Below you will find a collection of travel stories. The topics range from Greenland's contemporary Inuit culture to Holocaust tourism in Europe to Vietnam's remarkable recovery following decades of war and foreign occupation -- and much more. All of the stories are connected by the logic of history and inexorably show how the past is tightly woven in the present, regardless of the place or people who live there. Related photographic essays can be found on my web portolio. If you are interested in using any of these stories in your publication, please send me email. Please check this page from time to time, as I plan to add more stories about my overseas experiences.

Curiosity infected me at a very early age.

• Twenty-four terrible little hours: Following an Italian holiday, I had a bizarre 24-hour layover in France in early November 2006. My story profiles the strange Wild West hotel at EuroDisney I was sent to and the hostile screening I received from an Air France security guard before leaving the country. In response to the guard's severe interview, I alerted my congressman, who complained to France’s U.S. Ambassador. In December 2006, the Ambassador apologized for what he called “degrading treatment,” which I endured for no legitimate reasons. The experience showed me the need to challenge abuses of authority, at home and abroad. (The story file requires Adobe Acrobat Reader to read.)
 

• Welcome to the State of Israel: Visitors not welcomed: In late January and early February 2004, I visited Israel and parts of the Occupied Territories (the West Bank). One of my goals was to see a holy site in the Judean wilderness, the Monastery of Mar Saba. Sadly, the racism and mistrust and violence in this region overshadowed the area's historic, stunning beauty. Israel's security forces took an extra interest in me for reasons that likely stemmed from a mis-perception I was a human rights activist or journalist. Here is a near verbatim record of one of the many interviews I had, when others around me -- notably those of the Jewish faith -- were not questioned. In the story, the names of those interviewed have been changed. (Both files linked above require Adobe Acrobat Reader to read.).
 

• I have met the enemy, and they are my friends: A short journey in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam: In November and December 2003, I visited a country whose recent history has been entirely defined by conflict, internally, with the United States, and with its neighbors. Read why Vietnam is moving on well beyond its violent past and why it is currently among the most enjoyable nations to visit, even for former enemies of the communist regime. (The file linked above requires Adobe Acrobat Reader to read.)
 

• An Armenian journey: This story, first written in November 2001, focusses on my journey through Turkey in October 2001 to document sites linked to the genocide of the Armenian people by the Ottoman Turks from 1914 to 1922. Nearly 1.5 million civilians were slaughtered in the first documented case of genocide in the 20th century. A comprehensive list of my archive is available upon request.
 

• A trip to the camps: This story, written in August 2000, highlights my trip in the summer of 2000 to 22 Nazi concentration and death camps and Holocaust sites in Europe. Links to a comprehensive photo feature of original images taken during that trip are included. What you find may shock and surprise you.
 

• The slog in the bog: Sisimiut to Kangerlussuaq: This story was written in July 1998 and published on my web page in September 1998. Read about relentless attacks of mosquitos and 24 hours of daylight in the Greenland wilderness between these two communities on west Greenland.
 

• Back to basics in wild Greenland: This story was written in August 1998 and published on my web page in September 1998. Learn about how Greenlanders spend their time fishing and seal hunting in the fjords of stunningly beautiful west Greenland.
 

• A warm dip in a cold Icelandic rain: This story was written in August 1998 and published on my web page in September 1998. If you know nothing about Iceland, you'll learn a lot here. I cover everything from geothermal-heated swimming pools to its lush though sterile green countryside to the lucrative horse meat trade Icelanders may not quickly tell you about.
 

• Fear and loathing on the Mzungu trail: This piece was written in July 1997 and published on my web page in April 1998. Take a look at the weird, white world of western tourists on African safaris.
 

• Indians of East Africa: A story written in July 1997 and published on my web page in April 1998. My experiences meeting countless ethnic "Mhindi" of Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, and Zanzibar in Africa in the summer of 1997 became the basis for this travelogue.