you are in the Los Angeles area, enjoy travel put this consumer based travel show on your calendar for February […]

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The past few days I’ve been enjoying life with a group of nomads who move around the deserts of central Iran. They regularly herd large numbers of sheep and goats; I was able to join them as they moved one such herd from the flat lands up into the mountains. It is a life in motion for the herders and their animals; both are moved around continuously in search of food and water. Donkeys accompany the herds carrying shelter and additional food and water for the herdsman. The nights are […]

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… the smell of citrus blossoms – the fragrance that follows you as you pass numerous orange trees planted as urban vegetation on city streets. It is the smell of running water on hot sidewalks as a young man washes his motorcycle. And the mulberries – I am reminded they are among my favorite fruits – yet I rarely get to gorge in this capacity. They are beginning to ripen, their sweetness runs all over one’s fingers – their flavor only leaves me craving more. I find black ones, white […]

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When word got out I was thinking of taking a group to Burma this November, I received this email: Dear Mr. Bangs: I strongly advise you to drop travel to Burma. The treatment of the Rohingy minority is so appalling that I feel that no one should be visiting that country… This is not the first cease and desist-style communication I’ve received about travel to a destination whose politics are at odds with our own. When I received a permit to take a first group of Americans to The People’s […]

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It was brought to my attention that our latest yurt was infested with little mice running around the edges. I dutifully assumed the role of “mice whisperer” and tried to encourage them to leave our habitation. However this was to no avail, as these pesky little furry critters kept up their scuffling about all night. My spot in the yurt this evening was next to a 2 liter plastic soda bottle filled to the brim with some sort of berry jam that was resting on a part of the “floor” […]

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On a Mediterranean boat heading nowhere in particular but probably past Rhodes, an American backpacker wonders whether there is an alternate way to Iran, and if they play Uncle Wiggly in Tehran Once I met this rather good-looking and plucky Swiss adventurer who repeatedly kept trying to convince me to travel to Iran. He said he was treated very well there, and that I being an American, who had pretty much traveled everywhere on the planet, that they might in fact actually be interested in meeting me. He said, in […]

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John M. Edwards is drawn into the Wild Wild East of “Europe Minor.” After the collapse of communism in the USSR, inflation in the freshly minted Baltic republics of Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia rolled up the ruble into the cheapest toilet paper around, so I decided to go East and stock up. I needed a cheap place to wipe my ass because I was then unemployed, and an Orwellian year of freelancing in Paris had left me as restless as a Rive Gauche plongeur and ready for anything to happen. […]

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