kgh

About me

I'm originally from Scotland, now living in California, but doing a lot of traveling.

I'm particularly interested in the former Soviet Union – I’ve visited all the former SSRs at least once. I’ve also traveled a moderate amount in the countries bordering the USSR and in the Middle East plus scattered trips to other continents.

I collect photos of statues of Lenin and (more rarely) of Stalin. I have a few from statue parks or museums, but I prefer capturing them "in the wild" where they are still simply a part of the everyday landscape.

Recent activity

  • replied to a Thorn Tree thread called Visa... in the Asia - Central Asia Branch

    Yes, I did exactly this, with an "N/A" for the Inviting Organization information on an Uzbek visa application and it worked fine. Like you...
    6 days ago
  • replied to a Thorn Tree thread called Visa... in the Asia - Central Asia Branch

    It's easy. Just put in "N/A" meaning "Not Applicable"....
    6 days ago
  • replied to a Thorn Tree thread called Southern Iraq Tour Notes in the Middle East Branch

    Hi JAD, yes, it was a fun journey!...
    about 1 month ago
  • replied to a Thorn Tree thread called Southern Iraq Tour Notes in the Middle East Branch

    Yes, Babel Tours arranged for my visa. The visa cost $80 USD. - kgh
    about 1 month ago
  • posted a new Thorn Tree thread called Southern Iraq Tour Notes in the Middle East Branch

    I was in Southern Iraq for nine days in March 2012 on a private archaeology-focused tour with Babel Tours (http://babel-tours.com/),...
    about 1 month ago
  • replied to a Thorn Tree thread called Three Assyrian sites near Dohuk in the Middle East Branch

    Personally I'd chose Hilamta, yes....
    about 1 month ago
  • posted a new Thorn Tree thread called Three Assyrian sites near Dohuk in the Middle East Branch

    Here are some brief notes on recent visits to three Assyrian sites around Dohuk. ...
    about 1 month ago
  • replied to a Thorn Tree thread called travel to Baghdad in the Middle East Branch

    A quick comment on visas and "permissions"....
    2 months ago
  • replied to a Thorn Tree thread called transit Iraq from Kuwait to Iran in the Middle East Branch

    Southern Iraq is relatively placid at the moment. ...
    2 months ago
  • replied to a Thorn Tree thread called travel to Baghdad in the Middle East Branch

    Two slightly different topics have got tangled up in this thread: the overall travel situation in Iraq and the specific situation right now...
    2 months ago
  • replied to a Thorn Tree thread called Bahrain eVisa versus Visa-on-Arrival in the Middle East Branch

    Thanks SandpitSteve. That's very helpful context - the current Bahrain visa situation is quite hard to understand from outside. ...
    2 months ago
  • posted a new Thorn Tree thread called Bahrain eVisa versus Visa-on-Arrival in the Middle East Branch

    I applied for a tourist eVisa for Bahrain, but my application vanished into limbo. After ten days it was still marked as "application in...
    2 months ago
  • replied to a Thorn Tree thread called travel to Baghdad in the Middle East Branch

    Babel Tours are still operating tours, at least to some areas. I have a trip in Southern Iraq scheduled with them for later this month,...
    3 months ago
  • replied to a Thorn Tree thread called South Ossetia by bus in the Europe - Eastern Europe & the Caucasus Branch

    Unfortunately it is not possible for foreigners to cross between Georgia and South Ossetia. You would need to be either a Georgian or a...
    3 months ago
  • replied to a Thorn Tree thread called Assyrian archaeological sites from Erbil? in the Middle East Branch

    Djaser: Many thanks for the pointers to Khanas and Maltia!...
    4 months ago

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