On the morning of June 24 TotalAdventure flew from Bucharest to Belgrade,Serbia and then took a 6 hour van ride to Sarajevo,Bosnia. The alternative would have been a 2 day train journey. Rail lines in former Yugoslavia are still heavily damaged from Allied bombing during the 1990s wars and are only now starting to be rebuilt.

The Balkans in Bosnia are quite beautiful,belying the centuries of warfare that have been taking place there.

20 Years later and damage is still evident throughout Sarajevo, a four year siege of bullets and shells.

Air Serbia to Belgrade.

A Shrine In Western Serbia.

Along the river in Sarajevo.

Above Sarajevo.

Hundreds of thousands were killed over a four year period.

All the stones in this area of the graveyard have the same departure date. Graves are everywhere, including in city parks.

In Ramadan there is a sixth prayer call of the day – after Iftar – when the daily fast is broken.

Iftar Tea.

Iftar Approaches.

Iftar Meal – Lamb Sausage.

Mostar ( Bridge) in Mostar. It was blown in half during the war and rebuilt a few years ago. See the video to watch men dive from it.

Bombed Buildings In Mostar.

Shrine To Slobodan Milošević in a Republika Srpska bus station. Republika  Srpska consists of t Serbian controlled areas of Bosnia. For now, a tense peace exists.

Destruction Everywhere.

Kosovo is Serbian !

A Peaceful Summer Day in Mostar. The temperature was about 38 C ( 101 F).

“Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,

To God’s holy people in Ephesus,^[a] the faithful in Christ Jesus:

² Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. “

On the final day of June, TotalAdventure toured Ephesus , about 2 hours north of Bodrum. Ephesus began as a Greek city around 1000 BC and was later annexed by Rome. In Biblical times,early AD , the Apostles John and Paul lived there and the Virgin Mary perhaps spent her final days there.

The House of The Virgin Mary.

Same alphabet used today, but only in Greece.

Bath Near Virgin Mary House.

The larger of two amphitheaters. Ephesus is normally very crowded in the summer, but due to events in Istanbul there were very few tourists. In many areas we were by ourselves, along with a  few stray cats. Cruise ships had cancelled landings in the nearby port – their loss,our gain.

This evening TotalAdventure departs Miami, flying to Munich via London. From Bavaria we go by train through Austria,Czech Republic,Poland,Slovakia, the Carpathian Mountains in Romania , the Balkans in Bulgaria, Bosnia,Serbia,Croatia and Montenegro, arriving in Turkey by ship.

Tonight’s Route.

2014 was an incredible travel year for ArcticTropic. We explored Myanmar ( Burma), European Russia,Siberia,Mongolia,China,Japan,British Colombia,Canada,Singapore,Philippines and Panama. Here’s 184 clips in 11 minutes. This version is natural sound,a musical version will be uploaded soon.

Final edit of Go-Pro footage of ArcticTropic’s exploratory voyage across Russia in early Summer 2014. Five days in Moscow , then to Irkutsk,Lake Baikal and Ulan Ude , before crossing into Mongolia.

For Adventures in Russia, CLICK HERE

With a shorter stay in Mongolia this year, ArcticTropic and company opted for riding semi-wild horses in Terelj National Park, northeast of Ulanbataar. The small,but sturdy horses are adept at rapidly climbing and descending the steep,sometimes wooded terrain.

Mongolia – Land of Peace.

Yaks yakking.

Ancient stones tower.

Climbing to Lord Buddha.

All Encompassing Wisdom.

Wisdom.

A Warning.

Mongolian and Tibetan Buddhism are very close.

After a long hard day on the range, a warm comfortable yurt.

The fires burn through the icy night.

Genghis Khan Rides Again!

Special Thanks To Tour Mongolia for putting together this Great Adventure on short notice !

For adventures in Mongolia, CLICK HERE

On the morning of June 1 we arrived in Irkutsk after a 5 hour flight and a 5 hour time change.

The flight is longer than New York to Los Angeles but only crosses about a third of Russian airspace.

Irkutsk is 350 years old, settled by fur traders. The Trans Siberian Railroad grew the settlement into a city.

The Communists never bulldozed the old Siberian buildings.

However frost in Irtkutsk’ 50 below zero winters causes the buildings to warp.

A hot bowl of borscht is welcome on a chilly 40 F ( 4 C ) degree day in June.

FOr adventures in Russia, CLICK HERE

Moscow is a great sightseeing city . It’s very easy to get around on the Metro. Above, church spires in the Kremlin.

The Tomb of The Unknown Soldier, outside the walls of the Kremlin.

Memorial to the Siege of Leningrad.

Inside the Kremlin walls.

Foreign Ministry Building.

Lenin is Everywhere – Still ! But his philosophy is long dead.

Evening Mass.

Stalin’s Greatest Masterpiece – Moscow State University.

For adventures in Russia, CLICK HERE

After flying for over two days – from Miami to New York to Frankfurt to Singapore to Yangon – ArcticTropic then boarded an Air KBZ ATR 72 prop plane to Bagan. I arrived Friday late afternoon on March 14,2014. The temperature was a dusty 104 ( 40 C) when I got off the plane. In the next few days it would get up to 107 in the day, then down to about 78 at night.

A combination of a silent electric scooter and a GoPro strapped to my forehead made for great stealth shooting (video) opportunities. Village inhabitants did not realize my presence till I was already gone.

Baby Burmese.

Crab Curry.

Houseboat.

Next Stop – 1948 !

Offerings To Lord Buddha.

Burmese is written in one of the 19 Sanskrit alphabets.

Next Stop – 1648 !

Searing heat bakes the riverbed,now 20 feet above the current waterline. By August this spot will be under 20 feet of water.

Lunch Break.

For adventures in Burma, CLICK HERE

For thousands of years, life in Bagan has revolved around Lord Buddha.

For advenutres in Burma, CLICK HERE