The Transcendental Tourist
Sacred circus.
After the Avalanche
“First came the earthquake.”
Skeleton Coast
Ships beyond counting.
Lew’s Place
The only place to be.
Springtime in Beirut
Dancing on the edge in Beirut.
A War-Scattered Family
“A War-Scattered Family.”
One Small Corner
SLIDESHOW | An uninhabited island in the East River.
The Turtle Shell and the Eternal Womb
Elsewhere | Secrets of life.
Their Necessary Stories
Expert Opinion | Writing toward truth.
April in Iraq
Elsewhere | Measuring the distance since Saddam’s fall.
The King’s Gift
Elsewhere | A birthday party better than you’ll ever have.
The Road to Chintheche
Making a difference in Malawi starts with getting there.
Home Free
Reflections on nine years without a fixed address.
Age of Steam and Turmoil
The history of Paraguay in a wood-powered locomotive.
The Man Who Killed French Culture
How to lose friends, alienate people, and wind up getting bear hugs.
Driving Up The Dalton
A road lover celebrates his 80th year on the most distant patch of gravel he can find.
Country of Illusions
On Louis Kahn’s trail in Estonia, teasing out the facts from the fairy tale.
Peaceful Partition
On the ground in Sudan, the week it was split in two.
After the Earthquake
Three memories of Haiti.
Old Friends
Two chance meetings, 70 years apart.
The Scene of my Defection
Revisiting the great Indian city where, 30 years ago, I came out of the Soviet cocoon.
Across the Great Divide
Hiking over the hump of the continent, and something else.
Girls Gone Wild
A misadventure in the Peruvian Andes reveals the perils of innocence.
Among the Asylum Seekers
“Refugees arrive at our offices early. Often a line starts forming by 5:30 a.m.”