Moses Dreams of Reversing Jewish Exodus in Burma
Posted on 25. Jun, 2010 by Paul Sochaczewski in Articles, Curious Travel
Caretaker of Rangoon’s only synagogue dares to dream. Will his children go forth and multiply? RANGOON, Burma “Ah, you want to see Moses Samuels,” says R., the front desk manager at a Rangoon guest house. “He’s an old school friend. He’s a Jew and I’m a Moslem, but we all got along just fine. Give […]
Read MoreSearching for Orwell
Posted on 25. Jun, 2010 by Paul Sochaczewski in Articles, Curious Travel
A backwater town in Upper Burma was the site for Orwell’s Burmese Days, a book that takes no prisoners KATHA, Burma There are worse travel strategies than to visit places with evocative names. There’s Timbuktu, Congo and Okavango in Africa; and Salvador de Bahia, Darien and Patagonia in Latin America, names which purr with history […]
Read MoreBurma’s Generals Hope White Elephants Provide Jumbo Support
Posted on 25. Jun, 2010 by Paul Sochaczewski in Articles, Curious Travel
Burma’s Generals Hope White Elephants Provide Jumbo Support Trying to restore some of the good vibes that come with rare pale pachyderms RANGOON, Burma Most new national capitals feature monumental architecture, statues to independence heroes, broad boulevards, cultural centers and shopping malls. Burma’s new, deliberately-isolated and rarely-visited capital, Naypyidaw (which means “royal capital” in Burmese), […]
Read MoreThe Skies are Alive in Lanka
Posted on 30. May, 2010 by Paul Sochaczewski in Curious Travel
Sri Lanka is Ground Zero for hard-to-explain aerial phenomena ANGULLUGAHA, Galle, Sri Lanka I was swimming, just after sunset one night, with my friends Dhanapala and his daughter Vidhisha. One of us, I forget who, pointed to the clear sky and said: “Is that a plane?” No, it seemed, it wasn’t. Nor were about ten […]
Read MoreMona Lisa On My Mind
Posted on 30. Mar, 2010 by Paul Sochaczewski in Curious Travel
Vietnamese artists search for that enigmatic smile HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam ______________ She has many identities and genders. She was kidnapped, maybe by Picasso. She lived in the Palace of Versailles. She spent time in Bonaparte’s bedroom. Nat King Cole, Cole Porter, Santana, Bob Dylan and Britney Spears sang about her. She appeared, twice, […]
Read MoreInto the Frying Pan
Posted on 20. May, 2008 by Paul Sochaczewski in Curious Travel
Vietnam’s street kids learn the restaurant business HANOI, Vietnam “Postcards, mister?” I explained to the teen-aged boy outside a luxury hotel in Hanoi that I didn’t need any more postcards. “Please mister.” So I bought a few more postcards, hoping my dollar would buy the young man a meal or two. Officially there are some […]
Read MoreWhen Too Much of a Good Thing Can Be Way Too Much
Posted on 30. Aug, 2007 by Paul Sochaczewski in Curious Travel
BULAWAYO, Zimbabwe While the world has been focusing on the horrors of AIDS in Africa, a bit of medical good news has burst forth from Africa. Zimbabwe traditional healer George Moyo has become a media star by selling vuka-vuka, a concoction of plants that he claims are a powerful aphrodisiac. Vuka-vuka (pronounced VOO-ka VOO-ka), which […]
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