Yesterday ArcticTropic boarded a train in Sofia for the 3 hour ride to Plovdiv in the south central part of Bulgaria.

Plovdiv is the oldest continually inhabited city in Europe, dating from 3000 BC. This Roman Amphitheater, was written about in this past Sunday’s New York Times. It dates from 98 A.D.

Street scene in the Old City.

A monument to the Soviet soldiers erected in 1945. They probably were not welcomed warmly since Bulgaria was on Germany’s side.

Saints of Bulgaria.

An Ottoman era house.

Sofia is one of the most religiously tolerant cites in the world, which would be a more peaceful place if their example was followed everywhere. These pictures are taken within a one block radius of each other.

Prayer Calls 5 times a day.

Alexander Nevsky Cathedral where photos were allowed.

An Oasis of Peace.

The Royal Synagogue.

Offerings to Buddha.

Peaceful Prayertime

Vung Tau Beach

Temple in Nha Trang

Saigon – Old US Army Vehicles Plying the Streets

Orthodox Easter in Ethiopia is the real thing. No bunnies or chocolate eggs here ! As Ethiopia had been cut off from the rest of the world for nearly 1000 years, the rites and rituals are nearly the same as when Christianity arrived in 400 AD. This mass is at a church in Lalibela. ArcticTropic links to 3 destinations in Ethiopia.

Long Lost Laos was cut off from the world for nearly 20 years after the Communist occupations. The country had never changed much before that – a great advantage if one is looking for the Old Southeast Asia – much like Thailand might have been 40 years ago. Jungles, mountains, Holy villages, the limestone forest of Khammouane and caves such as Xe Bang Fai are all part of Laotian Adventure.

India and Indonesia are already well represented on ArcticTropic Blog with ArcticTropic produced video. Please see the archives. Above we have travelogue propaganda from Iran -, where most people must go on an organized tour. ArcticTropic has two destinations in Iran. Please let us know about any more. Travelers with Iran footage ware welcome to link here and write for ArcticTropic Blog.

On Thursday morning a car was delivered to our hotel in Mexico City. After battling DF traffic for about an hour and a half, we were headed for Puebla on the Cuota – stopping for a late brunch in a high pass where the temperature was in the low 40s.

Puebla is very reminiscent of Spain. We explored the colonial churches and climbed Puebla Cathedral – a 400 year old tower that is 245 feet high. The tower is generally not open to the public – one must ask – it is a steep climb !

Hundreds of slippery steps !

For Mexican Adventure Travel – ArcticTropic offers direct links to destinations and soon – will offer direct booking !

FOR ADVENTURES IN MEXICO, CLICK HERE

Yesterday morning, fresh off the plane from Miami , I took a cab from GRU to São Bento Cathedral in São Paulo, Brazil. This is a really old missal rite that is being revived, especially in Brazil.

FOR ADVENTURES IN BRAZIL, CLICK HERE

To visit the Ethiopian countryside is the closest thing to time travel – back to the 4th Century. ArcticTropic currently has three providers in Ethiopia.

From a respectable distance , this footage of multiple cremations was taken along the Ganges River in Varanasi, India. ArcticTropic is the gateway to all adventure travel in India. For an in depth look at Indian life, check out India Incognito.