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March 2024 Newsletter​
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Khadija and I spent February in three countries, two on either side of the Red Sea and one in the Alps.

First, we traveled to Eritrea which became a country in 1991 after a 30-year war of independence with Ethiopia. This was UN country #137 for me but Khadija had been there once before in the 1990s for work. The capital, Asmara, could be one of the world's most beautiful and livable cities with its wide streets and ubiquitous cafes serving excellent espresso. However, since its independence, it has had challenges with little internet access, frequent electrical outages, and one-man authoritarian rule. The occupying Italians executed their urban plan in phases between 1893 and 1941 and made it what it is today. The city is known for art deco buildings but has many other early 20th-century styles including rationalism, futurism, and cubism, as well as neoclassical, Victorian, and Byzantine in the mix. Pictured is the Fiat Tagliero Building, a Futurist-style service station.
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Next, we visited Saudi Arabia but had to fly through Cairo to reach it. This was UN country #138 for me and Khadija had been there briefly once. In April 2016, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, de facto ruler, introduced Vision 2030, a strategy to make a more diversified economy. As a result, the country has opened to tourism.

In the center of Medina, Islam’s second holiest city, is the Haram (Islamic holy site of very high sanctity) surrounded by plazas and many hotels. It has 10 high minarets and 250 giant umbrellas protecting worshipers from the heat of the sun and slippery floors when raining. Most visit Medina after completing Hajj (held once a year) or Umrah (anytime) pilgrimages in Mecca. They usually come in organized groups to make it affordable.

We stopped in Zurich to break up the long trip home and visited nearby Liechtenstein, which is in the Alps, bordered by Austria and Switzerland and with the Rhine River as the entire western border. This is a new country for Khadija (#135). I had been here once, driving through and stopping for a snack and gas and remembering nothing else. While I’ve been counting it, in retrospect I felt it didn’t qualify in the spirit of meaningful travel, so I was happy to return.

Liechtenstein is the sixth smallest country in the world (about 8% the size of Rhode Island) and has a population of about 40,000. It’s one of four German-speaking countries (with Austria, Germany & Switzerland). Depending on where you draw the line between hill and mountain, Liechtenstein is 2/3 to 3/4 mountainous and full of hiking paths of varying levels of difficulty.

RECENT POSTS ON EXPLORINGED.COM:

​Armenia – Resilient Culture & Outstanding Landscapes​

Check out my latest post about our trip to Armenia! Khadija and I traveled there for the Extraordinary Travel Festival and had an incredible time on a NomadMania tour with other extreme travelers. Armenia was the first Christian nation and has remained so even after the spread of Islam and other religions around it. Armenia is full of attractions, from neolithic observatories to Soviet monuments. One of my biggest highlights was the over thousand-year-old monasteries (church complexes) throughout the country such as Noravank.

UPCOMING TRIP

In April we will be traveling to three of the ten islands of Cape (Cabo) Verde, the archipelago of Guinea Bissau, the Casamance area of Senegal south of the Gambia, and northern Algeria. We will be using Dakar, the capital of Senegal as our airport hub.

PHOTOGRAPHY:

My beautifully printed black and white “Station to Station: Exploring the New York City Subway” coffee table book is still available. Click here or email me for a signed copy, not available anywhere else!

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RECENT BOOKS

I just finished “The Places in Between” by Rory Stewart. It’s a harrowing narrative of an adventurous or foolhardy walk across Afghanistan in 2022, just after the American army had started occupying it. Stewart's travels follow those of Babur, the first Emperor of Mughal India, from Herat to Kabul. Stewart met many tribal elders and Taliban commanders but few local women and at times trekked in mountainous snow drifts over 10 ft / 3 m high. If you’re interested in adventure travel, I highly recommend checking it out!
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SOCIALS:

My website www.ExploringEd.com with detailed posts on our trips.

FB: @Exploring Ed Travel and @Ed.Hotchkiss.3

IG: @Exploring.Ed.Travel
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The International Rescue Committee provides safe water, medical supplies, emergency food, and other crucial humanitarian aid to those suffering from disease, malnutrition, and starvation. It works with local Gaza partners to deliver aid to displaced families.

​Save the Children is working around the clock to deliver critical aid to children living in the hardest-to-reach places including Gaza. Their programs and partners have helped over 100 million children in 116 countries become healthier, safer, and better educated.

​United Hands Relief works toward alleviating and immediately responding to the sufferings of others around the globe, regardless of nationality, race, religion, or social status. In Gaza, it’s providing warm meals, hygiene kits, clean water, and emergency food parcels.
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Happy Traveling… Exploring Ed

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