the world according to bergwerk - the world according to bergwerk

^{Canada/Tunisia}
An unlikely pairing

here

^{Oceania Wrap Up}
The Carolines: Palau + Yap

here

^{The Dark Continent}
3 more: Nigeria, Liberia, & Central African Republic

here

^{The Heart of Africa}
6 countries, 3 new, 1 almost

here

^{Straggler Captured}
East Timor +

here

^Oceania
Five more in the bag

here

^{Greenland Album}

here

^{Sheikh Djibouti}
Another dose of Africa.

here

^{(More) West Africa}
Mopping up the Map

here

^{Indian Ocean Idyll}
A shallow dive.

here

^{Tales of the South Pacific}
A lot of islands to cover. This is the first batch.

here

^{Mismatched Bookends}
Two very different trips, back to back.

here

^{Fall Roundup}
Trans-Caucasus and Arabian Fringe

Part I: Azerbaijan + Georgia      here
Part II: Armenia      here
Part III: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman + Qatar      here

^{Africa: three more}
Gabon, Republic of Congo, Angola

     here

^{Key to the Kingdom}
Saudi Arabia

     here

^{True North}
Murmansk in Winter

here

^{Please, the "g" is Soft!}
Niger + Burkina Faso

     here

^{Quarantine Escape!}
Russia: North Caucasus

     here

^{Come to the Casbah}
Algeria

     here

^Cameroon
Who's that white guy?

     here

^{Going Native}
Papua New Guinea

     here

^Russia
North and South

Part I — Volga      here

Part II — Arctic      here


^{Jesuit ruins and Nazi hideouts}
A quick visit to seldom-visited Paraguay
here

^{Two more garden spots}
One, off the beaten path and the other, really off the beaten path. Both highly interesting.

Sudan      here


Libya      here

^{Looking for Borat}
From the sunny shores of the Atomic Lake to the Jedi Council chambers high atop the Crystal Pyramid, a return visit to Kazakhstan.     here

^{Horn of Africa}
There's more than Ethiopia. Two little-visited countries celebrating a quarter century of independence — one recognized, one not.



Part I — Somaliland      here

Part II — Eritrea      here

^{Filling the Map: West Africa edition}



Four former colonies, four different cultures, four more countries, one trip
Part I — Ghana, Togo, and Benin      here

Part II — Sáo Tomé and Príncipe      here

^{Two more doses of India}


Two more trips: new places on the rim of the Himalayas; and a return to some old favorites


Kashmir, Ladakh, and Sikkim      here

tourist special: Rajasthan & the deep South      here

^{Asia Compleated}



There are two countries left in Asia that I have yet to visit. With this trip, it's a wrap. Have I saved the best for last? You be the judge
Part I — Bangladesh      here

Part II — Tajikistan      here

^{Countdown to Ziro}



A return engagement to Nagaland and onwards to Arunachal Pradesh      here

^{Visit Sunny Kabul!}



If you've had a hankering to visit Afghanistan but just can't seem to find the time, I've done the hard work for you (and had all the fun).      here

^{Pakistan, part II}



It was so much fun that I'm back for more: North to Hunza (the real Shangri-la), the exotic Kalash, and spectacular mountain scenery (and rugged mountain roads) throughout.      here

^Nagaland



It's the “N” place to be: India as you never imagined.      here

^{Destination: Iraq}



Beat the crowds and join me on a trip to The Garden of Eden      here

^Pakistan

An overlooked but fascinating portion of imperial India      here

^{Again, and More #2:}


Giving the Philippines another try, and a return to Vietnam      here

^{Chile: the middle way}

After trips to the North and South, this time I do Central Chile      here

^{Cyprus: après moi, le déluge}

A quick visit just weeks before the financial collapse      here

^{Northeast Passage}

A visit to the overlooked corner of the South American continent      here

^{The End of China}

The Middle Silk Road.      here

^{It's a twin spin Summer!

♪ Hot Time, Summer in the Gulag

b/w

Back in the U.S.S.R. ♫}



Siberia & Belarus      here

^{Again, and More}



Vietnam, Indonesia, China      here

Tumen Trifecta

from northeast China, over the border into North Korea, then across the frontier into Russia -- a pioneer trip to seldom-visited parts of three countries. the report is here

^Indonesia

A hop around four very different islands.      here

^{Another double-header}

Turkmenistan: once a wild portion of the Silk Road, then a Soviet backwater, later dominated by a meglomanical leader, and still one of the wierder places in the world. It's Pyongyang meets Las Vegas, and irresistable.      here

Since I'm in the neighborhood, I take another dose of India. This time the Punjab and Rajasthan. Temples, forts and palaces:      here

^Balkanized

a romp through Albania, Greece, and the detritus of the former Yugoslavia

here

^{Indian Medley} ^{(with Bhutan Intermezzo)}

Tribal India, Remnants of the Raj, Goa, and the Last Himalayan Kingdom

here

Big Mountains and Big Heads
northern Chile, a bit of Argentina, and Easter Island
here

You want to visit Arabia?
Yea-man!
What's it like?
Oh-man!

Yemen, on the southern rim of the Arabian peninsula, is a land caught in time. Next door is Oman, rapidly advancing from the 16th century. At the vanguard is Dubai and the emirates, firmly in the future. My trip report is here

Two trips in one!

I travel to the furthest reaches of western China and on into the 'stans, then back to the far east and the ultimate hermit kingdom, North Korea.

The reports:
Chinastan     North Korea

To view reports on earlier trips, please use the links on the right.