Khadija and I are resting home in NYC after taking fourteen flights in Asia, over six weeks and visiting six countries. We call this our “B & T” trip, because every destination started with one of those two letters: Bhutan, Bangkok, Brunei, Bali, Timor-Leste and Taiwan.

Bhutan, Brunei, Indonesia (where Bali is located) and Timor-Leste were new UN countries for us. This trip brought the number of UN countries visited to 150 for me and 148 for Khadija. Taiwan is not a UN member, because of the political forces of the world today, there is just one China in the UN. However, it’s a country in every meaning of the word and an amazingly successful one.

BHUTAN:

All countries are unique but that adjective certainly applies to Bhutan. The mountainous country between India and China is the world’s only carbon-neutral country and it’s without air pollution, litter and even traffic lights. Without question, Bhutan’s most iconic location and image is Tiger’s Nest, perched on the side of a sheer cliff.

The moderately difficult, roundtrip hike is 6.4 km / 4 mi, starting at an altitude of 2,600 m / 8,500 ft and cresting at 3,100 m / 10,200 ft. It was incredibly built employing 17th century technology, mainly the raw power of humans and pack animals.

The temple is located where the 8th-century Guru Rinpoche flew from Tibet to Bhutan on the back of his wife who transformed into a tigress. He slayed many demons on the way and then meditated for 3 years, 3 months, 3 days and 3 hours in the cave the temple is built on.

Bhutan is also the most Buddhist country in the world, following the Vajrayana branch along with Tibet, Nepal and Mongolia.

Buddhism has a profound influence on Bhutanese life, from the way people live to the country's cultural and traditional customs. Everywhere symbols and structures are used to promote Buddhism, including prayer walls, prayer flags, temples and stupas.

BRUNEI:

Brunei’s official name is Negara Brunei Darussalam, which translates from Malay to "The Nation of Brunei, the Abode of Peace". It’s a small, oil and gas-rich sultanate located on the island of Borneo, along with parts of Malaysia and Indonesia. Unlike many other similarly endowed nations, the natural resource wealth is not confined to a small elite. The citizens, about three-quarters of the 450,000 population, enjoy free healthcare and education, roughly 50% subsidized gas and substantial assistance in purchasing homes. Brunei is the only Southeast Asian country that has few motorbikes, as most residents have their own cars.

We took a motorboat through Kampung Ayer, a water village in the capital Bandar Seri Begawan.

With a population around 10,000, it has its own police, fire department, sanitation and even a gas station for boats. Historically nicknamed "Venice of the East", it reminded me more of the houses on stilts in Inle Lake, Myanmar.

BANGKOK:

In the capital of Thailand, one the most visited cities in the world, we attended the second Extraordinary Travel Festival. Over 200 extreme travelers and those interested in international travel gathered to hear spectacular presentations on imaginative and sometimes harrowing travel adventures.

Our good friend Ric Gazarian is the founder of the event and the creator of the Counting Countries podcast.

We traveled with him in Sudan in 2023, just before a civil war broke out between two major rival factions of the military government.

UPCOMING TRIPS:

In January, I’m traveling to Prayagraj, India for the Kumbh Mela, widely regarded as the world's largest religious gathering for 45 days with over 100 million attendees. I was there for two weeks in 2019 and photographed extensively. For my ten days, I plan to add to my collection and publish a photobook on the event. Afterwards, Khadija will meet me in Bangladesh, a new country for both of us.

RECENT POST:

Read about our experience in Azerbaijan. The attractions of Azerbaijan range from cutting edge architecture in the capital of Baku to Zoroastrian temples; from mountain villages known for its coppersmiths to an area with thousands of petroglyphs and fields of percolating mudholes. We uncovered something new and engrossing every day of traveling through the country .

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!

RECENT BOOKS​:

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee (512 pages, 2017) is a fictional description of a Korean family living in Japan and the discrimination they endure even though they had been there for four generations. As a result, many Koreans in the book and in real life end up working in parlors for pachinko, a combination of a vertical pinball machine and a slot machine. This sweeping saga has been made into a series on Apple TV+.

SOCIALS:

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

FB: @Ed.Hotchkiss.3 and @Exploring Ed Travel | IG: @Exploring.Ed.Travel​

DONATE:

Many international journalists are dedicated to reporting the news accurately, including revealing government corruption and incompetency, explaining the plight of victims of natural disasters and interpreting armed conflicts and outright wars. However, they are exceedingly at great risk and periodically some are detained, tortured, vanished and worse. According to the UN, “since 1993, more than 1,700 journalists have been killed for reporting the news and bringing information to the public”. It’s important to support them to help ensure that citizens know the truth about their governments to hold them accountable and protect human rights.

Here are three organizations that focus on protecting journalists. I just contributed to all of them and urge you to also support them.

​The Committee to Protect Journalists is an independent, nonprofit organization that promotes press freedom worldwide and defends the right of journalists to report the news safely and without fear of reprisal.

​The GroundTruth Project’s mission is to serve under-covered communities by supporting the next generation of journalists to do on-the-ground reporting and to advance sustainability, innovation and equity in journalism worldwide.

​Reporters Without Borders defends the right of every human being to have access to free and reliable information. This right is essential to know, understand, form an opinion and take action on vital issues in full awareness, both individually and collectively.

Happy Traveling and Happy Happy New Year🎆… Exploring Ed