A day in the life of one president
****An exclusive interview with the former President of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, His Excellency Dr José Ramos-Horta. The telephone rang once in room number 3404 of New York’s Grand Hyatt. “Alo,” answered a man in a low, deep voice. Silence. Nervous in my bones, I asked, “How should I address you? ‘Your Majesty’… ‘Your...
Navigating the Earth
Seamen from the Pacific practiced with some of the most primitive orientation tools to trace their voyages from one island to the next. Sailors in carved wooden canoes relied on the latitude hook consisted of two bamboo pieces; one of them was split, with a hook at the end. The other, a pointer was a...
On Location: Chernobyl, Ukraine
The city of Chernobyl is colorful in spite of dreadful weather and contamination. The bricks, dusted with cayenne peppers, dress the long narrow roads that for years have been poisoned. A memorial in honor of the first response firefighters remains tainted but is nonetheless decorated with fresh, colorful laurels. But the birch trees appear in...
On Location: New Orleans, Louisiana
If any bird can withstand torrential rains it’s the Black Hawk. During a tropical gulf storm—the meteorological definition of a tropical depression—that wet New Orleans three months ago for several days, the Louisiana Army National Guard awakened an enthusiastic parade of UH-60 Black Hawks. The military helicopters flew in one or two pairs, side by side,...
Off Location: Tijuana, Mexico
In the Mexican city of Tijuana, a hedonist haven soaked in lyrical and sexual debauchery, tequila is plentiful. But it is Mariachi music and dance that elevates the soul of Mexico and its people. At Avenida Revolucion, the main artery of downtown Tijuna, three hatless musicians in silver studded Charro jackets bathe in sunshine. As...
On Location: Faraya-Mzaar, Lebanon
Close to two thousand five hundred meters high in Mount Lebanon emerges a modest ski resort, offering a clash of cultures and trends one might never expect. Faraya-Mzaar-Kfardebian is an uncommon ski resort. Spanning eighty kilometers across its many peaks, marked by iron crosses, Faraya offers a panoramic view of Beirut and the Mediterranean Sea....
On Location: Beirut, Lebanon
Part I: Welcome to Beirut I was not supposed to be there. Yet I took a seat, opened my notepad, and pretended to write. Everyone shifted their focus on me: the new girl in a pretty dress. Abashed by their frowns, I retreated to a chair at the back of the room, and remained reluctant...
Off Location: Licata, Italy
Nestled above Licata’s softly abraded hills that sweep down into waves of the Mediterranean sea, is Sant’Angelo Castle. Teeming with undisturbed fauna and flora, the baroque fortress is the artichoke—heart—of Sicilian province of Agrigento. Constructed in 1615, by commanding general Hernando de Petigno under the orders of the Borboni Dynasty, the fort defended its Sicilian...
On Location: Oban, Scotland
Sequencing flat hills outside of Edinburgh, slipping in and out of cloud shadows, paint a pleasant postcard of the Scottish countryside. As fog and rain rob the blazing sun, only darkening shades of green, I wonder if all that I have left are steeples roads serving as my true markers. The roads insist on turning...
On Location: Bahia, Brazil
Chunks of mamão, swim in the palms of my hands. The orange fruit is shaped as an eggplant, and grows in tropical countries like Brazil. Lulling in a bamboo tweeted chair, I study the fruit, and wave a greeting to purple-skinned Afro-Brazilians pushing agua coco stands along Baracao beach. Their loads are full in preparation...
On Location: Sahara Desert, Morocco
Beyond streaks of blue snow running along Morocco’s Atlas Mountains, orange sand dunes ruffle the flat surface of the Sahara Desert once visited by my father. Translating to “surreal marvel,” the Sahara is the largest desert in the world, dressing three-and-half million square miles of our planet. An army of Berber nomads, the desert’s oldest...
