Hong Kong. The name is derived from Cantonese meaning “fragrant harbor.” Perhaps Hong Kong smelled like potpourri when, in 1841, the English first amputated this city of more than 230 islands from China’s Manchu Dynasty. But not now. The fragrance is that of a locker room full of big sweaty Read more…
India has always fascinated me. Of all the countries that Zachary and I will visit on this expedition, India was the one I was looking forward to most. Perhaps this is, in part, due to early in life exposure to stories of the Indian subcontinent. Like other children of my generation, Read more…
In part 1 of my three-part series on Russia, I said that many of Russia’s problems could be attributed to the fact that Russia is not now—nor has it ever—been truly Christian. It is that faith that gave birth to the West as we know it. By contrast, Russia’s religious experience has Read more…
At the time of writing this, I have been in Nigeria for almost a week. My time here defies a simple description or even a simple narrative. Experiences are intensified by the extreme emotions one feels in a place like this: – The encouragement I felt at meeting people with whom Read more…
Embassies and consulates are a country’s storefront. In them, nations typically endeavor to put their best foot forward because they know that these outposts not only represent their country, but are quite probably all that most will ever see of it. The idea is to impress, to make a statement Read more…
“Go about this trip confidently and being friendly, but never betraying yourself as a first timer [to Nigeria],” my friend, Jwan Zhumbes, the Anglican Bishop of Bukuru, had warned me. “Do not ask questions that will sell you off as someone who has never been here before … And answer, Read more…
Yesterday, my last day in Nigeria, began uneventfully. A rooster in a field near the house where I am staying awakened me as usual. Unfortunately, it was his habit to awaken me several times during the night. I am convinced he is blind and has no idea when it is Read more…
In his introduction to The Screwtape Letters, C.S. Lewis, who very much believed in an unseen spirit world, wrote: There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an Read more…
At this moment, I am on a flight following the spine of the Andes northward from Santiago, Chile to Lima, Peru. Running some 4,300 miles, the Andes are the longest continuous mountain range in the world. Looking out on the endless snowcapped peaks, I am reminded of the 90s film, Alive. Read more…
“Don’t go. I swore I would never go back there,” came the voice of my friend Jay Smith on a trans-Atlantic Skype call. “I’ve been in over sixty countries. I’ve been all over Africa. I lived there, and I’ve never felt unsafe the way I did in that country. There is something Read more…