Journeys through Small Doors

Photos and stories from travels in Asia and around the world

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Some of the best Narrative Video Games

Some of the best Narrative Video Games

Like many people, I have been extremely curtailed in my options how to spend my time for the last year. I do not mind escaping into books or films or indeed games for a while – but the past months have made the while longer and longer … so why not share a few of the more interesting narrative experiences you can have in the realm of video games. In oder to make it a bit more difficult for…

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Belgrade

This is where the placid Danube and the energetic Sava river flow together – in the back you can see Genex Tower, a Brutalist monument to Soviet economic optimism in the 1980s The House of Flowers is the final resting place of Tito – today a museum and nostalgic pilgrim site. A peaceful drinking spot in Kalemegdan Castle, which has been the site of battles and occupations between and by the…

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The Outer Hebrides

The Callanish Standing Stones on the Isle of Lewis are older than Stonehenge Crossing the mountain ridge that separates the isles of Lewis and Harris one is reminded of another island on the other side of the world Tarbert is Harris’ largest settlement – and a fishing town Wool and tweed must come from somewhere Big Duck watches you Legends of thievery and bloody clan feuds surround the…

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Morocco

The Blue City and the blue sky of morning – Chefchaouen Gran Teatro Cervantes – an abandoned theatre in Tangier Moroccan essentials Chefchaouen Palace Gate in Marrakesh Tangier Essaouira

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A Lost Motorcycle in Marrakesh

A Lost Motorcycle in Marrakesh

https://soundcloud.com/user-217272972/a-lost-motorcycle-in-marrakesh „I will give you a city tour – for free.“ “Are you sure you’re Moroccan?” Salmane’s laughter was lost in the wind as we rode away from Jemaa el-Fnaa on his motorbike. He was still elated about having it back. A few days ago the police had stopped him at an intersection because he was riding without a helmet (a helmet on a…

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Venice - A City of Lies

Venice – A City of Lies

https://soundcloud.com/user-217272972/venice-a-city-of-lies The city is not a city. It’s actually a mirage – few people know that about Venice…it is a fata morgana of the seas, something that a shipwrecked traveler might wake up in, believing himself in a different world. The layout of this floating city is just too unique. I imagine it drifting away overnight, and myself waking up in a lonely…

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The Isle of Strangers

The Isle of Strangers

The beach of Luskentyre – looks Caribbean but is thoroughly Scottish https://soundcloud.com/user-217272972/the-isle-of-strangers I don’t mean to be overly British and start with the weather … but I have to start with the weather and hide this fact as best I can with literary allusions. “Wind and Wave” is the title of a collection of dark hebridean folk tales and it’s impossible to better sum…

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The House of Flowers

The House of Flowers

Tito’s Tomb in the House of Flowers https://soundcloud.com/user-217272972/the-house-of-flowers Jugonostalgija – the nostalgia for the lost Yugoslavia is a strange social phenomenon. It can be the harmless obsession of younger people who have never experienced what they dream of, except through the stories of their parents or grandparents. It can be the quirky eccentrics of a collector or…

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Local Bus Only, Sir (Audio)

Local Bus Only, Sir (Audio)

https://soundcloud.com/user-217272972/local-bus-only-sir

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Local Bus Only, Sir

Local Bus Only, Sir

A Journey Into the Indian Himalaya The gods, so it is said, would not journey by bus in India. They would also not journey by train, plane or hired jeep. Their being able to traverse the country with a step or two, while leaving footprints, seas and rivers everywhere, means that such modes of transport are for the mere mortals. I wanted to go from MacLeod Ganj to Reckong Peo. The man at the…

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Voice of the Fire - Episode 2: Mehdi El Ghaly

Voice of the Fire – Episode 2: Mehdi El Ghaly

Saturday brings the first interview episode of Voice of the Fire: Our guest is Mehdi EL Ghaly – a prolific storyteller from Morocco who has appeared at TEDxMarrakesh and is working with Confluence Upland in an international collaboration. The first part deals with Moroccan storytelling in general – we talk about Al-Halqa and the state of Moroccan storytelling. The interview follows, giving us a…

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Voice of the Fire - Episode 1

Voice of the Fire – Episode 1

https://soundcloud.com/user-800040677/voice-of-the-fire-episode-1-to-say-hello-you-must-first-say-goodbye The first episode of Voice of the Fire – a podcast about storytelling – is online. It’s a celebration of and a farewell to one of the best writers of our time, Ursula K. LeGuin, who passed away last week.   We will return with another episode next week – an interview with an emerging young…

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Voice of the Fire I would like to welcome all visitors to Voice of the Fire. It's a podcast about storytelling.

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Listen To: Hello Sister…

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Father of Sickness – A Northern Tale

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Teaching Yoga (in MacLeod Ganj)

Teaching Yoga (in MacLeod Ganj)

I met Jogesh in Lung Ta, the very pleasant Japanese restaurant in MacLeod Ganj’s Jogiwara Road. Jogesh is one of three brothers, all of them yoga and reiki teachers from Bhopal who have been travelling the best-known and most lucrative yoga centers (Rishikesh, Manali, Goa, MacLeod Ganj) always on the lookout for students. Jogesh and his elder brother Amrit, who was the unofficial leader of their…

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Wolf and Balloon

Another old short story of mine…it was inspired by an illustration of the same artist as in the last story…unfortunately this illustration seems to have disappeared from the web entirely…instead you’re getting my own sketch of the main character (not a fair trade, really, but hey…)     “I want to go to the moon,” said the balloon. Later, he said, “I will go to the moon.” Wolf scratched his head,…

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