The Aral Sea, October, 2021 44°52’46.3″N 58°11’29.3″E

The Aral Sea used to be the 4th largest freshwater lake in the world. There is not a lot left and is, is so salty only a certain species of tiny shrimp actually live, allegedly (I did not see any). What’s left starkly beautiful, if tragic. In some ways it reminded me of the Etosha Pan, which will even more closely resemble as the years go by.

I walked into the sea and promptly sunk several inches into the mud.
I took this with a fisheye lens, hence the distortion, trying to capture the enormous emptiness of the place was hard.
If you squint you can see the yurt camp where we stayed.
Less than 40 years ago, this entire bay was filled with water.
The sunrise was stunning.
Moments before, even more so.

The Khorezm Fortresses, October, 2021, 42°00’03.6″N 60°42’02.5″E- ish

Last month we drove around to see the remains of mud-brick fortresses, some as old as the 4th century BC, that Genghis Khan’s destroyed.

Uzbekistan does not protect these forts in anyway, so we were free to walk around and the wild plants were free to grow.
Moon rise.
The moon rise was really really impressive.
Oddly a bunch of camels wandered by (for us, apparently super normal here, our camp even gave me camel milk tea, although I wish they hadn’t).
This wall is only 2,000 years old.
It seem like these places may be buried soon enough.
Emily made an appearance!

The Maldives, under the water, 5°14’12.5″N 73°06’27.5″E July, 2021

I have never done much underwater photography and bought an Olympus T6 (somewhere between what I am used to using and a point and shoot). I got better as time went by but still need practice.

These creatures are amazing and huge! This one was about 15 feet wingtip to wingtip. Taking their photos can be tricky however, as they are plankton eaters and to find them you go where they eat, which is full of plankton…
On my first dive.
Black tip reef shark
I have no idea what this guy is, but he was giving me serious side eye.
Nemo?

Tashkent post-vaccine-in color! May 31, 2021 41°18’46.5″N 69°17’04.3″E-ish

Em and I got to wander around Tashkent, even took the metro and had a beer in the city!

Our local metro stop.
Romanov Palace. What happens when you are a Duke of the Romanovs, a womanizer and insane? They build you a palace in Tashkent.
The grounds are full of animal statues.
The Space (metro) Station
Fun with fish-eye!
Every station is different and fancy.

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