Country Quest - Bangladesh #169
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Today, 1 April 2023, I touched down in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. This takes my country tally to 169 countries and territories, or...
Jan Dehn
Mar 28, 20237 min
Nepal's Twin Curses: the Shahs and the Ranas
Like Bhutan and India, Nepal’s history of Democracy is surprisingly recent. Nepal only adopted its first genuinely democratic...
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Jan Dehn
Mar 27, 20231 min
Mount Everest!
Top of the world! Passed Mount Everest this morning on a flight from Paro (Bhutan) to Kathmandu (Nepal). After a week of clouds, today...
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Jan Dehn
Mar 27, 20231 min
Country Quest - Nepal #168
Today, 27 March 2023, I touched down in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. The arrival in Nepal takes my country tally to 168 countries and...
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Jan Dehn
Mar 26, 20234 min
A Day in Paro, Bhutan
Bhutan’s only international airport is located in Paro, but the airport is the least important reason to visit this town. Paro is a...
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Jan Dehn
Mar 25, 20231 min
Valleys and Passes of Bhutan
With 98.8% of its surface area covered in mountains, Bhutan is the world’s most mountainous country. The runners-up are not even close;...
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Jan Dehn
Mar 24, 20232 min
Great Master Kunley and his Formidable Phallus
Great Master Kunley, a Buddhist Lama of the highest order, is known throughout Bhutan as the Divine Madman. Unconventional and...
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Jan Dehn
Mar 24, 20234 min
The Big Boys of Bhutan
The Big Boys of Bhutan are without a doubt Buddha, Guru Rinpoche, and Shabdrung. Between them, they laid the foundations of all Bhutanese...
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Jan Dehn
Mar 21, 20233 min
The Upcoming Test for Bhutan's Young Democracy
Update: 28 January 2024: It is all change as Bhutan’s liberal politician Tshering Tobgay, leader of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP),...
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Jan Dehn
Mar 19, 20231 min
Country Quest - Bhutan #167
Today, 19 March 2023, I touched down in Paro, Bhutan. Bhutan takes my country tally to 167 countries and territories. Due to rounding,...
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Jan Dehn
Mar 16, 20234 min
The Russian Refugees in Thailand
Imagine that your country’s despotic leader suddenly decides to illegally invade another country. In the outrage that follows, your...
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Jan Dehn
Mar 11, 20235 min
Contrasting Cultures: Scuba Divers Versus Land-based Safari Enthusiasts
Scuba diving is possible in many places around the world. Every location is unique, which is one of the key attractions of diving;...
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Jan Dehn
Mar 9, 20231 min
FLASHBACK! Arathusa Leopards 2019
One of best places in the world to spot leopards is undoubtedly Arathusa Safari Lodge in Sabi Sands Game Reserve, South Africa. Sabi...
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Jan Dehn
Feb 28, 20231 min
Country Quest - Maldives #166
Today, 28 February 2023, I touched down in Male, Maldives. The picture above was taken through the window of the plane as we came in for...
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Jan Dehn
Feb 27, 20234 min
Yala National Park and the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami
Southern Sri Lanka was one of the first landmasses to the west of the epicentre of the 26 December 2004 Indonesian earthquake to be hit...
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Jan Dehn
Feb 25, 20231 min
World Leopard Populations: Three Down, Six To Go
Before reading on try to zoom in on the leopard‘s eyes. That’s intensity! There are nine recognised subspecies of leopards including...
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Jan Dehn
Feb 23, 20233 min
Tea For Two And Two For Tea!
British colonialism was an abomination. However, one of its less onerous legacies in Sri Lanka was tea. The imperialists first brought...
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Jan Dehn
Feb 22, 20233 min
Sigiriya, Sri Lanka
Once upon a time, some fifteen hundred years ago, King Dhatusena ruled Anuradhapura, the ancient capital of North Central Sri Lanka....
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Jan Dehn
Feb 21, 20231 min
Country Quest - Sri Lanka #165
As of today, 21 February 2023, I have been to 165 countries and territories. I arrived in Colombo, Sri Lanka this morning after ten days...
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Jan Dehn
Feb 20, 20234 min
Sardar Patel and the Death of Indian Feudalism
Few countries can claim to have undergone more visceral changes in as short a time as India. The sub-continent literally vaulted from a...
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