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Geography of Heaven: Kawakarpo Diaries
October 28: The Scent of Burning Juniper
January 19, 2006 The village fades into the distance below us but smoke from the houses still fills the air with the delightful smell of sweet burning juniper branches. Every morning, the head of each household rises before dawn and burns the juniper and prays for help from the mountain god.
Geography of Heaven: Kawakarpo Diaries
October 26: Personal Space, Private Lives
January 19, 2006 It never fails, whenever we camp, that any number of Tibetans young or old will walk up to our campsite, move alongside or in front of you and just... watch.
Geography of Heaven: Kawakarpo Diaries
October 24-25: Shards of the Cultural Revolution
January 19, 2006 Perhaps this is the personal transformation that I will experience — a transformation from respect for the spiritual commitment of the pilgrims to respect for the mountain deity, Kawakarpo.
Geography of Heaven: Kawakarpo Diaries
October 16: Crossing the Langtsa Bridge
January 19, 2006 Our five horsemen and cook quickly load our seven pack animals with enough food and fuel to see us through 20 days of mountain trekking. We say goodbye to our driver, his wife and the last motorized transportation we will see until our pilgrimage is completed.
Geography of Heaven: Kawakarpo Diaries
October 20: Down from Dokarla Pass
January 19, 2006 We will rest here tonight following our daunting trek over the Dokarla pass. Despite the early morning rain, our trek out of Yudrathang and the vertigo-producing ascent up to the Dokarla pass, we arrive here four hours ahead of schedule.
Geography of Heaven: Kawakarpo Diaries
October 11: The Laws of Disappearing Legroom
January 19, 2006 O'Hare to Beijing, Beijing to Kunming, Kunming to Gyalthang... during each step of my journey, the legroom on the plane grows smaller and smaller. Apparently, I need some spiritual cleansing.
Geography of Heaven: Kawakarpo Diaries
October 18: An Injured Yak's Cosmic Fate
January 19, 2006 A yak bull passes us, heading downward towards a village. The yak is limping and its right front leg appears to be broken. I wonder what fate might await him when he returns home...
Geography of Heaven: Kawakarpo Diaries
October 15: Some Unexpected Passengers
January 19, 2006 After a visit to Ringha Temple, we drive toward the old trading town of Deqin. I've had no sleep, I'm coming down with a cold — sore throat, stuffy nose, upset stomach — and I'm wondering what I got myself into.
Interviews: Norman Vaughan, Explorer
December 19, 2005 Adventurer Norman Vaughn, the last surviving member of Admiral Richard Byrd's 1928 expedition to the South Pole, turns 100 years old Monday. Heart surgery and age hasn't deterred him from planning his next adventure, back to Antarctica.
Tonle Sap: The Flowing Heart of Cambodia
December 6, 2005 Much of Cambodia's psyche is connected to water — the Water Festival is a national holiday — and fish supplies as much as 70 percent of the protein in the nation's diet. But there are fears the world's most productive fishery may be on the decline.
Interviews: Uncovering a Mayan Massacre
November 17, 2005 Deep in the jungle of Guatemala, archeologists have uncovered the site of an ancient massacre of Maya nobles. The discovery provides a snapshot of the Maya civilization as it began to collapse.
Geography of Heaven: Vrindavan
The Embodiment of Earthly Divinity
November 2, 2005 The focus of many worshippers in Vrindavan is the Sri Radha Raman Temple, where a black stone statue of Krishna sits enshrined and wrapped in saffron robes. Many consider the small stone statue to be Krishna himself.
Geography of Heaven: Vrindavan
Pilgrims on the Path of Krishna
November 1, 2005 Framed by the stones of ancient temples and bathing pools, marching Hindu pilgrims chant praise to Krishna and his consort, Radha. They touch the holy water of the Yamuna River and walk barefoot down the same paths they believe Krishna himself once trod.
Geography of Heaven: Vrindavan
The Streets of a Holy Hindu City
October 31, 2005 Reminders of the Hindu faith are everywhere in Vrindavan — countless temples line the streets and pilgrims march in devotion. There is also stark, third-world poverty and suffering. But for the faithful, the city is a manifestation of heaven, here on Earth.
Healing Katrina's Damage to 'Liquid Louisiana'
September 23, 2005 The vast marshes of the Mississippi Delta that help protect New Orleans from hurricane storm surges have been weakened by ship channels and flood controls. But some say both the city's shipping port and the marshland can be saved, if it's done right.
