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Many think the five Central Asia “Stans” are variations of a theme, with similar cultures and histories. However, Tajikistan stands out from the pack. Its language is a dialect of Persian, which is linguistically distinct from the Turkic languages spoken in the other countries. Culturally, Tajiks are closer to Persians
Azerbaijan’s national motto is “Land of Fire,” refers to its ancient Zoroastrian fire rituals and its modern oil and gas production. Over the centuries, the culture evolved with strong Turkish and Persian influences, making this a country like no other. In a moderately sized country, similar to Portugal or Maine,
Georgia has a history of human settlements from almost two million years ago, the longest outside of Africa. There have been continuous communities since at least Paleolithic times and winemaking has been in existence for the last 8,000 years. It has imposing mountains and coastal plains within 12 climatic zones.
Armenia is an incredible country. It’s small, smaller than the state of Maryland, smaller than Belgium, and even smaller than Taiwan. Yet it is full of attractions, from neolithic times to millennia-old monasteries to Soviet monuments. Every hour you drive through the country, you’ll find something interesting. But it’s not
Introduction We finally made it to the Maldives from Sri Lanka. From the Velana International Airport, we flew over many of the country’s islands. We landed on one island and switched to a boat. Once we were docked on our island, we took a golf cart through town, passing children
Introduction We were impressed by several interesting memorials and temples we saw in Colombo, including this lion statue in front of a stupa… …the Red Mosque… …the Hindu temples in Captain’s Garden… …and the statue of the first prime minister next to Independence Memorial Hall. The biggest surprise was learning
Many think the five Central Asia “Stans” are variations of a theme, with similar cultures and histories. However, Tajikistan stands out from the pack. Its
Malawi is a special place in Africa, where ethnic groups live harmoniously and most people are engaged in small-scale agriculture. Visitors are treated in a
We spent almost a week in December 2025 with close friends in Saint Kitts and Nevis, the smallest sovereign state in the Western Hemisphere in