dispatches from here

This was possibly not the most auspicous start to a long trip through the Jordanian desert. Before heading out, we borrowed some water from the camel trough to top off the radiator. Not the frayed steel wires holding the radiator in place and the singed cardboard covering the car's battery terminals.

The natural landscape would be breathtaking, if it weren't so desperately intimidating.

Wadi Rum is a huge gorgeous red desert in Jordan. The soft red sand dunes are literred with huge rock formations infringing upon the horizon.

Wadi Rum looks like the surface of Mars. Sand and rocks and harsh mountains with little else.

Heading into the Wadi Rum desert in Jordan. The bedouins in have traded in their camels for dilapidated but functional Land Cruisers. They break down but are easy to fix; held together with string and tape.

Some of the bedouins continue to live in tents in the desert, pitched at the feet of mountains that provide shade and wind protection.

We interrupted our long day of offroading in Wadi Rum to stop at a bedouin tent in the middle of the desert for a tea break. Warm and welcoming despite the weathered appearance.

Deep soft red sands drifting between the cliffs.

We collect scrap branches in the desert and build a fire in the hot shade. Despite the searing temperature its still tea time in the Jordanian desert.

Stuck in sand. Time to unload and dig push push sweat sweat dig dig push sweat

Buzzing across the desert in Wadi Rum Jordan in a dilapidated Toyota. There were many times I didn't think we would make it across.

The roof provides the only shade for miles.

Wadi Rum, Jordan

Beautiful rock formations stud the deep red desert. Our attempt to cross it was met with a few hiccups as our 4x4 kept overheating.

The desert feels to stretch forever, and we're far from camp as the sun hurries to set.

Gorgeous sand dunes shift across the desert in Wadi Rum.

Flat tire #1. Lets hope its the last, as we only have one spare.

Crossing desert rocks and sand isnt easy on the cars. It doesnt help that they're 40 years old with bald times. We eventually made it out and back thanks to our bedouin driver's efforts.

Wadi Rum consists of hundreds of square miles of gorgeous red sand and desert.

Crossing Wadi Rum, Jordan.

Crossing the desert on camelback

Watching the sunset from a cliff overlooking the plains. As if this place could get any more red!

Camping for the night, Wadi Rum, Jordan

Slow but steady

A very real problem.

Idaho countryside, en route to Montana

Glacier National Park, Lower Two Medicine lake

Swiftcurrent Lake, Glacier National Park, Montana

Sunrise over St Mary Lake, Glacier National Park, Montana

Enjoying the winding roads throughout Montana in a 1991 M5

St Mary Lake, Glacier National Park, Montana

Storms incoming, and we've got nowhere to hide, Glacier National Park, Montana

Why are we hiking INTO the storm? Glacier National Park, Montana

Ice cold river from the fresh snow melt. A few miles north and the trails are impassable without crampons and ice axes. Glacier National Park, Montana.

Red Eagle Lake, Glacier National Park, Montana

Lush mountain meadow, about to bloom. Glacier National Park, Montana

Snowmelt in Glacier National Park, Montana

Heading to Red Eagle Lake, Glacier National Park, Montana

I could drive here forever. Glacier National Park, Montana

One of the snowiest winters in recent history has given us waterfall that have massively overflowed their usual boundaries. Glacier National Park, Montana

Trusty M5, served us well for 1200 miles of spirited driving, capped off by a run through the Going to the Sun Road in Glacier National Park, Montana

Ominous clouds over Red Eagle Lake, and camp isnt set up yet! Glacier National Park, Montana

Leaving Glacier National Park, Montana

This is where my Vietnam trip began. Saigon. A storied city, completely packed and chaotic. The goal? Saigon to Hanoi on a motorcycle in 10 days. I first headed south to the Mekong Delta, and stopped here on the return trip. After a long and eventful ride from deep in the Mekong Delta back to the chaos of Saigon, I needed a break. I also had no choice but stop, because my motorcycle headlight had burnt out. I got in just before sunset. Instead of going straight to the mecahnic, I decided to detour to the top of the a nearby hotel and take some photos. I’d have plenty of time to find a mechanic and ghet back on the road. Downtown is full of new buildings bright lights, and great bars and restaurants. Oh, and lots of lights.

So I had the brilliant idea of deciding to ride a motorcycle across Vietnam. The first thing everyone asks, is if I ride a motorcycle. Yes. I have. Not regularly, but I do know how to ride a motorcycle. I'm crazy, but not idiotic enough to try to ride across a developing country on a motorcycle with zero prior experience. Before I left to Vietnam, I got in touch with some rental company in Hanoi, wired them a deposit, and had them ship the bike to Saigon for me. So off I went, 10 days to cross Vietnam. All my gear bunjee corded to the motorcycle, map in hand, and absolutely no real route/itinerary.

Celebrating the Assyrian New Year Kha b'Nisan in Khabur Syria.

I'm not sure what he's guarding. He probably isnt either. But nonetheless he is hard at work in Egypt.

Offerings made to the God and Goddess of fertility in a Balinese Temple.

Taking a 4x4 through the beautiful red desert of Wadi Rum in Jordan was amazing. Overheating in the desert in a 30 year old Land Cruiser was less amazing. We stopped at a camel trough to top off the radiator. Yes. There are camel troughs. And who needs coolant when you can fill the radiator with camel backwash?

They have next to nothing. They live in decrepit apartments. They sleep on inch-thick foam mattresses. They sit on borrowed uncushioned couches and plastic lawn furniture. Their warm hospitality is unaffected. Assyrian (Iraqi Christian) refugees in Jaramanah Refugee camp in Syria. Photoessay at http://www.projecttransient.com

This beautiful sea star on the ocean floor off the coast of Borneo is hanging out and waiting for his next meal.

Its tough to find your way to the base of a mountain 90 minutes away in a poorly signed country. So before I left San Francisco I pre-loaded my iPhone with topographic maps of Bali to use with the onboard GPS. I got on my little scooter (125cc of fury) and used a ball bungee cord (never travel without them!) to strap my iPhone to my scooter handlebars. Voila. Touchscreen GPS navigation in the middle of Indonesia.

Early dawn from Low's Peak on Mt. Kinabalu overlooking the world below. This is the first time I'm seeing the harsh bare rock terrain that I spent the last 4 hours climbing in the dark. Those little dots are people. Borneo

Even in 2007 American cars from the 1950's are still functional and make up the majority of the cars on the road in Cuba.

The Syrian government began a project to widen the main road into Jaramana and in the process relocated many refugees and tore down their homes. That was four years ago and now with the project stalled and only a muddy lot to show for it the refugees have moved back into the partially demolished homes. Assyrian (Iraqi Christian) refugees in Jaramanah Refugee camp in Syria. Photoessay at http://www.projecttransient.com

An inactive volcano oversees this fertile valley in Bali

At the halfway point up Mount Kinabalu in Borneo and settled in at camp. Looking down on the clouds and the rest of the world, from 10k feet.

The famous Souq (market) in Aleppo is huge and has an incredibly wide selection of food and goods. These olives were absolutely delicious!

Balinese men gather and prepare offerings for the Full Moon Festival in Ubud. Bali.

In the refugee camp there is no green. No trees. No grass. No fields. No flowers. Jaramanah is gray and brown. Muddy and dusty. The neighborhood kids play in the moments between passing cars and morning walks take place in alleys. Assyrian (Iraqi Christian) refugees in Jaramanah Refugee camp in Syria. Photoessay at http://www.projecttransient.com

Verdant fields of Ubud in Central Bali that go on for almost forever.