Hiking the Glenn Highway through Alaska. Published in Asphalt Pilgrims.
Paul Salopek
Every hundred miles Salopek pauses to record the landscape and a person he meets, assembling a global snapshot of humankind. Milestones reflect straight-line distances, but his walked distances are generally much longer. More on these waypoints here.
Every hundred miles Salopek pauses to record the landscape and a person he meets, assembling a global snapshot of humankind. Milestones reflect straight-line distances, but his walked distances are generally much longer. More on these waypoints here.
The captain was talking to a sailor friend on ship-to-ship. Through the rasp of the radio they gossiped. The conversation lasted about 30 minutes before the signal grew weak. We were headed north to Jeddah. The friend was bound south for Singapore. They caught up whenever they could, in the narrows, in the Red Sea. They hadn’t seen each other in years.
A wraparound soundscape at this Milestone
This Milestone’s location on a map
Photos of the ground under Paul’s feet and the sky above at this Milestone
A brief question and answer with the first person Paul meets at this Milestone
Abdullah Ali Nejem
Captain of the ABUYASSER II, livestock carrier, Age 58
Who are you?
I am captain.
Where do you come from?
Arwad Island. Near to port of Tartus. In Syria. Arwad very old. More older than Tartus. By a long time. Arwad named for a queen. She very old. A thousand years — more, to Phoenician time. Very , very, very old. My grandfather seaman. My father seaman. I seaman. Go back maybe two hundred years. All the sea. My smallest son — he is studying sea academy in Egypt, in Alexandria. Very expensive! Very expensive! I pay how much? I pay 35,000 dollar. I pay everything. Everything gone! (Wipes palms of hands against each other.) Gone! Bank, khalas! But what can do? What can do? What can do? Is for future.
Where are you going?
One place. One place only. I say this. Place have everything. Have everything! You want zeitun? You know zeitun? Green? Black? Have! You know Zeitun oil? Best! Best! Have! You want all farm vegetable? Have! You want car? You want drive 1,000 kilometer on good road? Have! You want good heart doctor? Have! Good doctor! You want medicine! Cheap medicine? Have! Have everything! Have everything! Have everything! But now — gone! Syria finished! Syria ‘stroyed. ‘Stroyed! Go back maybe 300 years! How long to catch up? Maybe 300 years more! Six hundred years — lost! Syria same as old!
A video showing the landscape around this Milestone
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