Lalish, Iraq — Holy Temple of the Yazidis

October 16, 20252025, Iraq, KurdistanIraq, Kurdistan, Lalesh, Lalish, pilgramage, Sheikh Adi, Sinjar, temple, travel, Yazidiklmalcolm2014 View all 13 comments

Not many people know about the Yazidis — an ancient tribe of Mesopotamia with beliefs and traditions that are part Muslim, part Christian, and a lot their own. I met a few Yazidis when I was in Greece during 2015 when thousands of people were fleeing to Europe from wars in the Middle East. At the time, many Yazidis were escaping persecution by ISIS. I recently visited their most important holy place — Lalish Temple — in northern Kurdistan. Lalish is only a two hour drive from Erbil but, in some ways, it feels like a million miles from anywhere.

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Kurdistan, Iraq

October 10, 20252025, Iraq, KurdistanAlqosh, Ankawa, Assyrian, Baghdad, Erbil, Federal Iraq, Iraq, ISIS, Kurdistan, Mesopotamia, Middle East, Mosul, politics, Sunni, travelklmalcolm2014 View all 18 comments

Last week, I went to Kurdistan in Iraq. I’ve wanted to visit Kurdistan because the Kurds I met in Greece when I was working with refugees in 2015 were such motivated, kind people. And the Kurdish women had a strong sense of empowerment.

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The Tana Toraja — Life and Death in Sulawesi

September 14, 20252025, IndonesiaAluk To Dolo, death rituals, funerals, Indonesia, Makassar, Rentepao, Sulawesi, Tana Toraja, Toraja, travelklmalcolm2014 View all 10 comments

You might love this report or hate it, depending on your tolerance for morbid. Either way, you will probably find the Tana Toraja fascinating. About 600,000 of them live in Southern Sulawesi. Their community is close-knit, agricultural, and friendly. I recently visited them because I wanted to understand their very unusual traditions involving the dead.

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Santorini and Crete

April 22, 20252025, GreeceAegean, Chania, Crete, Cyclades, Greece, Herklion, Oia, Santorini, Theraklmalcolm2014 View all 12 comments

A few years ago, I asked a Greek acquaintance how things were going in Greece in light of its struggling the economy. She said, “We’re fine. We have our islands. They are like family.” I think I understand this. Last week, my San Miguel BFF, Suzen, and I took the ferry to the Greek islands of Santorini and Crete. They were magic and, in different ways, they felt like family.

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Serbia’s Complicated Story

April 3, 20252025, SerbiaBalkans, Belgrade, Democracy, demonstrations, Serbia, Tito, Yugoslaviaklmalcolm2014 View all 10 comments

*Unidentified graphic in Serbia’s National Museum of History.*

For the past week, I’ve been in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. The city has great museums, a million trees, parks, walkable neighborhoods, and gorgeous old churches. This part of the Balkan Peninsula also has an almost unimaginably complicated political history. Until 2003, Serbia was Yugoslavia, which is now six independent states — Serbia, Slovenia, Croatia, North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro. Depending on your politics, Kosovo is either an independent nation, or part of Serbia (most of the world says it’s part of Serbia). This is not the most complicated part of the history of this part of the Balkans.

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Belgrade’s Art Surprises

March 30, 20252025, art, Serbiaart, Banksy, Belgrade, Bolsilj, Einstein, Europe, Maric, Mileva, museums, Novi Sad, Paris Hilton, Serbia, travelklmalcolm2014 View all 26 comments

I’m in Belgrade, Serbia, this week and I love it. But instead of telling you more about Serbia right now, I’m going to tell you about some of the art in Belgrade and wait on the other stuff. I have my reasons. Anyway, one of the things I love about Belgrade is how art is seems to be quietly everywhere. On my first day in the city, I knew I was going to have a good art adventure because the first thing I saw leaving my hotel was a 4 year old who stood enraptured by a talented singer in the plaza. The rest of the art I saw in Belgrade was partly planned, but the best of it was, like the little girl and the singer, by chance.

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Wherefore Art Thou Romania

March 25, 20252025, RomaniaBran Castle, Brasov, Bucharest, Ceausescu, Dracula, Memorial to Rebirth, Moxy Hotel, Romaniaklmalcolm2014 View all 19 comments

In my travels, I find large and small wonders almost everywhere. But, um, Romania isn’t doing it for me, although I guess it should. The capital, Bucharest, is full of beautiful historic buildings. Its Old Town is gorgeous and lively, with a lot of young people hanging out at cafes and bars. And the Romanian countryside is spectacular, with forests and mountains and charming villages. But….

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Transnistria, Even More Unexpected

March 16, 20252025, Moldovagargarin, Moldova, Pridnistrovie, Russia, Trandnistria, travelklmalcolm2014 View all 10 comments

Yesterday, I visited Transnistria, a country in the middle of Moldova. At least, it acts like a country. It has a border patrol, a military, a government bureaucracy, and currency. It calls itself a country. And actually, it no longer calls itself “Transnistria” because its leader directed residents to use its Russian name, “Pridnistrovie.” This is one of the most complicated cases of national identity I’ve ever heard of, or actually never heard of.

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Camino Milagro

Now you know where I am…

Lalish, Iraq — Holy Temple of the Yazidis

Kurdistan, Iraq

The Tana Toraja — Life and Death in Sulawesi

Santorini and Crete

Serbia’s Complicated Story

Belgrade’s Art Surprises

Wherefore Art Thou Romania

Transnistria, Even More Unexpected