Treking in the Pamir Mountains of Tajikistan

Today’s post is by Joan Torres, who is writing about the Pamir Mountains of Tajikistan. I was in Tajikistan in 2016 but I didn’t make it to the Pamir Mountains. I know several people who have visited, and from everything I’ve heard, it is an amazing place. At almost 5,000 meters (16400 feet) above sea …

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The History of Passports

The History of Passports

Podcast Transcript Most people in the world are required to have a passport when they travel internationally.  Today, there is an international regime covering how passports are to be issued and honored between countries.  However, in the past, the system was much more informal, and if you go back far enough, there was no system …

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Alexander the Great

Alexander the Great

Podcast Transcript In the year 356 BC, a son was born to the King of Macedon, Philip II, and his wife, Queen Olympias. While no one could have known it at the time, that boy would grow up to fundamentally change the map of the ancient world. Multiple ancient kingdoms and empires would fall to …

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The Silk Road

The Silk Road

Podcast Transcript Despite having very different cultures and being separated by thousands of kilometers, Asia and Europe have been connected for thousands of years.  Through a series of overland and sea trade routes, goods, ideas, and people were able to move from east to west and vice versa.  These routes were responsible for some of …

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The Aral Sea

The Aral Sea

Podcast Transcript At the start of the 20th century, the world’s third-largest lake was located in Central Asia. It had been known to the people of the Asian steppes for thousands of years.  However, by the end of the 20th century, the lake had all but disappeared.  Somehow, over the course of a century, one …

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Tulipmania!

Tulipmania

Transcript In the 17th century, the Netherlands was struck by the world’s first investment bubble. They weren’t investing in stocks or bonds or real estate. They were investing in…..tulip bulbs.  Tulip bulbs became a mania and even common people were spending money on tulips. The price of some tulip bulbs rose so high that at …

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The Latin Alphabet

The Latin Alphabet

Transcript The Latin Alphabet has become the most widespread system of writing in the world. Its origins can be traced back thousands of years to Ancient Romans and to civilizations before that. It is probably the single biggest thing that we use today which originated in Rome. Today’s English alphabet, you know that one from …

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Electrical Outlets Around the World

For anyone who travels abroad on a frequent basis, a knowledge on the electrical outlets around the world can save your life. You will be able to determine if you need an adapter or power plug to bring with you on the said trip based on your intended destination/s. This guide will provide a one-stop-shop …

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